| "Go!" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byCommon featuringJohn Mayer andKanye West | ||||
| from the albumBe | ||||
| Released | June 14, 2005 | |||
| Recorded | 2004;Sony Music Studios,(New York,NY) & Encore Studio,(Burbank,CA) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:44 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | Kanye West | |||
| Common singles chronology | ||||
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| John Mayer singles chronology | ||||
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| Kanye West singles chronology | ||||
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"Go!" is the third single from theCommon albumBe. It is produced byKanye West, who also performs backing vocals for the track alongsideJohn Mayer. The track'spercussion is handled by Num Amuntehu, while itsscratches are provided byA-Trak. Its beat contains a sample from "Old Smokey" byLinda Lewis. Its lyrics deal with sexual fantasies.
Tworemixes of "Go!" featuringJoy Denalane were released as singles: one was remixed by Kanye West and the other byJazzanova.J. Cole also raps over the "Go!" beat on "Knock On Wood Freestyle" on hisThe Blow Up mixtape.
Common, Kanye West and John Mayer were inspired to create a song after seeing the 2004 movieRay.[1] They all headed to a studio where Kanye worked on a beat and Mayer told Common to write about fantasies.[1] Despite Common's initial hesitance of being influenced by a non hip hop artist,[1] he wrote the song and it was later recorded in two studios:Sony Music Studios inNew York City and Encore Studios inBurbank,California.
It was the most commercially successful song onBe as it reached #79 onThe Billboard Hot 100 and also reached theHot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks andHot Rap Tracks charts. Critics attribute this success to its mellow beat, smooth vocals and subject matter. Spence D. ofIGN.com writes:
"Go!" is the requisite mid-tempo love jammy with pun[c]hes of "Go" lightly echoed throughout while Kanye tosses in the hype man "and on the count of three, go, go, go, uhhh!" To his credit Common rides the rhythm with a natural ease and earns points for making a slow rap jam that isn't one of those out-dated cross pollination numbers featuring the flavor of the day female crooner.[2]
A music video directed by Kanye West, MK12 and Convert was produced. It features Common relaxing in a modern house that contains rugs, couches and a large window allowing much light into the house. Common's surroundings are constantly morphing, but maintain a brown and beige color scheme. As a preface to various scenes in which Common fulfills fantasies with women, phrases such as "body of a dancer" and "free love" appear. The end of the video features a snippet of "Faithful", the succeeding track inBe after "Go!".Entertainment Weekly named it the fourth best music video of 2005.[3]
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USBillboard Hot 100[4] | 79 |
| USHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[5] | 31 |
| USHot Rap Songs (Billboard)[6] | 21 |
Common singles | |
|---|---|
| Can I Borrow a Dollar? | |
| Resurrection | |
| One Day It'll All Make Sense | |
| Like Water for Chocolate | |
| Electric Circus | |
| Be |
|
| Finding Forever | |
| Universal Mind Control | |
| The Dreamer/The Believer | |
| Other singles | |
| Featured singles | |
| Other songs | |
