In January 2008, Usher's father, Usher Raymond III, died. Both men regretted not spending more time in each other's lives.[4][9] "Prayer for You", the seventh track on Here I Stand, is an interlude dedicated to Usher's son, reflective on his relationship with his own father; "No matter what happened, my father always prayed for me. The only difference is, I'm gonna be there to be the father that my dad wished he was to me."[9] The first album name that artists and repertoire representative Mark Pitts conceived was "Measure of a Man", but that title had already been used by Clay Aiken for his debut album, so Usher called it Here I Stand. Pitts said, "It was perfect because becoming a man is about going through pain, sorrow, and happiness. Usher's done that! From the love songs to the party joints, it's exactly the story he wanted to tell."[1] Usher noted Here I Stand as beginning "a new chapter in my life"; the album's liner notes contain a verse from 1 Corinthians 13: "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things."[1] Here I Stand marked Usher's growth from boyhood to manhood.[10][11] In March 2007, it was announced that work on the album had begun.[12] Usher outlined the album's concept: "A lot of what I plan to offer with this album is kinda standing in this spot ... The king's back. I ain't gonna say 'back,' I never left."[13]
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According to Usher "Love You Gently", a piano-based[31] classic rhythm and blues ballad, is "the one [track] you throw on with your significant other when it's time to get to it. This is why my son's here. It's a baby-maker."[28] Jay-Z appears on the horn-founded "Best Thing",[32] which is about transition to manhood.[31] Usher outlines lifestyle changes since his wife's arrival and turns away from his days as "a hustler and a player" in "Before I Met You", which makes use of guitar and heavy drums.[21][31][33] He is suspected of infidelity and compared to his girlfriend's cheating ex-partner on "His Mistakes".[31] The thirteenth track on Here I Stand is "Appetite", which utilizes flutes and has Usher tempted to cheat on his wife.[31][34] "What's a Man to Do" opens with a Native American call, while "Lifetime" contains influences of 1990s R&B.[31] "Love in This Club Part II" features vocals from Beyoncé Knowles and Lil Wayne and samples The Stylistics' "You Are Everything" (1971); its lyrical content is similar to that of Part I, and Wayne's voice is modified through the use of a vocoder.[30] The album's soul and pop jazz-derived title track, "Here I Stand", drew comparisons to Stevie Wonder. With a theme of commitment,[35] it was played at Usher's and Foster's wedding.[36] Here I Stand closes with "Will Work for Love", although it was placed as a hidden track on some copies; Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine called it "cute".[37]
In November 2007, Usher hoped to release his fifth album, titled Here I Stand,[12][38] but "issues in his personal life" delayed the album.[39] According to reports, Usher has to spend more time with his then-pregnant wife. The expected November release date was booked to coincide with that of Usher's fragrance line.[40][41] Released on May 13, 2008. The continually changing release dates became frustrating for Usher; Dupri said to Billboard, "The last couple [of] times I've been around [Usher], you could tell he's got the bug to hurry up and put this record out. He wants to get back out here and give the people that. He's got that itch."[19] Here I Stand was first released by LaFace Records in Mexico and several European countries on May 13, 2008; releases in other countries followed.[42]
In 2008, Usher promoted Here I Stand by appearing at Radio 1's Big Weekend, where he performed "This Ain't Sex", "Moving Mountains", "What's Your Name", "Here I Stand" and "Love in This Club", as well as singles from his previous albums.[43]Usher performed "Love in This Club" with Young Jeezy on The Hills' third season finale (May 12, 2008),[44] and along with "This Ain't Sex" on Saturday Night Live (May 17, 2008),[45] and again on the sixth season finale of Dancing with the Stars (May 20, 2008).[46] Usher performed a one-off showcase concert for 1,500 fans at indigO2, London on May 22, 2008, for which the tickets were allocated by ballot.[47] Usher signed copies of Here I Stand for the military during Fleet Week in New York City, aboard USS Kearsarge on May 27, 2008.[48] On the day of the album's release, Usher appeared on television shows TRL and 106 & Park, and performed on Good Morning America on May 30, 2008.[49] Usher performed "Love in This Club" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Jimmy Kimmel Live!, on June 4, 2008.[50][51] At the BET Awards, hosted on June 23, 2008, Usher opened the show, performing the single again.[52] On September 4, 2008, Usher performed "Here I Stand", "Trading Places" and "What's Your Name" at the 2008's National Football League Kickoff game at Columbus Circle, New York City. Natasha Bedingfield and Keith Urban also sang before the game, which saw the Washington Redskins play the New York Giants.[53][54]
Usher toured fourteen cities in North America. Mainly targeting women, the tour commenced on November 2, 2008 and concluded on November 25, 2008.[55] The tour's female-focused concept was inspired by other male recording artists who "did things special like this for their female fans", such as Teddy Pendergrass, Marvin Gaye and Prince.[56] Enjoying the challenge of a female-only tour, Usher said, "There [are] only a few artists that can pull that off, I feel like I've had such a connection with my audience. This album, I felt like, was definitely the type of one that was more intimate. So what better way to get up close and personal than to make it all women?"[57][58] Usher performed the tour with a Dsquared2 wardrobe.[59] At each show, one fan was brought onstage "for an even more intimate experience with the singer".[56] This took place during "Superstar"; a female fan was served champagne and strawberries by Usher while sitting on his lap as he sang to her.[60] Among Usher's own songs, the setlist also included portions of Stevie Wonder's "Rocket Love", Gaye's "I Want You" and Prince's "Do Me, Baby". At the Detroit show he also gave T-Baby's "It's So Cold in the D".[60] Usher was supported by a five-piece band, three backing vocalists and four backup dancers.[60]
"Moving Mountains" was released on May 23, 2008.[77] It appeared on multiple singles charts outside the top twenty. However, it peaked at number six on the New Zealand Singles Chart,[78] and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand on March 29, 2009.[72] The fourth single to be released from Here I Stand was "What's Your Name"; it impacted radio on August 18, 2008.[79] "What's Your Name" charted on the Canadian Hot 100 and the ARIA Singles Chart, where it peaked at numbers eighty-four and ninety-one, respectively.[80][81] "Here I Stand" was released to urban adult contemporary radio on August 18, 2008,[82] managing to peak at number 18 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[83] The album's final single, "Trading Places", was released on October 17, 2008[84] and reached number forty-five on the Hot 100 and number four on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.[85]
At 36, Usher can count seven albums among his many accomplishments, which means you have a large body of work to consider when selecting his best songs. Given the way hip-hop and pop have changed over the last two decades, you have a variety of styles to select from, too. There's Baby Usher. Jermaine Dupri Usher. Neptunes Usher. Chilli's Usher. Crunk Usher. Justin Bieber Crafter Usher. EDM Usher.
HU: ...Out here because of wind gusts that were hurricane force. Really, they reached Cat 3 hurricane speeds. So about 50 miles per hour out here. You - there was, like, flying debris everywhere. You know, a lot of Olympics food stands and things like that are pop-ups.
SANDERS: We're going to go out on a different song this week - not the song we began the show with - because the show is not over. You're hearing a song called "Green Twins." It is a title track of an album that I love by an artist named Nick Hakim. Our colleague here at NPR Lars Gotrich - he says this is, quote, "soul music for outer space." So Nick Hakim has a great Tiny Desk Concert up at nprmusic.org right now. Here's my chat with Nick Hakim. Enjoy. 2ff7e9595c
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