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Water (Kanye West song)

"Water" is a song by American vocalist and record producer Kanye West from his ninth studio album, Jesus Is King (2019). The song features a guest appearance by American singer Ant Clemons and additional vocals from gospel group the Sunday Service Choir. It was produced by West and BoogzDaBeast, while co-produced by Angel Lopez, Federico Vindver and Timbaland. The song came from a conversation between Clemons and West about Jesus. A psychedelic and gospel track, the song includes samples of "Blow Job", performed by Bruce Haack. It also interpolates "We're All Water", performed by Yoko Ono. The imagery of the lyrics represents the renewal of Baptism and West prays to Jesus in his verse. On April 16, 2019, the song was recorded and it was announced for release that same month.

"Water"

October 25, 2019 (2019-10-25)

April 16, 2019 (2019-04-16)

2:48

  • Kanye West
  • BoogzDaBeast

Ultimately released as the seventh track on Jesus Is King in October 2019, "Water" received polarized reviews from music critics. They were generally divided in their feelings towards the vocals, with particular attention being drawn towards West's performance. Other critics expressed somewhat mixed assessments of the production, despite it being debated by them whether or not the song stands among the album's highlights. The song charted at number 37 on both the ARIA Singles Chart and Icelandic Singles Chart in 2019. On the US Billboard Hot 100, it debuted at number 51 and stood as one of Clemons' first two appearances on the chart. The song was performed live by West, Clemons and Ty Dolla Sign at the Coachella Festival on Easter 2019. The performance received positive reviews from critics, who praised West's involvement.

Background and recording[edit]

West and BoogzDaBeast produced "Water", with co-production from Angel Lopez, Federico Vindver and Timbaland.[1] BoogzDaBeast is one of the more unknown producers who worked on Jesus Is King and he received credit on six of the tracks.[2] West previously worked with him on the 2018 self-titled debut studio album by Kids See Ghosts, a hip hop duo composed of the former and Kid Cudi.[3] Kano Computing CEO Alex Klein, credited as Alexander Nelson Klein, helped write the song.[1][4] Klein first met West at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show, which was followed by them continuing to work together throughout the year and the song was a bigger musical project than anything Klein had been involved with in the past.[4] He recalled "a lot of typing, a lot of listening, and a lot of people throwing out different ideas" from being in the studio with West during a phone call with Complex, praising him as a group collaborator and leader.[4]


Alongside the song, Ant Clemons is featured on Jesus Is King track "Everything We Need", and was involved in the creation of "Selah".[5][6] Clemons collaborated with fellow singer Jeremih in the late 2010s, which led to him forming a connection with West.[5] Vocals were contributed by Clemons to West's single "All Mine", from his eighth studio album Ye (2018), and Clemons explained going from recording the single to "Water" in an interview with Complex by stating that "progression just happens naturally as people."[5] Clemons explained that the track was based on a conversation about Jesus he had with West, which included West expressing feelings that "we should be fluid as water [sic]" and coming up with lines for the track, with Clemons admitting lots "of the best songs come from conversations."[5] According to Clemons, the track was recorded five days prior to West and the Sunday Service Choir's appearance at the Coachella Festival on April 21, 2019.[6][7] Clemons recalled BoogzDaBeast presenting a "phenomenal instrumental that sounds like the Seventies" during recording.[6]


West debuted the track with a performance at Coachella in April 2019, marking the first time that a song had been debuted during one of his Sunday Service concerts.[7][8] Before the performance, West announced "Water" as a new track and revealed the title.[9] However, he did not provide further details about the track at the time and it had a possibility of being featured on West's then-upcoming album Yandhi.[7][10] The track was first revealed to be slated for release on Jesus Is King as the ninth track when West's wife Kim Kardashian shared a potential track list for it in August 2019.[a][12] "Water" was one of the three tracks that ultimately caused the release of the album in October of that year to be delayed due to mixing modifications.[13]

Composition and lyrics[edit]

Musically, "Water" is a psychedelic and gospel track.[14][15][16][17] A bassline is featured, which has been described as "bouncy".[18][19] The song contains samples of the recording "Blow Job", written and performed by Bruce Haack.[20] It includes an interpolation of "We're All Water", written by Yoko Ono, and performed by Ono.[20] West's vocals have been classified as hoarse.[19][21]


Imagery is demonstrated within the song's lyrics, representing the Christian sacrament of baptism being renewed and it is the baptismal centerpiece of Jesus Is King.[21][22] The representation of baptism is connected to the theme of purification that is present within the song.[17] The chorus is performed by Clemons alongside the Sunday Service Choir and references liquid water, with it including him singing "take the chlorine out our conversation".[5][23][24] The lyrics also recall a passage from the Book of Jeremiah that sees God refer to himself as "the fountain of living waters".[24] West's verse sees him delivering prayers to Jesus, with it including him begging Jesus to "clean the music".[22][25]

Commercial performance[edit]

Following the release of Jesus Is King, "Water" entered the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 51.[40] By doing so, the track became one of Clemons' first two appearances on the chart, simultaneously with "Everything We Need".[41] The track also entered at number eight and nine on the US Christian Songs and Gospel Songs charts, respectively.[42] At the same time, it debuted at number 25 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[43]


The song charted identically on the ARIA Singles Chart and Icelandic Singles Chart, debuting at number 37 on both of them.[44][45] It was less successful on the Lithuania Top 100, entering at number 54 on the chart.[46] Similarly, the song charted at number 56 on the Canadian Hot 100.[47] "Water" also reached the top 100 in Slovakia and Portugal.[48][49]