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Heartless (Kanye West song)

January 13, 2023

"Heartless" is a song by American rapper and singer Kanye West from his fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak (2008). The song was written by West, No I.D., Kid Cudi and Malik Yusef, while being produced by the former two. It was passed on to West during recording sessions, after originally being intended for inclusion on Jay-Z's eleventh studio album, The Blueprint 3 (2009). Following the song's debut at the 2008 Democratic National Convention (DNC), West shared an unmastered version via his blog on October 15, 2008. The song was later serviced to US rhythmic contemporary radio stations as the second single from 808s & Heartbreak on October 28, through Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam. A pop ballad with influences of hip hop and R&B, it features synthesizers.

"Heartless"
Single by Kanye West
from the album 808s & Heartbreak
ReleasedOctober 28, 2008 (2008-10-28)
Recorded2008
Studio
  • Glenwood (Burbank, California)
  • Avex Recording (Honolulu, Hawaii)
GenrePop
Length3:31
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Kanye West
  • No I.D.
Kanye West singles chronology
"Love Lockdown"
(2008) 		"Heartless"
(2008) 		"Go Hard"
(2008)
Music video
"Heartless" on YouTube

In the lyrics of the song, West reflects on his break-up with Alexis Phifer. "Heartless" received generally positive reviews from music critics, who mostly complimented West's performance. Some placed emphasis on the song's subject matter, while other critics praised the composition. At the 2010 BMI Pop Awards, it stood among the Award Winning Songs. The song reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming West's third highest charting release on the chart. It further attained top 10 positions in Canada, New Zealand, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. Having been certified septuple platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the song stands as one of the highest certified digital singles in the US. It has also received platinum certifications in Australia, Denmark, and the UK by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), IFPI Danmark, and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), respectively.

The song's music video, released on November 7, 2008, is a tribute to Ralph Bakshi's 1981 film American Pop. The video is animated, with it showcasing West expressing sadness over breaking up with Phifer. Critics gave the video favorable reviews, generally praising the animation. At the 2009 BET Awards, it received a nomination for the Video of the Year award. West performed "Heartless" at the 36th Annual American Music Awards and the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2008 and 2011, respectively.

"Heartless" has been subject to cover versions by various artists, including the Fray. The band debuted their cover on the Live Lounge for BBC Radio 1 in February 2009, before it was released as a single on April 17. A pop rock ballad, the cover reworks the original. The cover received mixed to positive responses from critics, some of whom praised the musical direction. It charted at number 79 on the Billboard Hot 100. An accompanying music video was released on August 18, 2009, which shows moving doodles that appear from a boy's notebook. Kris Allen also covered the song, premiering his version in May 2009 with a performance for season eight of American Idol, which he was the winner of. The performance gathered strong verdicts from the judges, including Simon Cowell. The cover was released as a single in May 2009, and it charted at number 16 on the Hot 100.

Background and recording

 
West and No I.D. (pictured center and left, respectively) working on the song in Glenwood Studios, Burbank, California.

After Kanye's mother Donda West died, his mentor No I.D. was contacted by American rapper Malik Yusef, who asked him to spend time with the artist.[1] No I.D. initially rejected the decision due to their differing personalities, though later began communicating with Kanye West more after persuasion from Malik Yusef.[1] West and No I.D. then travelled to Hawaii to work with rapper Jay-Z on his eleventh studio album The Blueprint 3 (2009), before West decided on transferring to recording for 808s & Heartbreak in the state once "Heartless" had been made.[1] The recording took place at Avex Recording Studio in Honolulu, Hawaii, and at Glenwood Studios in Burbank, California.[2] The song was produced by West, with co-production from No I.D.[2] The two of them co-wrote it with Malik Yusef and fellow rapper Kid Cudi, the latter of which was revealed to have penned the chorus in his documentary film A Man Named Scott (2021).[2][3] In a November 2014 interview for the Juan Epstein show, No I.D. recalled that the song was intended for The Blueprint 3 until West stopped during its recording and said, "No." Replying to him, No I.D. asked, "No what?"; West insisted: "No way! This is my record!" No I.D. begged him to complete the song for the album, to which West expressed assurance about it being for 808s & Heartbreak instead.[4]

West premiered "Heartless" with a performance at the 2008 Democratic National Convention (DNC) in August, before he confirmed its release as the album's second single at a concert of rapper T.I. on October 5.[5][6] A snippet of the song experienced an internet leak on October 12, 2008.[7] Three days later, West posted a full unmastered version of the song on his blog for download and streaming, blogging that he had "no words".[8][9] Alongside the post, he shared photographs of fuzzy faced, nude models that had been displayed at a listening party for 808s & Heartbreak on October 14, 2008.[8] "Heartless" was eventually released as a single on October 28, before West shared a newly mixed and mastered version to his blog on November 8, 2008 for download and streaming.[10][11] West simultaneously called for the attention of DJs, requesting them to play the new version instead.[11] Outside of the song, West does not rap at all on the album, though rap features are contributed to "Amazing" and "See You in My Nightmares" by Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy, respectively.[12][13] In an interview with Kiss FM, West revealed that "Heartless" was one of the first two tracks that he created once he went "into album mode" after the success of his third studio album Graduation (2007).[14] The song was recorded during the three week period that West worked on the entirety of 808s & Heartbreak in 2008.[15] Seeking out a minimalist direction sonically, West directed his team to bring unique drum machines to Avex Recording Studio.[2][16] They were sampled and reprogrammed into West's Roland TR-808 drum machine at the studio.[16]

Composition and lyrics

 
"Heartless"
A 19-second sample of the chorus to "Heartless", including the song's frequent percussion and synthesizers. The chorus also features Ken Lewis' stabs of piano, as well as organs and Auto-Tuned melodies. West showcases honesty and self-pity, closing out the chorus with an angry question.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Musically, "Heartless" is an upbeat pop ballad,[17][18][19] with hip hop and R&B influences.[20][21] According to the sheet music on Musicnotes.com, the song is set in the time signature of common time. It is composed in the key of B-flat minor with a moderate R&B tempo of 88 beats per minute and West's vocal range varies from a low of G♯2 to a high of F♯4.[22] The structure of the song is constructed around percussion, while synthesizers are prominently featured.[20][21][23] The song includes the Roland TR-808 and piano stabs, the latter of which were contributed by Ken Lewis.[2][24][25] Organs accompany the chorus, whereas keyboards appear in the background of the verses, played by West collaborator Jeff Bhasker.[2][12][21] The song also contains a bassline, as well as Auto-Tuned melodies.[24][25] West sings in auto-tune throughout, with him heavily utilizing the effect on the chorus.[8][20][21] The song also includes rapping from West briefly.[12][21][26]

Lyrically, "Heartless" features West's forceful and direct reflection on breaking up with his ex-fiancé Alexis Phifer.[20][27][28] He expresses honesty and self-pity on the chorus: "The coldest story ever told / Somewhere far along this road / He lost his soul / To a woman so heartless".[21][29] West also asks a question angrily twice before the chorus finishes: "How could you be so heartless?"[21] Self-doubt is expressed on the song by West, who raps that despite having "homies", he is ultimately "still so lonely".[26] West goes on to shed light on the post-breakup phase, assuming that Phifer will realize she is never going to find anybody better than him after two months.[30]

Release and reception

On October 28, 2008, the song was released to US rhythmic contemporary radio stations as the album's second single by West's record labels Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam.[10] That same year, the labels issued a two-track CD single for it.[31] On November 24, 2008, "Heartless" was included as the third track on West's fourth studio album 808s & Heartbreak.[32] The song was met with generally positive reviews from music critics, many of whom praised West's performance. The staff of NBC4 Washington hailed the song as a perfect blend of "the cold, metallic 80s synth sound [West]'s been known for [as] of late" and "his older bouncing more straight forward Hip-Hop style", detailing that it is able to be upbeat alongside remaining melancholy as West sings in his "auto-tuned robotic croon" that T-Pain popularized.[20] They continued, moderately comparing West's referencing of Phifer to rapper Eminem insulting his ex-girlfriend Kim Mathers, before assuring West's subject matter "makes good fodder for this super-slick space age, ragga-tinged gem" that you should download, then "pop it in your car and take a late night drive down Sunset Blvd".[20] In a review of the song for Digital Spy, David Balls mildly asserted that it is not "exactly a warm and cosy affair"; he called the song a "dark, introspective slice of minor key pop".[18] Balls elaborated by writing that even though creating the album "seems to have served as an alternative form of therapy" for West, the "terrific" song demonstrates how "the soul-bearing has propelled him to new creative peaks".[18] Alex Macpherson from The Guardian pointed out how the song includes a "solipsistic and clumsy" take on "the solitude of the superstar", noticing West provides a "testament to his talent" by ultimately executing it.[33] Reviewing the album for Entertainment Weekly, Leah Greenblatt commented that the "stuttering" song is among its understandably dominant "mournful tales of heartbreak", noting a confession from West.[34]

The staff of NME viewed the song as fulfilling the promise of West "leading the assault" on the planet undertaken by "scowling hip-hop androids", which he makes on the previous track "Welcome to Heartbreak".[12] They explained, citing how the former is the only track to include rapping from him and saying the "cathedral organs and lava-lamp rhythmic thuds underscore a dancehall-style tormented chorus that impacts with flooring intensity".[12] Writing for Vibe, Jozen Cummings emphasised how the song's "clunky piano punches and throbbing bass line" lay "the sound bed" for the best break up track in rap since Jay-Z's "Song Cry" (2001).[25] Jesal 'Jay Soul' Padania from RapReviews considered the song to be "ultra-catchy".[35] USA Today's Steve Jones picked the song as one of tracks from 808s & Heartbreak to download, an opinion that was shared by the staff of The Observer and Alfred H. Leonard, III of IGN.[36][37][38] For Spin, Charles Aaron felt the song possesses the potential to "end up on a greatest-hits comp one day and be accepted as Kanyeezy standards".[39] In a lukewarm review at Pitchfork, Scott Plagenhoef characterized "Heartless" as a "very good" song that is a surprisingly appropriate fit for "the car radio" while naming it merely a "second-tier" single from West.[13] Wilson McBee from Slant Magazine described the song as having all the qualities "of a classic, minor-key club anthem, darkly swaggering and indulgent of love's travails", though wished that it was performed by Usher instead.[40] AllMusic editor Andy Kellman held a negative opinion, being surprised that the song's "synthetic calliope" is "unnerved".[32]

