'Erykah Badu "Window Seat"'

'The lead single from Erykah Badu's New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh was a personal statement, but one to which everyone can relate. "Window Seat" is about wanting to carve out space to think and take care of yourself while also acknowledging the need for human contact. It's about worrying that if you check out for a while, which everyone needs to do from time to time, no one will even know you're gone. The line "Don't want nobody next to me" is followed with "But I need you to want me/ Need you to miss me," and in the tension between these poles lies about 80% of what's difficult in human relationships. That this idea comes packaged in an earthy, elegant, smooth-as-butter soul groove-- the kind of thing that sounds great in the background when you are dreaming alone and equally engaging when you're on the couch with someone who, you hope, feels as deeply for you as you do for them-- is another testament to Badu's singular vision.'

--Mark Richardson
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