Hit Different
{{short description|2020 single by SZA featuring Ty Dolla Sign}}
{{about-distinguish|the SZA song|Hits Different}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Hit Different
| cover = SZA - Hit Different.png
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = SZA featuring Ty Dolla Sign
| album =
| released = {{Start date|2020|09|04}}
| recorded = February 2020
| studio = DJ Khaled's house
| genre = R&B
| length = 3:22
| label =
| writer =
| producer = The Neptunes
| chronology = SZA
| prev_title = The Other Side
| prev_year = 2020
| next_title = Good Days
| next_year = 2020
| misc = {{Extra chronology
| artist = Ty Dolla Sign
| type = single
| prev_title = Expensive
| prev_year = 2020
| title = Hit Different
| year = 2020
| next_title = Oops (I'm Sorry)
| next_year = 2020
}}
}}
"Hit Different" is a single by American singer SZA featuring Ty Dolla $ign. The two wrote the song with Rob Bisel and producers the Neptunes. It was recorded at the home of producer DJ Khaled and released through Top Dawg Entertainment on September 4, 2020, days after SZA posted on social media suggesting that the record label had been intentionally pushing back the release date of her music. It is a contemporary R&B torch song about a dysfunctional but tempting relationship.
"Hit Different" was met with generally positive reviews from music critics, who commended the song's nostalgic musical structure and SZA's writing. "Hit Different" was included on several publications' year-end lists of the best songs of the year, including those of NPR and Consequence of Sound. The song peaked at number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving SZA her highest debut on the chart, and made appearances on Australian and UK charts.
The accompanying music video, directed by SZA, shows the singer dancing in various settings, before ending with a snippet of successor single "Good Days".
Background and composition
"Hit Different" saw SZA's first release as the sole lead artist since her 2017 album Ctrl. The song came less than a month after SZA claimed in a series of tweets that Top Dawg Entertainment head Punch had been purposely delaying the release of her new music, calling their relationship "hostile" and spawning the "#FreeSZA" hashtag on Twitter.{{cite web |last=Murphy |first=Chris |title=Against All Odds SZA Is Back, Drops 'Hit Different' Featuring Ty Dolla $ign |url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/09/watch-sza-drops-music-video-hit-different-ty-dolla-usdign.html |website=Vulture |access-date=September 4, 2020 |language=en-us |date=September 4, 2020}}{{cite web |last1=Minsker |first1=Evan |title=SZA Shares Video for New Song "Hit Different" With Ty Dolla $ign |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/sza-shares-video-for-new-song-hit-different-with-ty-dolla-dollarign-watch/ |website=Pitchfork |access-date=September 4, 2020 |language=en-us |date=September 4, 2020}} In an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music, she revealed that she had recorded the song at DJ Khaled's house while he was performing at the Super Bowl LIV preshow.{{cite web |last=Wood |first=Mikael |title=Watch the video for the looong-awaited new SZA track, 'Hit Different' |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2020-09-04/sza-hit-different-ty-dolla-sign |website=Los Angeles Times |access-date=September 5, 2020 |language=en |date=September 4, 2020}} Speaking in the same interview about the song, she said, "I just wanted to give people something just to vibe because I have so much stuff that I'm just done holding onto."{{cite web |last1=Rettig |first1=James |title=SZA - "Hit Different" (Feat. Ty Dolla $ign) |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2097129/sza-hit-different-feat-ty-dolla-ign/music/ |website=Stereogum |access-date=4 September 2020 |language=en |date=4 September 2020}} She also expressed that she was hesitant to release the single, telling Lowe, "I was crying with [my] mom because I haven't dropped anything in so long and I just feel like the anxiety...Sometimes I'm strong enough to just drop something and then two weeks passes, and then I'm not strong anymore."{{cite web |title=SZA Gives A Status Update On New Music After Returning With 'Hit Different' |url=https://www.bet.com/article/megd81/sza-gives-update-on-new-music |website=BET |access-date=September 5, 2020 |date=September 4, 2020}}
