What? A music review? Yup, a music review. I'm not an authority on music at all, but I enjoy listening to it, so I figured I'd throw my two cents in.
"U With Me?" is perhaps one of the more "overlooked" songs on Drake's VIEWS, but arguably one of the most artistic. The sound of rain, traffic, and a ringing phone is the setup to this melancholic banger, preparing us for the emotional trip that is this song. The rain and traffic bring us into the dismal, grey city scape of Toronto, where we're meant to stay for the entirety of the album. VIEWS takes us through seasonal highs and lows, with the poppy, summery sound of "One Dance", and the grim, brisk sound of the wintry "Pop Style". We're also exposed to Drake's emotional highs and lows, with brag fests like "Grammys", aggressive bars heard in "Hype," and reminiscence of days of teenage debauchery and homage to his home heard in "Weston Road Flows."
Drake is versatile, alright, but he's at his his most vulnerable and angst-filled on "U With Me?"
" We both slide on a late night,
Do things on our off time,
We both, yeah,
Made some mistakes 'pon road."
Drizzy laments on a rigid bassline. He makes reference to the three dots commonly seen on iMessage when someone's typing, anxiously awaiting a reply. He wants to move on, and she does too, supposedly but - every time they get to talking again, she's playing games, and he's sick of it. He gives her a choice: "Make sure you tell me what types of games are bein' played, how's it going down? If it's on 'til we gone, then I gots to know now-is you with me or what?"
Tough. Sad, and all too familiar this day and age. We've all been there, Looking at our phone, waiting for a text back, a reply. Nothing's more intense than waiting for those three dots to disappear and a reply to take their place. It's a modern day "Mr. Telephone Man," incorporating modern technology and emotional woes into a sad, sad, potpourri. And it's fantastic.
"U With Me?'s" final moments are silent, save for a wavering instrumental interlude. Sad, but hopeful. Evocative of a new day, or perhaps a new season. New beginnings.
9.7/10
