SZA's "Kill Bill" hit #1 on the R&B chart for the first of 21 weeks

Kill Bill SZA

Writer(s): Solána Rowe, Rob Bisel, Carter Lang (see lyrics here) Released: January 10, 2023 First Charted: December 21, 2022 Peak: 11 BB, 14 ST, 11 RR, 30 AC, 7 A40, 121 RB, 3 UK, 3 CN, 11 AU (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 5.0 US, 0.6 UK, 7.34 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 193.20 video, 1571.83 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: R&B singer/songwriter Solána Imani Rowe (known as SZA) was born in 1989 in St. Louis, Missouri. After several EP releases, she signed with RCA Records and released her debut album, Ctrl in 2017. It was certified three times platinum despite the absence of any songs to chart as high as the top 25 on the Billboard Hot 100. Five years later, she was back with her SOS, her second album. It topped the Billboard album chart and gave SZA another triple platinum album. It also gave her five top ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the album’s fifth single, “Kill Bill,” which met with the greatest success. It was released in January 2023 because of its successful streaming numbers. Three months later, a remix with rapper Doja Cat boosted the song’s success. The song spent eight weeks at #2 before finally triumphing over the Billboard Hot 100. It only spent one week on top, but was a major success on the R&B chart, spending 21 weeks at #1 and breaking the previous record by “Old Town Road.” The song title is taken from the martial arts movies Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003) and Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004), directed by Quentin Tarantino and starring Uma Thurman as an assassin out for revenge against her ex-boyfriend. Similarly, the song follows the protaganist’s fantasy to kill her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend. Some critics “found her murder fantasites extreme but relatable to a degree.” WK “The song’s candid exploration of…unfiltered, violent emotions were a point of praise” WK for some critics. Interestingly, though, SZA has been annoyed by the song’s success. She said she put little heart or energy into making the song. As she said, “’Kill Bill’ was super easy – one take, one night.” SF Despite her feelings, the song wasn’t just a commercial success but has been well received critically as well. It garnered Grammy nominations for Record and Song of the Year. Billboard magazine called it her “first totally ubiquitous smash.” SF Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for SZA SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia First posted 1/4/2024.