"Hit Different" is a contemporary R&B song. It begins with Pharrell's trademark "four-count" and features a chorus sung by Ty Dolla Sign.{{cite web |last=Blanchet |first=Brenton |title=SZA Drops Neptunes-Produced Single 'Hit Different' With Ty Dolla $ign |url=https://www.spin.com/2020/09/sza-drops-neptunes-produced-single-hit-different-with-ty-dolla-sign/ |website=Spin |access-date=September 4, 2020 |date=September 4, 2020}} SZA's voice on the song has been described as "silky" and "dreamy", while Ty's voice has been described as a "coo".{{cite web |last=Penrose |first=Nerisha |title=SZA Returns to Save 2020 With New Song 'Hits Different' Featuring Ty Dolla $ign |url=https://www.elle.com/culture/music/a33924670/sza-new-song-hits-different/ |website=ELLE |access-date=September 5, 2020 |date=September 4, 2020}} Lyrically, "Hit Different" is a torch song which details a dysfunctional relationship with an emotionally distant partner to whom she keeps returning.{{cite web |last=Jenkins |first=Craig |title=SZA Knows How to Make an R&B Jam Hit Different |url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/09/sza-hit-different-review.html |website=Vulture |access-date=September 4, 2020 |language=en-us |date=September 4, 2020}} Her worries about this person are emphasized in the lyrics: "Can't trust decision when you near me/Get myself caught in your crossfire".{{cite web |last=Hosken |first=Patrick |title=SZA, Ty Dolla $ign, And The Neptunes All 'Hit Different' On Vibey New Single |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/3169965/sza-hit-different-ty-dolla-sign/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200910062633/http://www.mtv.com/news/3169965/sza-hit-different-ty-dolla-sign/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 10, 2020 |website=MTV News |access-date=September 5, 2020 |language=en |date=September 4, 2020}}
Release and reception
The single received little promotion prior to its release other than a screenshot from the song's music video posted to SZA's Twitter and Instagram featuring SZA covered in fake blood with the caption "Midnight EST" less than 90 minutes before it was released.{{cite web |last1=Newstead |first1=Al |title=First Spin: SZA makes surprise return with new song/video 'Hit Different' |url=https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/news/musicnews/sza-returns-single-video-hit-different-ty-dolla-sign-neptunes/12630574 |website=triple j |access-date=4 September 2020 |language=en |date=4 September 2020}}{{cite magazine |last1=Gonzales |first1=Erica |title=SZA Officially Returns with a New Song and Gorgeous Music Video |url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/a33904175/sza-ty-dolla-sign-hit-different/ |magazine=Harper's BAZAAR |access-date=September 4, 2020 |date=September 4, 2020}}{{cite magazine |last1=Yang |first1=Rachel |title=SZA releases new song 'Hit Different,' featuring Ty Dolla $ign |url=https://ew.com/music/sza-releases-hit-different-song-video-ty-dolla-sign/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=September 4, 2020 |language=EN |date=September 4, 2020}} Following the song's release, SZA posted a snippet of another unreleased song to her Instagram, captioning the video, "Punch gon kill me but I'm in a sharing mood".
Writing for Vulture, Craig Jenkins called "Hit Different" "fresh and fuss-free", writing, "'Hit Different' is both cogent mainstream music and slyly referential art." NPR's Lars Gotrich reacted positively to the song, writing, "With nostalgic production by the Neptunes, ['Hit Different'] hits that tender spot that made SZA's 2017 debut, Ctrl, hit so hard." Multiple critics noted her "signature cool" on the track.{{cite web |last1=Boone |first1=Keyaira |title=Watch SZA Step Into The Director's Chair For 'Hit Different' |url=https://www.essence.com/entertainment/watch-sza-step-into-the-directors-chair-for-hit-different/ |website=Essence |access-date=September 5, 2020 |language=en |date=September 4, 2020}} In its opening week, Hit Different garnered 13.3 million streams and 6,000 digital downloads in the US, debuting at number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 (marking SZA's highest debut on the chart and her first song to debut in the top-40) and at number three on the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart.{{cite magazine |last1=Zellner |first1=Xander |title=The Neptunes Rule R&B Producers Chart, Thanks to SZA, Monica & Lil Baby |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/9450407/the-neptunes-rb-producers-chart-sza-monica-lil-baby |magazine=Billboard |access-date=September 18, 2020 |date=September 16, 2020}}{{cite web |title=SZA's 'Hit Different' Delivers Her Highest Hot 100 Debut Yet - That Grape Juice |url=https://thatgrapejuice.net/2020/09/szas-hit-different-delivers-her-highest-hot-100-debut-yet/#comments |website=That Grape Juice |access-date=September 18, 2020 |language=en |date=September 15, 2020}}
