Here

### Songwriter(s)

Alessia Cara, Andrew "Pop" Wansel, Warren "Oak" Felder, Coleridge Tillman, Isaac Hayes, Samuel Gerongco, Robert Gerongco, Terence Lam

## Music video

* Music Video
* Lyric Video

"**Here**" is Alessia Cara's debut single. It's also the lead single and second track from her extended play (EP) *Four Pink Walls* (2015) and her debut album *Know-It-All* (2015). It was released on April 30, 2015 through Def Jam Recordings. Created around a sample of "Ike's Rap II" by Isaac Hayes from the album *Black Moses*, "Here" is about people who secretly hate parties. The song slowly gained popularity, and became Cara's first US *Billboard* Hot 100 chart entry debuting at number 95 for the week of August 22, 2015. It later became her first top five single on the chart and reached the top of the US Pop Songs chart after a historic 26-week climb. "Here" has charted in the top 40 in Australia, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. The official remix features American rapper Logic. The song was featured on the third season of the comedy-drama television series *Younger*.

## Background and composition

While working on her debut album in 2014, Cara attended a house party. She told NME, "Everyone seemed to know each other, but not me. It was sweaty, there was a guy and girl passed out with vomit all over her, people were just stepping over them." The party caused her so much discomfort that she called her mother asking to take her home. Cara discussed the party with co-writer Sebastian Kole who then came up with the first line of the song. Her record label, Def Jam, initially persuaded her to release another song that was more friendly for radio, but Cara pushed for the release of "Here" as she felt the other song would not have made her stand out from other singers.

"Here" samples "Ike's Rap II" by Isaac Hayes from the album *Black Moses*, which had also been sampled in Portishead's "Glory Box" and Tricky's "Hell Is Round the Corner". Oak Felder and Pop Wansel argued about wanting a Portishead or Hayes sample for the song, both unaware it was the same one.

## Lyrics

(I guess right now you've got the last laugh)

I'm sorry if I seem uninterested

Oh I'm not listenin', oh I'm indifferent

Truly I ain't got no business here

But since my friends are here, I just came to kick it

But really I would rather be at home all by myself

Not in this room with people who don't even care about my well being

I don't dance, don't ask, I don't need a boyfriend

So you can, go back, please enjoy your party

I'll be here, somewhere in the corner

Under clouds of marijuana with this boy who's hollerin'

And I can hardly hear

Over this music I don't listen to

And I don't wanna get with you

So tell my friends that I'll be over here

Oh oh oh here, oh oh oh here

Oh oh oh I asked myself, what am I doin' here?

Oh oh oh here, oh oh oh here

And I can't wait 'til we can break up out of here

Excuse me if I seem a little unimpressed with this

An antisocial pessimist, but usually I don't mess with this

And I know you mean only the best and your

Intentions aren't to bother me, but honestly I'd rather be

Somewhere with my people, we can kick it and just listen to

Some music with a message, (like we usually do)

And we'll discuss our big dreams, how we plan, to take over the planet

So pardon my manners, I hope you'll understand that I'll be here (ooh)

Not there in the kitchen

With the girl who's always gossipin' about her friends

Oh tell them I'll be here

(Ooh) right next to the boy who's throwin' up

'Cause he can't take what's in his cup no more

Oh God why am I here?

Oh oh oh here, oh oh oh here

Oh oh oh I asked myself, what am I doin' here?

Oh oh oh here, oh oh oh here

And I can't wait 'til we can break up out of here

Hours later congregatin' next to the refrigerator

Some girl's talkin' 'bout a hater, she ain't got none

How did it ever come to this? I should've never come to this

So holla at me, I'll be in the car when you're done

I'm stand-offish, don't want what you're offerin'

And I'm done talkin', awfully sad it had to be that way

So tell my people when they're ready that I'm ready

And I'm standin' by the TV with my beanie low

Yo I'll be over here

Oh oh oh here, oh oh oh here

Oh oh oh I asked myself, what am I doin' here?

Oh oh oh here, oh oh oh here

And I can't wait 'til we can break up out of here (oh oh, oh oh)

## Music video

An official lyric video of the song was released on her YouTube page on May 7, 2015. The official video was directed by Aaron A and was released on her YouTube page on May 26, 2015. The video uses the inspiration of how Cara wrote the song by having her at a party and being the only one moving while the party is frozen in time, while she's next to crowds of girls and guys drinking beer and gossiping.The visual effect of the frozen partygoers predated the viral Internet phenomenon [[Wikipedia:Mannequin Challenge]|Mannequin Challenge]].

## Critical reception

"Here" was met with critical acclaim by music critics, who praised the song's concept and lyrics. *Rolling Stone* ranked "Here" at number 21 on its year-end list of the 50 best songs of 2015. *Billboard* ranked "Here" at number six on its year-end list: "If Lorde's 'Royals' was a rallying cry for those who felt isolated by the rampart materialism in pop culture, then Alessia Cara's 'Here' is the anthem for those fed up with the glut of pop songs about partying and drinking. Thanks to the teenage R&B singer, being an introvert is finally cool again." The prestigious *Village Voice* voted "Here" the 18th-best single released in 2015 on their annual year-end critics' poll, Pazz & Jop; the song is tied with Courtney Barnett's "Depreston".