Accolades

On Pitchfork writer Ryan Dombal's list of the best tracks of 2008, he placed "Heartless" at number 23.[41] The track was voted in at number 55 on The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop poll for 2008, garnering 10 mentions.[42] In 2020, Highsnobiety named it as West's eighth best song.[24] That same year, the track was ranked by Teen Vogue as the 47th best breakup song for the newly single, with Kristi Kellogg estimating that it will be played repeatedly "when you're in the post-breakup anger phase".[30] The track was nominated for seven industry awards and won six of them, including being one of the Award Winning Songs at the 2010 BMI Pop Awards.[43] In the same year, it was awarded as one of the Most-Performed Urban Songs at the BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards.[44]

Awards and nominations for "Heartless"
Year Ceremony Category Result Ref.
2009 Teen Choice Awards Choice Music: Rap/Hip-Hop Track Nominated [45]
2010 ASCAP Pop Music Awards Most Performed Songs Won [46]
ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards Award Winning Rap Songs Won [47]
Award Winning R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Won [48]
BMI Pop Awards Award Winning Songs Won [43]
BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards Most-Performed Urban Songs Won [44]

Music video

Background

An accompanying music video was directed and produced by Hype Williams,[31] being set as a homage to Ralph Bakshi's film American Pop (1981);[49][50][51] West admitted that inspiration was taken from the film after Williams showed him it.[52] For the video, Williams shot the footage of West prior to the technique of rotoscoped animation being utilized.[51][53] The technique included 65 animators in Hong Kong drawing over every cell, after real people were filmed.[52] West and Williams developed the video concept, while editorial and post-production house Chomet and visual effects company handled post-production, Stephan Zlotescu served as Art Director/VFX Supervisor, and Vlad Caprini was the Project Coordinator.

Michael Chomet explained that Williams approached the post-production house "with an almost impossible challenge: after picture-lock we had 10 days to deliver the goods". He emphasized the challenge as "a daunting task" that over 3,000 frames of hand-drawn animation and backgrounds were utilized for, though said that they managed "to pull it off in a record of 10 days working around the clock" with assistance from "a very talented team". Williams expressed his position for the video, asserting that him and West desired "to do something ... that was unexpected" and said they "needed a visual effects team that would deliver in terms of style, quality, and timing". He finalized by recalling having "worked with Stephan and Michael before", believing "that we could depend on them to pull it off".[53] During his appearance at the 2008 American Music Awards, West premiered footage from the visual.[53] The music video was released on November 7, 2008.[54]

Synopsis

Throughout the animated music video, West expressing grief about his break-up with Phifer is interspersed with scenes of various women. The women are rotoscoped over West at times, with them having been drawn on top of the footage by hand.[51][53] West wanders around a city while backed by the night sky at first, before he sits in a car's back seat. At one point, a portrait of Andy Warhol's artwork Campbell's Soup Cans is displayed.[55] The locations that West appears in during the video are highly stylized, including a Miami street scene and a space-age version of Times Square.[53] He briefly breaks his character, smoking a cigarette.[55] At the end, West demonstrates frustration in an apartment while portraits of animated sitcom The Jetsons can be seen in the background.[51]

Reception

The music video was well received by critics. Scratch from XXL said West hired "Hype 'Big Budget' Williams to draw upon ... Rotoscoping to keep our eyes glued to the screen", finalizing that the video is "an amazing work of art" and deservant of being "experienced on a big screen" while shining disappointment on West and Def Jam having "few outlets and opportunities for people to actually see [it]".[56] Cesar Cueva of Art of the Cartoon felt both surprised and pleasured about the music video being animated, revealing himself to have instantly found the rotoscope style impressive.[51] Cueva further wrote that after sensing a homage "to something I had seen before" with the video and having this confirmed by West citing inspiration from American Pop, he appreciated it more, and praised the sitcom portraits.[51] For the Miami New Times, Jonathan Cunningham affirmed that the video "isn't bad" and he "can't complain about [West and Williams'] choice to go with an animated look rather than the standard video route", concluding by suggesting it is "mind-numbing entertainment to get you through the last day of the week".[54] Larry Fitzmaurice of Vice named the visual a "Great video", viewing it as "no exception" to West's "cool-ass-looking videos" from the 808s & Heartbreak period and "a trippy cel-shaded experience stuffed with pop art and pop culture references" that was released simultaneously with West becoming "inextricably enmeshed in pop culture's DNA".[57]

The visual was nominated for Video of the Year at the 2009 BET Awards, ultimately losing to Beyoncé's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)".[58] The former received a nomination for International Video Of The Year – Artist at the 2009 MuchMusic Video Awards, as well as being nominated for the awards of Best Hip-Hop Video and Best Male Video at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards Japan.[59][60] In 2012, the clip was listed by Rolling Stone as one of the greatest animated music videos of all time.[49] Complex named the music video as West's 16th best six years later, directing praise towards the rotoscoping for making the cartoons "surprisingly lifelike in their motions".[55]

Commercial performance

 
The song gave West his third top five entry of 2008 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in November, while it became his third highest charting single overall on the Hot 100 two months later.

For the chart issue dated November 13, 2008, "Heartless" entered the US Billboard Hot 100 at number four, selling 201,000 downloads.[61] It became West's 3rd top 5 entry of the year, as well as the 12th song overall to debut in the top 4 of the Hot 100 in the 21st century.[61][62] After having fallen down the chart, the song reached number three on the Hot 100 for the issue date of January 15, 2009, simultaneously standing as the fastest growing track at radio.[63] The song peaked at number two on the Hot 100 the following week, being blocked from the top position by Eminem's Dr. Dre and 50 Cent−featuring single "Crack a Bottle" and becoming West's third highest charting single in the United States.[64][65] In total, the song spent 30 weeks on the chart.[66] As of May 31, 2018, the song ranks as West's fourth biggest hit of all time on the Hot 100.[67]

The track debuted at number 13 on the US Billboard Pop 100 chart issue dated November 22, 2008, standing as the highest entry of the week.[68] In its eighth week on the chart, the track entered the top 10 at number seven, before peaking at number four on March 7, 2009.[69][70] The track topped both the US Billboard Hot Rap Songs and Rhythmic charts, giving West his first number one on the latter chart since "Gold Digger" in 2005.[71][72] The former further reached number three on both the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Mainstream Top 40 charts.[73][74] By September 2012, the track had surpassed 4,000,000 digital sales in the US, becoming West's third track to achieve this milestone and his second to do so as a lead artist.[75] On September 23, 2020, "Heartless" was certified septuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for amassing 7,000,000 certified units in the US, making it one of the best-selling digital singles in the country by certification.[76][77]

In Canada, the song opened at number eight on the Canadian Hot 100 for the issue dated November 22, 2008, becoming the week's highest entry.[78] "Heartless" spent 22 weeks on the Hot 100.[79] Elsewhere, the song debuted at number 36 on the New Zealand Singles Chart for the issue date of December 1, 2008.[80] The song steadily rose up the chart during the succeeding nine weeks, which finished with it peaking at number six on the chart issue dated February 2, 2009.[80] On July 12, 2009, the song was certified gold by Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ) for selling over 7,500 units in New Zealand.[81] "Heartless" peaked at number 40 on the ARIA Singles Chart, and it had been certified quadruple-platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipments of over 280,000 copies in Australia in 2022.[82][83] In Turkey, the song entered the Türkiye Top 20 at number 14 on the issue date of January 19, 2009, before peaking at number 2 in its 7th week on the chart.[84][85] The song peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart, and lasted for 20 weeks on it.[86] As of October 24, 2019, the song ranks as West's 17th most successful track of all time on the chart.[87] On August 20, 2021, "Heartless" was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for selling 600,000 units in the United Kingdom.[88] The song further reached the top 40 in Ireland,[89] Sweden,[90] Denmark,[91] the Netherlands,[92] and Germany,[93] with it receiving a platinum certification by IFPI Danmark for 90,000 shipments in the third of the five countries.[94] The song peaked at number 36 on the European Hot 100 Singles chart, while it ranked as the ninth biggest digital song of 2009 worldwide, with sales of 5,500,000.[95][96]

Live performances

 
West performed the song during the Be the Change Youth Ball for Barack Obama's first inauguration in January 2009, changing lyrics of the chorus to reference him.

