Music Structure and Composition
"Heard 'Em Say" is a mid-tempo hip-hop/R&B song. It is set in common time with a moderate tempo of 95 beats per minute and composed in the key of F major. The song begins with a medium tempo followed by its melody, a cascading piano medley provided by excerpts of "Someone That I Used To Love" as performed by Natalie Cole, laced over cluttered beats, warped bass and a slight mix of acoustic guitar. Its chords are arranged in the progression of F9-Bbma7-Bb6 Aaug-F. West raps two verses within the song, both followed by a refrain which he delivers in tandem with Levine. The lyrics of "Heard 'Em Say" are constructed in verse-chorus form with a brief bridge after the second chorus. As the composition enters its coda, it acquires new musical aspects, exhibiting xylophone flourishes, quivery synth riffs, and twinkling foreign bells before reaching its conclusion.
Lyrically, "Heard 'Em Say" is a "mournfully contemplative" song that "talks about being honest with yourself in a world that is not." The song is conceptually written from the perspective of an afflicted, impoverished American quietly lamenting the fallacies of society and questioning the ways of the world, swiftly touching on various social, economical, and religious issues along the way.
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