| "Homecoming" | ||||
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| Single byKanye West featuringChris Martin | ||||
| from the albumGraduation | ||||
| B-side | "Good Night" | |||
| Released | February 2, 2008 (2008-02-02) | |||
| Recorded | 2006 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:23 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriters |
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| Kanye West singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Homecoming" onYouTube | ||||
"Homecoming" is a song by American rapperKanye West from his third studio album,Graduation (2007). The song was written by West andWarryn Campbell, who served as the producers, along with English singerChris Martin ofColdplay, who makes a guest appearance. Martin came up with the concept during a jam session with West atAbbey Road Studios in February 2006. It was a re-working of West's 2001 recording "Home (Windy)", which was inspired byCommon's "I Used to Love H.E.R.". The recording featuredJohn Legend and a different beat, with a theme around West's hometown of Chicago that was maintained for the final version.
On February 2, 2008, "Homecoming" was released in the United Kingdom byRoc-A-Fella Records andDef Jam Recordings as the album's fifth and finalsingle. It is ahip hop song with elements ofgospel andpub rock, accompanied by Martin'sarena rock piano. The singer also performs thechorus, questioning returning home and adding a hint ofreggae. In the lyrics of the song, West delivers an ode to Chicago and narrates his relationship with the city. He personifies Chicago as achildhood sweetheart named Wendy, expressing his guilt and rejection from her after leaving for fame.
"Homecoming" received mixed reviews frommusic critics, who were mostly divided in their responses to Martin's feature. Some praised West's lyricism and emotional impact, while a few critics identified the song as a highlight ofGraduation. It was later ranked as among West's best songs by numerous publications, includingThe Jamaica Observer andCraveOnline. The song charted at number 69 on the USBillboard Hot 100, while reaching number 15 on theHot Rap Songs chart. It was more successful in Europe, peaking within the top 10 of Ireland and the United Kingdom. The song attained top 40 positions in 11 other countries, including Norway and Denmark. In the United States, the song was certifiedtriple platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was certified platinum in Denmark byIFPI Danmark and in the UK byBritish Phonographic Industry.
An accompanyingblack-and-white music video was filmed in Chicago during November 2007 and released in April 2008. The video features a montage of West traversing the streets of the city and showcases its landmarks, alongside cameos from his friends and rap acts there. It was nominated forBest Hip Hop Video at the2008 MTV Video Music Awards. West delivered a live performance of "Homecoming" at The Box nightclub in August 2010, accompanied by Legend at thegrand piano. The rapper performed the song at theGlobal Gathering in 2008 andCoachella in 2011.Dave delivered a piano cover of it live in April 2022.
"Homecoming" was produced by West and record producerWarryn Campbell, who served as co-writers withColdplay's lead vocalistChris Martin.[1] On February 13, 2006, Coldplay played a live show forBBC Radio 2 at London'sAbbey Road Studios, where West was in attendance. West had wanted an appearance from Martin on "Homecoming" to crossover to working with the member of a mainstream band; they collaborated on the song after the show.[2][3] The rapper felt them being in the same place showed the collaboration was meant to be and brought by God, saying he "serve[d] as a vessel".[4] After fellow rapperJay-Z heard the song himself, he decided to invite Martin to make a guest appearance on one of his songs. The collaborators worked on "Beach Chair", released beforeGraduation on Jay-Z'sKingdom Come in 2006.[5] On fellow album track "Big Brother", West references the tension that came from Jay-Z having a feature from Martin after he told him of their collaboration.[6] West recalled that he was initially reluctant for their collaboration due to his competitive nature, later regretting this.[5] In December 2008, West praised Coldplay's for their consistent musicality and representing Britishstadium music.[7]
