"My Eyes" is a song by American rapper Travis Scott from his fourth studio album Utopia (2023). It features uncredited additional vocals from Sampha and Justin Vernon. The song was written by the vocalists alongside Dua Saleh, Wheezy, Buddy Ross, Vegyn, and WondaGurl, the latter four producing it with Scott and Vernon.
"My Eyes" | |
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Song by Travis Scott | |
from the album Utopia | |
Released | July 28, 2023 |
Genre | |
Length | 4:11 |
Label | |
Songwriter(s) | |
Producer(s) |
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Composition
editIn the first part, Scott utilizes tender melodies over the sample[1] and synthesizer production,[2] pitching up his voice in a style that has been compared to Frank Ocean's Blonde[3] and performing in "stuttering flows" similar to that of Ocean's music, while Sampha and Justin Vernon provide vocals as well.[4] The beat switches in the middle of the song,[3][4] for the rest of which Scott lyrically reflecting on what is at stake for him[4] and the Astroworld Festival crowd crush.[4][5][6] Scott also references his ex-girlfriend Kylie Jenner from an interview.
Robin Murray of Clash described the song as having a "sonic soup verging on the ambient on a performance of rare emotion."[7]
Critical reception
editThe song received critical acclaim. Complex's Eric Skelton commented "Travis is rapping a lot better than we're used to hearing from him", especially on songs like the second half of "My Eyes", while Mike Destefano said the song's beat switch is among his favorite instrumental pieces on Utopia.[8] Thomas Galindo of American Songwriter wrote that Travis Scott's "sparse use of autotune" "helps him deliver more raunchy, raw, fiery verses as he used to a decade ago", citing the second half of "My Eyes" as among the songs in which this quality is most notably displayed.[2] Alphonse Pierre of Pitchfork stated "The digitized lilts over Blonde-inspired fogginess on 'My Eyes' sound nice enough, especially when sprinkled with dreamy riffing from Sampha and Justin Vernon."[9] Paul Attard of Slant Magazine regarded Utopia's sequencing of first six songs, which include "My Eyes", as Scott's "best run of tracks to date."[10] Shaad D'Souza of The Guardian called "The things I created became the most weighted" a sharp line on the song.[3] HotNewHipHop's Aron A. commented that "some moments showcase his tenacity as an MC, like in 'MY EYES.' He beasts through with poetic realizations that actually showcase a glimpse of humanity surrounding the Astroworld Festival tragedy. 'I replay them nights, and right by my side, all I see is a sea of people that ride wit' me,' he raps. 'If they just knew what Scotty would do to jump off the stage and save him a child.' These moments of self-awareness are few and far between. If anything, this bar serves as an acknowledgment of his overtly dedicated fanbase that continues to line up his pockets."[6] Vulture's Craig Jenkins described Sampha and Vernon's vocals as "gorgeous" and Scott's verse in the second part "ferocious".[4]
Jordan Rose of Complex picked the song as the "biggest skip" from Utopia, saying it "feels too slow for this album. I wouldn't skip it because it's bad, but it just feels out of place."[8] Vivian Medithi of HipHopDX criticized the line "If they just knew what Scotty would do to jump off the stage and save him a child", saying it "ruined" the song.[11] NME's Nathan Evans disapproved of the additional vocals, stating the song "makes clunky cameos out of Bon Iver and Sampha, the latter of whom arrives to croon for an almighty three lines."[12]
Mackenzie Cummings-Grady of Billboard placed "My Eyes" at number five in her ranking of the songs from Utopia.[13]
Charts
edit
Weekly chartsedit
|
Year-end chartsedit
|
Certifications
editRegion | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[42] | 2× Platinum | 80,000‡ |
France (SNEP)[43] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI)[44] | Gold | 50,000‡ |
Poland (ZPAV)[45] | Platinum | 50,000‡ |
Portugal (AFP)[46] | Platinum | 10,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[47] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[48] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
Streaming | ||
Greece (IFPI Greece)[49] | Gold | 1,000,000† |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
References
edit- ^ Srour, Yousef; Aswad, Jem (July 28, 2023). "Travis Scott's Long-Delayed 'Utopia,' Featuring Beyonce, Drake, the Weeknd and More, Was Worth the Wait: Album Review". Variety. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
- ^ a b Galindo, Thomas (2023-07-29). "Review: Travis Scott's Return on 'Utopia' is Everything Rap Needed, and Then Some". South African Songwriter. Archived from the original on July 30, 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
- ^ a b c D'Souza, Shaad (August 1, 2023). "Travis Scott: Utopia review – rap superstar gets lost amid sublime soundworld". The Guardian. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Jenkins, Craig (August 2, 2023). "Travis Scott Is Raging Into Oblivion". Vulture. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
- ^ Leake, Desmond (August 1, 2023). "Travis Scott's Utopia: In With the Old and Out With the New". Paste. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