West first performed a portion of the song live in August 2008 for the ONE Campaign concert at the DNC in Denver, Colorado.[5] Before his performance of "Heartless" for T.I.'s Myspace sponsored concert at the Key Club, Los Angeles, in October 2008, West announced that 808s & Heartbreak had been finished in Hawaii and the song would be released as a single.[5][6][97] He abruptly ended the performance, complaining about not wanting it to end up on YouTube.[97] West finished his appearance at the 2008 American Music Awards by performing the song.[98] He wore a blue and red two-tone Pastelle varsity jacket for the performance, being accompanied by a neon back-drop.[99][100] West transitioned from a performance of the song into one of fellow album track "Pinocchio Story" for Saturday Night Live (SNL) on December 13, 2008.[101] On January 20, 2009, West performed the former at the Be the Change Youth Ball for the first inauguration of 2009–2017 US president Barack Obama. During an instrumental break in the song, Kanye West proclaimed that he "feels so good to be standing here" and Donda "would be so proud right now" in seeing "her baby boy performing the #1 song in the country for our new African-American president". West also said that his grandfather "drove the first car in the marches out of Oklahoma" to see the ball, before he sang an altered version of the song's chorus in tribute to both the civil rights struggle and Obama: "In the night I hear them talk/ The greatest story ever told, [...] Somewhere far along this road, a new soul: Obama ..."[102]

West performed a medley of "Heartless" and "Pinocchio Story" as the eighth number of his February 2009 VH1 show, which was later issued as his second live album VH1 Storytellers in January 2010.[103] He responded to rapper 50 Cent's comments about him being dressed differently in a Paris picture and addressed people who disputed his sexuality during the performance, remarking "look at me now, singing on the ground with my pink shirt on" and questioning, "Does this look gay to you?"[104] On March 11, 2009, West delivered a performance of the song for his first appearance on American Idol, which included him jumping on a table in front of excited fans.[105][106] At the 2009 iTunes Festival, Mr Hudson brought out West to perform the song, with West hugging the former's mainman Ben Hudson at the performance's ending.[107] West performed the song during his headlining set at the 2011 Coachella Festival, during which the pitch shifting was handled by the concert's programmer Laura Escudé for enabling him to be heard as the auto-tune was turned on and off.[108] He performed a remixed version at the 2013 Governors Ball that added feral growls.[109] On February 25, 2014, West performed a five minute medley of his greatest hits in chronological order by album on Late Night with Seth Meyers, which included "Heartless".[110] West delivered a performance of the song in a low tempo for his headlining set at the 2015 Glastonbury Festival, beginning from the set's 38:04 mark.[111][112] For West's two night concert of 808s & Heartbreak in full at the Hollywood Bowl in September 2015, him and Kid Cudi performed the song as the set's third track.[113][114] West wore loose garments in white and off-white shades while performing, with backing from a small band and a medium-sized orchestra.[115] Kid Cudi strengthened West's vocal runs when singing them, and the pair moved around the stage during the performance.[114][116]

Appearances in media

The fifth episode of the thirteenth season of the American television series South Park, titled "Fishsticks", aired on April 8, 2009.[117] In the episode, the character Jimmy comes to realize that "fish sticks" sounds very similar to "fish dicks", birthing a joke involving telling other characters they are a "gay fish". Though main character Cartman attempts to take credit for the joke, a computer generated version of West fails to understand it at first. He eventually accepts himself to be a "gay fish", diving underwater and singing an auto-tuned parody of "Heartless" titled after the joke's main line.[117][118] The day after its premiere, West responded to the episode via his blog, admitting South Park "murdered me last night" and it is "pretty funny". West blogged about his feelings being hurt but expected this from the show, also expressing thankfulness and confessing that if he continues to act as he has done, he will be subject to more of this type of content.[119] The song was featured in video games Lips: Number One Hits,[120] and DJ Hero 2.[121]

Christine and the Queens released a cover version of Christophe's "Les Paradis perdus" (1973) in October 2015 under the title of "Paradis perdus", which interpolates the chorus of "Heartless".[122] In August 2016, West's wife Kim Kardashian included "Heartless" on a playlist of her 28 favorite songs from him.[123] Lil Durk released a music video for his track "Kanye Krazy" on January 29, 2021, which includes him recreating the song's visual.[124] In early 2022, Romanian singer and songwriter Sorana and French disc jockey David Guetta released "Redrum", which interpolated "Heartless".[125]

Cover versions

In early August 2009, American singer-songwriter William Fitzsimmons released an indie cover of "Heartless".[126] During a Billboard exclusive one month prior to release, Fitzsimmons said when asked what gave him the desire to cover the song that he had always wanted "to get into top-40 hip-hop" and it was "the natural next step". Fitzsimmons specified how he was drawn in by a melancholic chord in the song that he found fun in discovering, highlighting the song not being taken too seriously and its poppy, heartbreaking, sweet, and poignant style. He asserted that the style may have been "lost on some people" due to the song being by West "and everything and the way it was produced", while thinking he achieved his goal of making the cover "far less compelling" than the original; he called this trying to "take something exciting and really make it boring".[127] Fitzsimmons also felt it would be great if he "quoted a lot of these sarcastic things [from the song] as straightforward and serious", seeing some of the lyrics as "goofy" and "ridiculous". He finalized by opining that West "almost mak[es] light of the fact that there was real heartbreak there", considering it like "the teacher that whispers instead of yelling" due to converying a point "with more reservedness than straightforwardness".[127] On the cover, Williams sings softly over a guitar and piano.[128] He later performed "Heartless" on acoustic guitar for 1LIVE in February 2011.[129] On May 17, 2010, singer Jason Derulo performed a cover of the song for an episode of web series Billboard Mashup Mondays. Explaining the reasoning behind his cover, Derulo additionally affirmed that he loves West's music and "Heartless" is one of his favorite songs from him.[130] He went on to open up about its personal connection to him: "I can remember the time where I was on the brink of getting out of a bad relationship, and that's where this song stands." Derulo sang the cover with no vocal effects, in contrast to West's style for the original, as he had backing from keys and acoustic guitar.[130]

 
Samantha Jade performed the song in the semi-final for the fourth season of the Australian version of The X Factor, ultimately qualifying her for the final.

Singer Dia Frampton covered the song for the first live show of American competition The Voice on June 7, 2011, and played piano lightly alongside rephrasing the lyrics.[131] The cover peaked at numbers 57 and 64 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Canadian Hot 100, respectively.[132][133] In November 2012, Australian singer Samantha Jade performed a cover of "Heartless" as her first song in the semi-final of the fourth season for The X Factor of her native country; she received a standing ovation for the performance.[134][135][136] The cover debuted at number 12 on the ARIA Singles Chart that same month, standing as the highest entry from the semi-final in Australia.[137] Jade subsequently qualified for the season's final and won it, becoming the first solo female singer to do so.[135][136]

On November 19, 2015, rapper Post Malone performed a cover of "Heartless" on acoustic guitar for Trevor Nelson in BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge.[138][139] Post Malone combined indie and folk music, delivering a soulful cover.[140] The rapper sang in a shaking tone and wore Stone Island clothing throughout, while he closed his eyes for the majority of the performance.[138][139] On April 20, 2016, the first trailer for that year's psychological thriller film The Girl on the Train was released, which is set to a slowed version of the song.[141][142] The version adds donk piano and new drums, accompanying Emily Blunt portraying Rachel Watson in the trailer.[141][142] On September 18, 2018, violinist Brian King Joseph performed a cover of the song for the finale of America's Got Talent's 13th season, utilizing different methods of playing his violin.[143][144] The violinist moved all around the stage during the performance, being backed by red-hot flames.[145][146] The performance was received enthusiastically by the crowd and judges, and Brian King Joseph shouted afterwards: "Take me on tour, Kanye! Let's go!"[144][146] On July 2, 2020, mysterious duo ilo ilo shared their cover of the song as a free download only. The cover features various stylistic elements, including lush synths, unique rhythms, and loud 808s and percussion.[147][148]

Track listing

CD single[31]

  1. "Heartless" – 3:30
  2. "Heartless" (Video) – 3:39

Credits and personnel

Information taken from 808s & Heartbreak liner notes.[2]

Recording

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Heartless"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[83] 4× Platinum 280,000 
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[94] Platinum 90,000 
New Zealand (RMNZ)[81] Gold 7,500*
United Kingdom (BPI)[88] Platinum 600,000 
United States (RIAA)[76] 7× Platinum 7,000,000[75]
United States (RIAA)[170]
Mastertone 		Platinum 1,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
  Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Heartless"
Region Date Format Label(s) Ref.
United States October 28, 2008 Rhythmic contemporary radio
[10]
Various 2008 CD single [31]

The Fray version

"Heartless"
 
Single by the Fray
from the album The Fray (Deluxe)
ReleasedApril 17, 2009 (2009-04-17)
Recorded2009
GenrePop rock
Length4:14
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)
The Fray singles chronology
"Never Say Never"
(2009) 		"Heartless"
(2009) 		"Syndicate"
(2010)
Music video
"Heartless" on YouTube
 
"Heartless"
A 25-second sample of the Fray's cover of "Heartless", showcasing Isaac Slade's breathy vocal delivery that lacks auto-tune. He delivers pleas in a desperate manner, resembling the emotion of West on the original version.
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During their appearance for the Live Lounge on February 16, 2009, American rock band the Fray performed their 2008 single "You Found Me" and a cover of "Heartless", marking the latter's debut.[171][172] The following day, West shared a link to the cover over his blog.[173] After its premiere, "Heartless" received a large amount of airplay the on radio.[172] There was also an overwhelming public demand for a release, leading the Fray to record a studio version of the cover during 2009.[172] The cover eventually experienced a single release in April of that year.[174] Musically, "Heartless" is a pop rock ballad.[175] The cover reworks the original, with no auto-tune being applied to the vocals.[176] Lead vocalist Isaac Slade desperately makes breathy pleas, echoing West's emotion on the original.[177]

The cover was released for digital download as a single on April 17, 2009.[174] In August 2009, it was revealed that the band was set to release an accompanying digital extended play (EP).[172][178] The EP was subsequently released digitally on September 27, consisting of three tracks.[179] On November 10, 2009, "Heartless" was included on the second disc of the deluxe edition of the Fray's eponymous second studio album.[180] During 2009, the cover was a frequent part of the Fray's live shows.[172][178]

Reception

A writer for BBC Radio 1 saw "Heartless" as great, while MTV's Colin Schoenberger chronicled how the "aching, earnest pop-rock ballad" adopts "a sold life of its own" and believed the Live Lounge performance "begat other fantastic covers".[171][175] Greenblatt affirmed that the Fray are equivalent to West in terms of vulnerability and angst; she called the cover "Vulnerable Angst Squared" and said "Slade's desperate, breathy pleas sound like the last gasp of someone with fatal emotional angina".[177] In a negative review for MusicRadar, Ben Rogerson pinpointed the strangeness of the cover lacking the original's "Auto-Tuned vocal" and sounding "more human" as a whole, yet "com[ing] off significantly less powerful and soulful".[176] Idolator critic noah derided the cover for being somewhat messy, complaining about Slade "blaaating all over an instrumental accompaniment that seems to be beamed in from a different galaxy".[173] The cover entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 79 for the issue dated May 30, 2009, based solely on downloads.[181] It later peaked at number 26 on both the US Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and Rock Airplay charts, and had sold over 125,000 downloads in the US by August 2009.[172][182][183]

