Gone (Nelly song)
Encyclopedia
"Gone" is song by American recording artist Nelly
, taken from his sixth studio album, 5.0. Featuring additional lead vocals from American recording artist Kelly Rowland
, "Gone" is the sequel
to Nelly's 2002 worldwide number one single "Dilemma
", also featuring Rowland. It was written by Eric Goudy II, Nelly, Earl Hood and co-written and produced by Rico Love
& Jim Jonsin
as a continuum to the love story outlined in "Dilemma". "Gone" was initially known as "Dilemma p.2" but the title was changed and Nelly stopped referring to the song as "Dilemma" sequel for fear that it would not match people's expectations and through his desire for "Gone" to be recognised as a separate recording.
The predominately R&B
-ballad
contains elements of pop music
and was sent to U.S. Urban/Urban AC radio stations on January 4, 2011. It was sent to top 40/mainstream
stations on January 19, 2011 and serves as the third single from 5.0. Critics generally praised "Gone" for reusing the best elements of "Dilemma" and recapturing the same sentiments though there was some negative reception towards the relevance of the sequel duet and lack of distinction in the song's R&B feel.
, Earl Hood, Rico Love
and Jim Jonsin
as the sequel to Nelly and Rowland's 2002 duet "Dilemma
". Initially known as its working title, "DL Part 2", "Gone" extends the story of the duo's earlier single "Dilemma". Nelly told Jayson Rodriguez, from MTV
, that "Gone" was not just a sequel. He said It was recorded in May–June 2010 during studio sessions where Rowland and Nelly were recording the urban remix of the song "Commander
", lead single of Rowland's third album, Here I Am. Rap-Up
magazine described it as the "smooth sequel" which picks up "where 'Dilemma' left off", catering to both R&B and pop
audiences. MTV revealed that the song would be a future single, but would not hit airwaves yet due to Nelly's success with "Just a Dream
", the lead single from his sixth album, 5.0. The single cover from "Gone" was unveiled on January 19, 2011.
-ballad
produced by Rico Love
and Jim Jonsin
. On December 26, 2009, some studio footage of the recording of "Gone" was released through Rap-Up.com. Later in an MTV
interview, Nelly was keen to stress that he didn't see "Gone" as a sequel to "Dilemma". He said "It can never be 'Dilemma,' but we wanted to extend the story. It's continuing the story a little bit more, seeing her [(Kelly)] again." Scott Schetler from AOL Radio Blog noted that in "Gone", Rowland and Nelly address each other by their first names, just as they did in their 2002 duet, "Dilemma". Bill Ohms from Lumino Magazine said Nelly's vocal styling on "Gone" was "ballad-like singing/rapping", while Tolu Akinsanya from Soulculture.co.uk noted that "Gone" uses the same key elements of production as "Dilemma". At one point Nelly directly references the lyrics from "Dilemma" when he says "remember that chick that used to live right up the block from me?".
" by saying that "'[Gone]' uses all the key elements that made the '[Dilemma]' a hit, and does not fail. This track could easily be a chart-topper." Mariel Concepcion from Billboard
said that no Nelly album would be complete with the emo track, "Gone". Ken Capobianco from The Boston Globe
called "Gone" the melodic companion to "Dilemma". Robbie Daw from Idolator was less impressed. Though he praised the idea of the duet he said "This new slow groove is harmless enough, and even boasts a similar beat to its predecessor. But overall, we can’t help feeling that, since they bothered, these two should have come up with something a little better than a pale retread." Jesse Cataldo from Slant Magazine
also had criticism for the song saying that its featured "R&B vocals sink steadily toward irrelevance".
radio and third most added to Top 40/Mainstream
and Rhythmic
stations. The single racked up a total of forty-five adds in the two day period since release. For the charts issued on February 5, 2011, "Gone" made its U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
debut at number seventy-nine and has currently peaked at number fifty-nine. In terms of the Billboard Hot 100
, the song completely missed the chart, becoming a failure mainstream and only being moderately successful on the R&B charts.
The song was even more popular in the Philippines
MYX
Charts with a 6 week reign on the Pop and Urban music charts there.
had been booked to shoot the video. Klasfeld has previously worked with both artists, on Nelly's "Country Grammar" and "Ride wit Me
," as well as working with Rowland on Destiny's Child
's "Lose My Breath
". The shoot is set to take place in Mexico. The video began production on February 8, 2011 on sandy beach in Mexico
. Photos uploaded to Rap-Up
.com show Rowland wearing a low-cut shimmering black dress while Nelly wears a button down black jacket.
A snippet of the video was shown Monday, March 7 during the premiere of Nelly's episode of Behind the Music
.
Nelly
Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr. , better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album...
, taken from his sixth studio album, 5.0. Featuring additional lead vocals from American recording artist Kelly Rowland
Kelly Rowland
Kelendria Trene "Kelly" Rowland is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, and television personality. She rose to fame as one of the founding members of the American girl group Destiny's Child...
