TwoAM

After self-releasing two extended plays (EPs) from 2012 to 2013,{{Cite magazine |last=Ugwu |first=Reggie |date=April 7, 2014 |title=SZA Talks Z Album & Being the Only Girl in Top Dawg Entertainment |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/sza-talks-z-album-being-the-only-girl-in-top-dawg-entertainment-6041313/ |access-date=January 10, 2024 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US |archive-date=July 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230719113536/https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/sza-talks-z-album-being-the-only-girl-in-top-dawg-entertainment-6041313/ |url-status=live }} American singer-songwriter SZA signed with the record label Top Dawg Entertainment headed by rapper Terrence "Punch" Henderson, whom she first met in 2011 during a concert sponsored by a street company where SZA was working at the time.{{Cite web |last=Darville |first=Jordan |date=February 8, 2023 |title=SZA Wanted to Sign to Odd Future Before Landing at Top Dawg Entertainment |url=https://www.thefader.com/2023/02/08/sza-odd-future-top-dawg-entertainment |access-date=January 10, 2024 |website=The Fader |language=en |archive-date=June 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230610042754/https://www.thefader.com/2023/02/08/sza-odd-future-top-dawg-entertainment |url-status=live }} Her first EP under the label was Z (2014), preceded by the single "Child's Play" (2014) featuring Chance the Rapper.{{Cite web |last=McDermott |first=Patrick D. |date=March 25, 2014 |title=Stream: SZA f. Chance the Rapper, 'Childs Play' |url=https://www.thefader.com/2014/03/25/stream-sza-f-chance-the-rapper-childs-play |access-date=January 10, 2024 |website=The Fader |language=en |archive-date=September 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230926213538/https://www.thefader.com/2014/03/25/stream-sza-f-chance-the-rapper-childs-play |url-status=live }} After the release of Z, SZA began work on her debut studio album, which had the working title A. During this time, SZA released the standalone single "Sobriety" (2014) and co-wrote songs for other artists such as Nicki Minaj and Rihanna.{{Cite web |date=November 19, 2014 |title=SZA Shares New Track 'Sobriety' |url=https://diymag.com/news/sza-shares-new-track-sobriety |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240303192628/https://diymag.com/news/sza-shares-new-track-sobriety |archive-date=March 3, 2024 |access-date=January 10, 2024 |website=DIY |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Nicholson |first=Rebecca |date=July 29, 2017 |title=SZA: 'The Record Company Took My Hard Drive from Me' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jul/29/sza-record-company-took-my-hard-drive-beyonce-kendrick-lamar |access-date=January 10, 2024 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |archive-date=December 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171220114639/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jul/29/sza-record-company-took-my-hard-drive-beyonce-kendrick-lamar |url-status=live }}

Back in 2009, SZA had a brief relationship with Canadian rapper Drake, and after their break-up, they began to reference each other in their music back-and-forth, through lyrics and song titles.{{Cite magazine |last1=Mamo |first1=Heran |last2=Lamarre |first2=Carl |date=September 15, 2023 |title=Drake & SZA Drop 'Slime You Out' Collab: Stream It Now |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/drake-sza-slime-you-out-collaboration-1235413003/ |access-date=January 10, 2024 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US |archive-date=September 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230927010703/https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/drake-sza-slime-you-out-collaboration-1235413003/ |url-status=live }} Moises Mendez II of Time called their behavior an example of subliminal messaging. Their series of interactions began with SZA's "Child's Play", the title of which Drake later used for a track from his 2016 album Views.{{Cite magazine |last=Mendez II |first=Moises |date=September 15, 2023 |title=The Long History Behind SZA and Drake's New Single 'Slime You Out' |url=https://time.com/6314703/drake-sza-slime-you-out-history/ |access-date=January 5, 2024 |magazine=Time |language=en |archive-date=January 5, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240105045015/https://time.com/6314703/drake-sza-slime-you-out-history/ |url-status=live }} While the completion and release of A was being teased through a series of snippets, SZA released a remix of a song featuring Drake, titled "Come and See Me" (2016), by PartyNextDoor.{{Cite web |last=Hogan |first=Marc |author-link=Marc Hogan |date=May 27, 2016 |title='TwoAM': SZA |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/18307-sza-twoam/ |website=Pitchfork |access-date=May 4, 2023 |archive-date=May 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230504021755/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/18307-sza-twoam/ |url-status=live }}

