Unshaken
| "Unshaken" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by D'Angelo | ||||
| from the album The Music of Red Dead Redemption 2: Original Soundtrack | ||||
| Released | January 4, 2019 | |||
| Genre | Neo soul | |||
| Length | 3:53 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Daniel Lanois | |||
| D'Angelo singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Unshaken" is a song by American singer-songwriter and musician D'Angelo. Produced by Daniel Lanois, it was written for the original soundtrack to the 2018 video game Red Dead Redemption 2. It was released as a digital single on January 4, 2019, through RCA Records. It was D'Angelo's first piece of new music released since his third studio album, Black Messiah, released in December 2014.
Background
Prior to the release of "Unshaken", the last piece of music that D'Angelo put out was his third studio album, Black Messiah, in December 2014, which acted as his first studio album in 14 years. In an interview with Rolling Stone published in June 2015, he revealed that he was working on a "companion piece" to Black Messiah.[1] Some time after the release of that album, D'Angelo discovered that Rockstar Games was developing a sequel to Red Dead Redemption (2010), a video game that he was a big fan of. He then became a playtester for Red Dead Redemption 2 and was impressed by it to the point where he was consistently playing it. Ivan Pavlovich, the director of music and audio at Rockstar, recalled that D'Angelo would come to Rockstar's office in New York City around midnight and be playing the game for several hours, adding that "each time he was just like, 'it’s incredible.' It just [blew] his mind. [...] I have never seen someone that excited." Due to his overwhelming enthusiasm, Rockstar's music team invited D'Angelo to perform on a song for the game's soundtrack.[2]
Composition
Chaz Kangas of KZGO called "Unshaken" a neo soul song,[3] while Jon Caramanica of The New York Times called it "lonely cowboy-western soul".[4] Musically, the song has been described as "meditative", featuring soft keyboards, low-key percussion, and a groove inspired by New Orleans rhythm and blues.[2] D'Angelo sings in his lowest vocal register on the track, with Ryan Reed of Rolling Stone describing the performance as D'Angelo "crooning bleak imagery over a percussive groove".[5] "Unshaken" blends different musical ideas that the songwriters previously came up with. The chorus was written in New Orleans and inspired by a Hindu proverb that songwriter Rocco DeLuca had on his phone. That was then combined with a different song the songwriters had in mind, which was a more rock-inspired song in a 6
8 time signature. Though D'Angelo enjoyed the latter idea, they failed to turn it into a proper, finished song, and eventually came up with "Unshaken".[2]
Release
"Unshaken" was originally only available for listening via gameplay in Red Dead Redemption 2.[2] It is played in the background while protagonist Arthur Morgan rides on a horse back to his camp at a pivotal moment in the game's story.[6] Bootleg versions of the audio were eventually uploaded to YouTube for listening outside of the gameplay.[2] The song's official release came on January 4, 2019, when it was uploaded onto digital platforms through RCA Records.[5][7] This marked D'Angelo's first release of original material since his third studio album, Black Messiah, released in December 2014.[5]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Unshaken" | 3:53 |
Personnel
Personnel adapted from Tidal.[7]
- D'Angelo – vocals, Rhodes piano,[2] writer, lyrics
- Brian Blade – drums
- Rocco DeLuca – writer, lyrics
- Daryl Johnson – percussion
- Daniel Lanois – guitar, writer, lyrics, producer, mixing engineer
- Cyril Neville – percussion
Charts
| Chart (2019) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US R&B Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[8] | 6 |
References
- ^ Hiatt, Brian (June 15, 2015). "The Second Coming of D'Angelo". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f Leight, Elias (December 18, 2018). "D'Angelo F-cking Loves Playing 'Red Dead Redemption 2'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
- ^ Kangas, Chad (October 30, 2018). "D'Angelo Snuck A New Song Into 'Red Dead Redemption 2'". KZGO. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
- ^ Caramanica, Jon; et al. (January 4, 2019). "The Playlist: D'Angelo's Cowboy Soul, and 9 More New Songs". The New York Times. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- ^ a b c Reed, Ryan (January 4, 2019). "Hear D'Angelo's Brooding 'Red Dead Redemption 2' Song 'Unshaken'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- ^ Nero, Dom (July 12, 2019). "How Red Dead Redemption 2 Found Its Sound—and That One Perfect D'Angelo Song". Esquire. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- ^ a b "Unshaken / D'Angelo". Tidal. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
- ^ "D'Angelo Chart History (R&B Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved April 21, 2020.