Only One (Kanye West song)

"Only One" is a song by American recording artist Kanye West, featuring English musician Paul McCartney. The song was released on December 31, 2014, and was the first song released by West after the release of his sixth studio album Yeezus.[2][3][4][5][6]

"Only One"
Single by Kanye West featuring Paul McCartney
ReleasedDecember 31, 2014
RecordedSeptember 2014[1]
GenreSoul
Length4:42
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • West
  • McCartney
  • Dean (add.)
  • Goldstein (add.)
Kanye West singles chronology
"Nobody"
(2014)		 "Only One"
(2014)		 "FourFiveSeconds"
(2015)
Paul McCartney singles chronology
"Hope for the Future"
(2014)		 "Only One"
(2014)		 "FourFiveSeconds"
(2015)

The song was written by West, McCartney, Noah Goldstein, Mike Dean, and Kirby Lauryen. Produced by the former four, the song is a tribute to West's daughter, North, and is sung as a message to Kanye from the perspective of his late mother, Donda West.[1] McCartney is featured on the track as a musician and can be heard on "faint" and electronically manipulated backing vocals, but does not sing any lead vocal part.[7]

Background

The song was recorded over a two-day period in Mexico in September 2014 in which West and McCartney, alongside other artists, recorded upwards of nine songs.[1]

The track was released on December 31, 2014, to the iTunes Store. The track features English musician and former member of the Beatles and Wings, Paul McCartney, and was the first of two rumored collaborations between the two artists, the other being a track called "Piss On Your Grave".[8] "Only One" was the first of three McCartney–West collaborations to be released commercially, as the two would later appear on "FourFiveSeconds" alongside singer Rihanna, released just twenty-four days after "Only One", as well as on West's "All Day".[9] "Only One" also features uncredited vocals from Ty Dolla $ign.

Kanye West is described in a press release as not being able to remember singing the words to "Only One" when he and McCartney were later reviewing the early 2014 sessions that generated the song. Later, West "realized that perhaps the words had never really come from him … he understood in that moment that his late mother, Dr. Donda West, who was also his mentor, confidante, and best friend, had spoken through him that day ... A message had been passed down through generations."[10] In the song Kanye is singing from the perspective of his mother Donda West, who died in 2007.

West's then-wife Kim Kardashian tweeted upon the release of the track that it is her favorite track by West, saying, "People always ask me what my favorite Kanye song is and it's 'Only One'. Kanye feels like his mom sang thru him to our daughter."[11]

Live performances

Personnel

Music video

On the episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show which aired January 29, 2015, West revealed a preview of the music video for "Only One", directed by Spike Jonze on his iPhone.[16] West tweeted a link to the full music video available to watch on his web site later the same day.[17] The video was shot in the minimalist style that West had been continuously using.[18] It sees West walking through a soggy field with his daughter North, who was 18 months old at the time, and he is silhouetted by fog.[17] Pitchfork Media named "Only One" the sixth best music video of 2015.[19]

Chart performance

"Only One" debuted at number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 on the chart dated January 17, 2015. Its debut was mainly on the strength of digital download sales; it sold 125,000 copies during its first week, making it the week's tenth-best selling single. It also marked McCartney's first top 40 hit in the United States in over 25 years, when 1989's "My Brave Face" had reached number 25.[20] Following three weeks on sale in the United States, "Only One" had sold 230,000 total copies.[21] On 28 July 2015, the song was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.[22]

The song also debuted at number 35 in the UK Singles Chart on the chart dated January 10, 2015.[23] On its second week on the chart, the song rose to number 28.[24]

In New Zealand, the song debuted at number 8 on the New Zealand Singles Chart, marking West's first top ten single there since Jay-Z's 2009 single "Run This Town", and first top ten as a lead artist since 2008's "Heartless". It also marks Paul McCartney's first charting single there since his 1993 single "Hope of Deliverance" and first top ten single since 1983's "Say Say Say" with Michael Jackson.[25][26]

Charts

Weekly charts
Weekly chart performance for "Only One"
Chart (2015) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[27] 8
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[28] 31
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[29] 18
Belgium Urban (Ultratop Flanders)[30] 10
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[31] 20
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[32] 31
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[33] 34
Denmark (Tracklisten)[34] 31
France (SNEP)[35] 30
Germany (Official German Charts)[36] 32
Ireland (IRMA)[37] 43
Italy (Musica e Dischi)[38] 24
Hungary (Single Top 40)[39] 19
Japan (Japan Hot 100)[40] 34
Mexico Ingles Airplay (Billboard)[41] 27
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[42] 8
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[43] 82
Scotland (OCC)[44] 14
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[45] 21
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[46] 85
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[47] 39
UK Singles (OCC)[48] 28
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[49] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[50] 35
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[51] 11
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[52] 23

Year-end charts
Year-end chart performance for "Only One"
Chart (2015) Position
Australia Urban Singles (ARIA)[53] 31
US Hot R&B Songs (Billboard)[54] 25

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[55] Gold 45,000‡
United States (RIAA)[56] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Release dates for "Only One"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
United States December 31, 2014 Digital download Def Jam [57]
January 12, 2015 Contemporary hit radio [20]
Urban contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary
Hot adult contemporary
Adult album alternative

