"Fireworks" is a song by Canadian recording artist Drake

Drake (entertainer)

Aubrey Drake Graham , who records under the mononym Drake, is a Canadian recording artist and actor. He originally became known for playing Jimmy Brooks on the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation....

 from his debut album Thank Me Later

Thank Me Later

Thank Me Later is the debut studio album of Canadian recording artist Drake, released June 15, 2010, on Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Universal Motown Records...

. The song features singer Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys

Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...

, who previously worked with Drake on the single "Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)

Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)

"Un-Thinkable " is a song performed by American recording artist Alicia Keys and has backing vocals provided by Canadian singer, Drake. According to Keys' it is the next single from her 2009 album, The Element of Freedom. It was initially scheduled to be the fifth single but will now impact as the...

". Originally, it was supposed to be the fourth single

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

, but it was changed to Fancy

Fancy (Drake song)

"Fancy" is a song by Canadian recording artist, Drake, from his debut album Thank Me Later. Fancy features T.I. and Swizz Beatz, who also co-produced the track alongside Noah "40" Shebib...

.

Background

Fireworks was one of the most anticipated songs off Thank Me Later

Thank Me Later

Thank Me Later is the debut studio album of Canadian recording artist Drake, released June 15, 2010, on Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Universal Motown Records...

. It was originally thought that Kings of Leon

Kings of Leon

Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion, Oklahoma but formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Anthony Caleb Followill , Ivan Nathan Followill and Michael Jared Followill Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion,...

 was on the chorus, however, due to lack of sample clearance, it was announced at a concert that Alicia Keys would sing the chorus.

Before his show at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania on Monday night April 5, 2010, Drizzy explained to MTV News why he was letting the crowd sample the song. "The song itself is the first song on the album; I think it's the biggest indicator of what the album is gonna be like," he said. "That's why I picked that song to go first, and that's why I wrote the first verse like that. It's really where I am in my life right now. I know they're looking forward to the album, so I want them to get a feel of how the story starts off." "Fireworks" starts with the actual sound of fireworks in the background. From there, Drizzy begins talking about his life, joking that his 15 minutes of fame started about an hour ago. "It truly is a story," he added of the album. "At no point in the album does it fall off and become about some songs I slapped together. It's all a story from beginning to end. Just like So Far Gone was. It's that time."

Live performances

Drake has performed the song while on his recent tour and also performed the first verse of "Fireworks" at the 2010 BET Awards

BET Awards

The BET Awards were established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate African Americans and other minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. The awards are presented annually and broadcast live on BET...

. The song was performed in a medley along with "Over

Over (Drake song)

"Over" is a song by Canadian recording artist, Drake. The song serves as the lead single from his debut album, Thank Me Later. It was written by Drake with Boi-1da, and produced by the latter and Al Khaaliq. The single was released for digital download on March 8, 2010. The song is midtempo hip-hop...

" and the remix of Young Jeezy

Young Jeezy

Jay Wayne Jenkins , better known by his stage name Young Jeezy, is an American rapper. He is the member of the hip hop group United Streets Dopeboyz of America and a former member of BMF...

's "Lose My Mind

Lose My Mind

"Lose My Mind" is the first single released from Young Jeezy's upcoming album, Thug Motivation 103. The song features rapper Plies. The song was also released on Jeezy's mixtape "Trap or Die II". It is nominated for Best Rap Performance By Duo or Group at the 2011 Grammy's.-Music video:The music...

".

Charts

It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 chart at #71 without an official release.

Chart (2010)	Peak position
US Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...  (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... )	17