"Come and See Me" is about a man who calls a woman late at night to invite her for sex. In "TwoAM", SZA shifts the perspective away from the man and assumes the role of the woman in the call,{{Cite web |date=May 19, 2016 |title=New Music Roundup: Cam'ron, SZA, Theophilus London, Banks & Steelz, & Hanz |url=https://www.revolt.tv/article/2016-05-19/15429/new-music-roundup-camron-sza-theophilus-london-banks-steelz-hanz/ |access-date=January 10, 2024 |website=Revolt |archive-date=May 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230506044820/https://www.revolt.tv/article/2016-05-19/15429/new-music-roundup-camron-sza-theophilus-london-banks-steelz-hanz/ |url-status=live }} offering more seductive lyrics compared to the original.{{Cite web |last=Gore |first=Sydney |date=May 19, 2016 |title=SZA Is Back with a New Song for Your Booty Calls |url=https://www.nylon.com/articles/sza-two-am |access-date=January 10, 2024 |website=Nylon |archive-date=May 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230506044823/https://www.nylon.com/articles/sza-two-am |url-status=live }} The line "It's after 2 a.m. and that's asking a lot of you right now" is where the title of SZA's song originates.{{Cite web |last=Ortiz |first=Edwin |date=May 19, 2016 |title=SZA Plays Off of PartyNextDoor's 'Come and See Me' with 'TwoAM' |url=https://www.complex.com/music/2016/05/sza-twoam-new-song |website=Complex |access-date=May 4, 2023 |archive-date=May 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230504021756/https://www.complex.com/music/2016/05/sza-twoam-new-song |url-status=live }} In "TwoAM", yearning thoughts of the man keep the woman awake at night, hence the title.

"TwoAM" inverts the story in "Come and See Me". As observed by Erin Ashley Simon of Revolt, while PartyNextDoor's character insists that the woman "come and see [him] for once", SZA's rejects him and tells him that he should go see her instead: "it's my time, it's your turn." In "Come and See Me", the man fails to properly care for the woman and makes her feel guilty for his own faults;{{Cite magazine |last=Pearce |first=Sheldon |date=June 16, 2022 |title=The Sideways Wisdom of SZA's Ctrl |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/listening-booth/the-sideways-wisdom-of-szas-ctrl |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230925062056/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/listening-booth/the-sideways-wisdom-of-szas-ctrl |archive-date=September 25, 2023 |access-date=January 10, 2024 |magazine=The New Yorker |language=en-US |issn=}} in "TwoAM", she eventually acknowledges that he values her only for casual sex and realizes that she must end the relationship. However, her attraction to him persists, making her struggle to do so: "All this time I've been playin' your side / I could've done better shit with my life."{{Cite web |last=Goddard |first=Kevin |date=May 19, 2016 |title='TwoAM' |url=https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/583896-sza-twoam-new-song |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240110023355/https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/583896-sza-twoam-new-song |archive-date=January 10, 2024 |access-date=January 10, 2024 |website=HotNewHipHop |language=en}} She tells herself that if she continued to stay, she would feel more "fucked up".

"TwoAM" was produced by ThankGod4Cody, Carter Lang, and Scum,{{Cite web |last=Lazerine |first=Devin |date=May 18, 2016 |title=New Music: SZA – 'TwoAM' |url=https://www.rap-up.com/2016/05/18/new-music-sza-twoam/ |access-date=January 10, 2024 |website=Rap-Up |language=en-US |archive-date=June 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210616204322/https://www.rap-up.com/2016/05/18/new-music-sza-twoam/ |url-status=live }} and it was recorded in Lang's cottage near Lake Michigan.{{NoteTag|Named in the album liner notes as The Lake House; some songs in the album like "Love Galore" and "Broken Clocks" were recorded here{{cite AV media notes|title=Ctrl|publisher=Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA Records|year=2017|type=CD liner notes|author=SZA|id=88985449192}}{{Cite web |last=Harris |first=Hunter |date=June 14, 2017 |title=SZA Is Finally in Ctrl |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/06/sza-ctrl-interview.html |url-access=limited |access-date=January 10, 2024 |website=Vulture |language=en |archive-date=October 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231007111630/https://www.vulture.com/2017/06/sza-ctrl-interview.html |url-status=live }}}} The song is downtempo and features a stripped-down, R&B-influenced instrumental, a reproduced version of the one in "Come and See Me". Meanwhile, the outro features guitar strums and the sound of chirping birds,{{Cite web |last=Skelton |first=Eric |date=May 19, 2016 |title=SZA Returns with a PartyNextDoor and Drake-Inspired Song, 'TwoAM' |url=https://www.complex.com/pigeons-and-planes/a/eric-skelton/sza-twoam |access-date=January 10, 2024 |website=Complex |language=en-us |archive-date=September 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230913044304/https://www.complex.com/pigeons-and-planes/a/eric-skelton/sza-twoam |url-status=live }} showing a snippet of an unreleased SZA song, "Inside Man".{{Cite web |last=Hawkins |first=Autumn |date=November 2, 2023 |title=SZA: 13 of Her Best Songs Ranked |url=https://power98fm.com/galleries/sza-10-of-her-best-songs-ranked/ |access-date=January 5, 2023 |website=WPEG |archive-date=December 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201131114/https://power98fm.com/galleries/sza-10-of-her-best-songs-ranked/ |url-status=live }} In it, she sings, "I might be thirsty for you, how can you blame me?", and ends with "Do you need me?"

