Released May 19, 2001 Genre R&B Label Arista | Recorded 2000-01 Length 4:27 | |
Format Cassette, CD single, 12" | ||
"U Remind Me" is a song by American entertainer Usher. It was written by Anita McCloud and Edmund Clement and produced by the latter along with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for Usher's third studio album 8701 (2001). A fast-paced mid-tempo R&B track, the song is about a man who meets a woman who seems like a nice catch, but he decides not to enter a relationship with her because she looks too much like an ex-girlfriend with whom he had a bad breakup.
Contents
The song served as the lead American single from 8701 following the release of previous single "Pop Ya Collar" which was only included in some editions of the album. A commercial success, "U Remind Me" topped the US Billboard Hot 100 on July 7, 2001 and also reached the top five in Australia, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Critically acclaimed, the song won Usher his first Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 2002. Its accompanying music video features Chilli of TLC as one the female leads.
Composition
"U Remind Me" is an R&B song written in the key of G♭ major, and is set in common time with a moderate tempo of 92 beats per minute. The song follows the chord progression of E♭m7-A♭m7-B♭m7, and the piano ranges from the low note of E♭2 to the high note of A♭5, while Usher's vocal range stretches from B♭2 to A♭5.
The song's lyrics are based on meeting a woman who reminds Usher of an ex-girlfriend, and therefore cannot date her.
Critical reception
James Poletti of Yahoo! Music noted the song as the best track on 8701, dubbing it the 2001 version of Craig David's "Fill Me In". Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine also chose it as a highlight from the album. In 2010, Boonsri Dickinson of AOL Radio ranked "U Remind Me" as Usher's ninth-best song. Website/YouTube channel Watchmojo.com ranked "U Remind Me" at number eight for Top 10 Usher Songs (http://watchmojo.com/video/id/14203/) (The list was ranked based on a combination of the artist's fan favorites and successful songs commercially).
"U Remind Me" gained Usher his first Grammy Award, winning the category of Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 44th annual ceremony. Other nominees for the award were Case's "Missing You", Maxwell's "Lifetime", Brian McKnight's "Love of My Life" and Musiq Soulchild's "Love".
Music video
The accompanying music video for the song was directed by Dave Meyers. The video features look-a-likes for singers Mýa, Brandy, and Tamia, while featuring the real Chili of TLC at the end to show the theme of the women reminding him of his past relationships. Chilli of TLC makes a cameo appearance in the video.