Dead and Gone

"Dead and Gone" is a song by American hip hop recording artist T.I., featuring American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake. It was released as the eighth single from T.I.'s sixth studio album, Paper Trail (2008). Due to the high number of digital downloads upon the album's release, the song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 before its official single release. The song marked the second collaboration between T.I. and Justin Timberlake, the first being the hit single "My Love", from Timberlake's second album, FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006).[2] T.I. and Timberlake performed this song at the 51st Grammy Awards. The song was later nominated twice at the 52nd Grammy Awards, for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and Best Rap Song. It was the 10th bestselling digital single of 2009 in the United States.[3] As of early February 2018, it had sold 3.5 million copies in the country.[4]

"Dead and Gone"
Single by T.I. featuring Justin Timberlake
from the album Paper Trail
Released	January 13, 2009[1]
Recorded	2008
Genre	Hip hop
Length	4:59 (album version) 3:52 (radio edit)
Label	Grand Hustle, Atlantic
Songwriter(s)	Clifford Harris, Jr. Justin Timberlake Robin Tadross
Producer(s)	Justin Timberlake Rob Knox
T.I. singles chronology
"Ain't I" (2008) "Dead and Gone" (2009) "Day Dreaming" (2009)
Justin Timberlake singles chronology
"Rehab" (2008) "Dead and Gone" (2009) "Love Sex Magic" (2009)

Background

Justin Timberlake is featured in "Dead and Gone."

Rob Knox, one of the song's producers, expressed his feelings about creating the song:[5]

We were like, this guy's going through a lot with his whole court case situation and his best friend dyin', and everything in the world kind of crumbling in front of him in a way. We [agreed that] it would be real cool and unexpected to give people something a little more heartfelt – not the club, party, typical record that everybody wanted. We even had a feeling that T.I. was gonna mention that, but we already had a plan for him.

In the song, T.I. deals with the death of his best friend and former bodyguard, Philant Johnson, who was killed on May 3, 2006, when T.I.'s crew was caught up in a shooting after a show in Cincinnati that left three injured and Johnson dead. The lyrics include lines such as: "Whoever thought I'd never see Philant no more," and "Big Phil this is for you." Johnson's tombstone is shown in the video.

Critical response

Sputnikmusic was extremely positive in its review: "You can't help but not skip the track. "Dead and Gone", yet another Timberlake / T.I. track is bolstered by its impressive Timbaland beat [although he is not the producer of the song] and the fact that it ends the album on a very, very strong note."[6]

Composition and lyrics

There are two radio edits. One with the intro and outro cut off, and the explicit words being censored. Another edit, had cut the intro, the first chorus from Justin Timberlake, and the outro of the song, as well as replaced explicit words with less-offensive words.

"Dead And Gone" is set in common time with a tempo of 84 beats per minute and is set in the key of A minor, with a chord sequence of Am-C-G-F-E.

Release

The song was first confirmed as the next single by co-producer Rob Knox.[5] T.I. later confirmed the release of the single himself.[7] It was sent to US rhythmic and contemporary hit radio on January 12, 2009.[8][9]

Chart performance

Before the single was announced, the track debuted at number 76 on the Billboard Hot 100 due to high downloads. Following its official release as a single, the song made a re-entry on the chart at number 99 and was able to reach #2, though it was not able to succeed Flo Rida's hit single "Right Round" from the top spot for five consecutive weeks. After reaching its peak, the following week it fell to the number four position and then to number 6. It is T.I.'s fourth consecutive top 5 hit on the Hot 100 from Paper Trail, and seventh of his career as a lead artist. On the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Billboard sub-chart it also reached #2. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks and the Hot 100 Airplay chart on the week of March 14, 2009. It also peaked at #9 on the Billboard Pop 100 Airplay chart and #3 on the Billboard Pop 100 chart. It was the 10th best-selling digital single of 2009 in the United States.[3] In the United Kingdom, the song made a strong debut at #30 on the UK Singles Chart, and the following week climbed to #17 and peaked at #4. In Canada it debuted at #59 on the Canadian Hot 100 the same week it did as in the U.S., and after its physical release it made a re-entry at #70 and has now peaked at #3. As of February 2018, the song has sold 3.5 million copies in the US.[4]

