Redbone (song)

"Redbone" is a song recorded by American rapper and singer Childish Gambino, the stage name of Donald Glover. It was released on November 17, 2016, and serves as the second single from his third studio album "Awaken, My Love!"[2] The song received three Grammy Award nominations including Record of the Year at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards, eventually winning the award for Best Traditional R&B Performance.[3] In 2021, it was ranked #383 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[4]

"Redbone"
Single by Childish Gambino
from the album "Awaken, My Love!"
ReleasedNovember 17, 2016 (2016-11-17)
Recorded2016
GenrePsychedelic funk[1]
Length
  • 5:27 (album version)
  • 3:27 (radio edit)
LabelGlassnote
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Childish Gambino
  • Ludwig Göransson
Childish Gambino singles chronology
"Me and Your Mama"
(2016)		 "Redbone"
(2016)		 "Terrified"
(2017)

Background

Following the release of "Me and Your Mama", Gambino released the song on November 17, 2016, premiering on Annie Mac's Hottest Record on BBC Radio 1, with the DJ describing it as "oozing with soul".[5][6]

Recording and production

"Redbone" was written by Donald Glover and produced by Ludwig Göransson. In an interview with Triple J, Glover explained:

There wasn't a ton of vocal stuff done ... I think people hear "Redbone" and are like, "Oh, he pitched up his vocals," but there was no vocal pitching on the album—I just sang differently.[7]

Göransson recorded all the instruments starting out from a drum beat that Donald Glover was playing. The intro of the song is dominated by a recurrent slap bass line and the Maestro G-2 wah of a vintage Telecaster that plays the melody while a synth organ makes the counterpoint. An old Rhodes conduct the base chords in D minor as other instruments get in, like a clavinet, a mellotron, a glockenspiel and the Juno-106 synthesizer. The outro part ends with several fuzz guitar harmony licks, a doubled distorted acoustic guitar and some classic piano arrangements.[8] The song is based on "I'd Rather Be with You" by Bootsy's Rubber Band.[9][10]

Critical reception

"Redbone" was critically acclaimed upon release, resulting in its inclusion in several publications’ year-end best songs lists.[11][12][13] Critics primarily praised the track as a faithful homage to P-Funk and 1970s R&B, as well as for Glover's vocals.[14][15][16][17] In a positive review, Pitchfork’s Sheldon Pearce called the track “a full-blown funk slow jam” which “parses love, lust, reconciliation, generations of black soul, and wokeness”.[18] Slant Magazine, which ranked the song as the Best Single of 2017, described it as “a creepin’ tribute to the pre-quiet-storm R&B characterized by the Delfonics and the Floaters” and highlighted the “Thundercat-worthy popping bassline” and “insistent glockenspiel diddling strike”,[13] with author Jonathan Wroble noting the song’s “wah-wah guitar and slap bass, distant chimes, and pitch-shifted vocals”, calling them “robotic and soulful at once”.[19] Jason Woodbury of Flood Magazine compared the song to “Prince’s erudite R&B” and called Glover’s falsetto singing “remarkable”.[15] NME ranked the song 14th in its Best Songs of the Decade list, noting Glover’s “bold reinvention as a 70s soul’n’funk crooner” and that his singing “incredibly, wasn’t pitch-shifted in the studio”.[20] Editors from Rolling Stone included the track in the publication’s 100 Greatest Songs of the Century So Far list in 2018, stating that it distilled the spirit of “that Seventies black music that felt like they were trying to start a revolution”.[14]

Commercial performance

"Redbone" was a sleeper hit in the United States, debuting at number 75 on Billboard Hot 100 for the chart dated December 10, 2016.[21] The song then re-entered and peaked at number 12 on the chart for the week of August 19, 2017,[22] making it Gambino's highest-charting single at the time (since surpassed by "This Is America") and his first top 20 single. The song became Childish Gambino's first ever number-one single on the Adult R&B chart.

The track was voted into fifth place in Australian radio station Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2016.[23]

Usage in media

The 2017 film Get Out, directed by Jordan Peele, features the song during the film's opening scene.[24]

The song became a popular internet meme, following its re-entry to the Billboard charts, consisting of various remixes of the song to fit a certain theme. During a concert in June 2017, Glover acknowledged the meme onstage before leading into a performance of the song.[25]

During the 2018 Grammy Awards, an Apple ad showing off iPhone X's Animoji effect aired, in which the song was used, with an animated alien head singing the song.[26]

Personnel

Charts

Certifications
Certifications and sales for "Redbone"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[55] 5× Platinum 350,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[56] 4× Platinum 320,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[57] Platinum 90,000‡
France (SNEP)[58] Platinum 200,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[59] Gold 25,000‡
Netherlands (NVPI)[60] Gold 20,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[61] Platinum 30,000‡
South Africa (RISA)[62] Gold 10,000*
Sweden (GLF)[63] Gold 20,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[64] 2× Platinum 1,200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[65] 5× Platinum 5,000,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Gadsby, E (February 5, 2018). "Top 25 Childish Gambino Songs". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
  2. "Childish Gambino Gets Smooth & Soulful on New Track 'Redbone'". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  3. Kreps, Daniel (November 28, 2017). "Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Bruno Mars Lead 2018 Grammy Nominees". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  4. "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 14, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  5. "Childish Gambino – Redbone". BBC Radio 1. November 17, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  6. "Childish Gambino's "Redbone" will help fill the Prince-shaped hole in your heart". November 17, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  7. "Childish Gambino: "There Was No Vocal Pitching on the Album"". Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  8. "The Making of Childish Gambino's "Redbone" with Ludwig Göransson". May 10, 2017.
  9. "Redbone". WhoSampled. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  10. "Songfile". Song Code RVA0OF. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  11. Billboard Staff (December 13, 2017). "Billboard's 100 Best Songs of 2017: Critics' Picks". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  12. Roffman, Michael (December 27, 2017). "Top 50 Songs of 2017". Consequence. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  13. Staff, Slant (December 5, 2017). "The 25 Best Singles of 2017". Slant Magazine. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  14. Hermes, Christian Hoard,Christopher R. Weingarten,Jon Dolan,Elias Leight,Brittany Spanos,Suzy Exposito,Kory Grow,Sarah Grant,Simon Vozick-Levinson,Andy Greene,Will; Hoard, Christian; Weingarten, Christopher R.; Dolan, Jon; Leight, Elias; Spanos, Brittany; Exposito, Suzy; Grow, Kory; Grant, Sarah (June 28, 2018). "The 100 Greatest Songs of the Century - So Far". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 4, 2022.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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  16. "Review: Childish Gambino, 'Awaken, My Love!'". MTV. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  17. "The 50 Best Songs of 2016". Complex. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  18. "Childish Gambino: "Redbone"". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  19. Wroble, Jonathan (December 7, 2016). "Review: Childish Gambino, Awaken, My Love!". Slant Magazine. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  20. NME (December 4, 2019). "The Best Songs Of The Decade: The 2010s". NME. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
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  22. "Top 100 Songs - Billboard Hot 100 Chart". Billboard.
  23. "Flume Wins Triple J Hottest 100 Of 2016". Retrieved January 26, 2017.
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  58. "French single certifications – Childish Gambino – Redbone" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  59. "Italian single certifications – Childish Gambino – Redbone" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved October 14, 2021. Select "2019" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Redbone" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  60. "Dutch single certifications – Childish Gambino – Redbone" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved October 14, 2021. Enter Redbone in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 2017 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
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