U Remind Me

"U Remind Me" is a song by American singer Usher. It was written by Edmund "Eddie Hustle" Clement and Anita McCloud and produced by Clement for Usher's third studio album 8701 (2001). A 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.

This article is about the song by Usher. For the song by Mary J. Blige, see You Remind Me. For the song by Nickelback, see How You Remind Me.

"U Remind Me"
Single by Usher
from the album 8701
B-side
  • "I Don't Know"
  • "TTP"
ReleasedMay 22, 2001 (2001-05-22)
StudioTree Sound (Norcross, Georgia, US)
GenreR&B
Length4:27
LabelArista
Songwriter(s)
  • Anita McCloud
  • Edmund Clement
Producer(s)
Usher singles chronology
"Pop Ya Collar"
(2000)		 "U Remind Me"
(2001)		 "U Got It Bad"
(2001)
Music video
"U Remind Me" on YouTube
Audio sample
"U Remind Me"
  • file
  • help

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. "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. 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 of the female leads.

Composition

"U Remind Me" is a contemporary R&B song[1] 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.[2]

The song's lyrics are based on meeting a woman who reminds Usher of an ex-girlfriend, and therefore cannot date her.[3][4]

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".[1] Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine also chose it as a highlight from the album.[5] In 2010, Boonsri Dickinson of AOL Radio ranked "U Remind Me" as Usher's ninth-best song.[4] In 2016, Complex ranked the song number six on their list of the 25 greatest Usher songs,[6] and in 2021, American Songwriter ranked the song number seven on their list of the 10 greatest Usher songs.[7]

"U Remind Me" gained Usher his first Grammy Award, winning the category of Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 44th annual ceremony.[8] 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".[9]

Music video

The accompanying music video for the song was directed by Dave Meyers.[10] The video features look-a-likes for singers Mýa, Brandy, and Tamia, while featuring the real Chilli of TLC at the end to show the theme of the women reminding him of his past relationships.[3] The video was filmed in April 2001.

Track listings

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the European CD single liner notes.[14]

Studio

Personnel

  • Anita McCloud – writing
  • Edmund "Eddie Hustle" Clement – writing (as Edmund Clement), production
  • Usher – vocals
  • Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis – production
  • John Frye – recording
  • Mark Rains – recording, Pro Tools
  • Warren Bletcher – recording assistant
  • Brad Todd – recording assistant
  • Kevin "KD" Davis – mixing
  • Steve Baughman – mixing assistant
  • Gravillis Inc. – art direction
  • DL Warfield – art direction
  • Courtney Walter – artwork design
  • Christian Lantry – photography
  • Eric Archibald – styling

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[61] 2× Platinum 140,000double-dagger
Belgium (BEA)[62] Gold 25,000*
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[63] Gold 45,000double-dagger
New Zealand (RMNZ)[64] Gold 5,000*
Sweden (GLF)[65] Gold 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[66] Platinum 600,000double-dagger

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
double-dagger Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref(s).
United States May 22, 2001
Arista [67]
June 19, 2001
  • CD
  • 12-inch vinyl
 [68]
United Kingdom June 25, 2001
  • CD
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • cassette
[69][70]
Australia July 30, 2001 CD Arista [71]

See also

References
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  2. "U Remind Me". Musicnotes.com. Windswept Holdings, LLC. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  3. "Usher : U Remind Me". NME. IPC Media. June 22, 2001. Archived from the original on October 17, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  4. Dickinson, Boonsri (2010). "Top 10 Usher Songs". AOL Radio. AOL. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  5. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "8701 - Usher". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  6. "The 25 Best Usher Songs". Complex. October 14, 2016. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  7. Uitti, Jacob (December 18, 2021). "Top 10 Usher Songs". American Songwriter. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  8. "Usher's Spring/Summer Tour Evolves". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  9. "Complete List Of Grammy Nominees". Los Angeles: CBS News. CBS Corporation. January 4, 2002. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  10. "Usher - U Remind Me". MTV. Retrieved November 28, 2010.
  11. U Remind Me (US CD single liner notes). Usher. Arista Records. 2001. 07822-13992-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. U Remind Me (US 12-inch single vinyl disc). Usher. Arista Records. 2001. 07822-15024-1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. U Remind Me (US 12-inch single vinyl disc). Usher. Arista Records. 2001. 07822-15038-1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. U Remind Me (European CD single liner notes). Usher. Arista Records, BMG. 2001. 74321 85876 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. U Remind Me (UK cassette single sleeve). Usher. Arista Records, BMG. 2001. 74321 86338 4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. "Usher – U Remind Me". Matt's CD Singles. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  17. U Remind Me (UK CD single liner notes). Usher. Arista Records, BMG. 2001. 74321 86338 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. U Remind Me (UK 12-inch single sleeve). Usher. Arista Records, BMG. 2001. 74321 86338 1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. U Remind Me (Australian CD single liner notes). Usher. Arista Records. 2001. 74321 85877 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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