Talk:Good Life (Kanye West song)

Bringing This Page Back

It's my understanding that the page was originally deleted for lack of sources. It is now sourced, with 2 independent articles from known sites stating that "Good Life" is the third single from Graduation. Oozer3993 21:52, 2 August 2007 (UTC)

Yes, this is correct and the title is "Good Life". I understand MTV has it as "The Good Life" but the dominant Kanye West sources have it as "Good Life", those being his official "kanYeTalk" page and the news article on his latest honoring of Quincy Jones. For now, please the title as "Good Life" until a new, dominant source reveals otherwise. Such as official track listing from a store, kanYeTalk or even MTV if it as a preview or whatever. --Ayoleftyz 07:02, 3 August 2007 (UTC)

Drew Sidora

Where is Drew Sidora in the video? Are you referring to the girl the appears throughout the video? That's the model known as Angel / Lola Luv. Chilblane 00:25, 14 September 2007 (UTC)

Release date

Alright fellas, let's get this sorted out. Ayoleftyz, you say "Good Life" (along with Graduation) was also released on 9/11 on iTunes as a single. WIKI-GUY-16, you agree it was released on 9/11 as part of the album but not as a single. Wikipedia:WikiProject Songs#Infobox Single says to put "the earliest known date" it was released. If it was indeed released as a single on iTunes on 9/11, then I guess 9/11 is the right date. Spellcast 08:38, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, well this dude had to argue over and over now the page is administrator only and cannot be updated haha. Way to go there "WIKI-GUY-16". --Ayoleftyz 15:24, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

Usually the date for the single is when the 12" comes out (and usually dates beyond the release of the album) but whatever. Douglasr007 22:43, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

3RR

I've just unprotected this page. Can everyone make sure they're familliar with the three-revert rule if they're not already. – Steel 13:55, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Dirty South Genre?

How the fuck is this dirty south? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.21.196.248 (talk) 02:34, 5 December 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, man, I agree. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.243.118.40 (talk) 02:04, 9 December 2007 (UTC)

GA Review

This review is transcluded from Talk:Good Life (Kanye West song)/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Reviewer: Zmbro (talk · contribs) 22:08, 11 January 2023 (UTC)

Good Article review progress box

Criteria: 1a. prose () 1b. MoS () 2a. ref layout () 2b. cites WP:RS () 2c. no WP:OR () 2d. no WP:CV () 3a. broadness () 3b. focus () 4. neutral () 5. stable () 6a. free or tagged images () 6b. pics relevant () Note: this represents where the article stands relative to the Good Article criteria. Criteria marked are unassessed

Got this. – zmbro _{(talk) (cont)} 22:08, 11 January 2023 (UTC)

Infobox and lead

• add alt text to single sleeve

•  Done even though this is not a GA, but FA requirement --K. Peake 08:04, 13 January 2023 (UTC)

• Very true, but I've gotten used to adding that on all things. – zmbro _{(talk) (cont)} 01:28, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

• "Kanye West, featuring singer T-Pain, from the former's third studio album, Graduation (2007). The song includes background vocals from John Legend and Ne-Yo." Maybe change to "Kanye West from his third studio album, Graduation (2007). Featuring singer T-Pain, the song includes background vocals from John Legend and Ne-Yo."?
• I feel like there's a better way we can say "came up with". Maybe "originated from"?

•  Done for the above --K. Peake 08:04, 13 January 2023 (UTC)

• For the lyrics sentence, couldn't we just say both artists celebrate their successes? And "being determined to shine" doesn't strike me as encyclopedic.

•  Comment: I kept it as it is but changed shine to succeed since this is a key part of West's content --K. Peake 08:04, 13 January 2023 (UTC)

• "accompanied" is said twice in a row in the third para

•  Done --K. Peake 08:04, 13 January 2023 (UTC)

• For his performances, do we need to specify all three? And saying he performed it twice and then again one of the years seems odd to me.

•  Not done the first two festivals are major ones, also the Pan Am Games performance is notable for the coverage it received. --K. Peake 08:04, 13 January 2023 (UTC)

Background and recording

• I'm not as familiar with these and don't have available access atm but are podcasts supposed to be italicized or inside quotes?

•  Done --K. Peake 21:53, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

• This whole section to me feels out of order. We start with the concept (ok) but then three sentences about 808s? Shouldn't we the song itself first and then later stuff? Additionally, we say T-Pain came up with 5 hooks, but then later say he at first wasn't even considered for the hook itself? That seems odd (both the ordering of sentences and the fact that the guy who thought of the concept wasn't even on the song itself??) That's even weirder when you consider West and T-Pain "spent time in the studio together, most notably working on "Good Life"."

•  Comment: I'm thinking of moving the Toomp stuff to the start, but then recording will come first so should I retitle to background? --K. Peake 21:53, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

• Kyle Peake Yeah that would be a good start. – zmbro _{(talk) (cont)} 14:29, 15 January 2023 (UTC)

• I'm also noticing a LOT of quote usage that feels like unnecessary details (i.e. "pulled up in a regular Cadillac Escalade SUV", "sounding right") and a lot of "revealed", "summarized", "recalled", "remembered", etc. I understand that most of the sources have the artists looking back on the creation, but I think we get the point; it's certainly getting tiring for me just constantly being reminded that everyone remembered things

•  Done --K. Peake 21:53, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

• I'm a little confused on the timeline here. When talking about the sample, you say "creation began", but at the start, say the concept originated at a restaurant. Did the concept originate first or the beat?