"Homecoming" was a reworking of West's track known as "Home (Windy)" that was recorded for ademo tape in 2001;[8] the term "Windy" in its original title referred to Chicago's nickname ofWindy City.[9][10] The track relied on a loopedsample of harmonious vocals fromPatti LaBelle and the BlueBelles's 1963 cover of the show tune "You'll Never Walk Alone", accompanied by West'sboom bap production.[11][10][12] It featured ahook from singerJohn Legend under his real name of John Stephens, singing about soldiers who did not make it back home.[8][9][13] "Home (Windy)" circulated under the new title "Home" on numerousmixtapes that West released over the years, includingGet Well Soon... in 2003.[9][14][15] "Home" was also available on an advance copy of West's debut studio albumThe College Dropout (2004), the same year that Legend released his debutGet Lifted with the rapper's production.[8][12][16] However, this version was never released due to aleak months before its intended initial release date of August 12, 2003.[15][17][18] West used the opportunity to refineThe College Dropout, as the project was significantly remixed, remastered, and revised prior to being released.[15] In the end, "Home" and a number of original album tracks were retracted.[16] West revised or reused lyrics from his early demo and mixtape tracks, such as basing "Homecoming" on "Home".[19]
An entirely new beat was made for "Homecoming", even though it used verses from "Home", while Legend's hook was replaced by a chorus from Martin.[19] The song served as a loving, emotionalode to Chicago.[20][21][22] West expresses a metaphoric narrative with a feminizedpersonification of Chicago, depicting the city as achildhood sweetheart.[5][9][23] The rapper kept most of his lyrics from the original, which were inspired by his labelmate and fellow Chicago rapperCommon's "I Used to Love H.E.R." (1994) and he changed certain ones as Martin requested him to.[19][24][25] He led Martin to forgo his typical midtempoballadry in favor of flashier, inspirational piano work.[11][26] Martin's pounding piano waslooped to beginoff-beat for a raw, hip-hop sound, which displays agospel influence recurrent in West's productions.[27][28][29]
The song was described as "very emotional" by West during an interview withConcrete Loop on October 5, 2007.[30] Inspired by his worldwide stadium tour with Irish rock bandU2 from 2005 to 2006, he redesigned the song for it to be chanted.[31][32] During the recording and production ofGraduation, West was listening to other bands likeKeane,the Killers, andRadiohead for heavy inspiration.[31] Accordingly, the new composition features sharp piano flourishes placed over booming, stadium music to accompany asing-along pop chorus.[11][29][33] Meanwhile, the piano accompaniment is laden with energeticminor chords and results inarena rock.[34][35]
West and Martin met each other for the very first time when Coldplay played a show at Abbey Road on February 13, 2006.[2][4][36][37] The rapper originally spent a one-day session in the venue's Studio Two recording strings, then booked the Studio Three for the week's remainder. Engineer Mirek Stiles spent this time working with different vocals takes and loops alongside the production team of West, who was then joined by Martin in the control room.[2] West and Martin engaged in an impromptujam session that included Martin singing into aNeumann U 47 and resulted in "Homecoming"; the singer came up with the concept.[3][4] A beat was played to Martin from West intended for his 2005 single "Heard 'Em Say", to which he responded by suggesting it should be "more like a homecoming or something".[4] Studio Two, used for an initial session, was the same studiothe Beatles recorded in and West later had his photo on the wall of Abbey Road alongside the band in 2021.[2][38] At the time of recording, West was traveling around the world to meet collaborators. This was a different approach to his later years when people visited him to collaborate, and he frequented theRecord Plant in Hollywood withpercussionistJon Brion.[1][36] West also traveled to theSony Music Studios in New York City (NYC), the Fever Recording Studio inNorth Hollywood, Los Angeles, andOcean Way Recording in Hollywood to record "Homecoming". The song wasmixed at Chalice Recording Studios in Hollywood andChung King Studios in NYC.[1]
West retracted the original vocal sample of "You'll Never Walk Alone" for "Homecoming" and replaced it with a looped piano riff, which he decorated over a stadium-friendly beat.[5][10][16][29] Much ofGraduation contained glossy,synthesizer-based productions influenced by West's experimentation withelectronic music.[16][39][40] He opted for a contrasting style on "Homecoming", with a more stripped-down and piano-based instrumental to complement the introspectiveness of its lyrics.[21][24][34]
Musically, "Homecoming" is an upbeathip-hop song,[29][41] with a duration of three minutes and twenty-six seconds (3:26).[1] The track is a gospel-inflected jam, featuring an anthemic stadium beat and elements ofpub rock.[16][33][42][43] The song includes a raw, arena rock piano riff from Martin, which is looped.[5][27][29][35] Martin plays an energetic piano, adding gospel elements.[28][34][44] The instrumental of the song relies on the piano, as do the energetic minor chords.[11][21][34] Its instrumentation also consists of percussion and heavy drums.[1][14]