"TwoAM" was surprise-released through Top Dawg Entertainment's SoundCloud account on May 18, 2016.{{Cite web |last=Dandridge-Lemco |first=Ben |date=May 12, 2016 |title=SZA Flips PartyNextDoor and Drake's 'Come and See Me' for Her New Song 'TwoAM' |url=https://www.thefader.com/2016/05/18/sza-flips-partynextdoor-and-drakes-come-and-see-me-on-twoam |access-date=May 4, 2023 |website=The Fader |language=en |archive-date=May 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230504021755/https://www.thefader.com/2016/05/18/sza-flips-partynextdoor-and-drakes-come-and-see-me-on-twoam |url-status=live }} It was slated to appear on A, now named Ctrl (2017), but intense anxiety surrounding the album's lengthy wait led SZA to scrap it from the final tracklist.{{Cite magazine |last=Ellis |first=Stacy-Ann |date=July 11, 2017 |title=How SZA Finally Made Peace with Her Vulnerability |url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/music/a10289867/sza-interview-ctrl/ |access-date=January 10, 2024 |magazine=Cosmopolitan |language=en-US |archive-date=November 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221119060349/https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/music/a10289867/sza-interview-ctrl/ |url-status=live }} It received an official release on June 9, 2022, as a track on the deluxe edition of Ctrl.{{Cite magazine |last=Abraham |first=Mya |date=June 9, 2022 |title=SZA Drops Surprise Ctrl (Deluxe) Album, Maintains 5-Year Run on Billboard 200 Chart |url=https://www.vibe.com/music/music-news/sza-ctrl-deluxe-anniversary-billboard-200-1234667860/ |access-date=January 5, 2024 |magazine=Vibe |language=en-US |archive-date=January 5, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240105045015/https://www.vibe.com/music/music-news/sza-ctrl-deluxe-anniversary-billboard-200-1234667860/ |url-status=live }} The song peaked at number 45 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.{{NoteTag|Charted as "2AM", with number two written in numerals instead of spelled out}}

Critics Marc Hogan of Pitchfork and Sydnee Monday of NPR{{Cite news |last=Monday |first=Sydnee |last2=Donnella |first2=Leah |last3=Chow |first3=Kat |last4=Fullwood |first4=Brandi |last5=Gathright |first5=Jenny |date=June 14, 2017 |title=Taking Ctrl: Why SZA's New Album Means So Much |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/06/14/532856441/taking-ctrl-why-szas-new-album-means-so-much |access-date=January 10, 2024 |work=NPR |archive-date=June 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170616083637/http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/06/14/532856441/taking-ctrl-why-szas-new-album-means-so-much |url-status=live }} were positive about the theme of vulnerability in "TwoAM". In a review of Ctrl{{'s}} standard edition, Monday commented that "TwoAM" had connected her to SZA's music more than Z because it was less heavy on metaphors and more grounded and honest. Meanwhile, Edwin Ortiz of Complex and M. Musa of The Source believed that it faithfully recreated the quality of the original "Come and See Me".{{Cite web |last=Musa |first=M. |date=May 19, 2016 |title=Sza Covers PartyNextDoor & Drake's 'Come and See Me' on 'TwoAM' |url=https://thesource.com/2016/05/19/sza-covers-partynextdoor-drakes-come-and-see-me-on-twoam/,%20https://thesource.com/2016/05/19/sza-covers-partynextdoor-drakes-come-and-see-me-on-twoam/ |access-date=January 10, 2024 |website=The Source |language=en-US}} Sydney Gore of Nylon, referencing the last line of the song, and Melissa Locker of Elle wrote that "TwoAM" would leave listeners very excited for more SZA music.{{Cite magazine |last=Locker |first=Melissa |date=May 23, 2016 |title=9 New Songs to Heat Up Your Summer Playlist |url=https://www.elle.com/culture/music/a36560/heat-up-your-summer-playlist/ |access-date=January 10, 2024 |magazine=Elle |language=en-US |archive-date=May 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230509044309/https://www.elle.com/culture/music/a36560/heat-up-your-summer-playlist/ |url-status=live }}

Adapted from Billboard{{Cite magazine |date=June 25, 2022 |title=Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: Week of June 25, 2022 |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/r-b-hip-hop-songs/ |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231013010122/https://www.billboard.com/charts/r-b-hip-hop-songs/2022-06-25/ |archive-date=October 13, 2023 |access-date=January 11, 2024 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US }} and Rap-Up

Recording and management

• Recorded at The Lake House (Michigan)

Personnel

• Solána Imani Rowe (SZA){{spaced endash}} vocals, songwriting
• Cody Fayne (ThankGod4Cody){{spaced endash}} songwriting, production
• Aubrey Graham (Drake){{spaced endash}} songwriting
• Jahron Anthony Brathwaite (PartyNextDoor){{spaced endash}} songwriting
• Noah James Shebib{{spaced endash}} songwriting
• Carter Lang{{spaced endash}} production
• Scum{{spaced endash}} production

{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "TwoAM"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=SZA|title=2AM|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=2016|certyear=2025|access-date=February 8, 2025}}

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

{{NoteFoot}}

{{reflist}}

{{SZA songs}}

Category:2016 songs

Category:2022 songs

Category:SZA songs

Category:Songs written by SZA

Category:Songs written by Carter Lang

Category:Song recordings produced by Carter Lang

Category:Song recordings produced by ThankGod4Cody