"Why I Love You" is a song by American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 hip hop

Hip hop music

Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...

 artists Kanye West

Kanye West

Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...

 and Jay-Z

Jay-Z

Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...

 and features Mr. Hudson, from their first collaboration album Watch the Throne

Watch the Throne

Watch the Throne is a collaborative studio album by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West, released on August 8, 2011, by Roc-A-Fella Records, Roc Nation, and Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions for the album took place at various recording locations and began in November 2010. It was...

. The song was officially sent to Rhythmic Radio formats on September 13, 2011. "Why I Love You" heavily samples French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 house

House music

House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...

 duo Cassius

Cassius (band)

Cassius is a French house music duo, consisting of producers Philippe Cerboneschi and Hubert Blanc-Francart, better known as Philippe Zdar and Boom Bass.-History:...

' 2010 single "I <3 U So", which itself is based upon a sample from the original 1971 version of "I Feel a Song (In My Heart)

I Feel a Song (In My Heart)

"I Feel a Song " is a song recorded by Gladys Knight & the Pips. From the album I Feel a Song, the single spent two weeks at number one on the Hot Soul Singles chart in late 1974. It also peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart...

" by Sandra Richardson.

Artwork

The artwork for "Why I Love You" features the French flag with a black third substituted for blue and is the exact same cover used for Kanye West and Jay-Z's song "Niggas in Paris

Niggas in Paris

"Niggas in Paris" is a song by American rappers Kanye West and Jay-Z, released as the fourth single from their collaboration album Watch the Throne. It debuted at #75 on the US Billboard Hot 100 on the week of the album's release...

" which was sent to rhythmic radios simultaneously with "Why I Love You" on September 13, 2011. While "Niggas in Paris" was sent to urban radio, as well.

Critical reception

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...

 commented on Jay-Z's verses on the track by saying "Jay-Z goes off on those who, though once close, turned away or against him. "But I'm bullet proof, b**ch you can't get nothin' past me." #shots". Rolling Stone complimented featured artist Mr Hudson by saying "West associate Mr Hudson sings the hook on this moody track that alternates between a towering, TV on the Radio-esque chorus and hazy, synth-heavy verses." The Guardian

The Guardian

The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...

 complimented Hudson's hook sounds and compared them to a "hair metal bombast." The Hollywood Reporter

The Hollywood Reporter

Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...

 commented on the track by saying "Sampling French house duo Cassius, Jay-Z tells his story using imagery of Rome burning, castle walls rising, and inevitably referring to the friends and collaborators he’s lost over the last few decades. And then he quotes Waka Flocka’s “Bustin At Em.” Mr. Hudson swoons in the background, presumably with a gladiola." Spin

Spin (magazine)

Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...

 referred to the track as the "most dark and twisted song since the opening track "No Church in the Wild". Spin went on to compliment Jay-Z's verses on the track by saying that he showed emotion in his past betrayals he experienced with certain artists.

Chart performance

Due to the hype around Watch the Throne worldwide, "Why I Love You" debuted on various charts globally on the week of the album's release.
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Chart (2011)	Peak Position
South Korea (Gaon Chart Gaon Chart The Gaon Chart is a national record chart of South Korea. It is complied by the Korea Music Content Industry Association and sponsored by South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism; with an aim to create a national chart for Korea similar to the Billboard charts and Oricon charts... )	94
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... )	139

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label
United States	September 13, 2011	Rhythmic radio	Roc-A-Fella Roc-A-Fella Records Roc-A-Fella Records is a record label founded by Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Damon "Dame" Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke. Today it operates as a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, and is distributed by Island Def Jam Motown Music Group.-Formation and Early Years:... , Roc Nation Roc Nation Roc Nation is an American management, music publishing and entertainment company founded by Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter.-History:In April 2008, Live Nation partnered with Jay-Z to create Roc Nation... , Def Jam Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings is an American record label, focused primarily on hip hop and urban music, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group...
Australia	October 10, 2011	Contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts... , Alternative radio Alternative Radio Alternative Radio is an internationally syndicated, one-hour, weekly radio program, featuring serious interviews with humanitarian and progressive thinkers. Begun in 1986, it evolved from a program that journalist David Barsamian hosted on community radio station KGNU-FM, in Boulder, Colorado. AR...