U Remind Me

"U Remind Me"
Single by Usher
from the album 8701
Released May 19, 2001
Format Cassette, CD single, 12"
Recorded 2000-01
Genre R&B
Length 4:27
Label Arista
Writer(s) Anita McCloud, Edmund Clement
Producer(s) Edmund "Eddie Hustle" Clement, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
Usher singles chronology
"Pop Ya Collar"
(2001)		 "U Remind Me"
(2001)		 "U Got It Bad"
(2001)

"U Remind Me" is a song by American entertainer Usher. It was written by Anita McCloud and Edmund Clement and produced by the latter along with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for Usher's third studio album 8701 (2001). A fast-paced mid-tempo R&B track, the song is about a man who meets a woman who seems like a nice catch, but he decides not to enter a relationship with her because she looks too much like an ex-girlfriend with whom he had a bad breakup.

The song served as the lead American single from 8701 following the release of previous single "Pop Ya Collar" which was only included in some editions of the album. A commercial success, "U Remind Me" topped the US Billboard Hot 100 on July 7, 2001 and also reached the top five in Australia, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Critically acclaimed, the song won Usher his first Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 2002. Its accompanying music video features Chilli of TLC as one the female leads.

Composition
"U Remind Me"
A sample of the song, featuring its unusual chord progression
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"U Remind Me" is an R&B song [1] written in the key of G♭ major, and is set in common time with a moderate tempo of 92 beats per minute. The song follows the chord progression of E♭m7-A♭m7-B♭m7, and the piano ranges from the low note of E♭2 to the high note of A♭5, while Usher's vocal range stretches from B♭2 to A♭5.[2]

The song's lyrics are based on meeting a woman who reminds Usher of an ex-girlfriend, and therefore cannot date her.[3][4]

Critical reception

James Poletti of Yahoo! Music noted the song as the best track on 8701, dubbing it the 2001 version of Craig David's "Fill Me In".[1] Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine also chose it as a highlight from the album.[5] In 2010, Boonsri Dickinson of AOL Radio ranked "U Remind Me" as Usher's ninth-best song.[4] Website/YouTube channel Watchmojo.com ranked "U Remind Me" at number eight for Top 10 Usher Songs (http://watchmojo.com/video/id/14203/) (The list was ranked based on a combination of the artist's fan favorites and successful songs commercially).

"U Remind Me" gained Usher his first Grammy Award, winning the category of Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 44th annual ceremony.[6] Other nominees for the award were Case's "Missing You", Maxwell's "Lifetime", Brian McKnight's "Love of My Life" and Musiq Soulchild's "Love".[7]

Music video

The accompanying music video for the song was directed by Dave Meyers.[8] The video features look-a-likes for singers Mýa, Brandy, and Tamia, while featuring the real Chili of TLC at the end to show the theme of the women reminding him of his past relationships. Chilli of TLC makes a cameo appearance in the video.[3]

Track listings

Cassette and U.S. and Europe CD[9][10][11]
  1. "U Remind Me" (radio edit)
  2. "U Remind Me" (instrumental)
  3. "I Don't Know" (featuring P Diddy)
  4. "TTP"
UK CD[12]
  1. "U Remind Me"
  2. "I Don't Know" (featuring P. Diddy)
  3. "TTP"
  4. "U Remind Me" (music video)
12" Vinyl[13]
A-side
  1. "U Remind Me" (Illicit Club Mix)
  2. "U Remind Me" (Illicit A cappella)
B-side
  1. "U Remind Me" (Pete & Vincent's Club Mix)
  2. "U Remind Me" (Pete & Vincent's Dub Mix)

Charts

Chart (2001) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[14] 4
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[15] 16
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[16] 3
Denmark (Tracklisten)[17] 6
France (SNEP)[18] 3
Germany (Official German Charts)[19] 21
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[20] 4
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[21] 3
Norway (VG-lista)[22] 6
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[23] 13
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[24] 12
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[25] 22
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[26] 3
US Billboard Hot 100[27] 1
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[28] 1
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[29] 6

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Poletti, James (July 11, 2001). "Usher - 8701 Album Review". Yahoo! Music. Yahoo! UK & Ireland. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  2. ↑ "U Remind Me". Musicnotes.com. Windswept Holdings, LLC. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  3. 1 2 "Usher : U Remind Me". NME. IPC Media. June 22, 2001. Archived from the original on November 29, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  4. 1 2 Dickinson, Boonsri (2010). "Top 10 Usher Songs". AOL Radio. AOL. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  5. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "8701 - Usher". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  6. ↑ "Usher's Spring/Summer Tour Evolves". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  7. ↑ "Complete List Of Grammy Nominees". Los Angeles: CBS News. CBS Corporation. January 4, 2002. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  8. ↑ "Usher - U Remind Me". MTV. Retrieved November 28, 2010.
  9. ↑ "U Remind Me [CASSETTE]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  10. ↑ "U Remind Me". Amazon.com. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Usher - U Remind Me". Matt's CD Singles. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  12. ↑ "Usher - U Remind Me". Matt's CD Singles. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  13. ↑ "U Remind Me". Amazon.com. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  14. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Usher – U Remind Me". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  15. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Usher – U Remind Me" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  16. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Usher – U Remind Me" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  17. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – Usher – U Remind Me". Tracklisten.
  18. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Usher – U Remind Me" (in French). Les classement single.
  19. ↑ "Musicline.de – Usher Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  20. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Usher – U Remind Me" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  21. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Usher – U Remind Me". Top 40 Singles.
  22. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Usher – U Remind Me". VG-lista.
  23. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2001-07-10". Scottish Singles Top 40. Retrieved Juli 11, 2004.
  24. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Usher – U Remind Me". Singles Top 100.
  25. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Usher – U Remind Me". Swiss Singles Chart.
  26. ↑ "Usher: Artist Chart History" Official Charts Company.
  27. ↑ "Usher – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Usher.
  28. ↑ "Usher – Chart history" Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for Usher.
  29. ↑ "Usher – Chart history" Billboard Pop Songs for Usher.
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