That same year, the song reached number 18 on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, and has since been certified gold in the US by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

[1] Outside of his feature on the song, Mr Hudson helped write and produce fellow 808s & Heartbreak tracks "Say You Will" and "Street Lights".

[2] The musician subsequently released his debut studio album Straight No Chaser under GOOD Music in October 2009, with West contributing vocals on the single "Supernova".

[5] They went on to form a duo under the name of Kids See Ghosts, releasing their eponymous debut studio album on June 8, 2018.

[1][8] They were sampled and reprogrammed into West's Roland TR-808 drum machine at the studio, which recording engineer Anthony Kilhoffer explained was responsible for the song's "unique sounds".[8].

[9] Musically, "Paranoid" is an upbeat new wave song that runs for a duration of four minutes and thirty-seven seconds, and includes an electronic sound throughout.

[1][9][10][11] Its instrumentation has synth-pop elements, nodding towards influences such as English musician Phil Collins and pop rock band Tears for Fears.

[1][17][18] Throughout the song, West sings about being in a serious relationship with a lady that pushes him away with her mistrustful thinking, whom he believes "worries about the wrong things".

[27] Another remix featuring Barbadian singer Rihanna had been recorded in the fall of 2008 and was supposed to be released to US mainstream radio stations on January 27, 2009, as the third single from 808s & Heartbreak.

[31] Isaac Shur, writing for WRBB 104.9 FM, commented that there is "remnants of [West's 2007 album] Graduation's more upbeat, dancey vibe on 'Paranoid,' demonstrating that 808s isn't a one trick pony of emotional ballads".

[33] For Slant Magazine, Wilson McBee chronicled that the song is "a disco-tinged track brighter than anything else on the album" and thought it "begs for a pulsating bassline", while pinpointing Mr Hudson's chorus as the main reason behind the success.

[34] Ally Brown of The Skinny described the song as what "has an irresistible playful synth-line and reassuring chorus hook courtesy of Mr Hudson".

At NME, Jaimie Hodgson assumed that the song fails to distract from its "flaky" hook and "backpack-rap-style" beat via "Frenchie-coffee-table-lektro blips".

[14] Charles Aaron from Spin described it as where "you're left anxiously conflicted, with the weird sensation that you've somehow stumbled onto a boys-only Kanye karaoke party, where he's trashed on Baileys and inexplicably crooning the Ne-Yo songbook".

[36] Andy Kellman of AllMusic complained that the song's "relative pep" offers "no respite", noting the "bitter lyrics" undermine "a boisterous beat".

In terms of visuals, Elderkin had originally wanted to design the video in an artistic style reminiscent to that of A Clockwork Orange, but West subsequently opted for an abstracted noir concept instead.

[37] The music video's premise is rooted in fantasy, centering around Rihanna's paranoid state of mind causing her to experience a surrealistic dream sequence.

[59] Instead, it was issued as the twelfth and final performance on the DVD of West's second live album VH1 Storytellers on January 5, 2010, being included as a bonus number.

[59][60][61] While showcasing artists signed onto his GOOD Music imprint for South by Southwest (SXSW) at the Levi's/Fader Fort on March 21, 2009, West performed the song with Kid Cudi and Mr Hudson.

[18] During West's headlining set for the 2009 Wireless Festival at Hyde Park in London, he performed the song while rocking his customary aviator shades and black suit jacket.

[64][65] For West's two night concert of 808s & Heartbreak in full at the 2015 Hollywood Bowl in September, he performed the track with Mr Hudson and Kid Cudi as the set's sixth number.

[77][78] Following West's interruption of the band's showcase on October 23, 2010, they admitted he lacked awareness of the cover while being hopeful to collaborate with him on another version of the song.

[79][80] Prior to the performance, Uchis opened up about how she loves the song and West's older work in general, especially 808s & Heartbreak due to the heavy inspiration taken from it making her think covering "Paranoid" was sensical.

[80] She also announced herself as being a large fan of Kid Cudi's work, admitting to "just love all of the musicality of it and [...] how he was, like, trying to do something different with his voice and everything in it", specializing "the heart" in the song.

[79][80] Uchis started her performance 17 minutes and 20 seconds into the session, adding her signature sound and a soulful style to the song.