Music video

The video was directed by Chris Robinson and was filmed in the first week of February in Lancaster, California.[10][11] It surfaced on the internet a few hours before the official release date on February 17.[12] In it, T.I. is filmed driving through a desert landscape, interspersed with shots of Justin Timberlake standing alone in the desert or playing a piano. T.I. eventually drives up in a '67 Camaro SS and meets with Timberlake and they continue the song together as the camera circles around them. Shortly before the final rendition of the chorus, there is a break in the music and a brief montage of images, with the words "good", "evil", and "redemption", appears. As the song draws to a close, T.I. is seen returning to his car and driving off, leaving Timberlake standing alone once again in the dark, with his piano set ablaze in the background. The very end of the video shows T.I. getting out of the car and entering a prison whose gates close behind him. This is a cliffhanger that is resolved in "Remember Me".

The video ranked at #34 on BET's Notarized: Top 100 Videos of 2009 countdown.

Track listing

Digital single

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Dead and Gone" (feat. Justin Timberlake)	Clifford Harris, Justin Timberlake, Robin Tadross	Rob Knox, Justin Timberlake	4:59

Covers and parodies

• "Dead And Gone" – Travis Garland – This version was produced in January 2009 by Nicholas "RAS" Furlong, and written and performed by boy band NLT member Travis Garland. It was released in March 2009.
• "Dead and Gone" – Metro Station
• "Dead and Gone" – Cute Is What We Aim For – Released on Punk Goes Pop 3.
• "Things Gotta Change" – Avery Storm
• "I Don't Like White People" – Rucka Rucka Ali – This version was produced in 2009 and released for purchase in September 2010, this version was released on Rucka Rucka Ali's album I'm Black, You're White & These Are Clearly Parodies.

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (2009) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[13] 4 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[14] 11 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[15] 28 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[16] 3 Denmark (Tracklisten)[17] 11 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[18] 12 Germany (Official German Charts)[19] 7 Ireland (IRMA)[20] 3 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[21] 22 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[22] 20 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[23] 2 Norway (VG-lista)[24] 8 Romania (Romanian Top 100)[25] 7 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[26] 20 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[27] 18 Turkey (Türkiye Top 20)[28] 3 UK Singles (OCC)[29] 4 UK R&B (Official Charts Company)[30] 1 US Billboard Hot 100[31] 2 US Billboard Pop 100[32] 1 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[33] 2 US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[34] 1 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[35] 4 US Rhythmic (Billboard)[36] 1

Year-end charts Chart (2009) Position Australia (ARIA)[37] 36 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[38] 25 Germany (Official German Charts)[39] 80 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[40] 21 Russia Airplay (Tophit)[41] 128 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[42] 68 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[43] 47 US Billboard Hot 100[44] 12 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[45] 30 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[46] 23 US Rhythmic (Billboard)[47] 4 Certifications Region Certification Certified units/sales Australia Platinum[48] 70,000+ United States 3× Platinum[49] 3,500,000[4]