• See previous --K. Peake 21:53, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

• Overall, I think this section needs some copyediting with order and detailing based on the above points.

Composition and lyrics

• The song isn't considered rap? Or at the very least pop rap?

• I can't find a source saying that, so cannot add it. --K. Peake 21:53, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

• Damn. Oh well. – zmbro _{(talk) (cont)} 14:38, 15 January 2023 (UTC)

• If we're going to take the extra steps and say ", written by Quincy Jones and James Ingram, and performed by Jackson", shouldn't we do that in background?

•  Comment: isn't this considered proper practice in the actual comp section? --K. Peake 21:53, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

• Shouldn't we have all the musicians who contributed in recording? That's how I do it. If you've done it this way for other GAs we can leave it be.

•  Not done per my previous GAs --K. Peake 21:53, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

• Same as the lead, I feel we can make "determination to shine" a little more encyclopedic.

•  Done using succeed if that works --K. Peake 21:53, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

• the word rap is said three times in the same sentence ("West spins lyrics...")
• "heavily emphasizes a boast" I'm not sure what this means. Couldn't we just say he makes mention of Snakes on a Plane? In terms of pop culture references, it'd be a lot simpler to just say references "In da Club" and Snakes on a Plane. sidebar does the Vulture ref about "Every Pop-Culture Reference Kanye West Has Ever Made" not mention the movie? Seems odd to me.

•  Done for the above --K. Peake 21:53, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

Release and reception

• "a day before it experienced this release in the United States" à "and the following day in the US."

•  Partly done revised the prose but kept as United States per MOS:US --K. Peake 21:53, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

• "which had been West's signature for "many of his hits"." Is the quotation necessary here?
• I know this is GAN so it's not a huge deal, but there's a lot of listing off opinions. I wonder if we could summarize a few so we're not saying (he said this, she said something similar to this). Again, not a massive deal, but it's noticeable
• I think the Henderson sentence is missing a comma

•  Done for the above --K. Peake 21:53, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

Accolades

• Is the amount of points scored on the Eye Weekly thing impressive/important/necessary?

• With this section's current length, it is fine to keep. --K. Peake 21:53, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

• "tying with 3 other tracks" MOS:NUMS?

•  Not done see this guideline for comparative numbers --K. Peake 21:53, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

• I see what you mean. All good. – zmbro _{(talk) (cont)} 14:38, 15 January 2023 (UTC)

Awards and nominations

• "total of 13 nominations for music awards and ultimately won eight of them"  "total of 13 nominations for music awards and won eight."

•  Done --K. Peake 21:53, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

• table looks good

Music video

• Image should not use px per WP:IMAGESIZE
• NF image looks good although do you think more is needed for the fair use rationale?
• "West used a largely different version of the song for the video and according to T-Pain, the rapper insisted he listened to it before the shooting began. The version of the song contains an additional 24 seconds that the single release does not have, running for 3 minutes and 50 seconds." We can keep this simple and just say an extended version was used. This feels like way too many words. "According to T-Pain, the rapper insisted he listened to it before the shooting began." This also feels like an unnecessary/kind of obvious detail
• "Animation was done by So Me, while Soixante Quin5e was the production company"  What about "Produced by Soixante Quin5e, animation was done by So Me..."
• "This continues throughout, including"  "Additional visuals include"

•  Done for the above --K. Peake 21:53, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

• The "Towards the end of the video," sentence is missing a source at the end

•  Not done per WP:TVPLOT --K. Peake 21:53, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

• We can combine the sentences of the last paragraph. I.e. ("The visual was awarded Best Hip-Hop Video at the 2008 BET Hip Hop Awards and Best Special Effects at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards. It received a nomination...)

•  Not done two awards in a sentence is enough --K. Peake 21:53, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

Commercial performance

• The first sentence should be flip-flopped; "Good Life" entered the chart at number 14, the same week as "Stronger" topped it (something like that)

•  Done --K. Peake 21:53, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

• Is the fact that it dropped to 8 then went back to 7 that important to know? I feel like that sentence can be removed entirely

• Per WP:CHARTTRAJ, this is not a violation. --K. Peake 21:53, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

• Rest of the section is perfectly fine for GA

Live performances

• Any relevant images available?
• "with fireworks lighting up the stage as the performance started"  "accompanied by fireworks"
• I actually did not know the time he dissed the two disabled fans was to this song. Man that man is crazy lol. I think we could reword this part but it's fine for GA
• My main issue with the section is the writing style of "performed at this, which included this" (ex. "West gave a performance of it at the Time 100 gala, which included him interacting with the crowd.") This could easily just be "West's performance of it at the Time 100 gala included crown interaction" or "West interacted with the crowd during his performance of it at the Time 100 gala." You get my drift?

