TwoAM
"TwoAM" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA, released as a standalone single on SoundCloud in May 2016. It appears on the deluxe edition of her debut studio album, Ctrl (2017), released on June 9, 2022.
"TwoAM" | ||||
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Single by SZA | ||||
Written | 2016 | |||
Released |
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Recorded | 2016 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:02 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | ||||
SZA singles chronology | ||||
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Audio | ||||
"2AM" on YouTube |
Release
"TwoAM" was surprise-released under Top Dawg Entertainment's SoundCloud account on May 18, 2016.[1] The song is heavily based on "Come and See Me", a 2016 single by PartyNextDoor featuring Drake. The original "Come and See Me" is about a man who calls a woman late at night to invite her for sex.[2][3] One of the lyrics, "It's after 2 a.m. and that's asking a lot of you right now", is where the title of SZA's song originates.[4]
In "TwoAM", SZA shifts the perspective away from the man and assumes the role of the woman,[5] whose thoughts of the man keep her awake even at 2 am. Sydney Gore of Nylon wrote that SZA's version was "more lusty, dreamy, and inviting" compared to the original.[6] The woman has sex with the man in the middle of the night; SZA's character acknowledges the man does not love him, yet she says, "I know you're mine".[7] She tells herself she must move on and stop spending time with him because if she did, she would feel more "fucked up".[4] Many lines in the song are inverses of lyrics in "Come and See Me", including the hook. As observed by Erin Ashley Simon of Revolt, if PartyNextDoor's character insists that she "come and see him for once", SZA's rejects him and tells him that he should go see her instead.[5]
"TwoAM" ends with a snippet of guitars, indicating the release of another SZA song, "Inside Man".[8][9] In the "Inside Man" outro, she sings "I might be thirsty for you, how can you blame me?"[6]
Ctrl, SZA's debut studio album, was released on June 9, 2017, although the song did not appear on the album.[4] Five years later, SZA wrote a post on Twitter in which she teased the official release of songs created in 2014–2017 to celebrate the album's five-year anniversary.[10][11] Seven songs were released four days later as tracks for the deluxe edition of Ctrl, and among the eight was "TwoAM".[12][note 2] Upon the release, "TwoAM" charted on the New Zealand Hot Singles Chart at number 15[13] and US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at number 45.[14]
Notes
- Co-wrote "Come and See Me" (2016) by PartyNextDoor featuring Drake, the song that "2AM" interpolates
- The song's title as it appeared on Soundcloud had the number two spelled out; the deluxe track's title spells "two" as a numeral.
References
- "SZA Flips PartyNextDoor and Drake's 'Come and See Me' For Her New Song 'twoAM'". The Fader. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- "SZA reworks Drake and PartyNextDoor on new song 'twoAM' -- listen". May 19, 2016.
- "9 New Songs to Heat up Your Summer Playlist". May 23, 2016.
- "SZA Plays off of PartyNextDoor's 'Come and See Me' with 'twoAM'". Complex Networks.
- "New Music Roundup: Cam'ron, SZA, Theophilus London, Banks & Steelz, & HANZ".
- "SZA is Back with a New Song for Your Booty Calls".
- "SZA: 'twoAM'". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- "SZA: 'twoAM'". Pitchfork.
- "SZA: 10 Of Her Best Songs Ranked". Power 98 FM. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- Bowenbank, Starr (June 9, 2022). "SZA Celebrates 5 Years of Ctrl With Deluxe Edition Featuring 7 Unreleased Tracks: Listen". Billboard. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- "SZA Drops Previously Unreleased Songs on Ctrl Deluxe Edition". Rolling Stone. June 9, 2022.
- "SZA shares deluxe edition of Ctrl to celebrate fifth anniversary". NME. June 9, 2022.
- "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. June 20, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- "SZA Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2022.