My Boo (Usher and Alicia Keys Song) - Background and Composition

Background and Composition

Usher and Alicia Keys had previously collaborated with the remix of Keys' 2004 single "If I Ain't Got You", which was released in the United Kingdom. During the production of Usher's fourth studio album, Confessions, they thought for various female singers to pair him with on the song. Usher and Kortney Kaycee Leveringston's rare demo version can be found floating on the internet. Although it was and still is widely believed that it was her sister Beyoncé. However, Jermaine Dupri, who co-wrote the song including Usher's number-one hits "Yeah!", "Burn", and "Confessions Part II", felt that he had established good relationship with Keys since she had worked with him and Usher.

The song is written from the perspectives of Keys and Usher, who play the role of a couple who have had relationship in the past. For him, Usher and Keys "talk about how they used to be in love and how those feelings are still lingering despite the two not being involved anymore." For Keys, "The song is talking about the first person you ever really had feelings for. Even though you move on and meet new people, you always remember that first person."

"My Boo" is a hip hop-tinged R&B song with a mid-tempo melody. It is composed in the key of D minor, in common time. The lyrics are constructed in verse-chorus-chorus form. Usher starts the intro, and Keys followed her rap-intro, with background vocals from Usher. He proceeds to the first verse and chorus, leading to Keys singing another chorus, altering some of the lyrics of the original chorus to create a dialogue. Keys sings the second verse and Usher for the chorus, with background vocals from Keys. Keys repeats her version for the chorus. The song breaks with Usher and Keys singing "My oh, My oh, My oh, My oh, My Boo", one after the other. Usher repeats the chorus again, and they sing the intro of Keys.