See also

References
  1. Molly Beauchemin (January 3, 2015). "Ty Dolla $ign Says He, Kanye West, Rihanna, and Paul McCartney Are Dropping A Song Together". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  2. Nostro, Lauren. "Happy New Year: Kanye West Just Dropped "Only One" f/ Paul McCartney". Complex. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  3. Markman, Rob. "Kanye West Drops New Song For The New Year: Listen To 'Only One'". MTV. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  4. Nelson, Michael (January 2015). "Kanye West – "Only One" (Feat. Paul McCartney)". Stereogum. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  5. "Kanye West Season Returns With The Release Of 'Only One' Ft. Paul McCartney". Uproxx. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  6. Young, Alex (January 2015). "Kanye West premieres "Only One" featuring Paul McCartney — listen". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  7. "Review: Kanye West's 'Only One' featuring Paul McCartney: His worst-ever track?". Los Angeles Times. 2 January 2015.
  8. Ed Keeble. "Paul McCartney and Kanye West's 'Piss On My Grave' is leaking". gigwise.com.
  9. Holmes, Charles (September 11, 2018). "Kanye West Offered to Produce a Paul McCartney Album". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 5, 2019. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  10. "Kanye West's "Only One (feat. Paul McCartney)": His worst-ever track?". Los Angeles Times. January 2, 2015.
  11. West, Kim Kardashian (2014-12-31). "People always ask me what my favorite Kanye song is and it's Only One". @kimkardashian. Retrieved 2017-09-13.
  12. Nolan Feeney (6 February 2015). "Watch Kanye West Perform 'Only One' at the Grammys". Time. Archived from the original on 9 January 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  13. Scott Heins (16 February 2015). "Kanye West Hits SNL 40 To Perform "Jesus Walks," "Only One" & New Song "Wolves"". Okay Player. Archived from the original on 22 March 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  14. Caitlin White (27 February 2015). "Watch Kanye West Sing "Only One" On Scandinavian Talk Show Skavlan". Stereogum. Archived from the original on 27 June 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  15. Dean Van Nguyen (1 March 2015). "Kanye West performs 'Only One' on 'The Jonathan Ross Show' – watch". NME. Archived from the original on 2 January 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  16. "Kanye West Previews "Only One" Video, Talks Fatherhood, Adidas Partnership on "Ellen"". Pitchfork Media. 29 January 2015.
  17. Hunt, Elle (January 30, 2015). "Kanye West sings to baby North in Only One video directed by Spike Jonze | Music". The Guardian. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  18. Hooton, Christopher (January 29, 2015). "Kanye West's new music video for Only One is just him walking around with North West". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-24. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  19. "Best Music Videos of 2015". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  20. Trust, Gary (January 9, 2015). "Kanye West, Paul McCartney Debut in Hot 100's Top 40 With 'Only One'". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  21. Trust, Gary (January 28, 2015). "Rihanna, Kanye West & Paul McCartney Debut on Hot 100 With 'FourFiveSeconds'". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  22. Peake, Kyle (July 28, 2015). "Gold & Platinum: West, Kanye". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on December 27, 2015. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  23. "2015-01-10 Top 40 Official Singles Chart UK Archive - Official Charts". Official Charts.
  24. "2015-01-17 Top 40 Official Singles Chart UK Archive - Official Charts". Official Charts.
  25. "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart - The Official New Zealand Music Chart".
  26. "Paul McCartney Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  27. "Kanye West feat. Paul McCartney – Only One". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  28. "Kanye West feat. Paul McCartney – Only One" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  29. "Kanye West feat. Paul McCartney – Only One" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  30. "Kanye West feat. Paul McCartney – Only One" (in Dutch). Ultratop Urban. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  31. "Kanye West feat. Paul McCartney – Only One" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  32. "Kanye West Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  33. "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 20158 into search. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  34. "Kanye West feat. Paul McCartney – Only One". Tracklisten. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  35. "Kanye West feat. Paul McCartney – Only One" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  36. "Kanye West feat. Paul McCartney – Only One" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  37. "Chart Track: Week 2, 2015". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  38. "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 4 June 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Kanye West".
  39. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  40. "Kanye West Chart History (Japan Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
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  42. "Kanye West feat. Paul McCartney – Only One". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
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  44. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  45. "Kanye West feat. Paul McCartney – Only One" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  46. "Kanye West feat. Paul McCartney – Only One". Singles Top 100. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  47. "Kanye West feat. Paul McCartney – Only One". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  48. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  49. "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
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  51. "Kanye West Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  52. "Kanye West Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
  53. "ARIA Top 50 Urban Singles 2015". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  54. "Hot R&B Songs – Year-End 2015". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  55. "Danish single certifications – Kanye West – Only One". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved August 21, 2019. Scroll through the page-list below until year 2018 to obtain certification.
  56. "American single certifications – Kanye West – Only One". Recording Industry Association of America.
  57. "Only One (feat. Paul McCartney) - Single by Kanye West". apple.com. 31 December 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
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