, "Gone" is the sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
to Nelly's 2002 worldwide number one single "Dilemma
Dilemma (song)
"Dilemma" is a song by the American rapper Nelly, featuring R&B singer Kelly Rowland. The single was released in 2002 from the Nelly's album Nellyville, and Rowland's album Simply Deep...
", also featuring Rowland. It was written by Eric Goudy II, Nelly, Earl Hood and co-written and produced by Rico Love
Rico Love
Richard Preston Butler, Jr. , better known by his stage name Rico Love, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. Love wrote and produced hit records such as Usher’s "There Goes My Baby" and "Hey Daddy ”, Nelly's "Just a Dream" and "Gone", Beyoncé Knowles' "Sweet Dreams"...
& Jim Jonsin
Jim Jonsin
James Scheffer, better known by his professional name, Jim Jonsin, is an American Grammy award winning record producer, songwriter, record executive, and entrepreneur...
as a continuum to the love story outlined in "Dilemma". "Gone" was initially known as "Dilemma p.2" but the title was changed and Nelly stopped referring to the song as "Dilemma" sequel for fear that it would not match people's expectations and through his desire for "Gone" to be recognised as a separate recording.
The predominately R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
-ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
contains elements of pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and was sent to U.S. Urban/Urban AC radio stations on January 4, 2011. It was sent to top 40/mainstream
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
stations on January 19, 2011 and serves as the third single from 5.0. Critics generally praised "Gone" for reusing the best elements of "Dilemma" and recapturing the same sentiments though there was some negative reception towards the relevance of the sequel duet and lack of distinction in the song's R&B feel.
Background and inspiration
"Gone" is a ballad written by Eric Goudy II, Cornell HaynesNelly
Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr. , better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album...
, Earl Hood, Rico Love
Rico Love
Richard Preston Butler, Jr. , better known by his stage name Rico Love, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. Love wrote and produced hit records such as Usher’s "There Goes My Baby" and "Hey Daddy ”, Nelly's "Just a Dream" and "Gone", Beyoncé Knowles' "Sweet Dreams"...
and Jim Jonsin
Jim Jonsin
James Scheffer, better known by his professional name, Jim Jonsin, is an American Grammy award winning record producer, songwriter, record executive, and entrepreneur...
as the sequel to Nelly and Rowland's 2002 duet "Dilemma
Dilemma (song)
"Dilemma" is a song by the American rapper Nelly, featuring R&B singer Kelly Rowland. The single was released in 2002 from the Nelly's album Nellyville, and Rowland's album Simply Deep...
". Initially known as its working title, "DL Part 2", "Gone" extends the story of the duo's earlier single "Dilemma". Nelly told Jayson Rodriguez, from MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, that "Gone" was not just a sequel. He said It was recorded in May–June 2010 during studio sessions where Rowland and Nelly were recording the urban remix of the song "Commander
Commander (song)
"Commander" is a song performed by American recording artist Kelly Rowland from her third studio album, Here I Am . It serves as the project's international lead single and her debut release with Universal Motown...
", lead single of Rowland's third album, Here I Am. Rap-Up
Rap-Up
Rap-Up is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on the hip hop and R&B aspect of the music industry, and...
magazine described it as the "smooth sequel" which picks up "where 'Dilemma' left off", catering to both R&B and pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
audiences. MTV revealed that the song would be a future single, but would not hit airwaves yet due to Nelly's success with "Just a Dream
Just a Dream (Nelly song)
"Just a Dream" is a song performed by American recording artist Nelly, taken from his sixth studio album 5.0 . The song was written by Nelly, Rico Love, Jim Jonsin and Frank Romano with Jonsin and Love producing the song. The song was released from August 16, 2010 to iTunes Stores around the world...
", the lead single from his sixth album, 5.0. The single cover from "Gone" was unveiled on January 19, 2011.
Composition
"Gone" is a mid-tempo R&BContemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
-ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
produced by Rico Love
Rico Love
Richard Preston Butler, Jr. , better known by his stage name Rico Love, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. Love wrote and produced hit records such as Usher’s "There Goes My Baby" and "Hey Daddy ”, Nelly's "Just a Dream" and "Gone", Beyoncé Knowles' "Sweet Dreams"...
and Jim Jonsin
Jim Jonsin
James Scheffer, better known by his professional name, Jim Jonsin, is an American Grammy award winning record producer, songwriter, record executive, and entrepreneur...
