See You Again
2015 single by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"See You Again" is a song by American rapper Wiz Khalifa featuring American singer-songwriter Charlie Puth. Produced by Puth, DJ Frank E and Andrew Cedar, who also co-wrote the song with Khalifa, the song was commissioned for the soundtrack of the 2015 film Furious 7 as a tribute to Fast & Furious actor Paul Walker, who died in a single-vehicle crash on November 30, 2013. The song was released on March 10, 2015, as the soundtrack's lead single. It was later included as a bonus track on the international release of Puth's debut album, Nine Track Mind (2016).
| "See You Again" | ||||
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| Single by Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth | ||||
| from the album Furious 7: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | ||||
| Released | March 10, 2015 | |||
| Recorded | 2014 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:50[1] | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) |
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| Wiz Khalifa singles chronology | ||||
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| Charlie Puth singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "See You Again" on YouTube | ||||
"See You Again" became both artists' biggest single to date. It spent 12 non-consecutive weeks atop the US Billboard Hot 100, tying with Eminem's "Lose Yourself" for the second longest-running rap number-one single in the country behind Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road", and topped the UK Singles Chart for two consecutive weeks.[2] It also reached number one in several other countries including Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand and Switzerland. The song held the record for the most-streamed track in a single day on Spotify in the United States, until it was surpassed by One Direction's "Drag Me Down".[3] It set the record for most streams in a single week worldwide, and in the United Kingdom also in a single week.
The music video was the most-viewed video on YouTube from July 10 to August 4, 2017. "See You Again" received three nominations at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards: Song of the Year, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Song Written for Visual Media. It was also shortlisted for the Song of the Year for the BBC Music Awards and was nominated for Best Original Song at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards.[4] "See You Again" was the best selling-song of 2015 worldwide, with combined sales and track-equivalent streams of 20.9 million units according to IFPI.[5] It is certified Diamond by the RIAA,[6] and is one of the most-streamed songs on Spotify ever, with over 2.1 billion streams.[7]
Writing and development
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Chris Brown (left) and Eminem (right) were two of the artists originally enlisted to perform the song.
"See You Again" was written by DJ Frank E, Charlie Puth, Wiz Khalifa, and Andrew Cedar. It was produced by DJ Frank E, Charlie Puth, and Andrew Cedar,[8] with mixing provided by Manny Marroquin. Frank E and Puth were approached by their publishing company, Artist Publishing Group, to develop a melody that could pay tribute to actor Paul Walker for the film Furious 7 (2015); Artist Publishing Group then set up a first-time studio session for Puth with DJ Frank E at a studio in Los Angeles.[9]
Puth, talking about the first studio session for the song, said that when he went to the studio "[the producers] were working on this song" and it already had the "See You Again" chords, but it was a "synthy" production for a "dance song", and he later suggested the idea of the song being a piano ballad instead.[10] Puth said that he became emotionally attached while writing the lyrics of the track, recalling Vail Cerullo, a friend of Puth's from his time at Berklee College of Music, who died in a motorcycle accident in 2012.[11][12] Puth and DJ Frank E's output from the session was well received by Furious 7 filmmakers, Universal Pictures, and Atlantic. As a result, the track was further commissioned to include rapped verses based on the subject of family, combined with Puth's vocals and a piano melody. The song then went through an extensive note-giving and production process.[13] Before choosing Wiz Khalifa's version, several other rappers were offered to record the rapped parts of the song, including Eminem, 50 Cent and Tyga.[14][15][16] Puth said that he was initially reluctant to let the film's soundtrack label, Atlantic Records, choose his vocals for the song. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Puth recalled, "It just seemed to occur from out of nowhere. And basically 10 minutes later Justin (Franks [DJ Frank E]) and I wrote it, we sent it off, and I thought we'd never hear about it again".[13] Puth revealed on The Howard Stern Show that Atlantic originally wanted to get a more established singer to sing his part, having Chris Brown, Sam Smith, Jason Derulo and others recording their own versions of the song's chorus. Puth stated that also British singer Adele "wanted to cut it". According to Puth, "none of the vocals had the [right] feeling ... What I was singing about specifically, you just couldn't hear it in their voice. I think Chris Brown got the closest to it, but they ended up, lucky me, going with my vocal".[10][17]
