I Used to Love H.E.R.

"Used to Love Her" redirects here. For the Guns N' Roses song, see G N' R Lies. For the Jay Sean song, see My Own Way (album).
"I Used to Love H.E.R."
Single by Common
from the album Resurrection
B-side "Communism"
Released September 27, 1994
Format CD single, cassette single, 12" single, 7" single
Recorded 1993
Genre Hip hop, jazz rap
Length 4:39
Label Relativity Records
Writer(s) Lonnie Lynn, Jr.
Producer(s) No I.D.
Common singles chronology
"Soul by the Pound"
(1993)
"I Used to Love H.E.R."
(1994)
"Resurrection"
(1994)

"I Used to Love H.E.R." is a hip hop song by the Chicago-born rapper Common. Released on the 1994 album Resurrection, "I Used to Love H.E.R." has since become one of Common's best known songs. Produced by No I.D., its jazzy beat samples "The Changing World" by George Benson. A video directed by Chris Halliburton was made for this song. The song is also found on Common's greatest hits album, Thisisme Then.

Overview

Content

The song uses an extended metaphor, using a woman to represent hip hop music. The acronym "H.E.R" means "Hearing every rhyme", therefore stating "I Used to Love Hearing Every Rhyme and also Hip Hop in its Essence is Real."[1]

The song speaks on the direction that hip hop music was taking during the late 1980s and early 1990s. It specifically refers to the fall of conscious and Afrocentric rap; as well as the rising popularity of West Coast hip hop and G-funk. In the song, Common makes an analogy comparing the degradation of a woman with the deterioration of hip hop music after its commercial success forced it into the mainstream. This criticism ignited a feud with West Coast rapper Ice Cube, and helped fuel the growing animosity towards the West Coast hip hop scene during the early stages of the East Coast-West Coast rivalry despite Common hailing from the Mid-West.

Acclaim

It is often regarded as one of the greatest hip hop recordings ever.[2][3][4] Tiffany Hamilton of AllHipHop.com describes it as a "timeless ode to Hip-Hop [...] that established Common as one of the pioneers in conscious Hip-Hop."[5] Vukile Simelane of RapReviews.com claims it to have one of the "fattest beat[s] ever constructed".[6] Alex Henderson of Allmusic considers it to be the standout track on Resurrection.[7] Duke University professor Mark Anthony Neal considers it to be Common's best single ever.[8] Andrea Duncan-Mao of XXL considers it to be a "bittersweet ode to hip-hop" and a "classic" track.[9] Pitchfork Media's Ryan Dombal considers it to be a "classic hip-hop parable".[9] In 2008, it was ranked number 69 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop. It was ranked #1 on About.com's Greatest Rap Songs Of All Time.[9]

Significance

The Game references the song in Angel featuring Common saying, "So I start Hip-Hop and I understand why Common used to love H.E.R."

Remixes

Music video

The video was filmed on October 31, 1994 and released later that year. It shows clips of Common's home of Southside Chicago and a woman, who is obviously the main subject of the video because of the extended metaphor. It shows how she "became a gangster" when this woman is seen with two other ghetto-looking women in allusion to the rise of gangsta rap.

Track listing

A-side

  1. "I Used to Love H.E.R." (4:29)
  2. "I Used to Love H.E.R. (Instrumental)" (4:43)
  3. "I Used to Love H.E.R. (Acapella)"

B-side

  1. "Communism (2:16)"
  2. "Communism (Instrumental)" (2:39)
  3. "Communism (Acapella)"

Chart positions

Chart (1994) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 91
U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Singles 31

See also

References

  1. "Abbreviations and acronyms from Acronym Finder: What Does Her Stand For?". Retrieved November 13, 2007.
  2. "100 Greatest Rap Songs at About.com". Retrieved March 25, 2007.
  3. "Top 100 Greatest Hip-Hop/Rap Singles of All Time at Top40-Charts.com". Retrieved March 25, 2007.
  4. "The Source's 100 Best Rap Singles at Rocklist.net". Retrieved March 25, 2007.
  5. Hamilton, Tiffany. "AllHipHop Feature - Common: Invocation". Archived from the original on April 5, 2007. Retrieved April 22, 2007.
  6. Simelane, Vukile. "Resurrection Review at RapReveiws.com". Retrieved March 25, 2007.
  7. Henderson, Alex. "Resurrection Review at Allmusic". Retrieved March 25, 2007.
  8. Neal, Mark Anthony. "Like Water for Chocolate Review at PopMatters.com". Retrieved April 27, 2007.
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 Duncan-Mao, Andrea. "XXL Magazine Features: Common". Retrieved May 24, 2007.
  10. Roberson, Eric. "Strangers". song. youtube.com. Retrieved 3/12/2012. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)

External links