To Zion

In 1996, Lauryn Hill met Rohan Marley, son of Bob Marley, while touring as a member of the Fugees. The pair gradually formed a close relationship, and while on tour, Hill became pregnant with his child.[3] The pregnancy and other circumstances in her life inspired her to record a solo album. After contributing to fellow Fugees member Wyclef Jean's solo debut Wyclef Jean Presents The Carnival (1997), Hill took time off from touring and recording due to her pregnancy and cases of writer's block.[4][5] The pregnancy, however, renewed Hill's creativity, as she recalled in an interview several years later: "When some women are pregnant, their hair and their nails grow, but for me it was my mind and ability to create. I had the desire to write in a capacity that I hadn't done in a while. I don't know if it's a hormonal or emotional thing ... I was very in touch with my feelings at the time." Of the early writing process, Hill said: "Every time I got hurt, every time I was disappointed, every time I learned, I just wrote a song."[6] Hill gave birth to Zion David Marley on August 3, 1997.[7]

Hill revealed that her affinity with Latin music came from a young age, crediting her parents' record collection for introducing her to the Latin rock band Santana. She frequently listened to their second studio album Abraxas (1970), accentuating its instrumental track "Samba Pa Ti", further elaborating: "I used to write my first songs to other people's music, and this particular album had this beautiful, soulful guitar, and it was instrumental, so I was in heaven. From that time – Oye Como Va, Black Magic Woman – all those songs just really touched me, and gave me an appreciation for guitar and for the Latin African rhythms."[8] Hill's admiration for Santana stimulated her to seek their frontman Carlos Santana out to collaborate with her.[9] Their collaborative effort would become "To Zion", and Hill consequently wrote, produced and recorded "Do You Like the Way" for Santana's subsequent album Supernatural (1999).[10][lower-alpha 2]

"To Zion" was written solely by Hill.[12] According to her then-manager Jayson Jackson, the songwriting was prompted by Wendy Williams revealing Hill's pregnancy on her radio show and the intense media scrutiny over the identity of the child's father, as Hill had never publicized her relationship with Rohan Marley prior to the pregnancy.[13] Che Guevara, who was credited as the song's co-producer, produced the track within 20 minutes inside a small studio apartment in Brooklyn. After he presented Hill with the instrumental, she responded: "I have this idea to do a song about my baby and I didn't know what the music should sound like until I heard that track."[13] Hill subsequently recorded the song at the Chung King Studios in New York City and the Perfect Pair Studios in East Orange, New Jersey.[12] Carlos Santana recorded his guitar instrumental at the Circle House Studios in Miami.[13]

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill became the subject of a lawsuit soon after its release, as the songwriting and production collective New Ark (Vada Nobles, Rasheem Pugh, Tejumold Newton, and Johari Newton) sued Hill for having "used their songs and production skills, but failed to properly credit them for the work."[14] In addition to reimbursement, New Ark demanded co-writing credits for 13 out of the album's 14 tracks–"To Zion" was the sole track excluded from the stipulation, with Nobles remarking it "was her baby because it was about her child. Can't nobody interfere with that right there."[15] The lawsuit was eventually settled out of court in February 2001, for a reported $5 million.[16] While Guevara was not involved in the lawsuit, he claimed he solely produced "To Zion", despite being merely credited as a co-producer, and contemplated filing a lawsuit of his own but ultimately abandoned the idea.[13]

American guitarist Carlos Santana (pictured) is featured on "To Zion".

"To Zion" is composed in the key of E major, according to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing.[17] Eric Weisbard from Spin described the song's sound as "Revolutionary War fife roll converts into hip-hop".[18] The instrumental track is driven by acoustic Spanish guitar licks, as laid by Carlos Santana, which are interspersed with a military march.[19][20][21] The song's tempo is a moderate 86 beats per minute, in common time, while Hill's vocal range spans around one and a half octave from the low note of C♯₄ to the high note of G₅.[17] Weisbard compared the song's structure to the works of John Lennon and Hill's vocal performance to Dionne Warwick at the end of her 1962 song "Don't Make Me Over".[18]

