I Wonder (Kanye West song)

Composed by West as a variation of "City of Blinding Lights" by his tourmates, the Irish rock band U2, he set it to focus on the concerns of university graduates.

[2][3][4][5] After witnessing Irish rock band U2 perform "City of Blinding Lights" as he joined them on their Vertigo Tour from 2005 to 2006, he sought out to compose rap songs that could operate similarly in live venues.

[12] Throughout the album, West reconditioned his lines to be more simple, direct, and autobiographical in order to make them more accessible to listeners and appeal to the widest audience possible.

West relied less on his signature shuffling rhythmic patterns and placed more emphasis on clipped electro tones, strengthening the musicality of his programmed beats.

[45] Jesal Padania for RapReviews declared that the song's lyricism loosely shows West's miscommunication with many people, while its "buzz-lines and Shakespearian open text" attract listeners: "Do you even remember what the issue is?

[46] West first performed "I Wonder" live during a secret show with Barbadian singer Rihanna at the Methodist Central Hall in the City of Westminster on August 20, 2007.

[49] "I Wonder" was one of the tracks that West played during a listening session for Graduation at the New World Stages in Manhattan, New York on August 28, 2007, accompanied by a video clip.

In 2017, CraveOnline ranked "I Wonder" as one of West's 15 best songs and the staff felt surprised in the level of inspiration and motivation from "such a chopped off, aggressive flow," assuring it would "give you goose bumps".

[17] In a review of Graduation, Greg Kot, a music critic for Chicago Tribune, stated that "I Wonder" served to bring West's early soul productions to the level of stadium rap.

[53] Writing for the Los Angeles Times, Ann Powers was intrigued by West's performance, saying that he approaches the soulful sample "like a punching bag" and the staccato delivery undermines his "Don Juan come-ons".

[54] Calling "I Wonder" a "stomping synth-soul track", the Chicago Reader writer Miles Raymer voiced his appreciation for West's songwriting progression that he blends with the sample.

[36] Rolling Stone music journalist Nathan Brackett opined that the "off-kilter, dreamlike" song demonstrates West's growth as a songwriter, even though he would never be equivalent to his mentor, Jay-Z.

[29] In a negative review, Nick Marx from Tiny Mix Tapes offered that "critics of Kanye's staggered half-rhymes will find ample fodder here," while identifying the synths resembling the Neptunes as the lowest point.

[58] Jake Boyer of Highsnobiety declared West's showcases of his lyricism as failing to create "the memorable slow-ballad" that "I Wonder" heavily attempts to be, finalizing that "things just aren't clicking into place" with the track and faulting its placement on the album in between two of the strongest pop-leaning singles.

[65] West performed "I Wonder" twice at his Methodist Central Hall secret show in August 2007, sponsored by Vodafone and Sony Mobile's series of one-off gigs across the UK.

The first performance opened the show and West arrived late, wearing grey tracksuit bottoms, a black jacket, sun shades, and white trainers.

[47] West performed the track to open his charity foundation's benefit concert promoting and raising funds for higher education at Chicago's House of Blues on August 24, 2007, conducting his 16-piece band.

[66] One of the initiatives funded by the concert was the Loops Dreams Teacher Training Institute, which encourages the incorporation of hip hop into the Chicago Public Schools curriculum.

He eventually restarted "I Wonder" and played a few chords on an upright piano at one point, an arrangement that Kot considered to feel under-rehearsed and "not as fully realized as [the] recorded version.

"[66] West included the track as the second number in the set list for his Glow in the Dark Tour, which began on April 16, 2008, at the KeyArena in Seattle, Washington.

[69][70] The song was performed by West during his 90-minute headlining set for the annual dance music festival Global Gathering at Long Marston Airfield near Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, on July 25, 2008.

[75][76][77] On January 6, 2019, West's then-wife Kim Kardashian shared rehearsal footage of his gospel group the Sunday Service Choir performing the song to her Instagram Stories.

[80] In October 2009, Nabil Elderkin published his book Glow in the Dark, which focuses on West's tour of the same name, with a bonus CD including a live instrumental of the track.

[82] On February 6, 2017, fellow rapper Big Sean, who was mentored and signed to GOOD Music by West, covered the song on BBC Radio 1Xtra's Live Lounge for the 10-year anniversary of Graduation and the lead-up to his fourth album, I Decided.

"I Wonder" inspired Raury to write his first verse to the song at 14 years old, which convinced Justice Baiden to be his manager as he continuously rapped over the instrument, with its impact remaining across his career.

[87][88] During an interview with Big Boy for Los Angeles radio station Power 106 in September 2013, the Canadian musician Drake was asked to list songs and verses from other artists of any genres that he wishes he had recorded, naming "I Wonder" as an example.

[89] In a 2017 piece for the 10th anniversary of Graduation, Billboard's Carl Lamarre acknowledged that West outselling fellow rapper 50 Cent's Curtis moved hip hop away from gangsta rap.

Billboard spoke to rappers on the anniversary, including Kyle, who recalled that the song "put me in a vibe" that wasn't possible to repiclate when he was drunk under the stars of the sky.

[90] Vic Mensa imparted that the song was his favorite from the album and he had listened to it before high school football games, remembering often doing so despite a lack of memory from "smoking a lot of dope [at] 12".

[90] After Drake and West's benefit concert for Larry Hoover's jail funds in September 2022, the musician captioned an Instagram post with lyrics from the song.