Hotline Bling

About this song

The song premiered on OVO Sound Radio Episode 2 alongside other OVO releases. It reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100, and at the time it was Drake's highest-peaking single as a lead artist, until "One Dance" hit number one. It heavily samples "Why Can't We Live Together" by Timmy Thomas and has been remixed or covered by several of Drake's peers, including Justin Bieber, Erykah Badu, Disclosure with Sam Smith, and Sufjan Stevens. Its music video was released on October 19th via Apple Music and quickly spawned memes built around Drake's dancing, and Drake performed part of the dance in a T-Mobile commercial that aired during Super Bowl 50.

What it's about

The song is widely linked to an old flame of Drake's from Toronto, an on-and-off relationship in which she is often traveling and posting glamorous photos online. It reads as if Drake wrote it while scrolling through her Instagram.

Fun facts

• Samples “Why Can't We Live Together by Timmy Thomas”.
• Sampled in 32 other songs, like “Memorybank by Sewerperson & JabariOnTheBeat”.
• Covered 45 times, including “Hotline Bling (In Five and Drunk) by Richard Cheese”.
• Written by Drake, Nineteen85 and Timmy Thomas.
• Produced by Nineteen85.