#432: Usher, ‘Confessions’
ARISTA, 2004
If you know your stuff, you know that Usher ripped this album off another superstar. Our favorite 400 CE Catholic bishop, St. Augustine. He may have been more of a Gregorian Chant sort of a guy over R&B but his 13-part work, Confessions, hits in the same way.
His autobiographical work consists of stories from his life, an open honesty of weaknesses and vulnerability, and the harsh realization that he will never reach perfection. Even as a church leader and example, he finds a way to make peace with his imperfections.
Usher does the same in this album. Through his honesty and accountability, he brings us into this horrendously painful story of cheating and then finding out his mistress is pregnant. The way the lyrics are written and the song is performed lets us still feel his humanity.
I wonder if this is not just a trick that a good melody plays. I wonder if this is what a real confession is supposed to do. It is supposed to allow us to see inside the wound, to see the blood, and to feel how truly mortal the confesser is. In turn, we feel the pulse of our own blood flowing through our flesh and we acknowledge our weakness.
The story goes that when Usher was in the studio, his producer, Jermaine Dupri, shared a story about how he had to tell his partner that he (a) cheated on her and (b) got the other woman pregnant. It was horrible but everyone in the room knew it made for a good song. Confessions Part II became a break-out song on the album, crossed over to the pop charts, and turned Usher into a strangely endearing sex symbol.
His vulnerability built trust between him and the listener. Other 12-year-olds like myself at the time were placed in the role of faceless priests listening to this man’s sins. We loved it. He let us choose compassion while we contemplated how scummy those choices were.
Even though those two songs were not autobiographical, Burn was. It was about his ending relationship with TLC’s Chilli. Once again, 12-year-old Nicolle felt special that he shared these memories with me. Another confession. It is the ultimate breakup song. Truly.
This is just the first half of the album. We have Lil Jon’s crunk hit, “Yeah.” We have “Bad Girl,” “Superstar,” “Caught Up,” “Throwback,” and my personal favorite, “My Boo” with Alicia Keys.
If we are looking at the confession as a concept, then “My Boo” also sits within that genre. Usher and Alicia casually lay their bleeding hearts on the table and confess, in the spirit of nostalgia and friendship, that they will always love each other.
Confession does not have to be all bad. When we open our hearts with honesty and accountability, we sometimes tell others we love them. Sometimes we tell how we got hurt and other times we just share our most sacred desires.
Confession is the choice to be truly intimate and real. Whether it be with our partner or with our God. We are choosing something authentic.
Top songs: Yeah, Throwback, Confessions, Confessions Part II, Burn, Superstar, Truth Hurts, Bad Girl, Follow Me, My Boo
I did not know so much of this! It makes me love the album and usher even more. So well said