| "X" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Promotional single byChris Brown | |
| from the albumX | |
| Released | August 25, 2014 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 4:20 |
| Label | RCA |
| Songwriters | |
| Producer | Diplo |
| Audio video | |
| "X" onYouTube | |
"X" is a song by American singerChris Brown, taken from his sixth homonym studio albumof the same name (2014), and was released as an instant-gratification track alongside the album pre-order oniTunes on August 25, 2014.[2] It was written by Brown,Diplo,Djemba Djemba,RoccStar,Dewain Whitmore andSevyn Streeter. Musically, "X" is a song that unitesR&B andsoul vocals with adance beat. The song contains lyrics about Brown forgetting a failed relationship with a woman. "X" received critical praise frommusic critics, which praised the maturity of the lyrics and his production. Following the release ofX, as a result of the strong digital downloads, the song charted on multiple charts worldwide; it peaked at number 98 on the USBillboard Hot 100, number 26 on the USHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, number 63 on theFrench Singles Chart, number 12 on theUK Singles R&B Chart, number 81 on theUK Singles Chart and number 75 on theAustralian Singles Chart.
"X" is a song that unitesR&B andsoul vocals with anEDM beat, with aninstrumentation provided by aroland TR-808 andsynthesizers.[3] In the song Brown sings over a soft beat before transitioning into a moreup-tempo sound.[4] In the song, Brown says that he's forgetting a failed relationship with a woman, as he sings, "I swear to god i'm moving on!", admitting his past errors singing "I deal with my pain like a lonely child".[5] Alex Camp ofSlant Magazine speculated that the lyrics were about Brown's former relationship with recording artist Rihanna.[6]
"X" received critical praise frommusic critics. Miranda J. ofXXL gave a positive review saying that in the song Brown "speaks of maturing and accepts his role in recent events, over the soft beat before transitioning into a more up-tempo sound".[7] Brad Wete ofBillboard called the song "Brown's most honest song", saying also that "it's safe to say that this is a man who knows he's got to get his life together and has to prove to himself and others".[8]Slant Magazine's Alexa Camp felt that "X" was "an admirable attempt to take responsibility for his anger-management issues" from Brown, speculating that the lyrics were about Brown's relationship withBarbadian recording artistRihanna.[9] Marcus Dowling ofHipHopDX wrote that "Brown emphatically stating that “[he] swears to god he’s moving on!” is either an amazing kiss-off to well documented on again/off again flameRihanna.[10]
| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[11] | 75 |
| France (SNEP)[12] | 63 |
| Lebanon (Lebanese Top 20)[13] | 9 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[14] | 91 |
| UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[15] | 12 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[16] | 98 |
| USHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[17] | 26 |