Childish Gambino sings on this sultry jam of his girlfriend with a caramel complexion. ("Redbone" is a term for a light-skinned black woman.) He begins the song by referencing the morning sex he isn't getting with her and on the hook warns her to "stay woke" (vigilant) if they are going to make the relationship work.
Though there are no actual samples, the melody pays homage to the 1976 Bootsy Collins track "I'd Rather Be With You." There are also similarities to bassist Jaco Pastorius' 1976 instrumental "Portrait Of Tracy," which is prominently sampled in SWV's "Rain" and Chingy and Tyrese's "Pullin' Me Back."
Did you think there was some vocal pitching by Gambino here? Turns out his singing on Awaken, My Love! was essentially untouched. "Actually, there wasn't a ton of vocal stuff done," Gambino insisted to Australia's Triple J Breakfast radio show. "I think people hear 'Redbone' and like, 'Oh, he pitched up his vocals.' And there was no vocal pitching on the album. I just sang differently."
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