Songfacts®:

• This is the first single from Canadian hip hop artist Drake's debut album, Thank Me Later. Drake premiered the song, which was produced by in-house producer Boi-1da, on his hometown Toronto radio station 93.5 The Flow on March 4, 2010.
• Drake explained to The Flow radio-show hosts Jus Red and Jwyze why he chose this track to lead the album. "I went with 'Over' as the first look because of the words in the hook," he said. "The hook being the most repetitive part. I got a lot of great songs on my album. I got songs for women who wanna feel special. I got songs for dudes - if you ever thought my music was too soft, this is one you will enjoy. I got a lot of variety on there, but the biggest thing was that opening line on the hook: 'I know way too many people here right now that I didn't know last year.'" He added: "This record sums up where I am right now in my career."
• This song touches on Drake's reaction to fame and stardom. He explained to MTV News: "We took a trip to Jamaica, where I did a lot of work for my album. There was this calm before the storm, and 'Over' represented the storm to me. It's the moment. I wanted to emerge at first from this album and just let people know 'This is how I'm coming out in the public eye. I'm ready for anything.' Then when you get the album, it's like, 'Oh, he's still human. He's still thinking the same way.' I wanted people to understand I could have lost it. 'Over' could have been my entire album. Just 'cause that's what this industry and game will do to you if you lose yourself."
• The song's music video was directed by Anthony Mandler, who worked with Drake before on Mary J. Blige's "The One." "We talked colors, we talked epic, emotion-evoking visuals," said the Canadian MC of the clip. "The story is actually interesting. The song is so aggressive, and it's sort of a love story in the video. It has a lot to do with the album [Thank Me Later]. The album is about finding love, feeling 'Have I sold my soul' as far as 'Will I ever be able to gain the trust of a woman? Will I only be able to be around the dark, evil women? Will I ever find that pure love?' Those elements are in the video. I look strong, I feel great, my knee's feeling great. I'm jumping around, doing all kinds of stuff."
• Drake told MTV News that the song is part of a story that's told through Thank Me Later. "Initially it was a warm-up record," he explained. "I love the song. I love the message in the song. It's funny, because 'Over' is the fourth song on the album and it's the turning point in the album. It's like, you get three songs of me sort of trying to paint the picture of what the last year has been like for me - trying to fill you in, almost let you into my world as much as I can. 'Over' is that moment where you're almost worried on the album. 'Is this kid about to... What's happening? Is he changing?' I wanted that to come out first. I wanted people to be a little nervous. This whole journey could have changed me drastically. Fortunately I'm able to step out of my shoes and reflect on it and give you some great music. 'Over' is a great alter-ego moment. It's the dark side of things and I really wanted that to come out first."
• Drake expanded on the video to MTV News: "It takes the song to another place. It offers up a whole different look for the song. The song - to a lot of people - is ignorant, it's club. This video is what I was really thinking about. The song is like a bad dream - but it's not a bad dream, it's not a terrible dream. It's a little evil. The video really reflects that. It's a struggle between the purities of my past life and what this new life has to offer. Even in the video, you see me looking back and forth between the two and deciding. At the end of the video I don't necessarily make a decision, but when you get the album, you'll see what choice I make."
• During a conference call for DJs Drake said that Jay-Z took time to warm to this song. "I got a funny e-mail today from Jay-Z about ['Over']," Drake said before explaining that Jay compared the track to "the girl you see at the club, she's not the cutest. But then you speak to her and realize that she's one of the sexiest women of all time."