Keep the Family Close

Album: Views (2016)
Charted: 68
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Songfacts®:

  • This track finds a vulnerable Drake reflecting on trust issues with his inner circle.

    All of my "let's just be friends" are friends I don't have anymore
    How do you not check on me when things go wrong
    Guess I should've tried to keep my family closer
    Much closer


    Drake is lamenting why his so-called friends are always around when things are going well, but then disappear when they go wrong.
  • The song is the opening track of Views, which is loosely themed around the change of seasons. The record begins in winter as we hear newcomer Sabrina Galmo purring "It's a little chilly out there. How you can stand there is beyond me." The blustery beginning is a reference to the album artwork, where Drake is seen sitting on top of Toronto's CN Tower, wearing a huge coat.
  • The background vocals are by singer-songwriter Aion Clarke. Before achieving individual fame, Drake was once in a group called The Renaissance with Clarke and another later-to-be-successful artist, Melanie Fiona.
  • The moody production is courtesy of the relatively unknown Montreal producer Maneesh, who also produced two other Views songs: "Summers Over Interlude" and the title track.

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