"Throwback" is a song by American recording artist Usher, taken from his fourth studio album, '' Confessions'' (2004). It was written by Rico Love, Patrick "J. Que" Smith, and

Just Blaze Justin Gregory Smith (born January 8, 1978), known professionally as Just Blaze, is an American record producer and DJ. Born in Paterson, New Jersey, Smith attended Rutgers University for three years before dropping out to pursue a career in mus ...

, while production was handled by the latter. "Throwback" is influenced by 1970s

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

and rock music. An R&B and

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

song, it is built on a

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

beat Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of inte ...

, and samples

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick ( ; born Marie Dionne Warrick; December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. During her career, Warwick has won many awards, including six Grammy Awards. She has been inducted into the Hollywood Wa ...

's song " You're Gonna Need Me", written by

Holland–Dozier–Holland Holland–Dozier–Holland, often abbreviated as H-D-H, was a songwriting and production team consisting of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian and Eddie Holland. The trio wrote, arranged and produced many songs that helped define the ...

Writing and production

"Throwback" was composed by

, Patrick "J. Que" Smith, and Rico Love. Blaze initially produced the song for

Dr. Dre Andre Romell Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and co-founder of ...

's unreleased '' Detox'', which was expected to be his final album. With Dre announcing his retirement from recording, Blaze suggested they create an "exit record" which would have left Dre's fans yearning for a comeback, prompting him to build a track around a sample of

's song " You're Gonna Need Me" from her 1973 album ''Just Being Myself'', which includes the lyrics 'You're going to want me back'. In 2003, Blaze and songwriter

Jon B Jonathan David Buck (born November 11, 1974) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter and record producer. His debut album ''Bonafide (Jon B. album), Bonafide'' (1995) spawned the hit singles "Pretty Girl (Jon B. song), Pretty G ...

were consulted to work with singer Usher on his fourth studio album. However, creative differences regarding the sound of their songs resulted in reportedly uninspired collaborations, and while the pair came up with several ideas "nothing really panned out". As it became apparent that ''Detox'' would not materialize due to Dre's shifting commitments, Blaze decided to give the record to Usher, who was looking for a

track to record. The material was left unused at first, and it was not until late into the album's production that Usher's team approached Blaze again to resume work on "Throwback". In the studio, he was joined by Smith and Love, who had one day to finish the song. "Throwback" marked the first major placement from Love, who came on board to finalize the lyrics of the song. With the

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved/bent back or has a deeply grooved indentation, which serves to grab, latch or in any way attach itself onto another object. The hook's d ...

('You're gonna want me back') already set and Usher going through a very public breakup with

TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...

member Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas in late 2003, Love felt the "direction of the song was kind of obvious" when he sat down to pen additional lyrics for "Throwback". Rapper

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...

was originally supposed to appear on the song, but scheduling conflicts prevented him from recording in time to meet the mastering deadline of ''Confessions''. Next, rapper

Jadakiss Jason Terrance Phillips (born May 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Jadakiss (, ), is an American rapper who began his career in the 1990s and formed the hip hop trio the Lox alongside Styles P and Sheek Louch in 1994. The group signed w ...

, who was putting finishing touches on his second album '' Kiss of Death'' at that time, was approached,. He also declined due to scheduling conflicts. Following the album's release, Jadakiss admitted in an interview with

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

radio station

WQHT WQHT (97.1 FM broadcasting, FM, ''Hot 97'') is a commercial radio station, licensed to New York, New York, which broadcasts an urban contemporary music format. The station is owned by Mediaco Holding, a subsidiary of the Standard General hedge ...

that he had "slept on it". Soon after, the rapper recorded vocals for a remix version, which he later sent Usher and his team. His version was included on the re-issue of ''Confessions'', released in October 2004.

Critical reception

Andy Kellman of

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

felt that "Throwback" sounds "like it was made for the sole purpose of trailing

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer and songwriter. A classically trained pianist, Keys began composing songs at the age of 12 and was signed by Columbia Records at 15. After d ...

's "

You Don't Know My Name "You Don't Know My Name" is a song by American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys, issued by J Records as the lead single from her second studio album, ''The Diary of Alicia Keys'' (2003). Written by Keys, Kanye West and Harold Lilly (songwriter), Ha ...

." Like the latter's song, it's "sensitively treated soul sample provides a nostalgic tint that complements the wistful, regret-filled tone of the lyrics."

Charts

References

External links

Usher's Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Throwback (song) 2004 songs Usher (musician) songs Songs written by Rico Love Songs written by Patrick "J. Que" Smith Song recordings produced by Just Blaze