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F2F (song)

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"F2F"
Song by SZA
from the album SOS
ReleasedDecember 9, 2022 (2022-12-09)
Genre
Length3:06
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Bisel
  • Lang
Lyric video
"F2F" on YouTube

"F2F" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA from her second studio album, SOS (2022). "F2F" is a rock song that draws influence from genres such as country, pop rock, and grunge. SZA wrote the song with Lizzo, who provides background vocals, and producers Rob Bisel and Carter Lang. The song was one of around five rock-inspired songs SZA created for SOS, out of a desire to experiment with various genres outside of her usual R&B music. The song begins with acoustic guitar strums before transitioning into a chorus backed by drums and power chords from electric guitars. The lyrics talk about having sex with someone to cope with breaking up with a former partner.

SZA's experimentation with rock on the song was positively received. "F2F" was one of 20 tracks from SOS that debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100. Consequently, it became SZA's first song to debut atop Billboard's Alternative Streaming Songs chart.

Background and release

[edit]

SZA released her debut studio album, Ctrl, in 2017. Primarily an R&B album that deals with themes like heartbreak, it received widespread acclaim for SZA's vocals and the eclectic musical style, as well as the emotional impact and confessional nature of its songwriting. The album brought SZA to mainstream fame, and critics credit it with establishing her status as a major figure in contemporary pop and R&B music and pushing the boundaries of the R&B genre.[note 1]

SZA alluded to potentially releasing her second album as early as August 2019,[8][9] during an interview with DJ Kerwin Frost.[10] Commenting on the creative process behind the album, she stated it would be as candid and personal as Ctrl: "This next album is even more of me being less afraid of who am I when I have no choice? When I'm not out trying to curate myself and contain."[11] When SZA collaborated with Cosmopolitan for their February 2021 issue, she spoke about her creative process behind the album's conception: "this album is going to be the shit that made me feel something in my...here and in here", pointing to her heart and gut.[12]

During interviews in 2020 and 2022, SZA said the album's composition was eclectic; while some tracks were balladic or soft, certain parts of the album had an "aggressive" sound. She stated: "I have no idea what it sounds like to anybody else. I really don't know. It's so bizarre. It's weird that I can't put my finger on it. It's a little bit of everything." The album, apart from exploring "traditional" R&B that had been a staple of SZA's past works, also drew from genres such as alternative rock and country. Punch, CEO of SZA's record label Top Dawg Entertainment, commented on the new musical direction by saying "it's a new chapter. She's not scared to try certain things now."[13][14]

From April to May 2022, SZA told media outlets that she had recently finished the album in Hawaii, saying it was her most relatable or "unisex" body of work she had made to date.[15] In a Consequence cover story, she further commented on her plans to experiment with various genres. She asserted it was "lazy" to reduce her to an R&B artist: "I love making Black music, period. Something that is just full of energy. Black music doesn't have to just be R&B. We started rock 'n' roll. Why can't we just be expansive and not reductive?"[16] In October, she said that she had written around 100 songs for the album and added that the album could be released "any day now".[17] During a Billboard cover story published in November, SZA revealed that the title of her second album was SOS, and it was scheduled for release sometime the following month.[18][19] On December 3, 2022, she appeared on Saturday Night Live and announced it would be released on December 9. Two days later, she posted the track list on Twitter. Out of 23 songs, "F2F" appears as the album's 13th track.[20][21]

SZA included "F2F" regularly during her international SOS Tour from 2023 to 2024; while performing, she would headbang onstage with her guitarist.[22][23] She also had the song on her headlining set for Glastonbury 2024.[24]

Recording and composition

[edit]

Originally titled "Charlatan",[25] "F2F" was one of around five rock songs that SZA created for SOS. She explained to Rolling Stone that these songs contained heavily confessional lyrics that demonstrated several versions of herself: "They were all terrible in terms of, like, saying bad things about what I've done to people, but it sounded cool, and I think that's what all those songs are really about. Just being super honest and letting that out."[26][27] Rob Bisel and Carter Lang, producers of "F2F", revealed that American singer and rapper Lizzo was coincidentally in the same studio as SZA when she recorded the song.[25] They added that it was one out of several songs on which the two collaborated during recording sessions; a few days prior, it was announced that Lizzo would feature on a song from the deluxe edition of SOS titled "Boy from South Detroit".[28]

"F2F"
"F2F" is an eclectic combination of rock and country musical styles, featuring acoustic guitar strums in the first verse and drums and power chords from electric guitars in the chorus.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

According to music journalists, "F2F" can be classified as stadium rock,[29][30] pop rock,[31][32] pop punk, grunge,[33] and country.[30][34] The first verse demonstrates its country influences—in it, SZA sings over acoustic guitar strums—after which drums and power chords from electric guitars appear for the chorus to indicate its punk and rock elements.[1][30] Critics found the song reminiscent of rock music from the late 1990s to the early 2000s,[35][36] drawing comparisons to artists like Avril Lavigne,[37][38] Fefe Dobson,[39][40] Paramore,[41][42] and Liz Phair.[43]

To create "F2F", SZA freestyled or improvised lyrics over an initial version of the beat with Lizzo, who helped write the song's bridge and provided pitched-up background vocals.[25] She originally had a verse in the song, but it was removed for unspecified reasons.[44] The lyrics discuss having sex with people to cope with a rebound, or a period of time after the end of a romantic relationship.[45]