According to thesheet music published at Musicnotes.com byEMI Music Publishing, the song is set incommon time, with a moderatetempo of 88 beats per minute. "Homecoming" is written in thekey ofE minor, and Martin'svocal range spans from a low ofD4 to a high ofE5. The musical composition uses four-measurephrases, which follow a basicchord progression of Em–D/F#–Em/G–G–Am7–D/C–Cmaj7–Bm7.[45] Opening on a hammering Eminortriad, the song's piano arrangement beginsoff-beat and incorporates flourishes.[14][29][45] Throughout the track, the noise of acheering crowd can be heard faintly in the background.[46]
Lyrically, "Homecoming" serves as a love ode to Chicago from West and Martin.[20][21] West uses introspection in a narrative that follows his bittersweet relationship with Chicago as his hometown across the song's two verses, personifying the city as a childhood sweetheart named Wendy.[5][9][23][47] The rapper identifies her as "Windy" in the lyrics, mentioning that she "likes to blow trees".[48] He acknowledges that the childhood sweetheart slipped away and expresses guilt over having left her for fame, not being able to feel at home after leaving despite rejection from her.[16][23][24][49] The lyrics reference Common's "I Used to Love H.E.R.", a rap song that similarly tells of a metaphoric relationship with a woman.[19][24][50][51] After each verse, Martin sings a smooth, sing-along pop chorus that poses the question of "Do you think about me now and then? / 'Cause I'm coming home again".[5][11][47][52] His vocals were compared byThe Observer andDigital Spy to that of musician and singer-songwriterSting, frontman of the Britishpost-punk bandthe Police.[43][53] Despite being fromDevon, United Kingdom, Martin sings of a memory of fireworks atLake Michigan, one of the North AmericanGreat Lakes.[54] The singer alsocroons on the chorus and he delivers the line "e-yo-oh-oh" in areggae style, evoking Jamaican musicianBob Marley.[43][46]
In January 2007, West toldBillboard that he was considering releasing the song as thelead single forGraduation.[55] "Homecoming" was first previewed when thedigital radio stationBBC Radio 1Xtra hosted an "Audience With Kanye West" event at the BBC Radio Music Theatre in London on August 13.[56] West guided a specially selected audience throughGraduation, playing the album on hisMacBook Air laptop via a speaker system.[56] "Homecoming" was one of the tracks that West played during a listening session forGraduation at theNew World Stages inManhattan, NY on August 28, 2007. Inside an auditorium, West revealed his influences and aspirations. West played the songs from start-to-finish uninterrupted, with special programs of the lyrics handed out.[57][58][59] When an audience member asked West why "Home" became "Homecoming" with a new beat, he replied that he believed the original would not suit stadiums, but that the lyrics were too good to not use.[60]
On September 11, 2007,Graduation was released, including "Homecoming" as the twelfth track.[61] West subsequently imparted that it was among his three favorite songs from the album.[30] On February 2, 2008, the song was released fordigital download in the UK by West's labelsRoc-A-Fella andDef Jam as the fifth and final single from the album.[5][62] The labels later issued it on amaxi-single in Germany on May 9, with "Good Night" serving as theB-side.[63] Four days later, the song was serviced to USrhythmic contemporary radio stations.[64] On July 1, 2008, the song was released on aCD single throughUniversal.[65]
"Homecoming" was met with mixed reviews frommusic critics. Giving the song four out of five stars in Digital Spy, Nick Levine described it as the "emotional centrepiece" ofGraduation, commenting that West shows his humanity and Martin provides "a pomp-filled piano riff" with undertones of English singer and composerElton John.[44] Levine noted how the song could have ended up becoming "a crass exercise in mutual back-slapping", thanking Martin for managing to bring out West's softness that marked "the bragging rapper's most affecting moment to date".[44] Jackie Im ofTreblezine declared that the song exceeded his expectations, praising Martin's vocals on the hook for their heavy catchiness and his piano as reminiscent of Elton John, summarizing it as a "nice little pop song that leads into Kanye's most earnest moment".[66]Pitchfork's Mark Pytlik wrote that the song seemingly "hits all the right notes", aided by Martin.[67] Vadim Rizov fromSlant Magazine said the song is among West's strongest rapping on the album and quipped that in contrast to Jay-Z's collaboration with Martin on "Beach Chair", West may be able to "make Coldplay acceptable for the cool kids again".[68]Ann Powers, for theLos Angeles Times, also held the belief that West bests Jay-Z's utilization of Martin's "reedy pipes".[69]Paste reviewer Ross Bonaime wrote that West's usage of Martin is the most successful and they are a "undeniably pretty great" duo, although found it weird hearing the singer sing of Chicago as home.[50] Writing forNME, Louis Pattison was satisfied with the song, but questioned the decision for Martin to appear after he worked with Jay-Z.[23]