- ^ a b A., Aron (August 2, 2023). "Travis Scott "Utopia" Review". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
- ^ Murray, Robin (July 28, 2023). "Travis Scott – Utopia". Clash. Archived from the original on July 28, 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
- ^ a b McKinney, Jessica; Caraballo, Ecleen Luzmila; Skelton, Eric; Rose, Jordan; Breskin, Stefan; Destefano, Mike; Felderstein, Ben (July 28, 2023). "First Impressions Of Travis Scott's New Album 'Utopia'". Complex. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ Pierre, Alphonse (July 31, 2023). "Travis Scott: Utopia Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
- ^ Attard, Paul (July 31, 2023). "Travis Scott 'Utopia' Review: A Bumpy but Exhilarating Ride". Slant Magazine. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
- ^ Medithi, Vivian (2023-07-30). "'Utopia' Is More Boring Than Travis Scott". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
- ^ Evans, Nathan (2023-07-31). "Travis Scott - 'Utopia' review: lofty concept, shaky execution". NME. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
- ^ Cummings-Grady, Mackenzie (July 28, 2023). "Travis Scott's 'Utopia' Album: All 19 Songs Ranked". Billboard. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ "Travis Scott – My Eyes". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
- ^ "ARIA Top 40 Hip Hop/R&B Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. August 7, 2023. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
- ^ "Travis Scott – My Eyes" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ "Travis Scott Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
- ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 31. týden 2023 in the date selector. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
- ^ "Travis Scott – My Eyes". Tracklisten. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
- ^ "Travis Scott – My Eyes" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
- ^ "Travis Scott – My Eyes" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ^ "Travis Scott Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
- ^ "Official IFPI Charts — Digital Singles Chart (International) — Εβδομάδα: 35/2023" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on 6 September 2023. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
- ^ "Tónlistinn – Lög" [The Music – Songs] (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Archived from the original on August 5, 2023. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
- ^ "Travis Scott – My Eyes". Top Digital Download. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
- ^ "Mūzikas Patēriņa Tops/ 31. nedēļa" (in English and Latvian). LAIPA. August 8, 2023. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
- ^ "2023 31-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. August 4, 2023. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
- ^ "Travis Scott Chart History (Luxembourg Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
- ^ "The Official Mena Chart — This Week's Official MENA Chart Top 20 from 28/07/2023 to 03/08/2023". theofficialmenachart.com. International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on August 8, 2023. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
- ^ "Travis Scott – My Eyes". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
- ^ "Travis Scott – My Eyes". VG-lista. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
- ^ "OLiS – oficjalna lista sprzedaży – single w streamie" (Select week 28.07.2023–03.08.2023.) (in Polish). OLiS. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
- ^ "Travis Scott – My Eyes". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
- ^ "Travis Scott Chart History (South Africa Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
- ^ "Travis Scott – My Eyes". Singles Top 100. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
- ^ "Travis Scott – My Eyes". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
- ^ "Travis Scott Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
- ^ "Travis Scott Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
- ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2023". Billboard. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
- ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Travis Scott – My Eyes" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
- ^ "French single certifications – Travis Scott – My Eyes" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
- ^ "Italian single certifications – Travis Scott – My Eyes" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
- ^ "OLiS - oficjalna lista wyróżnień" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 22, 2024. Click "TYTUŁ" and enter My Eyes in the search box.
- ^ "Portuguese single certifications – Travis Scott – My Eyes" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
- ^ "British single certifications – Travis Scott – My Eyes". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
- ^ "American single certifications – Travis Scott – My Eyes". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
- ^ "IFPI Charts – Digital Singles Chart (International) – Εβδομάδα: 9/2024" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Retrieved March 7, 2024.