Reception

[edit]

After the release of SOS, 20 tracks from the album debuted on the Billboard Hot 100. Among of them was "F2F", which was the 16th highest charting track; it debuted at number 55 and helped increase SZA's total amount of chart entries to 37.[46] It was bolstered by around 13.7 million streams in its first opening week; with these streaming numbers, the song debuted atop Billboard's Alternative Streaming Songs chart, her first number 1 there.[47] Alternative Songs is a component chart of Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, on which "F2F" peaked at number 3.[48]

The song received a positive response from fans and critics for its rock-infused production, a departure from the R&B sound of SZA's earlier works.[49] Isabella Sarmiento, writing for NPR, picked "F2F" as one of the best songs of 2022.[50]

Credits

[edit]

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of SOS.[51]

Recording and management

  • Engineered at Conway C and Westlake Barn and C (Los Angeles, California)
  • Mixed at Little People Studio (Los Angeles)
  • Mastered at Becker Mastering (Pasadena, California)

Personnel

  • Solána Rowe (SZA) – lead vocals, songwriting
  • Rob Bisel – songwriting, production, guitars, bass, keyboards, engineering
  • Carter Lang – songwriting, production, guitars, bass, drums, keyboards
  • Melissa Jefferson (Lizzo)[a] – songwriting, background vocals
  • Robert N. Johnson – assistant engineering
  • Noah Hashimoto – assistant engineering
  • Dana Nielsen – mixing
  • Dale Becker – mastering
  • Katie Harvey – assistant mastering
  • Noah McCorkle – assistant mastering

Note

  1. ^ Appears courtesy of Nice Life / Atlantic Recording Corporation

Charts

[edit]

Weekly charts

[edit]
Weekly chart performance for "F2F"
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[52] 87
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[53] 54
Global 200 (Billboard)[54] 69
Portugal (AFP)[55] 182
US Billboard Hot 100[56] 55
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[48] 3

Year-end charts

[edit]
Year-end chart performance for "F2F"
Chart (2023) Position
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[57] 31

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications for "F2F"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[58] Gold 40,000‡
United States (RIAA)[59] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Vulture,[1] The Recording Academy,[2] The Line of Best Fit,[3] NME,[4] The Daily Telegraph,[5] The New Yorker,[6] and Consequence[7] cited these qualities as the reason for the success of Ctrl and SZA's impact on the pop and R&B scene.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Curto, Justin (December 9, 2022). "SZA Finally Unleashed Her Inner Rock Star". Vulture. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  2. ^ Mitchell, Ashlee (December 13, 2022). "5 Takeaways from SZA's New Album SOS". The Recording Academy. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  3. ^ Taylor, Ims (December 9, 2022). "SZA Hits the Heights on the Dense but Masterful SOS". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  4. ^ Daly, Rhian (December 9, 2022). "SZA – SOS Review: A Comeback Album Well Worth the Wait". NME. Archived from the original on December 27, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  5. ^ McCormick, Neil; Haider, Arwa; Johnston, Kathleen (December 9, 2022). "Sam Ryder Is No One-Hit Wonder, SZA Channels Princess Diana – The Week's Best Albums". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on December 17, 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  6. ^ Pearce, Sheldon. "SZA: Ctrl (Deluxe)". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  7. ^ Siregar, Cady (December 9, 2022). "On SOS, SZA Once Again Blows Expectations Out of the Water". Consequence. Archived from the original on December 29, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  8. ^ Robinson, Ellie (June 7, 2021). "SZA Reveals She 'Burst Into Tears' During a Rehearsal of '20 Something'". NME. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  9. ^ Alston, Trey (January 3, 2020). "SZA Is Dropping a New Album This Year but When Is Beyond Her Ctrl". MTV News. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  10. ^ Reese, Alexis (August 20, 2019). "SZA Reveals Sophomore Album Is On the Way". Vibe. Archived from the original on May 20, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  11. ^ Schatz, Lake (August 20, 2022). "SZA Says New Album Coming 'Soon as F*ck'". Consequence. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
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  23. ^ Amorosi, A. D.; Aswad, Jem (March 5, 2023). "SZA Brings Out Cardi B and Phoebe Bridgers at Dazzling, Hit-Filled Madison Square Garden Show". Variety. Archived from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
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  28. ^ "SZA and Lizzo have recorded multiple tracks together". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  29. ^ UK, Rolling Stone; Reilly, Nick (December 9, 2022). "3 albums you need to hear this week". Rolling Stone UK. Archived from the original on December 15, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
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  36. ^ Hakimian, Rob; McMullen, Chase; Sentz, Tim; Pickard, Joshua; Wohlmacher, John; Finlayson, Ray; Amen, John; Kohner, Kyle; Early, J. T. (December 15, 2022). "BPM's Top 50 Albums of 2022". Beats Per Minute. Archived from the original on December 15, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  37. ^ Assaly, Richie; Grant, Demar; Ejiofor, Annette; Smirlies, Justin; Vega, Manuela; Wong, Madison; Murphy, Aisling; Passafiume, Alessia (December 17, 2022). "Star Tracks: Our 24 Favourite Albums of 2022". The Toronto Star. Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
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