Kanye West's new single - a heart-tugging tribute to his late mother - is a remarkable and unexpected collaboration with Paul McCartney. West reveals the song channeled his mother's spirit.
With McCartney's organ playing showing the way, "Only One" finds West singing from the perspective of his late mother who died in 2007, hearing her speak to him from beyond the grave. She tells him to "tell Nori about me," referring to North, his child with wife Kim Kardashian. She also offers some praise for her son, saying "the good outweighs the bad, even on your worst day," reports nme.com.
Kardashian reveals that "Only One" is her favorite song by her husband.
"Kanye felt like his mom was singing through him to our daughter," she said. "This song makes me cry every time I hear it."
The "Only One" is the first single from West's forthcoming solo album, and it is the first of several musical collaborations with McCartney to come.
In early 2014, McCartney and West first began working together in a small bungalow in Los Angeles. The process that would result in "Only One" began with a simple brainstorming session between the two: with McCartney improvising on the keyboards and West vocally sketching and shaping ideas in a stream-of-consciousness riff, according to Yahoo.com.
When they played back the recording afterward, something remarkable happened. West sat there with his family, holding his daughter North on his lap, and listened to his vocals, singing, "Hello, my only one . . . " And in that moment, not only could he not recall having sung those words, but he realized that perhaps the words had never really come from him.
In that instant, he understood his late mother, Dr. Donda West, who was also his mentor, confidante and best friend, had spoken through him that day.
"My mom was singing to me, and through me to my daughter," he said.
"Only One" is available in the iTunes music store in 119 countries exclusively for one week.