Music video

On August 18, 2009, a music video for "Heartless" was released, which Hiro Murai directed.[184] The video shows a classroom of elementary school students, focusing on a boy staring at his notebook. As he looks at a sheet of paper on it, moving doodles appear.[175] These include creatures and the Fray, with the former being depicted as performing the song. The boy stares at a girl during various points and goes on to throw the sheet onto the floor, before the drawings transport themselves across the classroom to the blackboard. A tale of a heart being broken is told, with a bleeding heart being present to imply that the girl hurt her classmate.[175][184]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from VideoStatic.[184]

Filming

  • Produced by Partizan
  • Animated by Titmouse

Personnel

  • Hiro Murai – director
  • Ross Girard – production
  • Clay Jeter – display picture
  • Will Basanta – display picture
  • Isaac Hagy – editing
  • Emilio Ramirez – art director
  • Cal Aurand – commissioner

Charts

Chart performance for the Fray version
Chart (2009) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100[185] 79
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[186] 26
US Rock Airplay (Billboard)[187] 26

Kris Allen version

"Heartless"
Single by Kris Allen
from the album Kris Allen
ReleasedMay 2009 (2009-05)
Length3:42
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Salaam Remi
Kris Allen singles chronology
"Heartless"
(2009) 		"No Boundaries"
(2009)

On May 12, 2009, American musician Kris Allen performed a sparse solo acoustic cover of the song as his personal pick for the Top 3 night of the eighth season of American Idol.[50][188][189] Allen played a flamenco–style beat, while he rocked a shirt covered with glitter.[189][190] As Allen began to perform the final chorus, he made a grin that indicated self-satisfaction with his cover.[190] The performance was reacted to with cries of applause from the female crowd members, as well as heavy praise from the show's judges.[188] Simon Cowell admitted that after he had previously written Allen out of the competition, his verdict "changed with that performance".[188] Randy Jackson declared the cover "better than the original", while Kara DioGuardi saw it as "bold, brave, [and] fearless".[188][189] Allen's performance also qualified him for the finale of the eighth season, which he ultimately won.[50][191]

 
"Heartless"
A 26-second sample of the chorus and beginning of the second verse to Kris Allen's cover of "Heartless" for the album, demonstrating the extremely delicate and light soundscapes that recall "In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

In May 2009, shortly after Allen's performance for American Idol, a studio version of the cover was released for digital download as a single. The version is a largely sentimental number, with a smooth jazz style. Following the lack of positive reactions towards the cover, Allen decided on re-recording it for his self-titled debut studio album. Allen sought out record producer Salaam Remi for the new version's production, creating a sleeker version that recalls the heavily delicate and light soundscapes of Phil Collins' 1981 hit "In the Air Tonight". When asked by MTV about his biggest defeat throughout the process of debuting after the performance, Allen hesitantly answered that it was "Heartless". Allen explained this was due to the version being "a little bit different" for him, rather than not wanting to include the cover on the album. He also cited Remi as the one responsible for recalling "In the Air Tonight", while announcing the version as very different from his first one.[191]

On November 17, 2009, "Heartless" was included as the 13th track on Kris Allen, being added as a bonus track.[192] In a phone call with Vulture, Allen cast light on a "small discussion" he had about the cover being removed from the album following West's incident at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.[193] Allen assured not everything should be based on West's actions, recalling that the discussion quickly ended.[193] Even though he lacked enthusiasm about the cover, Allen acknowledged his fans' positive opinions and smiled as he praised how his brother likes it.[191] The cover peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100, on which it spent three weeks.[194] On the Canadian Hot 100, the cover reached number 39 and lasted for two weeks.[195]

Charts

Chart performance for Kris Allen version
Chart (2009) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[195] 39
US Billboard Hot 100[194] 16

See also

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External links

  • at MTV (archived from 2009)