One of the more introspective tracks on The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, "To Zion" is an emotional tribute to Hill's son Zion David Marley.[19] As Hill serenades her son, she discusses her unplanned pregnancy and the decision not to terminate it, despite the profuse pressure to do so in favor of her burgeoning career.[22][23] A spiritual lyrical theme becomes distinguished through Hill's conversations with God regarding the outcome of her pregnancy,[24] prayers for her son's safety and well-being,[12] and learning "love of God through love of her child".[lower-alpha 3] While she initially conveys insecurity and vulnerability over the contemplation,[23] she ultimately declares "now the joy of my world is in Zion",[18] and thanks God for "a gift so great".[12]

In an interview discussing the origin and significance of "To Zion", Hill commented: "Names wouldn't come when I was ready to have him. The only name that came to me was Zion. I was like, 'is Zion too much of a weight to carry?' But this little boy, man. I would say he personally delivered me from my emotional and spiritual drought. He just replenished my newness. When he was born, I felt like I was born again."[26] She further stated: "I wanted it to be a revolutionary song about a spiritual movement, and also about my spiritual change, going from one place to another because of my son."[27]

"To Zion" received unanimous acclaim from music critics, both upon the release of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and in retrospective commentary. Dom Phillips from Q complimented the song's instrumentation by saying it "neatly flutters Spanish guitar over a military march".[21] John Mulvey from NME listed the track among the highlights of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, remarking that "emotional heroism prevails over poor-superstar whingeing" in its lyrics.[22] Writing for Rolling Stone, American writer and journalist Touré also labeled it as one of the album's standout tracks, describing it as an "epic, adoring tribute to her young son" and commending Santana's guitar performance.[19] Nick Butler from Sputnikmusic stated the track could "easily descend into cheesy power-ballad territory" but nonetheless has "grit, imagination, and power".[28] While retrospectively discussing its parent album, Kyle Anderson from MTV highlighted the song by calling it "sweet".[29]

David Opie from Highsnobiety praised "To Zion", writing: "It's the way that Lauryn effortlessly combines the confessional with the celebratory here which truly speaks to her strength, teaching others to live their truth without letting subsequent struggles consume them."[30] Justin Tinsley of Andscape shared Opie's sentiments, describing the song as "beautifully strong and transparent".[15] Brandon Tensley wrote for Time that the thesis of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill manifested itself on "To Zion", as Hill "creates an emotive space in which she can be vulnerable, sometimes uncomfortably so".[23] Okla Jones ranked the song first on Essence's list of Hill's best songs, calling it "[p]erhaps the most beautiful song in Hill's entire body of work",[31] while Victoria L. Johnson of Complex ranked it at number 11 and stated: "The choir's chant of "marching" propels the song to another level of intense devotion. Carlos Santana's incredible guitar playing only deepens the sonic connection."[32]

Hill included "To Zion" on the set list for her first solo concert tour, The Miseducation Tour (1999), with Carlos Santana joining her on stage at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on March 3.[33] Furthermore, the two had performed the song together at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards on February 24,[34] where Hill won record-breaking five Grammy Awards in a single night.[35][lower-alpha 4] Dean Van Nguyen from The Irish Times retrospectively hailed Hill's song choice for the ceremony as "brave", adding: "With legendary axe-man Carlos Santana caressing his acoustic guitar by her side, Hill delivered a cutting four-minute sermon on the pressures facing young women at pop music's top end."[34] Additionally, the song appeared on Hill's live album Live in Tokyo, Japan '99 (2020), recorded during The Miseducation Tour in Tokyo on September 7, 1999.[37]

Hill also included "To Zion" on the set list for the tour commemorating the 20th anniversary of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill in 2018.[38] In a review of the tour's Arena Birmingham stop for The Guardian, Kitty Empire criticized the tour guitarist for "destroy[ing] Carlos Santana's formerly lovely Spanish guitar intro" but praised Hill's vocal performance.[39] During Hill's rendition of the song at ONE MusicFest in Atlanta on October 8, 2022, Zion David Marley–Hill's oldest son and the subject of "To Zion"–surprised Hill on stage along with his two children.[40] In 2023, Hill added the song to the set list for her tour commemorating the 25th anniversary of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,[41] which was partly co-headlined with the Fugees as their reunion tour.[42]