The song was chosen to be played at the end of the film. After Brian O'Conner's retirement send-off, the song can be heard as Brian and Dominic Toretto drive on a mountain road, parting ways as they reach a fork.[13]
Composition
"See You Again" is a hip-hop and pop-rap ballad.[18][19][20] It is written in the key of B♭ major with a time signature of 4
4, and has a tempo of 80 beats per minute (andante/andantino).[21] The chorus of the song has 180 background vocal layers.[22]
Commercial performance
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North America
In the United States, "See You Again" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts dated March 19, 2015, at number 100 and number 29 respectively, with first-week sales of 25,000 copies.[23][24] On the chart issued for April 18, 2015, the song climbed from number 84 to number ten on the Billboard Hot 100, selling 168,000 copies as the chart's "Digital Gainer" that week. Its climb into the top ten was the chart's biggest since Katy Perry's "Roar" (2013).[25] In its fifth week, "See You Again" sold 464,000 copies and rose from number ten to number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The song marked Khalifa's second number one on the chart, following "Black and Yellow" (2011), and Puth's first.[26] It topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 12 non-consecutive weeks. After its 12th week it was finally knocked off the top spot by Omi's hit, "Cheerleader". It is one of 33 songs to reach number one for at least 10 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100.[27][28][29] The song also topped the Mainstream Top 40 and Rhythmic charts for four weeks and three weeks respectively.[28][30][31] The song also topped Hot Rap Songs and Hot R&B Hip Hip Songs for 14 weeks each. As of July 7, 2016, "See You Again" has sold a total of 4,122,938 copies in the United States.[32]
The song holds the record for the most-streamed track in a single day on Spotify in the United States. It set the record for most streams in a single week worldwide during April 6 to April 12 (streamed 21.9 million times), and in the United Kingdom in a single week (streamed 3.72 million times from April 20 to April 26, 2015), which was broken by Justin Bieber's "What Do You Mean?" (streamed 3.87 million times from September 17 to September 23, 2015).[33][34][35]
Europe and Oceania
"See You Again" debuted at number 22 on the UK Singles Chart issued for April 12, 2015, on streaming alone. It registered 1.8 million streams in the United Kingdom that week.[36] Following its digital release, the song climbed to number one on the chart dated April 19, 2015. It sold 193,000 units that week, becoming the fastest-selling single in the United Kingdom of 2015. The song also broke the streaming record in the United Kingdom that week with a total of 3.68 million streams that week. It marked Khalifa's second number one on the chart—following his feature on Maroon 5's "Payphone" (2012)—and Puth's first.[37] "See You Again" sold 142,000 units during its first week at number one, and broke its own streaming record with 3.72 million streams that week.[35] Omi's "Cheerleader" replaced "See You Again" at number one the following week, selling approximately 1,000 units more than "See You Again" at number two.[38]
In New Zealand, "See You Again" debuted at number 34 on the New Zealand Singles Chart dated March 30, 2015.[39] It topped the chart in its third week, becoming Khalifa and Puth's first number one single in the country.[40] In Australia, "See You Again" rose from number 59 to number one on the Australian Singles Chart issued for April 11, 2015, marking Khalifa and Puth's first number one hit on the chart. The song's climb to number one was the largest in Australian Singles Chart history.[41]
Music video
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The music video for "See You Again" was directed by Marc Klasfeld.[42] It was uploaded to YouTube on April 6, 2015.[43]
Background
The "See You Again" music video was the most-viewed video on YouTube from July 10 to August 4, 2017,[44][45] and the most-liked video on the site from August 27, 2016, to July 25, 2017.[46] As of April 27, 2025, it has received over 6.6 billion views and over 44.9 million likes, making it the site's sixth most-viewed and fifth most-liked video.[43][47] It was the second video ever to record two billion[48] and three billion views,[49] the third video ever to reach four billion views[50] and the fourth video ever to reach five billion views.[51]
Synopsis
The video begins with a shot of a cliff top at sunset, followed by Khalifa walking down a highway road. Puth is then shown singing the chorus whilst sitting at, and playing, a piano located between two cars. Khalifa's rap verses and Puth singing the second chorus and bridge are interspersed with footage from Furious 7. After the bridge, the final movie scene shows Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and Brian O'Conner (Cody Walker, filling in for his brother, Paul) driving together, pulled over in their cars and smiling at each other one last time before driving away on separate roads into the sunset. After the camera pans up into the sky, the screen turns white, the words "For Paul" appear on screen and the video ends.