=Accolades=
"Hit Different" was included on several publications' year-end lists of the best songs of the year, including NPR at number 20 and Consequence of Sound at number 22.{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/series/801298042/best-music-of-2020|title=The 100 Best Songs of 2020|work=NPR}}{{cite web|url=https://consequence.net/2020/12/top-50-songs-of-2020/3/|title=Top 50 Songs of 2020|work=Consequence of Sound|date=December 3, 2020|access-date=December 5, 2020}}
Music video
The song's music video was directed by SZA, making it her directorial debut, and released alongside the single itself.{{cite web |last1=Langford |first1=Jackson |title=SZA makes her grand return with new single 'Hit Different' |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/sza-makes-her-grand-return-with-new-single-hit-different-2745128 |website=NME |access-date=September 4, 2020 |date=September 4, 2020}} It depicts SZA dancing in a number of different settings and outfits, including in a junkyard surrounded by backup dancers wearing "Aaliyah-inspired" neon orange crop tops and baggy pants; in a barn filled with white animals; in an empty field; on top of a haystack wearing an oversized tie-dye shirt; in a parking garage wearing an Ottolinger bra and shirt with a Renaissance art-inspired pattern; and in the back of a pickup truck.{{cite web |last1=Hess |first1=Liam |title=SZA's 'Hit Different' Video Is a Kaleidoscopic Ode to End-of-Summer Style |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/sza-hit-different-video-summer-style |website=Vogue |access-date=September 5, 2020 |language=en-us |date=September 4, 2020}} Throughout the video, flashes of her covered in blood appear. Towards the second half of the video, the song changes to a different song titled "Good Days",{{cite web|url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2020/9/24/music-video-breakdown-hit-different-sza/|title=Music Video Breakdown: 'Hit Different'|last=Hsu|first=Carrie|website=The Harvard Crimson|date=September 24, 2020|access-date=October 21, 2020}} an "ambient chill"{{cite web |last1=Gotrich |first1=Lars |title=It's SZA SZN: The R&B Star Returns With 'Hit Different,' Featuring Ty Dolla $ign |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/09/04/909569250/sza-returns-with-hit-different-featuring-ty-dolla-sign |website=NPR |access-date=September 4, 2020 |language=en |date=September 4, 2020}} ballad{{cite web |last1=Okon |first1=Wongo |title=SZA And Ty Dolla Sign's 'Hit Different' Marks Her Return To Music |url=https://uproxx.com/music/sza-ty-dolla-sign-hit-different/ |website=UPROXX |access-date=September 4, 2020 |date=September 4, 2020}} made alongside Jacob Collier, while the video shows SZA sitting on top of a pommel horse sporting a bikini and wooden beaded braids.{{cite magazine |last1=Legaspi |first1=Althea |title=See SZA, Ty Dolla $ign Contemplate a Relationship That 'Hit Different' in New Video |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/sza-ty-dolla-sign-hit-different-song-video-1055190/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=September 4, 2020 |date=September 4, 2020}}
Joshua Espinoza of Complex stated, "Though it may sound a little random, the video is striking and pairs perfectly with the smooth, laid back record."{{cite web |last1=Espinoza |first1=Joshua |title=SZA Shares Video for New Track "Hit Different" f/ Ty Dolla Sign |url=https://www.complex.com/music/2020/09/sza-ty-dolla-sign-hit-different-video |website=Complex |access-date=September 4, 2020 |language=en |date=September 4, 2020}} Erica Gonzales of Harper's Bazaar remarked that SZA exuded "her cool girl swagger" in the video, calling the sets "visually stunning". Spin{{'}}s Brenton Blanchet called the video's choreography "expert-level". Writing for The Fader, Shaad D'Souza called the video "gorgeous".