Best Thing

Album: Here I Stand (2008)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This track about commitment and being adult features Jay-Z. The duo recorded the cut with producer Jermaine Dupri during the Atlanta stop of Jay Z's Heart of the City Tour. Dupri also produced "Something Special" on the same album.
  • Usher told MTV News about his collaboration with Jay-Z: "We got together on his album, got back together on this one. Of course, with the talk of both of us now being newlyweds, there is a question as to why, and is it real? Well, if you hear that song, you'll understand what Jay meant when he says, 'Seeds becomes plants, boys become men, you've got to grow up, not down.' Being a positive influence, being where you are, being honest about where you are is really the ultimate objective. I think that it's important to be honest. If it leads and people catch on to it, then they do it. If they miss it, then you've just missed it, but it is what it is, and you are what you are no matter where you are. If you are a playa, you're a playa. If you're a real man, you're a real man, but you know you got to - in some point in life - you've got to grow up. Grow away from certain immaturities. I was a younger guy in my last album, I'm somewhat a more mature individual as a result of the choices I have made, the direction I have taken. And that is conveyed in the song that me and Jay-Z did together."
  • The previous time Usher and Jay-Z worked together was on "Anything," a track on the latter's 2006 Kingdom Come album.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Jon Oliva of Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Jon Oliva of Trans-Siberian OrchestraSongwriter Interviews

Writing great prog metal isn't easy, especially when it's for 60 musicians.

John Doe of X

John Doe of XSongwriter Interviews

With his X-wife Exene, John fronts the band X and writes their songs.

Stan Ridgway

Stan RidgwaySongwriter Interviews

Go beyond the Wall of Voodoo with this cinematic songwriter.

Don Dokken

Don DokkenSongwriter Interviews

Dokken frontman Don Dokken explains what broke up the band at the height of their success in the late '80s, and talks about the botched surgery that paralyzed his right arm.

Kevin Godley

Kevin GodleySongwriter Interviews

Kevin Godley talks about directing classic videos for The Police, U2 and Duran Duran, and discusses song and videos he made with 10cc and Godley & Creme.

Richard Marx

Richard MarxSongwriter Interviews

Richard explains how Joe Walsh kickstarted his career, and why he chose Hazard, Nebraska for a hit.