•  Done --K. Peake 21:53, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

Usage in media

• "During its final moments, West makes an appearance, allowing Vincent Chase and his crew to use his plane to fly to Cannes as the song fades into the credits." Maybe "West himself makes an appearance at the end, allowing Vincent Chase and his crew to use his plane to fly to Cannes as the song fades into the credits." I've seen the episode and Kanye's is Kanye lol
• I've never heard of "Take One for the Team". Released on what?

• From West's GOOD Fridays series, as I have now mentioned. --K. Peake 21:53, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

• "released "Doin' It Good", a mashup of the song and Daft Punk's "Doin' It Right" (2013)"  "released a mashup of "Good Life" and Daft Punk's "Doin' It Right" (2013) titled "Doin' It Good"." Maybe link Mashup (music)?

•  Done --K. Peake 21:53, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

• All of these items are properly sourced so I'd say they fall in line with WP:POPULARCULTURE and WP:SONGCOVER.

• That's relieving! --K. Peake 21:53, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

Track listings

• I don't think we need to include track listings in song articles anymore (if I recall correctly). I can't easily access WP:SONGS at the moment but I'm positive.

•  Not done it says when justified you can so I kept the extended version, per the video section. --K. Peake 21:53, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

Credits and personnel

• Remove obvious WP:OVERLINK on NYC

•  Done --K. Peake 21:53, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

Charts

• good

Certifications

• good

Release history

• good

References

• Copyvio score looks great at 20.6%
• Some templates use |author others use |first and |last. Make sure we're consistent.

•  Done apart from the ones where the authors don't have full names listed --K. Peake 21:53, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

• I would archive any link that's over 10+ years old

•  Done the bot was being terrible

• Yeah the bot's not working for me either. – zmbro _{(talk) (cont)} 14:38, 15 January 2023 (UTC)

• Per WP:NOTRSMUSIC, Amazon.com and iTunes should be avoided so I'd replace those.

•  Not done it says should be avoided, but this is acceptable if you cannot source from elsewhere. --K. Peake 21:53, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

• Shouldn't the page numbers in refs 21 and 39 be in the parameters and not the title?
• Tunefind doesn't strike me as reliable

•  Done for the above

• Links for the 50th Grammy Awards should be 50th Annual Grammy Awards (count two)

•  Done I don't know how I missed that! --K. Peake 21:53, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

• Is Genius.com considered reliable? It's not on WP:NOTRSMUSIC but it's also not on WP:RSMUSIC either...

• Per WP:RSP, Genius is acceptable if it is not for lyrics. --K. Peake 21:53, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

• Gotcha. – zmbro _{(talk) (cont)} 14:38, 15 January 2023 (UTC)

Final thoughts

• Needs a little bit a work but you never disappoint so I have no worries about passing. – zmbro _{(talk) (cont)} 01:28, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

• Zmbro Thanks a lot for the review, however I have some questions that need responses. --K. Peake 21:53, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

• Replies above. – zmbro _{(talk) (cont)} 14:38, 15 January 2023 (UTC)

• Zmbro I changed the background section slightly and split into three paras; how does this look now? --K. Peake 14:59, 15 January 2023 (UTC)

• ✓ Pass – zmbro _{(talk) (cont)} 16:40, 15 January 2023 (UTC)

Did you know nomination

The following is an archived discussion of the DYK nomination of the article below. Please do not modify this page. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as this nomination's talk page, the article's talk page or Wikipedia talk:Did you know), unless there is consensus to re-open the discussion at this page. No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was: promoted by Bruxton (talk) 18:11, 26 January 2023 (UTC)

(

• Comment or view
• Article history

)

• ... that T-Pain said that he thought of the concept for the song "Good Life" when dining at a restaurant with Kanye West? Source: https://theboombox.com/t-pain-wrote-good-life-for-kanye-west-after-mc-ordered-food/
  • ALT1: ... that the song "Good Life" won Best Rap Song at the 2008 Grammy Awards? Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20181208103043/https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/kanye-west
  • Reviewed: Template:Did you know nominations/Paleoflora of the Eocene Okanagan Highlands

Improved to Good Article status by Kyle Peake (talk). Nominated by Onegreatjoke (talk) at 21:36, 18 January 2023 (UTC).

General: Article is new enough and long enough
New enough: Long enough:

Policy: Article is sourced, neutral, and free of copyright problems
Adequate sourcing: Neutral: Free of copyright violations, plagiarism, and close paraphrasing:

Hook: Hook has been verified by provided inline citation
Cited: Interesting:

QPQ: Done.

Overall: @Onegreatjoke: I find the first hook to be more interesting than ALT1, so I would suggest going with the former. Though the primary source podcast cited by The Boombox for the first hook appears to be a dead link, I think The Boombox is a sufficient secondary source in this case (though not listed at WP:RSPSOURCES, I consider web publications by Townsquare Media, such as The Boombox, Loudwire, Ultimate Classic Rock, etc., to be marginally reliable/usable in regards to music-related topics). Article was promoted to GA status on January 15. Cheers! —Matthew - (talk) 22:54, 19 January 2023 (UTC)