{{cite web |last1=D'Souza |first1=Shaad |title=SZA returns with "Hit Different" feat. Ty Dolla $ign, produced by The Neptunes |url=https://www.thefader.com/2020/09/04/sza-new-single-hit-different-ty-dolla-sign-neptunes-listen-watch-2020 |website=The FADER |access-date=September 4, 2020 |language=en |date=September 4, 2020}} Craig Jenkins of Vulture said, "The visual callbacks are vast and smart," comparing the scenes in the music video to a number of different films, including Sympathy for the Devil, Beloved, and When I Get Home, and comparing her beaded braids to those of singer Patrice Rushen. Lindsay Zoladz of The New York Times called the video "stylish" and "striking".{{cite web |last1=Pareles |first1=Jon |last2=Zoladz |first2=Lindsay |last3=Russonello |first3=Giovanni |title=SZA's Surprise Return, and 10 More New Songs |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/04/arts/music/playlist-sza-ty-dolla-sign-finneas.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=September 5, 2020 |date=September 4, 2020}} MTV{{'}}s Patrick Hosken called the video "remarkably visionary", adding, "By the end, both the tune and the visuals move on to another element that just may tie in both worlds of ruined metal and organic nature." Shannon J. Effinger of Pitchfork compared the music video to that of "Rock the Boat" by Aaliyah.{{cite web |last1=Effinger |first1=Shannon J. |title=SZA Explores Love Gone Wrong on "Hit Different" |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/sza-hit-different-ft-ty-dolla-dollarign/ |website=Pitchfork |access-date=September 11, 2020 |language=en |date=September 8, 2020}}
Upon release, singer Drake showed praise towards the visual, posting a screenshot on his Instagram story and writing, "Solana is the {{sic|chefs}} kiss".{{cite web |last1=Tai |first1=Anita |title=Drake Shows SZA Big Love For New Music Video 'Hit Different' |url=https://etcanada.com/news/687636/sza-releases-music-video-for-hit-different-with-ty-dolla-ign/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201008002243/https://etcanada.com/news/687636/sza-releases-music-video-for-hit-different-with-ty-dolla-ign/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 8, 2020 |website=ET Canada |access-date=September 5, 2020 |language=en |date=September 4, 2020}}
Track listing
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from Tidal.{{cite web |title=Credits / Hit Different / SZA |url=https://listen.tidal.com/album/154098680/credits |website=TIDAL |date=4 September 2020 |access-date=September 6, 2020 |language=en}}
{{div col}}
- Solána Rowe – vocals, songwriting
- Tyrone Griffin, Jr. – vocals, songwriting
- The Neptunes – production, songwriting
- Rob Bisel – miscellaneous production, recording, songwriting
- Ben "Bengineer" Sedano – assistant engineering
- Curtis "Sircut" Bye – assistant engineering
- Jonathan Pfarr – assistant engineering
- Nick Valentin – assistant engineering
- Nicolas De Porcel – mastering
- Derek "MixedByAli" Ali – mixing
- Kaushlesh "Garry" Purohit – recording
- Mike Larson – recording
{{div col end}}
Charts
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
=Weekly charts=
{{col-2}}
=Year-end charts=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Year-end chart performance for "Hit Different" ! scope="col"| Chart (2021) ! scope="col"| Position |
| scope="row"| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard){{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2021/hot-r-and-and-b-hip-hop-songs/|title=Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2021|magazine=Billboard|access-date=December 3, 2021}}
| 90 |
|---|
{{col-end}}
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "Hit Different"}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|award=Silver|artist=SZA ft Ty Dolla Sign|title=Hit Different|relyear=2020|certyear=2023|id=19472-6556-1|access-date=November 26, 2023}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=single|award=Platinum|number=3|artist=SZA|title=Hit Different|relyear=2020|certyear=2025|access-date=February 8, 2025}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true|nosales=true|noshipments=true}}
Release history
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Release history for "Hit Different" ! scope="col"| Region ! scope="col"| Date ! scope="col"| Format ! scope="col"| Label ! scope="col"| {{abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |
| scope="row"| Various
| September 4, 2020 | {{flatlist| | rowspan="2"| {{flatlist| }} |
|---|
| scope="row"| United States
| October 20, 2020 |
References
{{reflist}}
{{SZA songs}}
{{Ty Dolla Sign}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Songs written by Ty Dolla Sign
Category:Songs written by Pharrell Williams
Category:Songs written by Chad Hugo