The New Workout Plan

{{Infobox song

| name = The New Workout Plan

| cover = The New Workout Plan.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Kanye West

| album = The College Dropout

| released = August 31, 2004

| recorded = 2003 at Quad Recordings
Sony Music Studios
(New York City)

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Comedy hip hop

| length = 5:22

| label = {{hlist|Roc-A-Fella|Def Jam}}

| writer = {{hlist|Kanye West|Miri Ben-Ari|Sumeke Rainey|John Stephens|Bosko Kante}}

| producer = Kanye West

| prev_title = All Falls Down

| prev_year = 2004

| next_title = Jesus Walks

| next_year = 2004

| misc = {{External music video|{{Plainlist|

{{YouTube|ylT16QB6Uig|"The New Workout Plan" (Long Version)}}
{{YouTube|Ua61XY84gGg|"The New Workout Plan" (Short Version)}}}}

|header=Music videos}}

}}

"The New Workout Plan" is a song from Kanye West's debut album, The College Dropout. Released as the album's fifth single on August 31, 2004, it peaked at number 59 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song was written and produced by West, with additional songwriting from John Legend, Miri Ben-Ari, Sumeke Rainey, and Bosko Cante. The music video was released the same year, with cameos from Legend, Ben-Ari, Anna Nicole Smith, Fonzworth Bentley, Tracee Ellis Ross, Vida Guerra and GLC.

The talk box harmonizing heard towards the end of the song was sampled by J. Cole for his 2011 single "Work Out".

Composition

The lyrics of "The New Workout Plan" are voiced from the point of view of different girls reacting to a fake workout video. West explains unusual "testimonials" from women who have successfully undergone the workout plan and have been able to attain a lavish lifestyle thanks to being in shape.

Critical reception

The song was subject to generally favorable reviews from music critics. Derek Xu of Medium looked at it as being "a satirical anthem, just like "We Don't Care"".{{Cite web |last=Xu |first=Derek |title=Album Review: The College Dropout – Derek Xu |url=https://medium.com/@derekxu/album-review-the-college-dropout-b17714567f1e |publisher=Medium |date=November 2, 2018 |access-date=January 3, 2019 |archive-date=January 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103210846/https://medium.com/@derekxu/album-review-the-college-dropout-b17714567f1e |url-status=live }} Tareck Ghoneim of Contactmusic.com had praise for West's performance: "[he shows] excellent wordplay that is original, humorous and the touch of irony makes for very clever use of lyrics".{{Cite web |last=Ghoneim |first=Tareck |title=Kanye West - The New Workout Plan - Single Review |url=http://www.contactmusic.com/kanye-west/music/kanyewestx13x01x05 |publisher=Contactmusic.com |date=January 5, 2005 |access-date=January 3, 2019 |archive-date=January 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190104021428/http://www.contactmusic.com/kanye-west/music/kanyewestx13x01x05 |url-status=live }} Paul Cantor of Billboard acknowledged that "Some critics argue that "The New Workout Plan" doesn't fit in with the rest of [The College Dropout]", but praised it as what "should be commended as much for its conceptual ingenuity as its arrangement".{{Cite web |last=Cantor |first=Paul |title=Kanye West's 'The College Dropout' at 10: Classic Track-by-Track Review |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/review/5901147/kanye-wests-the-college-dropout-at-10-classic-track-by-track-review |publisher=Billboard |date=October 2, 2014 |access-date=January 3, 2019 |archive-date=April 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190424191712/https://www.billboard.com/articles/review/5901147/kanye-wests-the-college-dropout-at-10-classic-track-by-track-review |url-status=live }}

