"Lost in the World" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). The song features vocals by Justin Vernon of indie folk band Bon Iver, as well as sampling his 2009 song "Woods". It also contains portions of "Soul Makossa" written by Manu Dibango, and samples of "Comment No. 1", performed by Gil Scott-Heron. It was produced by West and Jeff Bhasker, who wrote the track with Vernon and Malik Jones. "Lost in the World" was initially leaked on September 29, 2010, and was 5 minutes and 55 seconds long. The version on the album was divided into two parts, with the outro becoming a new track entitled "Who Will Survive in America".
The song received critical acclaim, with praise for its atmospheric production, the appearance of Vernon, and West's verse. The verse by West was described as one of the most poetic of his career, with the song being cited as one of the strongest on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. "Lost in the World" was featured during the closing credits of Runaway, a 35-minute short film directed by West set with music from the album. The song peaked at number 104 on the South Korean Gaon Chart. A music video was directed by West and Ruth Hogben, featuring black and white cinematography, frantic dancing by models and a brief cameo by West. The music video received positive reviews from critics.
"Lost in the World" was sampled in a freestyle by West's GOOD Music labelmate Pusha T, and a remix produced by DJ Tiësto. West first performed the song live at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. He notably performed the song with Justin Vernon at both Coachella Festival and Glastonbury Festival. Additionally, the song was performed by West at the funeral of Gil Scott-Heron in 2011.
Background Kanye West initially wrote the verses of "Lost in the World" as a love poem emailed to American model Kim Kardashian, who he would later begin dating in 2012 and married in 2014. West previewed "Lost in the World" in July 2010 at the offices of Facebook.Dombal, Ryan (2010-11-21). Review: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on 2010-11-21. West performed production-free versions of several songs at the event, standing on top of a table. Rolling Stone writer Daniel Kreps, who reported the event, wrote "in an unorthodox move, Kanye West debuted verses from three new songs, a cappella for employees at Facebook's headquarters in Palo Alto, California." Before launching into a performance of "Lost in the World", West mused that "this is actually a bit more like a poem" and described it as more of a "serious rap". A version of the song leaked online on September 29, 2010; the version was unfinished, with a length of approximately 6 minutes. At this time, it was unknown whether or not the song would appear on West's upcoming fifth studio album. Later, in October 2010, it was confirmed that "Lost in the World" would indeed appear on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, but that the leaked version had subsequently been split into two different songs. The first part of the track remained titled "Lost in the World", while the end became another song, titled "Who Will Survive in America".
Recording
Following some media controversies, West chose to record My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in a reclusive manner in Oahu, Hawaii.Rodriguez, Jayson (2010-05-25). Kanye West's 'Power' Producer Explains How Song Happened. MTV. Viacom Retrieved on 2010-11-30. Like the majority of the album, "Lost in the World" was composed there.Columnist (2010-09-03). Kanye West Hiding Out in Milan! . Posh24. Retrieved on 2010-11-30. West attempted to shy away from working with artists he didn't consider himself familiar with; however, he made an exception for Justin Vernon, singer of the band Bon Iver.Callahan-Bever, Noah (2010-12-12). Kanye West: Project Runaway . Complex. Retrieved on 2010-11-30. Vernon's involvement in the project stemmed from a phone call by West. West had gotten into contact with Vernon and described his intention of sampling the song "Woods" from Bon Iver's Blood Bank EP. After the phone message, West invited Vernon down to his record studio in Hawaii to appear on the album.
West also cited the Bon Iver album For Emma, Forever Ago as something he was a fan of, and admitted an admiration of the unique aesthetic of Vernon's music. The two quickly became friends through discussions of music and games of basketball. While at Hawaii, Vernon collaborated extensively, reportedly producing a total of 10 tracks together, including the album cuts "Dark Fantasy" and "Monster". Vernon told Pitchfork Media about the composition of the song, stating:
"So I head out there and he plays me the track and it sounds exactly like how you want it to sound: forward moving, interesting, light-hearted, heavy-hearted, fucking incredible sounding jam. It was kind of bare so I added some choir-sounding stuff and then thicked out the samples with my voice. That whole first week I was there we worked on the 'Woods' song, which is called 'Lost in the World'. We were just eating breakfast and listening to the song on the speakers and he's like, 'Fuck, this is going to be the festival closer.' I was like, 'Yeah, cool.' It kind of freaked me out."