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Several music journalists questioned the authenticity of Martin's appearance on "Homecoming". Dorian Lynskey ofThe Guardian paid attention to its flaws, advising against guesting Martin on a song about Chicago due to his Devon nativity and thought even his emotion cannot make being "moved by the memory" of Lake Michigan fireworks convincing.[54]Nathan Rabin fromThe A.V. Club viewed the collaboration as showing West's "broad musical palette that occasionally gets him into trouble", feeling Martin to be unsuitable for representing Chicago's strong musical heritage.[70]Exclaim!'s Del Cowie remarked that "Homecoming" lacks the level of emotion that a "hometown ode should elicit", attributing this to Martin's "yodelling soccer yob".[71] Labeling the track as one of the album's transgressions, Noah Love ofChart Attack stated that it would be better without the singer's crooning and considered West was still finding his lyrical potential.[72]Chicago Tribune music criticGreg Kot dismissed Martin's vocals and the "cornball piano riff", feeling that the song fails and results in the album's biggest misstep.[73]
Some reviews of the song were not focused on Martin's vocals. While he upheld the belief thatGraduation did not meet its expectations, Kyle Ryan ofThe A.V. Club wrote that the song is an example of "its usual share of West gold".[74]NOW Magazine editor Jason Richards labeled the song as the highlight of the album.[75] AtStylus Magazine,Jayson Greene expressed that the usage of "Home" for the song is the album's prime example of West's "narrow lyrical focus" of reiterating his older works and strongly demonstrates he has not left his defining moment, despite "a big, stadium-ready beat".[16] On a similar note,The Boston Globe's Julian Benbow criticized West for the awkwardness of combining "a song from a four-year-old mix-tape" with heavy drums and piano.[14]
Despite receiving mixed reviews, "Homecoming" appeared on several retrospective lists of West's best songs. In 2016,Complex listed the song at number 38 among West's 100 best songs.[9] Also in this year, Jeva Lange ofThe Week identified the song as West's best track and was impressed by his personification of Chicago that showed a deep love, praising its evolution for the original too.[76] To honor West's 39 birthday in June,The Jamaica Observer composed a list of his top 10 best songs and placed "Homecoming" 10th.[77] In 2017,CraveOnline ranked "Homecoming" as West's best song; the staff summarized that the instrumentation is the highlight and combined with the topic of his love for Chicago, makes for a "high point".[21]Highsnobiety cited "Homecoming" as the 40th best West song six years later, with Donovan Barnett referring to it as a "classic Kanye cut" for the piano instrumentation, ode to the city, and Martin's chorus.[78]
"Homecoming" was declared the 50th greatestChicago rap song byComplex.[79] ForChart Attack's list ofKanye West's 10 Most Stripped-Down, Minimal Songs, head writer Jordan Darville ranked it at number four. Discussing the track's lyricism, he mentioned it is among the introspectiveness ofGraduation that is "much more deeply felt".[24]Billboard cited "Homecoming" as among West's 10 most romantic songs; Jason Lipshutz stated that it marked one of rap's most loving hometown tributes.[48] "Homecoming" received a nomination for Best R&B/Hip-Hop Track at the2008 Teen Choice Awards.[80]
The accompanyingmusic video was shot by the acclaimed directorHype Williams on location in Chicago on November 6, 2007. Williams and West had previously worked together on several music videos, including fellow album tracks "Can't Tell Me Nothing" and "Stronger".[81] The music video was filmed entirely inblack-and-white, with Williams taking a simplistic visual approach. West dressed in a patchwork shirt with akeffiyeh that had contrasting patterns.[82][83]
Prior to its premiere, West posted screenshots of the music video to his blog on March 6, 2008.[84] He also made exclusivebehind-the-scenes images from the shoot available.[82] Additional behind-the-scenes footage was later obtained and release byChannel Zero in December 2010. The footage showed West on set with rappersBump J, Wildstyle ofCrucial Conflict, andMalik Yusef. Cameos were featured fromDon C,Virgil Abloh, Ibn Jasper, Morocco Vaughn, andOrr Academy High School students.[85] On April 1, 2008, the music video was released on West's blog.[82][86]