Music video

The official music video was directed by Little X, both short and long versions of the video for the song were officially released in 2004.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChpJbg7zMbi5jx9Gdjaxa9g|title=Kanye West VEVO|publisher=YouTube|access-date=January 2, 2019|archive-date=January 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190102012012/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChpJbg7zMbi5jx9Gdjaxa9g|url-status=live}}{{Cite web |last=Delgado |first=Sergio |title=From Kanye West to Madonna: The Best Workout Music Videos |url=https://furthermore.equinox.com/articles/2016/08/workout-music-videos |publisher=Furthermore |date=August 31, 2016 |access-date=January 2, 2019 |archive-date=January 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103005202/https://furthermore.equinox.com/articles/2016/08/workout-music-videos |url-status=live }} The video features West in a faux 1980s-era workout video as he instructs women how to transform themselves into housewives.{{Cite web |last=Gracie |first=Blanca |title= Kanye West's "The New Workout Plan": Revisit His Hilariously Brilliant 'College Dropout' Single |url=https://www.idolator.com/7504416/kanye-west-college-dropout-anniversary-new-workout-plan |publisher=Idolator |date=February 10, 2014|access-date=January 2, 2019}} Cameo appearances are included from John Legend, Miri Ben-Ari, Anna Nicole Smith, Fonzworth Bentley, Tracee Ellis Ross, Vida Guerra and GLC.{{Cite web |last=Scott |first=Sydney |title=Video Superstars: 14 Memorable Music Video Cameos |url=https://www.essence.com/celebrity/music-video-cameos/ |publisher=Essence |date=August 17, 2017 |access-date=January 2, 2019 |archive-date=April 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412125052/https://www.essence.com/celebrity/music-video-cameos/ |url-status=live }} Anna Nicole Smith's cameo sees her playing the role of Ella-May and having a star like her frequently featured in a video of West's went against the idea of so many at the time that he'd fail as a rapper.{{Cite web |author=Khal |title=Remember That Time Anna Nicole Smith Was In Kanye West's "The New Workout Plan" Video? |url=https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2017/02/anna-nicole-smith-kanye-west-the-new-workout-plan-video |publisher=Complex |date=February 7, 2017 |access-date=February 23, 2019 |archive-date=February 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190223185005/https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2017/02/anna-nicole-smith-kanye-west-the-new-workout-plan-video |url-status=live }}

Chart performance

The track peaked at #59 on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart on November 9, 2004, which was around two months after its release as a single and it spent a total of 21 weeks on the chart.{{Cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/kanye-west/chart-history/bsi/|title=Kanye West The New Workout Plan Chart History|publisher=Billboard|access-date=December 6, 2018|archive-date=April 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190414191919/https://www.billboard.com/music/Kanye-West/chart-history/r-b-hip-hop-songs|url-status=live}}

Legacy

Forrest Wickman of Slate looked at "Highlights" from West's seventh studio album The Life of Pablo (2016) as ending "with another new workout plan", whilst Austin Isaacsohn of Medium wrote of the album two years after its release "Kanye has taken a beating over the years, man. Listen to "The New Workout Plan" off [The College] Dropout, then listen to "Wolves"."{{Cite web |last=Wickman |first=Forrest |title=Kanye West's new album The Life of Pablo: A track-by-track breakdown. |url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2016/02/14/kanye_west_s_new_album_the_life_of_pablo_a_track_by_track_breakdown.html?via=gdpr-consent |publisher=Slate |date=February 14, 2016 |access-date=January 2, 2019 |archive-date=January 2, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190102143149/http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2016/02/14/kanye_west_s_new_album_the_life_of_pablo_a_track_by_track_breakdown.html?via=gdpr-consent |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Isaacsohn |first=Austin |title=Two years later, is The Life of Pablo any better? |url=https://medium.com/spitballers/two-years-later-is-the-life-of-pablo-any-better-7231af22fe24 |publisher=Medium |date=February 18, 2018 |access-date=January 2, 2019 |archive-date=January 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103004937/https://medium.com/spitballers/two-years-later-is-the-life-of-pablo-any-better-7231af22fe24 |url-status=live }} Raleigh-based rapper J. Cole sampled "The New Workout Plan" in his 2011 hit single "Work Out", but despite sampling the original, Cole revealed himself to not be a fan of the song personally.{{Cite news |last=Ahmed |first=Insanul |title=25 Things You Didn't Know About J. Cole |url=https://www.complex.com/music/2013/06/25-things-you-didnt-know-about-j-cole/ |publisher=Complex |date=June 10, 2013 |access-date=January 2, 2019 |archive-date=November 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181123021531/https://www.complex.com/music/2013/06/25-things-you-didnt-know-about-j-cole/ |url-status=live }}{{Citation|title=Cole explains #LetNasDown| date=June 7, 2013 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY5_0k2g-94|language=en|access-date=November 30, 2021|archive-date=November 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130035423/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY5_0k2g-94|url-status=live}}

Track listing

CD single{{Cite web |title= The New Workout Plan by Kanye West |url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Workout-Plan-Kanye-West/dp/B0007NB9G4/ref=tmm_acd_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1550919479&sr=8-2 |publisher=Amazon Music |work=Amazon.co.uk |access-date=February 23, 2019}}

"The New Workout Plan" (Album Version) (Explicit) – 5:22
"Heavy Hitters" (Dirty) – 3:57
"Workout Plan" (Video) (Short Version) – 5:12

Personnel

Information taken from The College Dropout liner notes.{{cite AV media notes |others=Kanye West |title=The College Dropout |year=2004 |publisher=Roc-A-Fella Records |id=986 173-9}}