January 13, 2023
heartless, kanye, west, song, heartless, song, american, rapper, singer, kanye, west, from, fourth, studio, album, 808s, heartbreak, 2008, song, written, west, cudi, malik, yusef, while, being, produced, former, passed, west, during, recording, sessions, after. Heartless is a song by American rapper and singer Kanye West from his fourth studio album 808s amp Heartbreak 2008 The song was written by West No I D Kid Cudi and Malik Yusef while being produced by the former two It was passed on to West during recording sessions after originally being intended for inclusion on Jay Z s eleventh studio album The Blueprint 3 2009 Following the song s debut at the 2008 Democratic National Convention DNC West shared an unmastered version via his blog on October 15 2008 The song was later serviced to US rhythmic contemporary radio stations as the second single from 808s amp Heartbreak on October 28 through Roc A Fella and Def Jam A pop ballad with influences of hip hop and R amp B it features synthesizers Heartless Single by Kanye Westfrom the album 808s amp HeartbreakReleasedOctober 28 2008 2008 10 28 Recorded2008StudioGlenwood Burbank California Avex Recording Honolulu Hawaii GenrePopLength3 31LabelRoc A Fella Def JamSongwriter s Kanye West Ernest Wilson Scott Mescudi Malik JonesProducer s Kanye West No I D Kanye West singles chronology Love Lockdown 2008 Heartless 2008 Go Hard 2008 Music video Heartless on YouTubeIn the lyrics of the song West reflects on his break up with Alexis Phifer Heartless received generally positive reviews from music critics who mostly complimented West s performance Some placed emphasis on the song s subject matter while other critics praised the composition At the 2010 BMI Pop Awards it stood among the Award Winning Songs The song reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 becoming West s third highest charting release on the chart It further attained top 10 positions in Canada New Zealand Turkey and the United Kingdom Having been certified septuple platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America RIAA the song stands as one of the highest certified digital singles in the US It has also received platinum certifications in Australia Denmark and the UK by the Australian Recording Industry Association ARIA IFPI Danmark and the British Phonographic Industry BPI respectively The song s music video released on November 7 2008 is a tribute to Ralph Bakshi s 1981 film American Pop The video is animated with it showcasing West expressing sadness over breaking up with Phifer Critics gave the video favorable reviews generally praising the animation At the 2009 BET Awards it received a nomination for the Video of the Year award West performed Heartless at the 36th Annual American Music Awards and the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2008 and 2011 respectively Heartless has been subject to cover versions by various artists including the Fray The band debuted their cover on the Live Lounge for BBC Radio 1 in February 2009 before it was released as a single on April 17 A pop rock ballad the cover reworks the original The cover received mixed to positive responses from critics some of whom praised the musical direction It charted at number 79 on the Billboard Hot 100 An accompanying music video was released on August 18 2009 which shows moving doodles that appear from a boy s notebook Kris Allen also covered the song premiering his version in May 2009 with a performance for season eight of American Idol which he was the winner of The performance gathered strong verdicts from the judges including Simon Cowell The cover was released as a single in May 2009 and it charted at number 16 on the Hot 100 Contents 1 Background and recording 2 Composition and lyrics 3 Release and reception 3 1 Accolades 4 Music video 4 1 Background 4 2 Synopsis 4 3 Reception 5 Commercial performance 6 Live performances 7 Appearances in media 8 Cover versions 9 Track listing 10 Credits and personnel 11 Charts 11 1 Weekly charts 11 2 Year end charts 12 Certifications 13 Release history 14 The Fray version 14 1 Reception 14 2 Music video 14 2 1 Credits and personnel 14 3 Charts 15 Kris Allen version 15 1 Charts 16 See also 17 References 18 External linksBackground and recording Edit West and No I D pictured center and left respectively working on the song in Glenwood Studios Burbank California After Kanye s mother Donda West died his mentor No I D was contacted by American rapper Malik Yusef who asked him to spend time with the artist 1 No I D initially rejected the decision due to their differing personalities though later began communicating with Kanye West more after persuasion from Malik Yusef 1 West and No I D then travelled to Hawaii to work with rapper Jay Z on his eleventh studio album The Blueprint 3 2009 before West decided on transferring to recording for 808s amp Heartbreak in the state once Heartless had been made 1 The recording took place at Avex Recording Studio in Honolulu Hawaii and at Glenwood Studios in Burbank California 2 The song was produced by West with co production from No I D 2 The two of them co wrote it with Malik Yusef and fellow rapper Kid Cudi the latter of which was revealed to have penned the chorus in his documentary film A Man Named Scott 2021 2 3 In a November 2014 interview for the Juan Epstein show No I D recalled that the song was intended for The Blueprint 3 until West stopped during its recording and said No Replying to him No I D asked No what West insisted No way This is my record No I D begged him to complete the song for the album to which West expressed assurance about it being for 808s amp Heartbreak instead 4 West premiered Heartless with a performance at the 2008 Democratic National Convention DNC in August before he confirmed its release as the album s second single at a concert of rapper T I on October 5 5 6 A snippet of the song experienced an internet leak on October 12 2008 7 Three days later West posted a full unmastered version of the song on his blog for download and streaming blogging that he had no words 8 9 Alongside the post he shared photographs of fuzzy faced nude models that had been displayed at a listening party for 808s amp Heartbreak on October 14 2008 8 Heartless was eventually released as a single on October 28 before West shared a newly mixed and mastered version to his blog on November 8 2008 for download and streaming 10 11 West simultaneously called for the attention of DJs requesting them to play the new version instead 11 Outside of the song West does not rap at all on the album though rap features are contributed to Amazing and See You in My Nightmares by Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy respectively 12 13 In an interview with Kiss FM West revealed that Heartless was one of the first two tracks that he created once he went into album mode after the success of his third studio album Graduation 2007 14 The song was recorded during the three week period that West worked on the entirety of 808s amp Heartbreak in 2008 15 Seeking out a minimalist direction sonically West directed his team to bring unique drum machines to Avex Recording Studio 2 16 They were sampled and reprogrammed into West s Roland TR 808 drum machine at the studio 16 Composition and lyrics Edit Heartless source source A 19 second sample of the chorus to Heartless including the song s frequent percussion and synthesizers The chorus also features Ken Lewis stabs of piano as well as organs and Auto Tuned melodies West showcases honesty and self pity closing out the chorus with an angry question Problems playing this file See media help Musically Heartless is an upbeat pop ballad 17 18 19 with hip hop and R amp B influences 20 21 According to the sheet music on Musicnotes com the song is set in the time signature of common time It is composed in the key of B flat minor with a moderate R amp B tempo of 88 beats per minute and West s vocal range varies from a low of G 2 to a high of F 4 22 The structure of the song is constructed around percussion while synthesizers are prominently featured 20 21 23 The song includes the Roland TR 808 and piano stabs the latter of which were contributed by Ken Lewis 2 24 25 Organs accompany the chorus whereas keyboards appear in the background of the verses played by West collaborator Jeff Bhasker 2 12 21 The song also contains a bassline as well as Auto Tuned melodies 24 25 West sings in auto tune throughout with him heavily utilizing the effect on the chorus 8 20 21 The song also includes rapping from West briefly 12 21 26 Lyrically Heartless features West s forceful and direct reflection on breaking up with his ex fiance Alexis Phifer 20 27 28 He expresses honesty and self pity on the chorus The coldest story ever told Somewhere far along this road He lost his soul To a woman so heartless 21 29 West also asks a question angrily twice before the chorus finishes How could you be so heartless 21 Self doubt is expressed on the song by West who raps that despite having homies he is ultimately still so lonely 26 West goes on to shed light on the post breakup phase assuming that Phifer will realize she is never going to find anybody better than him after two months 30 Release and reception EditOn October 28 2008 the song was released to US rhythmic contemporary radio stations as the album s second single by West s record labels Roc A Fella and Def Jam 10 That same year the labels issued a two track CD single for it 31 On November 24 2008 Heartless was included as the third track on West s fourth studio album 808s amp Heartbreak 32 The song was met with generally positive reviews from music critics many of whom praised West s performance The staff of NBC4 Washington hailed the song as a perfect blend of the cold metallic 80s synth sound West s been known for as of late and his older bouncing more straight forward Hip Hop style detailing that it is able to be upbeat alongside remaining melancholy as West sings in his auto tuned robotic croon that T Pain popularized 20 They continued moderately comparing West s referencing of Phifer to rapper Eminem insulting his ex girlfriend Kim Mathers before assuring West s subject matter makes good fodder for this super slick space age ragga tinged gem that you should download then pop it in your car and take a late night drive down Sunset Blvd 20 In a review of the song for Digital Spy David Balls mildly asserted that it is not exactly a warm and cosy affair he called the song a dark introspective slice of minor key pop 18 Balls elaborated by writing that even though creating the album seems to have served as an alternative form of therapy for West the terrific song demonstrates how the soul bearing has propelled him to new creative peaks 18 Alex Macpherson from The Guardian pointed out how the song includes a solipsistic and clumsy take on the solitude of the superstar noticing West provides a testament to his talent by ultimately executing it 33 Reviewing the album for Entertainment Weekly Leah Greenblatt commented that the stuttering song is among its understandably dominant mournful tales of heartbreak noting a confession from West 34 The staff of NME viewed the song as fulfilling the promise of West leading the assault on the planet undertaken by scowling hip hop androids which he makes on the previous track Welcome to Heartbreak 12 They explained citing how the former is the only track to include rapping from him and saying the cathedral organs and lava lamp rhythmic thuds underscore a dancehall style tormented chorus that impacts with flooring intensity 12 Writing for Vibe Jozen Cummings emphasised how the song s clunky piano punches and throbbing bass line lay the sound bed for the best break up track in rap since Jay Z s Song Cry 2001 25 Jesal Jay Soul Padania from RapReviews considered the song to be ultra catchy 35 USA Today s Steve Jones picked the song as one of tracks from 808s amp Heartbreak to download an opinion that was shared by the staff of The Observer and Alfred H Leonard III of IGN 36 37 38 For Spin Charles Aaron felt the song possesses the potential to end up on a greatest hits comp one day and be accepted as Kanyeezy standards 39 In a lukewarm review at Pitchfork Scott Plagenhoef characterized Heartless as a very good song that is a surprisingly appropriate fit for the car radio while naming it merely a second tier single from West 13 Wilson McBee from Slant Magazine described the song as having all the qualities of a classic minor key club anthem darkly swaggering and indulgent of love s travails though wished that it was performed by Usher instead 40 AllMusic editor Andy Kellman held a negative opinion being surprised that the song s synthetic calliope is unnerved 32 Accolades Edit On Pitchfork writer Ryan Dombal s list of the best tracks of 2008 he placed Heartless at number 23 41 The track was voted in at number 55 on The Village Voice s Pazz amp Jop poll for 2008 garnering 