The music video features amonochromatic montage of West rapping in a truck, wandering throughout many different areas of Chicago. The montage featuresslow-motion shots andangles highlighting the streets, buildings, monuments and citizens.[81][87] The various locations and landmarks include theCloud Gate sculpture atMillennium Park,DuSable Museum of African American History,Tribune Tower,Jay Pritzker Pavilion, theSears Tower, and theCabrini–Green andHarold L. Ickes housing projects.[9] Some of West's early friends follow him around Chicago, including a young girl that repeatedly makes appearances.[81] Cameos are also made by local hip-hop acts like L.E.P. Bogus Boys and Common, whose work is referenced in the song.[50][9][81] Throughout the video, these scenes are interspersed with animated silhouette outlines and shots of West rapping the song's verses. He is surrounded by reflective mirrors on top of a moving vehicle and Martin singing the chorus while playing an upright piano.[81][84]
The music video was listed at number 84 onBET'sNotarized: Top 100 Videos of 2008 countdown.[88] On their 2013 list of West's 42 best music videos,Complex placed the visual at number 32; the writers praised the montage of West's revisit to the city with the accompaniment of friends and rap acts.[81]VH1 ranked the music video as the fifth greatest clip filmed in an artist's hometown a year later, with Lucelenia Amparo hailing the shots of Chicago and "the perfect touch" from Martin.[89] It received a nomination forBest Hip Hop Video at the2008 MTV Video Music Awards.[90]
"Homecoming" debuted at number 96 on the USBillboard Hot 100 for the issue dated June 7, 2008.[91] The next week, it rose to number 83 on the Hot 100.[92] The track then moved up 12 spaces, a week before peaking at number 69 on the chart.[93][94] It lasted for seven weeks on the Hot 100.[95] "Homecoming" entered the USBillboardHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number 68 on the issue dated May 22, 2008, standing as the highest debut of the week.[96] Thereafter, the track peaked at number 33 on the chart issue dated June 14.[97] That very same week, it debuted at number 19 on the USHot Rap Songs chart.[98] Around a month later, the track reached its peak position of number 15 on the Hot Rap Songs chart issue dated July 12, 2008.[99] By August 2015, "Homecoming" had been certifiedplatinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for amassing 1,000,000 certifiable units in the United States, standing as one of West's 10 platinum singles in the country for 2015.[100] It was later awarded a triple platinum certification by the RIAA for reaching 3,000,000 certified units in the US on August 8, 2023.[101]
"Homecoming" was commercially successful across Europe. The track debuted at number 19 on theIrish Singles Chart for January 10, 2008, marking the week's highest entry.[102] Two weeks later, it peaked at number five on the chart.[103] The track debuted at number 77 on theUK Singles Chart for the issue date September 29, 2007.[104] It then exited the chart, re-entering at number 69 on December 30.[105] The track peaked at number nine on the UK Singles Chart on January 20, 2008. It became West's eighth top-10 track in the UK and his seventh as a solo artist, while lasting for 20 weeks on the chart.[106] At the end of 2008, the track ranked as the 91st most successful release on the UK Singles Chart.[107] The track stands as West's 20th biggest hit of all time in the UK up to August 5, 2021.[108] On September 9, 2022, "Homecoming" received aplatinum certification from theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI) for selling 600,000 units in the country.[109] The track debuted at number 11 on Norway'sTopp 40 Singles chart, while it entered theFinnish Singles Chart at number 17 and peaked four positions higher after fluctuating for a few weeks.[110][111] "Homecoming" charted at numbers 15 and 16 in Denmark and Turkey, respectively.[112][113] The track further attained top 40 positions in Germany,[114] Sweden,[115] the Netherlands,[116][117] Austria,[118] and Switzerland.[119] On October 17, 2023, the track was awarded a platinum certification fromIFPI Danmark for shipments of 90,000 units in Denmark.[120] In Oceania, the track reached number 22 on theNew Zealand Singles Chart.[121] "Homecoming" further peaked at number 32 on theARIA Singles Chart in Australia, where it was certified gold by theAustralian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipping 35,000 copies on December 31, 2015.[122][123]
West included "Homecoming" as one of the closing performances from the setlist on hisGlow in the Dark Tour, which began on April 16, 2008, at theKeyArena in Seattle, Washington.[124] It was one of the various songs taken from West's first three studio albums that he utilized for his conceptual concert.[125] The songs served to form aspace opera storyline, telling the tale of how a strandedspace traveler struggles for over a year making attempts to escape from a distant planet while on a mission to bring creativity back to Earth.[124] West walked across the stage rocking a white jacket and large eyewear while performing "Homecoming" on the final night ofLollapalooza 2008 in August, co-headlining the festival in Chicago.[126][127] The song was performed by West during his 90-minute headlining set for the annualdance music festivalGlobal Gathering atLong Marston Airfield nearStratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, on July 25, 2008. West was the first hip-hop artist to headline the festival and he was accompanied by lighting and smoke effects, alongsidebackup singers.[128][129][130]
West performed the song during his show forVH1 in February 2009, although the performance was not originally broadcast.[133] It was later included as the tenth performance on the DVD of his secondlive albumVH1 Storytellers on January 5, 2010, being added as a bonus clip.[133][134][135] West performed "Homecoming" to an audience of 3,000 students from six different Chicago public schools for his second annual free Stay In School benefit concert at theChicago Theatre on June 11, 2009, generating excitement amongst the audience. The concert was organized through West's charity foundation to help raise awareness of it, and he later partnered withFuse for the show's television broadcast on July 25.[136][137][138] On August 12, 2010, West and Legend performed the song to open their secretblack-tie show at The Box nightclub onChrystie Street inManhattan, NYC, held for around 200 select attendees over 90 minutes. West dubbed the function "Rosewood" and used a stage set-up including aRoland TR-808drum machine, a keyboard, and two microphones, with one utilized solely forAuto-Tune. Legend sat at the set-up's babygrand piano for the performance, which was accompanied by a red backdrop.[139][140] On December 31, 2010, West made a surprise appearance during Jay-Z and Coldplay's co-headlining set at the Marquee Nightclub for the grand opening of the luxury resortcasino and hotelCosmpolitan on theLas Vegas Strip ofParadise, Nevada, performing the song with Martin for the first time.[141][142] West performed the song live for his headlining set at the 2011Coachella Festival.[143] On December 18, 2013, West performed the song towards the close of his second show at Chicago'sUnited Center onThe Yeezus Tour (2013–14). The performance was the first one of "Homecoming" on the tour and saw the crowd chanting the lyrics back to West.[131][132]
A remix of "Homecoming" by DiscoTech was included as the 17th track ofSky High on November 17, 2008. The mixtape consisted of remixes of various tracks that West originally produced and wascompiled by DJ Benzi with the rapper's associatePlain Pat. The project was commissioned by West and his team in the lead-up to his fourth studio album808s & Heartbreak, with each remix experiencing at least five reiterations before release; they are mostlyclub-friendlydance-themed numbers.[144] Leo Flynn produced aRockabye Baby! CD that consisted of instrumentallullaby renditions of West's tracks and was released on May 18, 2010, including "Homecoming" as the 12th and final track.[145][146] On June 7, 2012, producer Carlos Serrano shared his mashup of "Homecoming" and singer-songwriterLana Del Rey's "Born to Die" (2011), layering West and Martin's vocals over the instrumentation of the latter song.[147] Production duo Urban Noize included a re-imagined version of the song on theirremix EPMr. West on July 20, which consisted of remixes of eight tracks across West's career chosen by the duo.[148][149][150]
On October 3, 2016, Jeff Kirshman published his ode to "Homecoming" inBrooklyn Magazine, writing that it reminds him of living in Wyoming due to invoking his memories of images and knowledge.[151][152] Kirshman particularly enjoyed the song when listening toGraduation in high school and first performed it at a dilapidated Hollywood-themed Karen & Jim's venue, affirming his view of his rap skills as basic from the crowd's negative reactions. He was compelled to perform the song again and did this at a bar while drinking warm beer by a row of dim lights, onlooked by a mounted head of theStar Wars characterAdmiral Ackbar.[151] On April 29, 2022, British rapperDave played a section of the song on piano for hisWe're All Alone in This Together tour's show at theRiviera Theatre in Chicago, serving as a tribute to West.[153]
Information taken fromGraduation liner notes.[1]
Recording
Personnel
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[123] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[120] | Platinum | 90,000‡ |
| Germany (BVMI)[167] | Gold | 150,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[109] | 2× Platinum | 1,200,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[101] | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Date | Format | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | February 2, 2008 (2008-02-02) | Digital download | [62] | |
| February 18, 2008 (2008-02-18) | 12" vinyl | |||
| Germany | May 9, 2008 (2008-05-09) | Maxi-single | [63] | |
| United States | May 13, 2008 (2008-05-13) | Rhythmic contemporary radio | [64] | |
| Japan | May 19, 2008 (2008-05-19) | 12" vinyl | Mercury | [155] |
| Various | July 1, 2008 (2008-07-01) | CD single | Universal | [65] |
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