## Video

Alessia Cara - Here (Behind The Scenes)Alessia Cara - Here (Live Off The Floor)

## General information

### Songwriter(s)

Alessia Cara, Sebastian Kole, Andrew "Pop" Wansel, Warren "Oak" Felder, Samuel Gerongco, Robert Gerongco, Terence Lam, Isaac Hayes

### Producer(s)

Alessia Cara, Sebastian Kole,

"**Here (2:00 AM Version)**" is the eleventh track of the Target Deluxe Edition of Alessia Cara's debut studio album, *Know-It-All*. It was released on November 13, 2015 through Def Jam Recordings and Universal Music Group.

## Lyrics

I, I'm sorry if I seem uninterested

Or I'm not listenin', or I'm indifferent

Truly, I ain't got no business here

But, since my friends are here, I just came to kick it

But, really I would rather be at

Home all by myself, not in this room with people who don't even care about my well-being

I don't dance, don't ask, I don't need a boyfriend

So you can, go back, please enjoy your party

I'll be here

Somewhere in the corner, under

Clouds of marijuana, with this

Boy who's hollering, I can hardly hear

Over this music I don't listen to

And I don't wanna get with you

So tell my friends that I'll be over here

Oh-oh-oh here, oh-oh-oh here

Oh-oh-oh I ask myself, what am I doin' here?

Oh-oh-oh here, oh here

And I can't wait 'til we can break up out—

Excuse me if I seem a little unimpressed with this

An anti-social pessimist, but usually I don't mess with this

And I know you mean only the best

And your intentions aren't to bother me

But honestly I'd rather be

Somewhere with my people

We can kick it and just listen to

Some music with a message, like we usually do

And we'll discuss our big dreams

How we plan to take over the planet

So pardon my manners

I hope you'll understand that I'll be here

Not there in the kitchen with the

Girl who's always gossiping about her friends

So tell them I'll be here

Right next to the boy who's throwin' up

Cause he can't take what's in his cup no more

Oh God why am I here?

Oh-oh-oh here, oh-oh-oh here

Oh-oh-oh I ask myself, what am I doin' here?

Oh-oh-oh here, oh here

And I can't wait 'til we can break up out—

Hours later congregatin' next to the refrigerator

Some girl talkin' 'bout her haters, she ain't got none

How did it ever come to this? I shoulda never come to this

So holla at me, I'll be in the car when you're done

I'm stand-offish, don't want what you're offerin'

And I'm done talkin', awfully sad it had to be that way

So tell my people when they're ready that I'm ready

And I'm standin' by the TV with my beanie low

Yo, I'll be over here

Oh-oh-oh here, oh-oh-oh here

Oh-oh-oh I ask myself, what am I doin' here?

Oh-oh-oh here, oh here

And I can't wait 'til we can break up out of here

If you're ready then I'm ready, yeah

If you're ready then I'm ready, yeah, yeah

If you're ready then I'm ready, yeah, yeah

If you're ready then I'm ready, yeah, yeah

## Trivia

* When recording the song, Cara did not write down any lyrics. Instead she tried to memorize them as she recorded.

* It was the producer Pop who decided to sample the “I guess for now you’ve got the last laugh” in the beginning.

* As soon as the song was done, Cara played it for her mother and told her, “Mom, this is the song thats gonna make me somebody.” Because she had a gut feeling something big was going to happen. Her mom hated it at first.
* Alessia's mom's foot is in the music video.

* The 2AM version was recorded at 2:00 a.m. in Texas during October 2015.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.songfacts.com/facts/alessia-cara/here
2. ↑ Alessia Cara - Here
3. ↑ New Songs: Alessia Cara - Here
4. ↑ Every Introvert Needs To Hear This Song
5. ↑ Hot 100 Chart Moves: Drake Ties James Brown's Record
6. ↑ Radar New Act Of The Week – Alessia Cara Is Pop’s Latest Superstar In Waiting
7. ↑ Sebastian Kole Dishes on Writing for Jennifer Lopez, 'Grey's Anatomy' Success & New His New EP
8. ↑ Alessia Cara Speaks Up for the Outsiders on ‘Here’
9. ↑ Alessia Cara flips Portishead’s ‘Glory Box’
10. ↑ Interview with Oak Felder, Hit Writer/Producer for Alessia Cara, Demi Lovato, Nicki Minaj And Other Artists
11. ↑ Alessia Cara - Here (Lyric Video)
12. ↑ Alessia Cara Transcends a Party in the 'Here' Video
13. ↑ Alessia Cara - Here (Behind The Scenes)
14. ↑ 50 Best Songs of 2015
15. ↑ Billboard 25 Best Songs of 2015: Critics' Picks
16. ↑ Pazz & Jop Statistics
17. ↑ https://twitter.com/alessiacara/status/666026209101246465
18. ↑ https://alessiastumblah.tumblr.com/post/132474210972/amp?\_\_twitter\_impression=true
19. ↑ https://twitter.com/alessiacara/status/666026209101246465