Selah

Album: Jesus Is King (2019)
Charted: 19 19
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Selah" is a Hebrew word that appears frequently in the Book of Psalms. Its precise meaning is unknown, but scholars believe that the word signifies some kind of musical interlude, allowing the listener to pause and reflect. West stated during the Jesus Is King listening session on September 28, 2019 that "Selah" means "to look back and reflect upon."
  • The song itself is a faith-based freestyle in which West talks about his devout love for Christ. He also compares the constant criticism he gets to what Noah had to endure while building an ark to house all the animal species during a worldwide flood.
  • The song's opening lines ("God is King, we the soldiers. Ultrabeam out the solar") link to the opening lines of the Life of Pablo track "Ultralight Beam." That cut found West rapping about trying to maintain his faith and looking to God to help him. While The Life of Pablo was Ye's most faith-based album at the time, it still contained the standard rap tropes of profane language, explicit sexual references and braggadocio. Jesus Is King showcases West's spiritual transformation, as he concentrates on Christian themes and eradicates all vulgar lyrics.
  • The "hallelujah" bridge, which is sung by West's Sunday Service Choir, interpolates Stephen Hurd's 2006 track "Revelation 19:1."
  • This was used in commercial for the movie Fast & Furious 9 that aired during the Super Bowl in 2020.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Petula Clark

Petula ClarkSongwriter Interviews

Petula talks about her hits "Downtown" and "Don't Sleep In The Subway," and explains her Michael Jackson connection.

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")Song Writing

Wes Edwards takes us behind the scenes of videos he shot for Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley and Chase Bryant. The train was real - the airplane was not.

Lace the Music: How LSD Changed Popular Music

Lace the Music: How LSD Changed Popular MusicSong Writing

Starting in Virginia City, Nevada and rippling out to the Haight-Ashbury, LSD reshaped popular music.

Butch Vig

Butch VigSongwriter Interviews

The Garbage drummer/songwriter produced the Nirvana album Nevermind, and Smashing Pumpkins' Gish and Siamese Dream.

Weird Al Yankovic

Weird Al YankovicFact or Fiction

Did Al play on a Beach Boys record? Did he have beef with George Lucas and Coolio? See if you can spot weird but true stories.

Richie Wise (Kiss producer, Dust)

Richie Wise (Kiss producer, Dust)Songwriter Interviews

Richie talks about producing the first two Kiss albums, recording "Brother Louie," and the newfound appreciation of his rock band, Dust.