10 mentions 42 In 2020 Highsnobiety named it as West s eighth best song 24 That same year the track was ranked by Teen Vogue as the 47th best breakup song for the newly single with Kristi Kellogg estimating that it will be played repeatedly when you re in the post breakup anger phase 30 The track was nominated for seven industry awards and won six of them including being one of the Award Winning Songs at the 2010 BMI Pop Awards 43 In the same year it was awarded as one of the Most Performed Urban Songs at the BMI R amp B Hip Hop Awards 44 Awards and nominations for Heartless Year Ceremony Category Result Ref 2009 Teen Choice Awards Choice Music Rap Hip Hop Track Nominated 45 2010 ASCAP Pop Music Awards Most Performed Songs Won 46 ASCAP Rhythm amp Soul Music Awards Award Winning Rap Songs Won 47 Award Winning R amp B Hip Hop Songs Won 48 BMI Pop Awards Award Winning Songs Won 43 BMI R amp B Hip Hop Awards Most Performed Urban Songs Won 44 Music video EditBackground Edit An accompanying music video was directed and produced by Hype Williams 31 being set as a homage to Ralph Bakshi s film American Pop 1981 49 50 51 West admitted that inspiration was taken from the film after Williams showed him it 52 For the video Williams shot the footage of West prior to the technique of rotoscoped animation being utilized 51 53 The technique included 65 animators in Hong Kong drawing over every cell after real people were filmed 52 West and Williams developed the video concept while editorial and post production house Chomet and visual effects company handled post production Stephan Zlotescu served as Art Director VFX Supervisor and Vlad Caprini was the Project Coordinator Michael Chomet explained that Williams approached the post production house with an almost impossible challenge after picture lock we had 10 days to deliver the goods He emphasized the challenge as a daunting task that over 3 000 frames of hand drawn animation and backgrounds were utilized for though said that they managed to pull it off in a record of 10 days working around the clock with assistance from a very talented team Williams expressed his position for the video asserting that him and West desired to do something that was unexpected and said they needed a visual effects team that would deliver in terms of style quality and timing He finalized by recalling having worked with Stephan and Michael before believing that we could depend on them to pull it off 53 During his appearance at the 2008 American Music Awards West premiered footage from the visual 53 The music video was released on November 7 2008 54 Synopsis Edit Throughout the animated music video West expressing grief about his break up with Phifer is interspersed with scenes of various women The women are rotoscoped over West at times with them having been drawn on top of the footage by hand 51 53 West wanders around a city while backed by the night sky at first before he sits in a car s back seat At one point a portrait of Andy Warhol s artwork Campbell s Soup Cans is displayed 55 The locations that West appears in during the video are highly stylized including a Miami street scene and a space age version of Times Square 53 He briefly breaks his character smoking a cigarette 55 At the end West demonstrates frustration in an apartment while portraits of animated sitcom The Jetsons can be seen in the background 51 Reception Edit The music video was well received by critics Scratch from XXL said West hired Hype Big Budget Williams to draw upon Rotoscoping to keep our eyes glued to the screen finalizing that the video is an amazing work of art and deservant of being experienced on a big screen while shining disappointment on West and Def Jam having few outlets and opportunities for people to actually see it 56 Cesar Cueva of Art of the Cartoon felt both surprised and pleasured about the music video being animated revealing himself to have instantly found the rotoscope style impressive 51 Cueva further wrote that after sensing a homage to something I had seen before with the video and having this confirmed by West citing inspiration from American Pop he appreciated it more and praised the sitcom portraits 51 For the Miami New Times Jonathan Cunningham affirmed that the video isn t bad and he can t complain about West and Williams choice to go with an animated look rather than the standard video route concluding by suggesting it is mind numbing entertainment to get you through the last day of the week 54 Larry Fitzmaurice of Vice named the visual a Great video viewing it as no exception to West s cool ass looking videos from the 808s amp Heartbreak period and a trippy cel shaded experience stuffed with pop art and pop culture references that was released simultaneously with West becoming inextricably enmeshed in pop culture s DNA 57 The visual was nominated for Video of the Year at the 2009 BET Awards ultimately losing to Beyonce s Single Ladies Put a Ring on It 58 The former received a nomination for International Video Of The Year Artist at the 2009 MuchMusic Video Awards as well as being nominated for the awards of Best Hip Hop Video and Best Male Video at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards Japan 59 60 In 2012 the clip was listed by Rolling Stone as one of the greatest animated music videos of all time 49 Complex named the music video as West s 16th best six years later directing praise towards the rotoscoping for making the cartoons surprisingly lifelike in their motions 55 Commercial performance Edit The song gave West his third top five entry of 2008 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in November while it became his third highest charting single overall on the Hot 100 two months later For the chart issue dated November 13 2008 Heartless entered the US Billboard Hot 100 at number four selling 201 000 downloads 61 It became West s 3rd top 5 entry of the year as well as the 12th song overall to debut in the top 4 of the Hot 100 in the 21st century 61 62 After having fallen down the chart the song reached number three on the Hot 100 for the issue date of January 15 2009 simultaneously standing as the fastest growing track at radio 63 The song peaked at number two on the Hot 100 the following week being blocked from the top position by Eminem s Dr Dre and 50 Cent featuring single Crack a Bottle and becoming West s third highest charting single in the United States 64 65 In total the song spent 30 weeks on the chart 66 As of May 31 2018 the song ranks as West s fourth biggest hit of all time on the Hot 100 67 The track debuted at number 13 on the US Billboard Pop 100 chart issue dated November 22 2008 standing as the highest entry of the week 68 In its eighth week on the chart the track entered the top 10 at number seven before peaking at number four on March 7 2009 69 70 The track topped both the US Billboard Hot Rap Songs and Rhythmic charts giving West his first number one on the latter chart since Gold Digger in 2005 71 72 The former further reached number three on both the US Hot R amp B Hip Hop Songs and Mainstream Top 40 charts 73 74 By September 2012 the track had surpassed 4 000 000 digital sales in the US becoming West s third track to achieve this milestone and his second to do so as a lead artist 75 On September 23 2020 Heartless was certified septuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America RIAA for amassing 7 000 000 certified units in the US making it one of the best selling digital singles in the country by certification 76 77 In Canada the song opened at number eight on the Canadian Hot 100 for the issue dated November 22 2008 becoming the week s highest entry 78 Heartless spent 22 weeks on the Hot 100 79 Elsewhere the song debuted at number 36 on the New Zealand Singles Chart for the issue date of December 1 2008 80 The song steadily rose up the chart during the succeeding nine weeks which finished with it peaking at number six on the chart issue dated February 2 2009 80 On July 12 2009 the song was certified gold by Recorded Music NZ RMNZ for selling over 7 500 units in New Zealand 81 Heartless peaked at number 40 on the ARIA Singles Chart and it had been certified quadruple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association ARIA for shipments of over 280 000 copies in Australia in 2022 82 83 In Turkey the song entered the Turkiye Top 20 at number 14 on the issue date of January 19 2009 before peaking at number 2 in its 7th week on the chart 84 85 The song peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart and lasted for 20 weeks on it 86 As of October 24 2019 the song ranks as West s 17th most successful track of all time on the chart 87 On August 20 2021 Heartless was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry BPI for selling 600 000 units in the United Kingdom 88 The song further reached the top 40 in Ireland 89 Sweden 90 Denmark 91 the Netherlands 92 and Germany 93 with it receiving a platinum certification by IFPI Danmark for 90 000 shipments in the third of the five countries 94 The song peaked at number 36 on the European Hot 100 Singles chart while it ranked as the ninth biggest digital song of 2009 worldwide with sales of 5 500 000 95 96 Live performances Edit West performed the song during the Be the Change Youth Ball for Barack Obama s first inauguration in January 2009 changing lyrics of the chorus to reference him West first performed a portion of the song live in August 2008 for the ONE Campaign concert at the DNC in Denver Colorado 5 Before his performance of Heartless for T I s Myspace sponsored concert at the Key Club Los Angeles in October 2008 West announced that 808s amp Heartbreak had been finished in Hawaii and the song would be released as a single 5 6 97 He abruptly ended the performance complaining about not wanting it to end up on YouTube 97 West finished his appearance at the 2008 American Music Awards by performing the song 98 He wore a blue and red two tone Pastelle varsity jacket for the performance being accompanied by a neon back drop 99 100 West transitioned from a performance of the song into one of fellow album track Pinocchio Story for Saturday Night Live SNL on December 13 2008 101 On January 20 2009 West performed the former at the Be the Change Youth Ball for the first inauguration of 2009 2017 US president Barack Obama During an instrumental break in the song Kanye West proclaimed that he feels so good to be standing here and Donda would be so proud right now in seeing her baby boy performing the 1 song in the country for our new African American president West also said that his grandfather drove the first car in the marches out of Oklahoma to see the ball before he sang an altered version of the song s chorus in tribute to both the civil rights struggle and Obama In the night I hear them talk The greatest story ever told Somewhere far along this road a new soul Obama 102 West performed a medley of Heartless and Pinocchio Story as the eighth number of his February 2009 VH1 show which was later issued as his second live album VH1 Storytellers in January 2010 103 He responded to rapper 50 Cent s comments about him being dressed differently in a Paris picture and addressed people who disputed his sexuality during the performance remarking look at me now singing on the ground with my pink shirt on and questioning Does this look gay to you 104 On March 11 2009 West delivered a performance of the song for his first appearance on American Idol which included him jumping on a table in front of excited fans 105 106 At the 2009 iTunes Festival Mr Hudson brought out West to perform the song with West hugging the former s mainman Ben Hudson at the performance s ending 107 West performed the song during his headlining set at the 2011 Coachella Festival during which the pitch shifting was handled by the concert s programmer Laura Escude for enabling him to be heard as the auto tune was turned on and off 108 He performed a remixed version at the 2013 Governors Ball that added feral growls 109 On February 25 2014 West performed a five minute medley of his greatest hits in chronological order by album on Late Night with Seth Meyers which included Heartless 110 West delivered a performance of the song in a low tempo for his headlining set at the 2015 Glastonbury Festival beginning from the set s 38 04 mark 111 112 For West s two night concert of 808s amp Heartbreak in full at the Hollywood Bowl in September 2015 him and Kid Cudi performed the song as the set s third track 113 114 West wore loose garments in white and off white shades while performing with backing from a small band and a medium sized orchestra 115 Kid Cudi strengthened West s vocal runs when singing them and the pair moved around the stage during the performance 114 116 Appearances in media EditThe fifth episode of the thirteenth season of the American television series South Park titled Fishsticks aired on April 8 2009 117 In the episode the character