Release history

Region	Date
United States	October 5, 2008
United Kingdom	March 14, 2009

See also

• List of UK R&B Singles Chart number ones of 2009

References

1. "®R&R :: Going For Adds™ :: CHR/Top 40". Archived from the original on 22 May 2014. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
2. Justin Timberlake featuring T.I. – "My Love", Hot 100 chart. Billboard.
3. Grein, Paul (December 16, 2009). "Chart Watch Extra: Down To The Wire". Yahoo! Music. Yahoo!. Archived from the original on December 19, 2009. Retrieved December 18, 2009.
4. Trust, Gary (February 4, 2018). "Ask Billboard: Justin Timberlake & *NSYNC's Career Album & Song Sales". Billboard. Billboard-Hollywood Media Group. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
5. T.I. Producer Rob Knox Explains "Dead and Gone". Archived 2009-01-30 at the Wayback Machine Hiphopdx.com. Accessed December 5, 2008.
6. "T.I. – Paper Trail (album review 2) – Sputnikmusic". Retrieved 4 March 2015.
7. T.I. Looks Back On His 'Outstanding' 2008, Despite Legal Woes. MTV.com. Accessed December 9, 2008.
8. "®R&R :: Going For Adds™ :: Rhythmic". Archived from the original on 17 April 2014. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
9. "®R&R :: Going For Adds™ :: CHR/Top 40". Archived from the original on 5 June 2013. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
10. Robinson to Direct T.I. and Timberlake Video. Rap-Up. Accessed January 22, 2009.
11. "Video: T.I. f/ Justin Timberlake – 'Dead and Gone'". Rap-Up. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
12. Youtube Music Video T.I. Ft. Justin Timberlake – Dead And Gone Official Music Video
13. "Australian-charts.com – T.I. feat. Justin Timberlake – Dead and Gone". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
14. "Austriancharts.at – T.I. feat. Justin Timberlake – Dead and Gone" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
15. "Ultratop.be – T.I. feat. Justin Timberlake – Dead and Gone" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
16. "TI Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
17. "Danishcharts.com – T.I. feat. Justin Timberlake – Dead and Gone". Tracklisten.
18. "T.I. feat. Justin Timberlake: Dead and Gone" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
19. "Offiziellecharts.de – T.I. feat. Justin Timberlake – Dead and Gone". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
20. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – T.I.". Irish Singles Chart.
21. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 16, 2009" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40
22. "Dutchcharts.nl – T.I. feat. Justin Timberlake – Dead and Gone" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
23. "Charts.nz – T.I. feat. Justin Timberlake – Dead and Gone". Top 40 Singles.
24. "Norwegiancharts.com – T.I. feat. Justin Timberlake – Dead and Gone". VG-lista.
25. (in Romanian) Uniunea producatorilor de fonograme din Romania Archived 2008-12-21 at the Wayback Machine.
26. "Swedishcharts.com – T.I. feat. Justin Timberlake – Dead and Gone". Singles Top 100.
27. "Swisscharts.com – T.I. feat. Justin Timberlake – Dead and Gone". Swiss Singles Chart.
28. Turkey Top 20 Chart Archived March 5, 2009, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2009-03-30
29. "T.I.: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
30. "T.I. and Justin Timberlake – Dead And Gone – Music Charts". αCharts. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
31. "TI Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
32. "Artist Chart History – T.I. – Singles". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
33. "TI Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
34. "TI Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard.
35. "TI Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
36. "TI Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard.
37. "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 2009". ARIA. Archived from the original on January 30, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2010.
38. "Canadian Hot 100 Year-End 2009". Billboard. 2009. Retrieved 2012-03-31.
39. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
40. "The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Rianz.org.nz. Archived from the original on 2008-09-15. Retrieved 2012-02-12.
41. "Airplay Detection Tophit 200 Yearly – 2009". Tophit. Archived from the original on March 28, 2010. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
42. "Årslista Singlar – År 2009" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
43. "Charts Plus Year end 2009" (PDF). Charts Plus. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
44. "Year End Charts – Year-end songs – The Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2010.
45. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2009". Billboard. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
46. "Pop Songs – Year-End 2009". Billboard. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
47. "Rhythmic Songs – Year-End 2009". Billboard. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
48. "Top 40 Urban Albums & Singles Chart – Australian Record Industry Association". Ariacharts.com.au. Archived from the original on 2012-02-10. Retrieved 2012-02-12.
49. "Recording Industry Association of America". RIAA. Retrieved 2012-12-16.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics