| "TwoAM" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single bySZA | ||||
| Written | 2016 | |||
| Released |
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| Recorded | 2016 | |||
| Studio | The Lake House (Michigan) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:02 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | ||||
| SZA singles chronology | ||||
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| Audio | ||||
| "2AM" onYouTube | ||||
"TwoAM" is a song by American singer-songwriterSZA. It is aremix ofPartyNextDoor's 2016 single "Come and See Me" featuringDrake, whom SZA briefly dated in 2009. Adowntempo song with anR&B instrumental, "TwoAM" is about a dysfunctional couple portrayed in "Come and See Me" and is written from the perspective of the woman in the relationship. She sings about her conflicted feelings for a neglectful boyfriend who values her only for sex; on one hand, she recognizes she must leave him, but on the other, she cannot bring herself to stop being attracted to him.
Released as a standalone single onSoundCloud on May 18, 2016, the song is part of a years-long series of indirect interactions between SZA and Drake in which they referenced each other in their music. Critics received "TwoAM" positively, with praise directed towards the vulnerable tone and what they deemed a faithful recreation of the original song's quality. It got its official release on June 9, 2022, as a song on the deluxe edition of SZA's debut studio album,Ctrl (2017), after it was scrapped from the standard version's tracklist.
After self-releasing twoextended plays (EPs) from 2012 to 2013,[1] American singer-songwriterSZA signed with the record labelTop Dawg Entertainment headed by rapperTerrence "Punch" Henderson, whom she first met in 2011 during a concert sponsored by a street company where SZA was working at the time.[2] Her first EP under the label wasZ (2014),[1] preceded by the single "Child's Play" (2014) featuringChance the Rapper.[3] After the release ofZ, SZA began work on her debut studio album, which had the working titleA. During this time, SZA released the standalone single "Sobriety" (2014) and co-wrote songs for other artists such asNicki Minaj andRihanna.[4][5]
Back in 2009, SZA had a brief relationship with Canadian rapperDrake, and after their break-up, they began to reference each other in their music back-and-forth, through lyrics and song titles.[6] Moises Mendez II ofTime called their behavior an example ofsubliminal messaging. Their series of interactions began with SZA's "Child's Play", the title of which Drake later used for a track from his 2016 albumViews.[7] While the completion and release ofA was being teased through a series of snippets, SZA released aremix of a song featuring Drake, titled "Come and See Me" (2016), byPartyNextDoor.[8][9]
"Come and See Me" is about a man who calls a woman late at night to invite her for sex. In "TwoAM", SZA shifts the perspective away from the man and assumes the role of the woman in the call,[10][11] offering more seductive lyrics compared to the original.[12][13] The line "It's after 2 a.m. and that's asking a lot of you right now" is where the title of SZA's song originates.[8] In "TwoAM", yearning thoughts of the man keep the woman awake at night, hence the title.[10][12]
"TwoAM" inverts the story in "Come and See Me".[9] As observed by Erin Ashley Simon ofRevolt, while PartyNextDoor's character insists that the woman "come and see [him] for once", SZA's rejects him and tells him that he should go see her instead: "it's my time, it's your turn."[11] In "Come and See Me", the man fails to properly care for the woman and makes her feel guilty for his own faults;[14] in "TwoAM", she eventually acknowledges that he values her only forcasual sex and realizes that she must end the relationship. However, her attraction to him persists, making her struggle to do so: "All this time I've been playin' your side / I could've done better shit with my life."[14][15] She tells herself that if she continued to stay, she would feel more "fucked up".[8]
"TwoAM" was produced by ThankGod4Cody,Carter Lang, and Scum,[13] and it was recorded in Lang's cottage nearLake Michigan.[note 1] The song isdowntempo and features astripped-down,R&B-influenced instrumental,[9] a reproduced version of the one in "Come and See Me".[8] Meanwhile, the outro features guitarstrums[9] and the sound of chirping birds,[10] showing a snippet of an unreleased SZA song, "Inside Man".[18] In it, she sings, "I might be thirsty for you, how can you blame me?", and ends with "Do you need me?"[12]
"TwoAM" was surprise-released throughTop Dawg Entertainment'sSoundCloud account on May 18, 2016.[19] It was slated to appear onA, now namedCtrl (2017), but intense anxiety surrounding the album's lengthy wait led SZA to scrap it from the final tracklist.[20] It received an official release on June 9, 2022, as a track on the deluxe edition ofCtrl.[21] The song peaked at number 45 on the USHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[22][note 2]
CriticsMarc Hogan ofPitchfork[9] and Sydnee Monday ofNPR[23] were positive about the theme of vulnerability in "TwoAM". In a review ofCtrl's standard edition, Monday commented that "TwoAM" had connected her to SZA's music more thanZ because it was less heavy on metaphors and more grounded and honest.[23] Meanwhile, Edwin Ortiz ofComplex and M. Musa ofThe Source believed that it faithfully recreated the quality of the original "Come and See Me".[8][24] Sydney Gore ofNylon, referencing the last line of the song, and Melissa Locker ofElle wrote that "TwoAM" would leave listeners very excited for more SZA music.[12][25]
Adapted fromBillboard[26] andRap-Up[13]
Recording and management
Personnel
| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[27] | 15 |
| USHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[22] | 45 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[28] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
SZA songs | |||||
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| Ctrl | |||||
| SOS | |||||
| Lana |
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| Soundtrack songs | |||||
| Standalone singles | |||||
| Other collaborations |
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| Leaked songs |
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