Jimmy comes to realize that fish sticks sounds very similar to fish dicks birthing a joke involving telling other characters they are a gay fish Though main character Cartman attempts to take credit for the joke a computer generated version of West fails to understand it at first He eventually accepts himself to be a gay fish diving underwater and singing an auto tuned parody of Heartless titled after the joke s main line 117 118 The day after its premiere West responded to the episode via his blog admitting South Park murdered me last night and it is pretty funny West blogged about his feelings being hurt but expected this from the show also expressing thankfulness and confessing that if he continues to act as he has done he will be subject to more of this type of content 119 The song was featured in video games Lips Number One Hits 120 and DJ Hero 2 121 Christine and the Queens released a cover version of Christophe s Les Paradis perdus 1973 in October 2015 under the title of Paradis perdus which interpolates the chorus of Heartless 122 In August 2016 West s wife Kim Kardashian included Heartless on a playlist of her 28 favorite songs from him 123 Lil Durk released a music video for his track Kanye Krazy on January 29 2021 which includes him recreating the song s visual 124 In early 2022 Romanian singer and songwriter Sorana and French disc jockey David Guetta released Redrum which interpolated Heartless 125 Cover versions EditIn early August 2009 American singer songwriter William Fitzsimmons released an indie cover of Heartless 126 During a Billboard exclusive one month prior to release Fitzsimmons said when asked what gave him the desire to cover the song that he had always wanted to get into top 40 hip hop and it was the natural next step Fitzsimmons specified how he was drawn in by a melancholic chord in the song that he found fun in discovering highlighting the song not being taken too seriously and its poppy heartbreaking sweet and poignant style He asserted that the style may have been lost on some people due to the song being by West and everything and the way it was produced while thinking he achieved his goal of making the cover far less compelling than the original he called this trying to take something exciting and really make it boring 127 Fitzsimmons also felt it would be great if he quoted a lot of these sarcastic things from the song as straightforward and serious seeing some of the lyrics as goofy and ridiculous He finalized by opining that West almost mak es light of the fact that there was real heartbreak there considering it like the teacher that whispers instead of yelling due to converying a point with more reservedness than straightforwardness 127 On the cover Williams sings softly over a guitar and piano 128 He later performed Heartless on acoustic guitar for 1LIVE in February 2011 129 On May 17 2010 singer Jason Derulo performed a cover of the song for an episode of web series Billboard Mashup Mondays Explaining the reasoning behind his cover Derulo additionally affirmed that he loves West s music and Heartless is one of his favorite songs from him 130 He went on to open up about its personal connection to him I can remember the time where I was on the brink of getting out of a bad relationship and that s where this song stands Derulo sang the cover with no vocal effects in contrast to West s style for the original as he had backing from keys and acoustic guitar 130 Samantha Jade performed the song in the semi final for the fourth season of the Australian version of The X Factor ultimately qualifying her for the final Singer Dia Frampton covered the song for the first live show of American competition The Voice on June 7 2011 and played piano lightly alongside rephrasing the lyrics 131 The cover peaked at numbers 57 and 64 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Canadian Hot 100 respectively 132 133 In November 2012 Australian singer Samantha Jade performed a cover of Heartless as her first song in the semi final of the fourth season for The X Factor of her native country she received a standing ovation for the performance 134 135 136 The cover debuted at number 12 on the ARIA Singles Chart that same month standing as the highest entry from the semi final in Australia 137 Jade subsequently qualified for the season s final and won it becoming the first solo female singer to do so 135 136 On November 19 2015 rapper Post Malone performed a cover of Heartless on acoustic guitar for Trevor Nelson in BBC Radio 1 s Live Lounge 138 139 Post Malone combined indie and folk music delivering a soulful cover 140 The rapper sang in a shaking tone and wore Stone Island clothing throughout while he closed his eyes for the majority of the performance 138 139 On April 20 2016 the first trailer for that year s psychological thriller film The Girl on the Train was released which is set to a slowed version of the song 141 142 The version adds donk piano and new drums accompanying Emily Blunt portraying Rachel Watson in the trailer 141 142 On September 18 2018 violinist Brian King Joseph performed a cover of the song for the finale of America s Got Talent s 13th season utilizing different methods of playing his violin 143 144 The violinist moved all around the stage during the performance being backed by red hot flames 145 146 The performance was received enthusiastically by the crowd and judges and Brian King Joseph shouted afterwards Take me on tour Kanye Let s go 144 146 On July 2 2020 mysterious duo ilo ilo shared their cover of the song as a free download only The cover features various stylistic elements including lush synths unique rhythms and loud 808s and percussion 147 148 Track listing EditCD single 31 Heartless 3 30 Heartless Video 3 39Credits and personnel EditInformation taken from 808s amp Heartbreak liner notes 2 Recording Recorded at Glenwood Studios Burbank California and Avex Recording Studio Honolulu Hawaii Personnel Kanye West songwriter producer No I D songwriter co producer Scott Mescudi songwriter Malik Jones songwriter Andrew Dawson recorder Anthony Kilhoffer recorder Chad Carlisle assistant recorder Isha Erskine assistant recorder Gaylord Holomalia assistant recorder Christian Mochizuki assistant recorder Manny Marroquin mix engineer Christian Plata assistant engineer Erik Madrid assistant engineer Jeff Bhasker keyboards Ken Lewis pianoCharts EditWeekly charts Edit Chart performance for Heartless Chart 2008 2009 PeakpositionAustralia ARIA 82 40Austria O3 Austria Top 40 149 57Belgium Ultratop 50 Flanders 150 40Belgium Ultratip Wallonia 151 9Canada Canadian Hot 100 79 8Canada CHR Top 40 Billboard 152 2Canada Hot AC Billboard 153 32Denmark Tracklisten 91 18European Hot 100 Singles Billboard 95 36Germany Official German Charts 93 37Hungary Radios Top 40 154 21Ireland IRMA 155 11Netherlands Dutch Top 40 92 20Netherlands Single Top 100 156 31New Zealand Recorded Music NZ 80 6Sweden Sverigetopplistan 90 17Switzerland Schweizer Hitparade 157 46Turkiye Top 20 Billboard Turkiye 85 2UK Singles OCC 158 10UK Hip Hop R amp B OCC 159 2US Billboard Hot 100 65 2US Hot R amp B Hip Hop Songs Billboard 73 4US Hot Rap Songs Billboard 71 1US Mainstream Top 40 Billboard 74 4US Pop 100 Billboard 70 4US Rhythmic Billboard 160 12022 chart performance for Heartless Chart 2022 PeakpositionGlobal 200 Billboard 161 194Chart performance for Dia Frampton version Chart 2011 PeakpositionCanada Canadian Hot 100 133 64US Billboard Hot 100 132 57 Year end charts Edit 2009 year end chart performance for Heartless Chart 2009 PositionAustralia Urban ARIA 162 45Canada Canadian Hot 100 163 47Hungary Radios Top 40 164 78UK Singles OCC 165 122US Billboard Hot 100 166 9US Hot R amp B Hip Hop Songs Billboard 167 39US Mainstream Top 40 Billboard 168 24US Rhythmic Billboard 169 7Worldwide Digital Songs IFPI 96 9Certifications EditCertifications and sales for Heartless Region Certification Certified units salesAustralia ARIA 83 4 Platinum 280 000 Denmark IFPI Danmark 94 Platinum 90 000 New Zealand RMNZ 81 Gold 7 500 United Kingdom BPI 88 Platinum 600 000 United States RIAA 76 7 Platinum 7 000 000 75 United States RIAA 170 Mastertone Platinum 1 000 000 Sales figures based on certification alone Sales streaming figures based on certification alone Release history EditRelease dates and formats for Heartless Region Date Format Label s Ref United States October 28 2008 Rhythmic contemporary radio Roc A FellaDef Jam 10 Various 2008 CD single 31 The Fray version Edit Heartless Single by the Frayfrom the album The Fray Deluxe ReleasedApril 17 2009 2009 04 17 Recorded2009GenrePop rockLength4 14LabelEpicSongwriter s Kanye West Ernest Wilson Scott Mescudi Malik JonesThe Fray singles chronology Never Say Never 2009 Heartless 2009 Syndicate 2010 Music video Heartless on YouTube Heartless source source A 25 second sample of the Fray s cover of Heartless showcasing Isaac Slade s breathy vocal delivery that lacks auto tune He delivers pleas in a desperate manner resembling the emotion of West on the original version Problems playing this file See media help During their appearance for the Live Lounge on February 16 2009 American rock band the Fray performed their 2008 single You Found Me and a cover of Heartless marking the latter s debut 171 172 The following day West shared a link to the cover over his blog 173 After its premiere Heartless received a large amount of airplay the on radio 172 There was also an overwhelming public demand for a release leading the Fray to record a studio version of the cover during 2009 172 The cover eventually experienced a single release in April of that year 174 Musically Heartless is a pop rock ballad 175 The cover reworks the original with no auto tune being applied to the vocals 176 Lead vocalist Isaac Slade desperately makes breathy pleas echoing West s emotion on the original 177 The cover was released for digital download as a single on April 17 2009 174 In August 2009 it was revealed that the band was set to release an accompanying digital extended play EP 172 178 The EP was subsequently released digitally on September 27 consisting of three tracks 179 On November 10 2009 Heartless was included on the second disc of the deluxe edition of the Fray s eponymous second studio album 180 During 2009 the cover was a frequent part of the Fray s live shows 172 178 Reception Edit A writer for BBC Radio 1 saw Heartless as great while MTV s Colin Schoenberger chronicled how the aching earnest pop rock ballad adopts a sold life of its own and believed the Live Lounge performance begat other fantastic covers 171 175 Greenblatt affirmed that the Fray are equivalent to West in terms of vulnerability and angst she called the cover Vulnerable Angst Squared and said Slade s desperate breathy pleas sound like the last gasp of someone with fatal emotional angina 177 In a negative review for MusicRadar Ben Rogerson pinpointed the strangeness of the cover lacking the original s Auto Tuned vocal and sounding more human as a whole yet com ing off significantly less powerful and soulful 176 Idolator critic noah derided the cover for being somewhat messy complaining about Slade blaaating all over an instrumental accompaniment that seems to be beamed in from a different galaxy 173 The cover entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 79 for the issue dated May 30 2009 based solely on downloads 181 It later peaked at number 26 on both the US Billboard Hot Rock amp Alternative Songs and Rock Airplay charts and had sold over 125 000 downloads in the US by August 2009 172 182 183 Music video Edit On August 18 2009 a music video for Heartless was released which Hiro Murai directed 184 The video shows a classroom of elementary school students focusing on a boy staring at his notebook As he looks at a sheet of paper on it moving doodles appear 175 These include creatures and the Fray with the former being depicted as performing the song The boy stares at a girl during various points and goes on to throw the sheet onto the floor before the drawings transport themselves across the classroom to the blackboard A tale of a heart being broken is told with a bleeding heart being present to imply that the girl hurt her classmate 175 184 Credits and personnel Edit Credits adapted from VideoStatic 184 Filming Produced by Partizan Animated by TitmousePersonnel Hiro Murai director Ross Girard production Clay Jeter display picture Will Basanta display picture Isaac Hagy editing Emilio Ramirez art director Cal Aurand commissionerCharts Edit Chart performance for the Fray version Chart 2009 PeakpositionUS Billboard Hot 100 185 79US Hot Rock amp Alternative Songs Billboard 186 26US Rock Airplay Billboard 187 26Kris Allen version Edit Heartless Single by Kris Allenfrom the album Kris AllenReleasedMay 2009 2009 05 Length3 42Songwriter s Kanye West Ernest Wilson Scott Mescudi Malik JonesProducer s Salaam RemiKris Allen singles chronology Heartless 2009 No Boundaries 2009 On