Vernon recorded his lines in a separate recording studio than most of the album. Vernon described the studio as a "tiny black room". He would record a line in the room, and then shortly later West would come in and play back what was recorded, and then discuss what needed to be changed. They repeated that process a few times until the song was finished. Vernon expressed a positive opinion of working with West, and though he called West demanding in some ways, he appreciated West's enthusiasm for music and the creativity produced by the recording sessions. The song was recorded around the death of Michael Jackson and the event had an effect on the recording crew of the song, and certain aspects of the song are influenced by personal events that affected West throughout the years. In an interview with MTV, West said that the song was going to be the last featured on the album, and commented that "emotionally it just fit the crescendo of everything that I was saying and what I wanted to say to this girl. And it's also my favorite eight bars that I've ever written in my life. I think it's one of the greatest pieces of writing."
Composition
"Lost in the World" is 4 minutes and 16 seconds long and has been described as a "moody meditation".Vozick-Levinson, Simon (2010-11-12). Review: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy . Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2010-11-12. It features tribal drums and samples Bon Iver's "Woods", a song originally written about alienation, applied by West "as the centerpiece of a catchy, communal reverie" on the album.JNJ (2010-08-29). New Music: Kanye West Samples Bon Iver, Gil Scott-Heron On “Lost In The World”. Neon Limelight. Retrieved on 2010-11-13.Cole, Matthew (2010-11-20). Review: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Slant Magazine. Retrieved on 2010-11-20. The song manipulates the original Bon Iver sample and incorporates influences from both house music, dance music, jersey club music with its two quarter note kicks, followed by two dotted eighth note kicks and then an eighth note, as well as adding tribal chants and percussion.Martin, Andrew (2010-11-24). Kanye West: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (New Album). Prefix Magazine. Retrieved on 2011-04-30.Grischow, Chad (2010-11-23). Kanye West: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy Review - Music Review at IGN . IGN. Retrieved on 2011-04-30. During the duration of the song, there are several distinct production changes. The song begins with faint vocals delivered by Vernon, which are reinforced by drums, gospel-styled chorus, an increased tempo, and a final measured tempo.Hermes, Will (2010-09-25). Lost in the World by Kanye West feat. Bon Iver and Gil Scott-Heron | Rolling Stone Music. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2011-05-02.Fennessey, Sean (2010-11-17). Review: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The Village Voice. Retrieved on 2010-11-17. The song continues to build at a slow pace, until a choir explodes into a bombastic roar, boasting the line "run from the lights."Weiner, Jonah (2010-11-12). Review: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Slate. Retrieved on 2011-01-29.Rodriguez, Jayson (2010-08-29). New Kanye West Track, 'Lost In The World,' Leaks Online. MTV News. Viacom Retrieved on 2011-05-02.
West delivers a short, 40 second verse, which appears over two and a half minutes into the song. West's verse contains an interpolation of the "Mama-say mama-sah ma-ma-coo-sah" hook from Michael Jackson's song "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'".Dombal, Ryan (2010-11-21). Review: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on 2010-11-21. The song features West's comment on his fans and his fame, with additional references to Jackson.Kot, Greg (2010-11-17). Review: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved on 2010-11-17. Embling of Tiny Mix Tapes viewed that the track points out a paralleled with West and Jackson, commenting:
"Life in the spotlight is perilous, and West knows that what happened to the King of Pop could just as easily happen to him. [...] A disembodied chorus urges West to 'run from the lights/ run for your life' on 'Lost in the World,' the record's frenzied penultimate track; but even as we listen, we know there's little chance that he'll leave the spotlight behind. West is telling us, over the course of 11 songs, that he's willing to die for our amusement, our respect."Embling (2010-11). Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy | Music Review . Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved on 2011-04-30.
"Lost in the World" transitions into the closing track "Who Will Survive in America".Amidon, David (2010-11-22). Review: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. PopMatters. Retrieved on 2010-11-22. The song ends with a very long sample of Gil Scott-Heron's "Comment No. 1", a speech which served as a comment on the 1960s Revolutionary Youth Movement for failing to recognize the more basic needs of the African-American community.Denney, Alex (2010-11-19). Review: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. NME. IPC Media Retrieved on 2010-11-22. It is edited to a smaller version on the track that, according to Chicago Tribune writer Greg Kot, "retains its essence, that of an African-American male who feels cut off from his country and culture". Ann Powers of Los Angeles Times described "Woods" as a "Wisconsin death trip that becomes a testimonial to rebirth through isolation" and noted a significant difference from "Lost in the World", commenting that the song was more about West's "exhausted cry of one who's always new in town, chasing whatever goal or girl is in the room, fueled by consumer culture's relentless buzz, but finally left unsatisfied."
Reception