Closed on Sunday
It was co-written by the producers with No Malice, Rennard East, Pusha T and Victory Elyse Boyd, and since the song samples work by Grupo Vocal Argentino, a songwriting credit was added for Chango Farías Gómez.
In October 2019, the song was performed by Kanye West and the Sunday Service Choir alongside a band on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
"[1] West and Timbaland were reported to be working together in Miami again during January 2019 for completion of the album, alongside rappers Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, and YNW Melly, among others.
[5] Vindver elaborated, saying that Miller "goes through the internet and record stores where he gets mp3s, vinyl and a lot of weird stuff," and found the Grupo Vocal Argentino sample when he was looking for Latin American music.
[4][5] West, Lopez, Miller, Vindver, No Malice, Rennard East, Pusha T, Timbaland, and Victory Elyse Boyd are also credited writers on the song.
[13][14] West places emphasis on the importance of Christian Sabbath and links it with "the end of imprisonment, slavery, and debt peonage," expressing the same point as Pope Benedict XVI.
[23][24] West and the Sunday Service Choir wore matching dark navy blue tops for the performance, despite the structure having a white appearance.
[21][22] Michael Saponara from Billboard called the performance a "heavenly set" that West was joined by the Sunday Service Choir and a brass section for the completion of, while analysing the "matching dark navy blue tops" worn by everyone as what "bounced off the structure's white appearance.
"[21] Robin Bacior of Consequence said that West and the Sunday Service Choir "bounced through the rumbling tune, their interlocked voices carrying the song.
"[22] Complex's Brian Josephs called the performance "joyous," while Chris Stack from Dancing Astronaut described the instrument spin as being "encompassed by a beautiful open space to the produced track.
'"[30] Forbes ranked the song as the second worst track of 2019, with Bryan Rolli calling it "a dour, preachy ballad anchored by melodramatic acoustic guitar arpeggios and ham-fisted lyrics about waging spiritual warfare.
[15] Writing for The Independent, Roisin O'Connor stated that the "biblical terminology" of the song "reminds you of the preachers on street corners shouting at passers-by that they're going to hell – you feel uncomfortable and vaguely embarrassed on their behalf.
"[32] The Guardian writer Dean Van Nguyen branded West's suggestion of "turning off Instagram to spend more time praying with family" within the song as "a statement that would spark significant eye-rolling from kid worshippers if they heard it coming from the church pulpit.
"[33] In Spectrum Culture, Daniel Bromfield noted the song for being the only time on the album where "the trollish Trump energy that defined Kanye's Wyoming work creeps in.
Aidy James Stevens from God Is in the TV was somewhat mixed, calling the song "a darker, brooding afair akin" to Yeezus, though he stated that the Chick-fil-A line "really made me consider my position" as a fan of West and concluded by labeling the lyric "a bit of a dampener on what is otherwise a callback to some of Ye's greatest work.
"[35] NME's Jordan Bassett wrote that the referencing of Chick-fil-A "will draw jokey headlines," despite admitting the song's message "is actually quite humble and grounding.
"[17] Will Rosebury was most enthusiastic in Clash, citing the song as one of the best tracks on Jesus Is King and writing that it manages "to thematically balance out, as Kanye discusses his life within the context of his new found faith.
[38][39] Prior to filming it in Cody, West had shot the video for previous Jesus Is King single "Follow God" in the city, which was released in November 2019.
[40] The music video is dimly lit and centered around family, beginning with Kanye and Kardashian cuddling with their children; North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm West, who are sleeping.
[20][41] Kardashian also has her eyes closed and Kanye West appears to be keeping watch, with the couple and their children being sat in the cleft of a rock formation, which is on a hill.
[40][43] The music video concludes with a close-up shot of North West screaming "Chick-fil-A," differentiating from the original version of the song where the line is performed by her father.
[13] American fast food restaurant chain Burger King tweeted "open on sunday" on October 25, 2019, indicating shade towards West and Chick-fil-A.
[65] West collaborator Consequence freestyled his version of the song under the title of "Cons On Sunday (Remix)" on February 11, 2020, sampling the original's guitar over more urgent percussion.
