On Sight

Album: Yeezus (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Kanye West opens his sixth studio album, Yeezus, with this pulsing, racy opener, which interpolates a melody from "He'll Give Us What We Really Need," an old track from the South Side of Chicago choir, Holy Name of Mary Choral Family. Lawyers for West's record label were still trying to track down the choir director and members of the choir to get clearance for the vocals days before the album release. The Def Jam label chiefs were so concerned about whether they would get rights to the track, that at the last minute they re-recorded the vocals with a different choir.
  • The song's beat, courtesy of French dance duo Daft Punk, is one of several on Yeezus inspired by Chicago house music. West told the New York Times: "I knew that I wanted to have a deep Chicago influence on this album, and I would listen to like, old Chicago house. I think that even 'Black Skinhead' could border on house, "On Sight" sounds like acid house, and then 'I Am a God' obviously sounds, like, super house."
  • The song's lyric, "A monster about to come alive again. Soon as I pull up and park the Benz. We get this b---h shaking like Parkinson's," attracted anger from sufferers of Parkinson's disease. Kathryn Whitford, who is Vice President of the American Parkinson Disease Association, slammed West's use of the condition as a punchline. 'We find these lyrics distasteful and the product of obvious ignorance," she told TMZ.com.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Vince Clarke

Vince ClarkeSongwriter Interviews

An original member of Depeche Mode, Vince went on to form Erasure and Yaz.

Did They Really Sing In That Movie?

Did They Really Sing In That Movie?Fact or Fiction

Bradley Cooper, Michael J. Fox, Rami Malek, Reese Witherspoon, Gwyneth Paltrow and George Clooney: Which actors really sang in their movies?

Trans Soul Rebels: Songs About Transgenderism

Trans Soul Rebels: Songs About TransgenderismSong Writing

A history of songs dealing with transgender issues, featuring Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Morrissey and Green Day.

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?Song Writing

A big list of musical marriages and family relations ranging from the simple to the truly dysfunctional.

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce PavittSong Writing

The man who ran Nirvana's first label gets beyond the sensationalism (drugs, Courtney) to discuss their musical and cultural triumphs in the years before Nevermind.

American Hits With Foreign Titles

American Hits With Foreign TitlesSong Writing

What are the biggest US hits with French, Spanish (not "Rico Suave"), Italian, Scottish, Greek, and Japanese titles?