I Luv U (Dizzee Rascal song)
"I Luv U" is the debut single by British rapper Dizzee Rascal and the lead single from his debut album Boy in da Corner. It was released by XL Recordings in May 2003 after a test pressing had made rounds on UK pirate radio in 2002.[1] The single became Dizzee Rascal's first top forty hit, peaking at number twenty-nine and spending three weeks inside the top seventy-five, and was acclaimed by critics, who consider it one of the most important songs in the development of Grime. It was followed by the Dizzee Rascal's second single, "Fix Up, Look Sharp".
| "I Luv U" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Dizzee Rascal | ||||
| from the album Boy in da Corner | ||||
| Released | 26 May 2003 | |||
| Recorded | 2002 | |||
| Genre | Grime | |||
| Length | 4:05 | |||
| Label |
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| Songwriter(s) | Dylan Mills | |||
| Producer(s) |
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| Dizzee Rascal singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Dizzee Rascal - 'I Luv U'" on YouTube | ||||
The song was produced by Dizzee Rascal and features vocals from a local girl known to Dizzee named Jeanine Jacques, whom he sought because he needed a female rapper on the song, but didn't know any.[2] Jacques allegedly asked "what the fuck is this...?" when she first heard the production she was tasked with rapping over.[3] The song opens with a stuttering voice repeating the song's title, leading into a bass-heavy rhythm.[1]
I Luv U was critically lauded upon release, with Drowned In Sound referring to Dizzee as "[t]he saviour of UK music" in their review of the single. The Wire described "I Luv U"'s impact on grime as "analogous to "Anarchy in the U.K." for punk rock."[4] The track was named as one of the best songs released between 2000 and 2003 in the 2008 book The Pitchfork 500: Our Guide to the Greatest Songs from Punk to the Present.[1] XL Recordings owner Richard Russell wrote in his 2020 book Liberation Through Hearing that the first time he heard "I Luv U", he felt "Dizzee was creating what could clearly be an entirely new day for British music."[5]
Track listing edit
- CD
- "I Luv U" (Clean Radio Edit)
- "I Luv U" (Remix) [featuring Wiley and Sharkey Major]
- "I Luv U" (Original Mix)
Charts edit
References edit
- ^ a b c Plagenhoef, Scott; Schreiber, Ryan, eds. (November 2008). The Pitchfork 500. Simon & Schuster. p. 176. ISBN 978-1-4165-6202-3.
- ^ Hermes, Will (26 January 2004). "Dizzee Rascal, 'Boy In Da Corner' - SPIN". Spin Magazine. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
- ^ "Dizzee Rascal Reveals The Secret History Of 'Boy In Da Corner' - Okayplayer". www.okayplayer.com. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- ^ Young, Rob, ed. (2009). The Wire Primers. Verso Books. p. 80. ISBN 978-1-84467-427-5.
- ^ Russell, Richard (17 April 2020). "How Dizzee Rascal's 'I Luv U' Revolutionised UK Music Forever". Vice. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- ^ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.