“Burn” by Usher
Ever loved someone so much but you have to let them go? Well, that’s what “Burn” is about. Usher is faced with the dilemma of making that tough decision – one that would hurt in both circumstances, should he choose to leave or stay.
Being unhappy in a relationship doesn’t mean the love is gone. In fact, it means the exact opposite. Here, Usher and his partner have tried multiple times to work their differences out but to no avail, leading him to be unhappy. This ultimately leads him to be the one initiating the breakup despite his feelings for his significant other.
Fast forward to the post-breakup, Usher faces more internal conflict. This time, it’s whether he should get her back or move on. In fact, he has even gone to the extent of sending her multiple messages despite knowing he shouldn’t. When she doesn’t reply, he realizes “she ain’t coming back” yet still intends to hold on to the hope she does.
Ultimately, Usher has come to accept that his ex is not going to return. He has to go through the “burn” and accept that what he did was for the best for both himself and his ex.
Release Date
“Burn” was released as the second single on 21st March, 2004 from Usher’s fourth album, “Confessions”. “Confessions” was released two days later, on 23rd March, 2004. The entire project was sponsored by Arista Records, Inc.
Credits
Together with Usher, the following writers were credited as official writers of “Burn”:
- American rapper and songwriter, Jermaine Dupri. He has worked with famous names such as Destiny’s Child and Mariah Carey.
- American record-producer and songwriter, Bryan-Michael Cox. He has been noted to work alongside artists such as Toni Braxton and Mary J. Blige.
Dupri talks about Usher’s Inspiration Behind “Burn”
In 2006 article on MTV , Dupri shared that Usher’s dying relationship with Chilli from TLC was the inspiration behind the song. According to Dupri, during his conversation with Usher, he told him (Usher) “to…let it ‘Burn’”. The phrase was so profound that it gave birth to this song.
Charts
“Burn” was #1 in the United States and three other relevant music markets.
| United Kingdom | #1 |
| United States | #1 |
| Australia | #1 |
| New Zealand | #1 |
In addition to clinching a number 1 status in the above countries, this single also attained a top-10 status in at least 9 more countries.
| Country | Position |
| Canada | #3 |
| Denmark | #10 |
| Europe | #2 |
| Hungary | #10 |
| Ireland | #2 |
| Netherlands | #9 |
| Norway | #10 |
| Scotland | #2 |
| Switzerland | #10 |
Grammy Award Nominations
“Burn” was nominated for two awards at the 2005 Grammy Awards. The first was for “Best Male R&B Vocal Performance”. The second was for “Best R&B Song”. It lost the latter award to Prince’s “Call My Name”. As for the former, it lost it to Alicia Keys’ “You Don’t Know My Name”.
Covers of “Burn”
“Burn” has been covered by the likes of:
- Australian singer-songwriter Sarah De Bono. The cover was part of her first album “No Shame”.
- Taiwanese-American pop singer Jason Chen.
- YouTuber Bitner Brown (ft. MYKEL W$TRN)
