FML (song)
"FML" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his seventh studio album The Life of Pablo (2016), which features vocals from Canadian singer The Weeknd.[1] It contains a sample of "Hit" by Section 25, which two of the band members praised West for sampling. In the song, West references his issues with mental health. The song charted in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada in 2016.
For the Arizona Zervas song, see FML (Arizona Zervas song)."FML"
February 14, 2016
2015–16
3:56
- Kanye West
- Abel Tesfaye
- Cydel Young
- Mike Dean
- Andrew Dawson
- Noah Goldstein
- Leland Wayne
- Ernest Brown
- Christian Boggs
- Darius Jenkins
- K. Rachel Mills
- Marcus Byrd
- Ross Matthew Birchard
- Jacques Webster
- Lawrence Cassidy
- Vincent Cassidy
- Paul Wiggin
- West
- Mitus
- Metro Boomin[a]
- Goldstein[a]
- Dean[a]
- Hudson Mohawke[b]
- Dawson[b]
Background[edit]
In October 2016, a demo of the track, alongside one of "I Am a God" from West's sixth studio album Yeezus (2013), was uploaded to SoundCloud, which featured vocals from Travis Scott instead of the Weeknd and included a new sample.[2] A remix of the song was released by Alvin Risk.[3]
Composition and lyrics[edit]
A sample of "Hit" by Section 25 is heavily used to compose the outro, along with vocals from West.[4] In response to West sampling their work, Section 25 members Bethany and Vincent Cassidy heavily praised him.[5] The sample was also used in a leaked track by West titled "Fall Out of Heaven".[6]
After making changes in the album in June 2016, the song's vocals were made louder and the background vocals were added in the second round of Weeknd's hook.[7]
"FML" is titled to stand for two meanings: "For My Lady", since West raps in the first verse "I been waiting for a minute/For my lady" and "Fuck My Life (up)" since the Weeknd sings on the chorus "I wish I would go ahead and fuck my life up/Can't let them get to me/And even though I always fuck my life up/Only I can mention me."[8] West mentions the antidepressant drug Lexapro in reference to his issues with mental health, a subject West mostly touched on in the song "I Feel Like That" from the end of his and Steve McQueen's music video for West's 2015 single "All Day".[9]
Critical reception[edit]
Pitchfork's Jayson Greene viewed the song as where West "alludes to something that sounds an awful lot like a manic episode".[10] Jake Indiana of Highsnobiety wrote in response to it that "there's a lot to love here, particularly in Ye's lyrics", but he had a mixed reaction to the Weeknd's appearance, describing it as where he "gives a massive assist on this guest spot, but by song's end his refrain becomes a bit whiny".[11] NME writer Larry Bartleet listed it 13th in his top 50 songs about depression list.[12]
Commercial performance[edit]
The track debuted at number 84 on the US Billboard Hot 100 within the same week that The Life of Pablo was released.[13] "FML" charted on the UK Singles Chart at exactly the same position upon the album's release and then never charted again on it.[14] On the Canadian Hot 100, the song debuted at number 97 in the same week.[15] This made the song stand along with "Ultralight Beam" and "Waves" as one of only three non-single releases from West's album to chart in Canada.[16] Alongside its debut on the US Billboard Hot 100, "FML" charted at number 30 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and spend a total of three weeks on it.[17]
In family culture[edit]
West's sister-in-law Kylie Jenner named the track as her favourite song from The Life of Pablo in March 2016.[18] His ex-wife Kim Kardashian listed the track among her top 28 favourite songs by her husband in August 2016.[19]
Credits adapted from West's official website.[20]