May 12 2009 American musician Kris Allen performed a sparse solo acoustic cover of the song as his personal pick for the Top 3 night of the eighth season of American Idol 50 188 189 Allen played a flamenco style beat while he rocked a shirt covered with glitter 189 190 As Allen began to perform the final chorus he made a grin that indicated self satisfaction with his cover 190 The performance was reacted to with cries of applause from the female crowd members as well as heavy praise from the show s judges 188 Simon Cowell admitted that after he had previously written Allen out of the competition his verdict changed with that performance 188 Randy Jackson declared the cover better than the original while Kara DioGuardi saw it as bold brave and fearless 188 189 Allen s performance also qualified him for the finale of the eighth season which he ultimately won 50 191 Heartless source source A 26 second sample of the chorus and beginning of the second verse to Kris Allen s cover of Heartless for the album demonstrating the extremely delicate and light soundscapes that recall In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins Problems playing this file See media help In May 2009 shortly after Allen s performance for American Idol a studio version of the cover was released for digital download as a single The version is a largely sentimental number with a smooth jazz style Following the lack of positive reactions towards the cover Allen decided on re recording it for his self titled debut studio album Allen sought out record producer Salaam Remi for the new version s production creating a sleeker version that recalls the heavily delicate and light soundscapes of Phil Collins 1981 hit In the Air Tonight When asked by MTV about his biggest defeat throughout the process of debuting after the performance Allen hesitantly answered that it was Heartless Allen explained this was due to the version being a little bit different for him rather than not wanting to include the cover on the album He also cited Remi as the one responsible for recalling In the Air Tonight while announcing the version as very different from his first one 191 On November 17 2009 Heartless was included as the 13th track on Kris Allen being added as a bonus track 192 In a phone call with Vulture Allen cast light on a small discussion he had about the cover being removed from the album following West s incident at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards 193 Allen assured not everything should be based on West s actions recalling that the discussion quickly ended 193 Even though he lacked enthusiasm about the cover Allen acknowledged his fans positive opinions and smiled as he praised how his brother likes it 191 The cover peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 on which it spent three weeks 194 On the Canadian Hot 100 the cover reached number 39 and lasted for two weeks 195 Charts Edit Chart performance for Kris Allen version Chart 2009 PeakpositionCanada Canadian Hot 100 195 39US Billboard Hot 100 194 16See also EditList of best selling singles in the United StatesReferences Edit a b c Hyman Dan November 21 2018 No I D Q amp A Talks Almost Giving Up on Hip Hop Working With Kanye amp More at Red Bull Music Festival Billboard Archived from the original on November 8 2020 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original on October 6 2021 Retrieved June 10 2021 Jensen Lucas April 9 2009 Kanye West Likes Fish Sticks Idolator Archived from the original on June 10 2021 Retrieved June 10 2021 Montgomery James April 9 2009 Kanye West Responds Humbly To South Park Fish Sticks Slam MTV Archived from the original on December 6 2020 Retrieved June 10 2021 Lips Number One Hits Gets Complete Tracklist Softpedia July 30 2009 DJ Hero 2 song list revealed Eurogamer net August 26 2010 Monroe Jazz October 14 2015 Christine and the Queens Sort of Covers Kanye s Heartless in Paradis Perdus Video Pitchfork Archived from the original on October 6 2021 Retrieved June 4 2021 Britton Luke Morgan August 30 2016 Stream Kim Kardashian s playlist of her favourite Kanye West tracks NME Archived from the original on August 22 2018 Retrieved June 10 2021 Mamo Heran January 29 2021 Lil Durk Rewinds Through Kanye West s Most Notorious Moments in Kanye Krazy Video Billboard Archived from the original on January 29 2021 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Journal June 8 2011 Archived from the original on March 24 2017 Retrieved March 20 2020 a b Dia Frampton Chart History Hot 100 Billboard Retrieved May 24 2021 a b Dia Frampton Chart History Canadian Hot 100 Billboard Retrieved May 24 2021 Song List Power and Passion Yahoo 7 Archived from the original on October 27 2013 Retrieved May 25 2021 a b Cronin Seanna November 21 2012 Samantha Jade still shocked by X Factor win Sunshine Coast Daily Archived from the original on May 25 2021 Retrieved May 25 2021 a b Vincent Peter November 20 2012 Why Samantha Jade needs to win X Factor The Sydney Morning Herald Archived from the original on May 25 2021 Retrieved May 25 2021 Ryan Gavin November 18 2012 Swedish House Mafia Maintains Top Of ARIA Chart Noise11 Archived from the original on November 25 2012 Retrieved May 25 2021 a b Gardner Constant November 19 2015 Watch Post Malone s Emotional Acoustic Cover of Kanye West s Heartless Complex Archived from the original on June 7 2021 Retrieved June 7 2021 a b Simmons Ted November 20 2015 Post Malone Does An Acoustic Heartless Cover XXL Archived from the original on June 10 2021 Retrieved June 7 2021 McCall Malorie November 19 2015 Watch Post Malone Bring Heart to Heartless With Kanye West Cover Billboard Archived from the original on June 10 2021 Retrieved June 7 2021 a b The Girl on the Train First Trailer Set to Kanye West s Heartless Billboard April 20 2016 Archived from the original on December 9 2020 Retrieved October 16 2020 a b Heritage Stuart May 26 2017 Harder Better Faster Stronger Why is every trailer soundtracked by Kanye The Guardian Archived from the original on November 12 2020 Retrieved June 10 2021 Price Joe September 19 2018 America s Got Talent Contestant Performs Violin Cover of Kanye s Heartless Complex Archived from the original on September 20 2018 Retrieved June 6 2021 a b Brian King Joseph Electrifies With Violin Cover of Kanye s Heartless on America s Got Talent Watch Billboard September 19 2018 Archived from the original on June 6 2021 Retrieved June 6 2021 Chantilly Joe September 19 2018 Brian King Joseph Shocks Crowd With Violin Rendition Of Kanye West s Heartless HotNewHipHop Archived from the original on June 6 2021 Retrieved June 6 2021 a b Dixon Marcus James September 18 2018 Electric violinist Brian King Joseph takes on Heartless during America s Got Talent Finals Take me on tour Kanye Watch Gold Derby Archived from the original on June 6 2021 Retrieved June 6 2021 Currey Greer July 2 2020 ilo ilo Share a Cover of Heartless But There s a Catch Your EDM Archived from the original on December 4 2020 Retrieved June 8 2021 Thompson Hunter July 2 2020 ilo ilo Share Their Amazing Cover of Kanye West s Heartless Run the Trap Archived from the original on November 21 2020 Retrieved June 8 2021 Kanye West Heartless in German O3 Austria Top 40 Retrieved December 28 2014 Kanye West Heartless in Dutch Ultratop 50 Retrieved December 28 2014 Kanye West Heartless in French Ultratip Retrieved December 28 2014 Kanye West Chart History Canada CHR Top 40 Billboard Retrieved August 9 2020 Kanye West Chart History Canada Hot AC Billboard Retrieved August 9 2020 Archivum Slagerlistak MAHASZ in Hungarian Radios Top 40 jatszasi lista Magyar Hanglemezkiadok Szovetsege Retrieved April 22 2021 Irish charts com Discography Kanye West Irish Singles Chart Retrieved April 27 2021 Kanye West Heartless in Dutch Single Top 100 Retrieved December 28 2014 Kanye West Heartless Swiss Singles Chart Retrieved December 28 2014 Official Singles Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company Retrieved April 22 2021 Official Hip Hop and R amp B Singles Chart Top 40 Official Charts Company Retrieved April 22 2021 Kanye West Chart History Rhythmic Billboard Retrieved December 26 2014 Kanye West Chart History Global 200 Billboard Retrieved August 23 2022 2009 ARIA Urban Singles Chart ARIA Charts Archived from the original on September 23 2019 Retrieved December 15 2019 Year End Charts Year end songs The Canadian Hot 100 Billboard Archived from the original on June 26 2013 Retrieved January 31 2019 Eves osszesitett listak Slagerlistak MAHASZ Magyar Hanglemezkiadok Szovetsege in Hungarian Mahasz Archived from the original on December 28 2010 Retrieved April 22 2021 Charts Plus Year end 2009 PDF UKChartsPlus Archived PDF from the original on November 5 2015 Retrieved July 19 2010 Year End Charts Year end songs The Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Archived from the original on April 14 2013 Retrieved November 7 2010 Year End Charts Year end songs Hot R amp B Hip Hop Songs Billboard Archived from the original on March 29 2019 Retrieved January 30 2019 Year End Charts Year end songs Pop Songs Billboard Archived from the original on April 3 2019 Retrieved January 30 2019 Year End Charts Year end songs Rhythmic Songs Billboard Archived from the original on January 31 2019 Retrieved January 30 2019 American ringtone certifications Kanye West Heartless Recording Industry Association of America Retrieved September 27 2022 a b Live Lounge The Fray BBC Radio 1 February 16 2009 Archived from the original on May 12 2021 Retrieved May 12 2021 a b c d e f The Fray release Kanye West s Heartless Music News August 30 2009 Archived from the original on May 12 2021 Retrieved May 12 2021 a b noah February 17 2009 Kanye West Endorses The Fray s Heartless Cover Idolator Archived from the original on June 10 2021 Retrieved May 12 2021 a b The Fray Heartless The Fray Site April 17 2009 Archived from the original on March 2 2010 Retrieved May 12 2021 a b c d Schoenberger Colin August 20 2009 The Fray Covers Kanye West s Heartless Watch The New Video MTV Archived from the original on May 12 2021 Retrieved May 12 2021 a b Rogerson Ben February 18 2009 Kanye West s Heartless covered by The Fray MusicRadar Archived from the original on May 12 2021 Retrieved May 12 2021 a b Greenblatt Leah April 21 2009 Today in covers The Fray takes on Kanye s Heartless Entertainment Weekly Archived from the original on May 12 2021 Retrieved May 12 2021 a b Simpson Oli August 26 2009 The Fray to release Kanye West cover Digital Spy Archived from the original on October 12 2012 Retrieved March 26 2010 Heartless EP by the Fray Apple Music US Archived from the original on May 12 2021 Retrieved May 12 2021 Leahey Andrew The Fray Deluxe Edition The Fray AllMusic Archived from the original on May 12 2021 Retrieved May 12 2021 Trust Gary May 21 2009 Chart Beat Billboard Archived from the original on February 19 2013 Retrieved May 23 2009 Hot Rock amp Alternative Songs June 27 2009 Billboard Archived from the original on May 13 2021 Retrieved May 12 2021 Rock amp Alternative Airplay June 27 2009 Billboard Archived from the original on May 13 2021 Retrieved May 12 2021 a b c Gottlieb Steven August 18 2009 Watch It The Fray Heartless Digital Spy Archived from the original on May 13 2021 Retrieved May 13 2021 The Fray Chart History Hot 100 Billboard Retrieved May 11 2021 The Fray Chart History Hot Rock amp Alternative Songs Billboard Retrieved May 11 2021 The Fray Chart History Rock Airplay Billboard Retrieved May 11 2021 a b c d Montgomery James May 12 2009 Kris Allen Covers Kanye Simon Feuds With Kara On American Idol MTV Archived from the original on May 16 2009 Retrieved May 18 2021 a b c Idol Kris Allen s Heartless Gamble Pays Off People May 13 2009 Archived from the original on May 20 2021 Retrieved May 18 2021 a b Slezak Michael May 12 2009 American Idol recap It s Reigning Men Entertainment Weekly Archived from the original on May 18 2021 Retrieved May 18 2021 a b c Montgomery James November 17 2009 Kris Allen Not Happy With Debut Album s Version Of Heartless MTV Archived from the original on May 18 2021 Retrieved May 18 2021 Slezak Michael October 23 2009 Kris Allen We exclusively reveal the track listing for his self titled debut Entertainment Weekly Archived from the original on May 19 2021 Retrieved May 19 2021 a b Brown Lane November 10 2009 American Idol Kris Allen on Why Heartless Is on His New Album and No Boundaries Isn t Vulture Archived from the original on February 25 2021 Retrieved May 19 2021 a b Kris Allen Chart History Hot 100 Billboard Retrieved May 14 2021 a b Kris Allen Chart History Canadian Hot 100 Billboard Retrieved May 14 2021 External links Edit Heartless Lyrics at MTV archived from 2009 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Heartless Kanye West song amp oldid 1127204672, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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