. On December 26, 2009, some studio footage of the recording of "Gone" was released through Rap-Up.com. Later in an MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
interview, Nelly was keen to stress that he didn't see "Gone" as a sequel to "Dilemma". He said "It can never be 'Dilemma,' but we wanted to extend the story. It's continuing the story a little bit more, seeing her [(Kelly)] again." Scott Schetler from AOL Radio Blog noted that in "Gone", Rowland and Nelly address each other by their first names, just as they did in their 2002 duet, "Dilemma". Bill Ohms from Lumino Magazine said Nelly's vocal styling on "Gone" was "ballad-like singing/rapping", while Tolu Akinsanya from Soulculture.co.uk noted that "Gone" uses the same key elements of production as "Dilemma". At one point Nelly directly references the lyrics from "Dilemma" when he says "remember that chick that used to live right up the block from me?".
Critical reception
AOL Radio's Scott Schetler called "Gone" another "stellar duet" from Rowland and Nelly. Tolu Akinsanya from Soulculture.co.uk agreed with the comparisons to "DilemmaDilemma (song)
"Dilemma" is a song by the American rapper Nelly, featuring R&B singer Kelly Rowland. The single was released in 2002 from the Nelly's album Nellyville, and Rowland's album Simply Deep...
" by saying that "'[Gone]' uses all the key elements that made the '[Dilemma]' a hit, and does not fail. This track could easily be a chart-topper." Mariel Concepcion from Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
said that no Nelly album would be complete with the emo track, "Gone". Ken Capobianco from The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
called "Gone" the melodic companion to "Dilemma". Robbie Daw from Idolator was less impressed. Though he praised the idea of the duet he said "This new slow groove is harmless enough, and even boasts a similar beat to its predecessor. But overall, we can’t help feeling that, since they bothered, these two should have come up with something a little better than a pale retread." Jesse Cataldo from Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
also had criticism for the song saying that its featured "R&B vocals sink steadily toward irrelevance".
Chart performance
On January 21, 2011, "Gone" was the second most added single to UrbanUrban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
radio and third most added to Top 40/Mainstream
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
and Rhythmic
Rhythmic Contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may...
stations. The single racked up a total of forty-five adds in the two day period since release. For the charts issued on February 5, 2011, "Gone" made its U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
debut at number seventy-nine and has currently peaked at number fifty-nine. In terms of the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, the song completely missed the chart, becoming a failure mainstream and only being moderately successful on the R&B charts.
The song was even more popular in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
MYX
Myx
myx or MYX is the music channel of ABS-CBN brand and the #1 music channel in the Philippines. It is also a part of Studio 23's program line-up. In 2007, MYX North America was launched in the United States....
Charts with a 6 week reign on the Pop and Urban music charts there.
Music video
On January 6, 2011, Nelly said on his Twitter, "new Nelly single... "Gone" featuring Kelly Rowland video coming very soon 5.0", the song is set to be released as the third official single from the album. In February 2011, it was revealed that Marc KlasfeldMarc Klasfeld
Marc Klasfeld is an American music video director. He has directed over two hundred music videos for artists such as Katy Perry, Jay-Z, Kid Rock, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nelly, Foo Fighters, Jewel, Sum 41, Avril Lavigne and many others with multiple MTV award wins and nominations...
had been booked to shoot the video. Klasfeld has previously worked with both artists, on Nelly's "Country Grammar" and "Ride wit Me
Ride wit Me
"Ride wit Me" is the third single from Nelly's album Country Grammar. It features City Spud and was released on April 24, 2001.-Background:The song features a sound very similar to Get Down on It by the band Kool and the Gang...
," as well as working with Rowland on Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
's "Lose My Breath
Lose My Breath
"Lose My Breath" is an R&B song performed by the American group Destiny's Child. It was written by Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams, Rodney Jerkins, LaShawn Daniels, Fred Jerkins III, Sean Garrett, and Shawn Corey "Jay-Z" Carter for Destiny's Child's fourth studio album, Destiny...
". The shoot is set to take place in Mexico. The video began production on February 8, 2011 on sandy beach in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Photos uploaded to Rap-Up
Rap-Up
Rap-Up is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on the hip hop and R&B aspect of the music industry, and...
.com show Rowland wearing a low-cut shimmering black dress while Nelly wears a button down black jacket.
A snippet of the video was shown Monday, March 7 during the premiere of Nelly's episode of Behind the Music
Behind the Music
Behind the Music is a television series on VH1. It originally ran from 1997 to 2006, before it was stopped and only aired new episodes sporadically. The series places its generality on documentation of musical artists or groups who are interviewed and profiled, and discuss how their careers became...
.
Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia Urban (ARIA ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... ) |
21 |
| UK Singles (The Official Charts Company) | 58 |
Radio and release history
| Region | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| United States | January 4, 2011 | Urban Urban contemporary Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music... , Urban AC Urban Adult Contemporary Urban adult contemporary is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have rap music on their playlists. The format was designed by Barry Mayo when he, Lee S. Simonson and Bill Pearson organized Broadcast... |
| January 18, 2011 | Mainstream Contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts... , Rhythmic Rhythmic Contemporary Rhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may... |
|
| United Kingdom | April 4, 2011 | Urban radio |
| May 8, 2011 | — |