On November 15, 2011, Drake released his second studio album, Take Care. Take Care is, without a doubt, the greatest album that I have ever listened to. I throw that superlative around quite a bit, but as I sit in first-hour Spanish III on the verge of tears listening to this masterpiece, I realize it deserves this praise.
This album opens with Chantal Kreviazuk, a well-known Canadian singer, relaying a soft, ethereal chorus in “Over My Dead Body”. This chorus flows into Drake rapping over a slow piano beat, using this opening track as a message to those who have tried to put him down in the past and telling them that it is time to hop on the bandwagon. “Over My Dead Body” is a masterpiece that truly has become one of my favorites, based on the chorus alone.
Track two, “Shot for Me,” is an ode from Drake to one of his exes, stating he misses her, never cheated, and that her friends told her stories that ruined Drake’s image, but through it all, Drake prayed for her happiness and wished her the best behind the scenes. You can usually find Kevin Raya and I karaoking this song in the Times Square Mall parking lot when we’re reminiscing.
The first mainstream song in chronological order and track three for Take Care is “Headlines,” totaling 760,715,943 streams on Spotify, 281 million views on YouTube, and certified quadruple platinum (a song or album has sold or been streamed more than 4 million units). The opening marcato string and 16-bit sound make this track automatically recognizable.
Though The Weeknd collaborated with Drake on track two, “Shot for Me” in a production role, Abel is allowed to let his vocals shine in track four, “Crew Love”. This melodic track, dedicated to OVO (Drake’s posse) and XO (The Weeknd’s Posse), discusses their privileged lifestyles while thanking those who support them.
Returning to the theme of mainstream songs on Take Care, track six, “Marvin’s Room,” is the second most streamed song on the album, totaling 652,610,072 streams. The title is, of course, Marvin Gaye’s recording studio, which was popularly known as Marvin’s Room. Lyrically, Drake drunk calls up an old flame and tells her how lonely he truly is, talks about the times they used to have together, and tries to get her to leave her new man for him.
Jumping ahead to track eleven, “Lord Knows,” which also happened to be my Homecoming Court walkout song, is one of the hardest-hitting beats on this project. I chose this song for its sound, as well as its lyrics, as Drake and Rick Ross lay out their successes and how they have reached this point in their lives.
In track sixteen, “Look What You’ve Done,” Drake gives a touching tribute to his mother, grandmother, and uncle. Drake gives this tribute to these three, as they were consistently active in his life. Drake has mentioned his uncle in several songs, including “Successful” and “Say What’s Real,” and it is clear that he was an integral part of Drake’s central support system. Drake describes his uncle in “Look What You’ve Done” as a believer who was there for him no matter what. “Look What You’ve Done” is so special to me since it is an amazing story about belief and trust between family and reaping the benefits of those traits in the end.
Finally, track 19, “The Ride,” is the least-streamed song on the album, even though I see it as one of Drake’s greatest. The track is truly a sendoff for his sophomore album, as he states, “My sophomore, I was all for it, they all saw it. My junior and senior will only get meaner. Take care.” It’s a shame that this amazing song is usually skipped over because it is one of my favorites from Drake.
Take Care doesn’t have a deeper meaning or an underlying theme other than the fact that Drake is sad and is finally reaching success, but this album makes me realize that there are larger things to worry about than what is going on in the present.