Reception
The video was the most viewed video on YouTube from July 10, 2017, when it surpassed "Gangnam Style" by Psy,[44] to August 4 of that year, when it was surpassed by "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee.[45] The video was nominated for Best Hip-Hop Video and Best Collaboration at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, but lost both.[52] On August 27, 2016, the music video surpassed "Gangnam Style" as YouTube's most liked video of all time, after "Gangnam Style" held the record for almost 4 years.[46]
Live performances
Khalifa and Puth performed "See You Again" live on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in March 2015 and on an episode of Saturday Night Live in May 2015.[53] Diesel also performed the song live as a tribute to Paul Walker during the 2015 MTV Movie Awards.[54] Khalifa and Puth reprised the song in a performance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in April 2015.[55] Khalifa and Puth also performed the song at the 2016 Kids' Choice Awards.[56]
On January 31, 2020, Khalifa and Puth performed "See You Again" live during halftime of a Portland Trail Blazers-Los Angeles Lakers game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, as a tribute to Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven other victims of the Calabasas helicopter crash.[57] On January 15, 2024, Puth and The War and Treaty performed "See You Again" along with "I'll Be There for You" at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards, during the In Memoriam segment.[58][59]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | American Music Awards | Song of the Year | Nominated |
| Collaboration of the Year | |||
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | Song – Feature Film | Won | |
| MTV Video Music Awards | Best Hip-Hop Video | Nominated | |
| Best Collaboration | |||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice R&B/Hip-Hop Song | Won | |
| Choice Collaboration | Nominated | ||
| Choice Song from a Movie or TV Show | Won | ||
| Hollywood Film Awards | Hollywood Song Award[60] | ||
| BBC Music Awards | Song of the Year[61] | Nominated | |
| 2016 | Grammy Awards | Song of the Year | |
| Best Pop Duo/Group Performance | |||
| Best Song Written for Visual Media | |||
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | Best Song | Won | |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Original Song | Nominated | |
| Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Collaboration | Won | |
| Black Reel Awards | Best Original or Adapted Song | Won | |
| iHeartRadio Music Awards | Best Lyrics | Nominated | |
| Best Collaboration | |||
| Best Song from a Movie | |||
| ASCAP Pop Music Awards | Most Performed Songs[62] | Won |
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "See You Again (Extended)" (featuring Charlie Puth) | 5:48 |
Credits and personnel
- Andrew Cedar – songwriter, producer
- DJ Frank E (Justin Franks) – songwriter, producer
- Charlie Puth – songwriter, vocals, producer
- Brian Tyler – string arranger, conductor
- Wiz Khalifa (Cameron Thomaz) – songwriter, vocals
- Annie & Chloe – edited version, vocals, producers
Credits adapted from Soundtrack.Net[63] and AllMusic[64]
Charts
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Weekly charts |
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
All-time charts
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Certifications
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| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[162] | 7× Platinum | 490,000‡ |
| Austria (IFPI Austria)[163] | 2× Platinum | 60,000‡ |
| Belgium (BRMA)[164] | 2× Platinum | 40,000‡ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[165] | Diamond | 800,000‡ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[166] | 3× Platinum | 180,000^ |
| France (SNEP)[167] | Gold | 75,000* |
| Germany (BVMI)[168] | Diamond | 1,000,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI)[169] | 5× Platinum | 250,000‡ |
| Japan (RIAJ)[170] | Platinum | 250,000* |
| Mexico (AMPROFON)[171] | Platinum | 60,000* |
| Netherlands (NVPI)[172] | Platinum | 30,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[173] | 5× Platinum | 150,000‡ |
| Norway (IFPI Norway)[174] | 5× Platinum | 200,000‡ |
| Poland (ZPAV)[175] | 4× Platinum | 200,000‡ |
| Portugal (AFP)[176] | Platinum | 20,000‡ |
| South Korea | — | 2,500,000[177] |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[178] | 2× Platinum | 80,000‡ |
| Sweden (GLF)[179] | 3× Platinum | 120,000‡ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[180] | 2× Platinum | 60,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[181] | 4× Platinum | 2,400,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[182] | 14× Platinum | 14,000,000‡ |
| Streaming | ||
| Japan (RIAJ)[183] | Platinum | 100,000,000† |
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* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
| Country | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | March 10, 2015 | Digital download | Atlantic | [184] |
| Worldwide | April 3, 2015 | [33] | ||
| United States | April 7, 2015 | Contemporary hit radio | [185] | |
| United Kingdom | April 12, 2015 | Digital download | [33] |
See also
- List of best-selling singles
- List of Airplay 100 number ones of the 2010s
- List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 2015
- List of number-one digital songs of 2015 (U.S.)
- List of number-one R&B/hip-hop songs of 2015 (U.S.)
- List of Billboard Mainstream Top 40 number-one songs of 2015
- List of Billboard Rhythmic number-one songs of the 2010s
- List of Hot 100 Airplay number-one singles of the 2010s
- List of number-one singles of 2015 (Australia)
- List of number-one digital tracks of 2015 (Australia)
- List of number-one streaming tracks of 2015 (Australia)
- List of number-one urban singles of 2015 (Australia)
- List of number-one hits of 2015 (Austria)
- List of Ultratop 50 Flanders number-one singles of 2015
- List of Canadian Hot 100 number-one singles of 2015
- List of number-one hits of 2015 (Denmark)
- List of number-one singles of 2015 (Finland)
- List of number-one hits of 2015 (Germany)
- List of number-one singles of 2015 (Ireland)
- List of number-one hits of 2015 (Italy)
- List of Mexico Airplay number-one singles from the 2010s
- List of Mexico Ingles Airplay singles of the 2010s
- List of number-one singles from the 2010s (New Zealand)
- List of number-one songs in Norway
- List of Romandie Charts number-one singles of 2015
- Lists of Scottish number-one singles of 2015
- List of number-one singles of 2015 (South Africa)
- List of number-one singles of the 2010s (Sweden)
- List of number-one hits of 2015 (Switzerland)
- List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 2010s
- List of UK R&B Singles Chart number ones of 2015
- List of most-liked YouTube videos
- List of most-viewed YouTube videos
- List of most-streamed songs on Spotify
- List of most-streamed songs in the United Kingdom
References
External links
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