In an analysis of Hill's impact on contemporary culture for Time, Brandon Tensley credited "To Zion" with encouraging African-American female artists to express themselves more honestly through their works, stating: "This working through of raw emotions — this centering of the heart — has long been denied black women in the mainstream, including during the hostility-filled '90s, but it's treated seriously in Hill's work, and in part, it's what makes her extraordinarily transgressive as a lyricist."[23] In her essay for The Westside Gazette, Carma Henry stated the song "beautifully paint[ed] the portrait of the authentic experience of Black girlhood and the transition into womanhood".[43] The song's lyrical content has also been attributed with influencing female celebrities to pursue motherhood simultaneously with their prosperous careers, with Justin Tinsley of Andscape enlisting tennis player Serena Williams and rapper Cardi B as prime examples.[15] Similarly, David Opie from Highsnobiety described the song as "a call to arms for other expectant mothers who have faced similar pressures in the workplace", in reference to professional pressure placed on Hill to have an abortion, which is discussed in the lyrics.[30]

Several critics have also acknowledged the influence "To Zion" has had on artistry of numerous rappers who achieved mainstream prominence throughout the decades after the song's release. Along with some other tracks from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, it has been credited with popularizing previously dismissed theological themes in mainstream hip hop, with Opie noting: "Six years before Kanye would go on to walk with Jesus, Lauryn openly conversed with him on multiple tracks here, weaving various references to the Bible throughout."[30] Kathy Iandoli shared those sentiments, writing "Before Miseducation, the only way you could reference God was through identifying as one under the Nation of Gods and Earths. Anything else was taboo or theoretically corny."[24] She further elaborated by indicating the influence Hill's religiously themed lyrics have had on rappers such as Lecrae and Chance the Rapper.[24]

Hill's collaborator Vada Nobles stated in 2008 that he believed the drum roll on "To Zion" inspired the aforementioned "Jesus Walks" (2004) by Kanye West.[13] West even referenced "To Zion" on his 2007 song "Champion", as evident in the lines: "Lauryn Hill say her heart was in Zion / I wish her heart still was in rhymin' / 'Cause who the kids gon' listen to, huh?".[24] Furthermore, American rapper J. Cole sampled "To Zion" on his 2013 song "Can I Holla at Ya".[44] In 2018, English singer Jessie Ware exalted "To Zion" and credited it for artistic guidance, explaining: "The song grows and grows and grows and becomes huge; it's almost overpowering. It's about a mother's love, but weirdly I felt like I could relate to it when I was 13 years old. It definitely made me think about how you put together a record".[45]

US promotional CD single[2]

1. "To Zion" (radio edit) (featuring Carlos Santana) – 3:40
2. "To Zion" (album version) (featuring Carlos Santana) – 4:33
3. "To Zion" (instrumental) (featuring Carlos Santana) – 4:31
4. "To Zion" (callout hook #1) – 0:10
5. "To Zion" (callout hook #2) – 0:05

Japanese mini CD single[46]

1. "To Zion" (album version) (featuring Carlos Santana) – 4:33
2. "To Zion" (instrumental) (featuring Carlos Santana) – 4:31

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.[12]

• Kenny Bobien – backing vocals
• Commissioner Gordon – engineering, mixing, mixing engineering
• Jared "Chocolate" Crawford – live drums
• Che Guevara – production
• Lauryn Hill – arrangement, lead vocals, production, songwriting
• Ken Johnston – engineering assistance
• Sabrina Johnston – backing vocals
• Grace Paradise – harp
• James Poyser – synth bass
• Lenesha Randolph – backing vocals
• Warren Riker – engineering
• Earl Robinson – backing vocals
• Carlos Santana – lead guitar
• Jamie Seigel – mixing engineering assistance
• Andrea Simmons – backing vocals
• Eddie Stockley – backing vocals
• Johnny Wyndrx – engineering

• To Zion at Discogs (list of releases)
• Official website