Songwriter: Kanye West
Record producer: Kanye West
Recorder: Keith Slattery, Andrew Dawson, Eugene A. Toale
Mix engineer: Manny Marroquin
Background vocals: John Legend, Sumeke Rainey
Guitar: Eric "E-Bass" Johnson
Piano: Ervin "EP" Pope
Violin: Miri Ben-Ari

Charts

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+Chart performance for "The New Workout Plan"

! scope="col"| Chart (2004)

! scope="col"| Peak
position

{{single chart|Billboardrandbhiphop|59|artist=Kanye West|rowheader=true|access-date=August 3, 2018}}

Certifications

{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "The New Workout Plan"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=Kanye West|title=The New Workout Plan|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=2004|certyear=2020|access-date=September 29, 2020}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true|nosales=true|noshipments=true}}

Release history

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:left" ! scope="col"\| Region ! scope="col"\| Date ! scope="col"\| Format(s) ! scope="col"\| Label(s) ! scope="col"\| {{abbr\|Ref.\|Reference}}
scope="row" rowspan="2" \| United States \| {{start date\|2004\|9\|20}} \| Rhythmic contemporary · urban contemporary radio \| rowspan="2"\| Roc-A-Fella, IDJMG \|{{cite magazine \|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Archive-RandR/2000s/2004/RR-2004-09-17.pdf \|title=Going for Adds \|magazine=Radio & Records \|issue=1573 \|page=31 \|date=September 17, 2004 \|access-date=July 6, 2022 \|archive-date=July 6, 2022 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706075905/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Archive-RandR/2000s/2004/RR-2004-09-17.pdf \|url-status=live }}
{{start date\|2004\|11\|1}} \| Contemporary hit radio \|{{cite magazine \|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Archive-RandR/2000s/2004/RR-2004-10-29.pdf \|title=Going for Adds \|magazine=Radio & Records \|issue=1579 \|page=19 \|date=October 29, 2004 \|access-date=July 8, 2022 \|archive-date=July 8, 2022 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220708200057/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Archive-RandR/2000s/2004/RR-2004-10-29.pdf \|url-status=live }}

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:left"

! scope="col"| Region

! scope="col"| Date

! scope="col"| Format(s)

! scope="col"| Label(s)

! scope="col"| {{abbr|Ref.|Reference}}

scope="row" rowspan="2" | United States

| {{start date|2004|9|20}}

| Rhythmic contemporary · urban contemporary radio

| rowspan="2"| Roc-A-Fella, IDJMG

|{{cite magazine |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Archive-RandR/2000s/2004/RR-2004-09-17.pdf |title=Going for Adds |magazine=Radio & Records |issue=1573 |page=31 |date=September 17, 2004 |access-date=July 6, 2022 |archive-date=July 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706075905/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Archive-RandR/2000s/2004/RR-2004-09-17.pdf |url-status=live }}

| Contemporary hit radio

|{{cite magazine |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Archive-RandR/2000s/2004/RR-2004-10-29.pdf |title=Going for Adds |magazine=Radio & Records |issue=1579 |page=19 |date=October 29, 2004 |access-date=July 8, 2022 |archive-date=July 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220708200057/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Archive-RandR/2000s/2004/RR-2004-10-29.pdf |url-status=live }}

Remix

{{Infobox song

| name = The New Workout Plan (Remix)

| cover =

| alt =

| type =

| artist = Kanye West featuring Fonzworth Bentley, Luke and Twista

| album =

| released = March 22, 2005

| recorded = 2004

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Hip hop

| length = 4:01

| label = {{hlist|Roc-A-Fella|Def Jam}}

| writer = {{hlist|Kanye West|Derek Watkins|Luther Campbell|Carl Mitchell|Jonathan Smith}}

| producer = Lil Jon

}}

The official remix for the song was produced by Lil Jon and features a new verse by West and guest appearances from Twista, Luke, and Fonzworth Bentley. The remix was later included on The College Dropout Video Anthology.{{Cite news |last=Moss |first=Cory |title=Run-In With A Bentley Uncovers Some Kanye West Remix Plans |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1485822/20040317/west_kanye.jhtml |publisher=MTV |date=April 17, 2004 |access-date=January 4, 2009 |archive-date=December 29, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081229124349/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1485822/20040317/west_kanye.jhtml |url-status=dead }}

References

External links

{{YouTube|Ua61XY84gGg|Music video (Short Version)}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20071229031539/http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/west_kanye/6349051/lyrics.jhtml "The New Workout Plan" Lyrics] at MTV (archived from 2007)

Category:2004 singles

Category:2004 songs

Category:Def Jam Recordings singles

Category:Kanye West songs

Category:Music videos directed by Director X

Category:Roc-A-Fella Records singles

Category:Song recordings produced by Kanye West

Category:Songs written by Kanye West

Category:Songs written by John Legend

Category:Satirical songs