Omarion - Ice Box (The Story Behind The Song)
“Ice Box” is exactly what 2006 R&B music should be, and for that it is the single–greatest breakup song of the past 15 years. For all the growing pains hip–hop was going through in the mid–2000s, the R&B artists of the time were excelling like no other when given minimalist beats to pine and sing on.
Listeners get glimpses at his attempts to piece things together, as leading up to the chorus Omarion sings, “Girl I really wanna work this out, cause I'm tired of fighting/And I really hope you still want me the way I want you/I said I really wanna work this out, damn girl I'm trying,” but as often happens in this situation, the last–ditch attempts to repair a broken relationship prove to be futile.
While Omarion struggles to excel lyrically, his true achievement in “Ice Box” is his tone and technical skill, as delivers a painful yet defiant vocal performance about the end of his relationship. The beat is mostly unremarkable and uniform throughout the verse, as it sounds mostly like any generic R&B breakup song.
Yet, as soon as Omarion ramps up to the chorus, the tone of the song shifts dramatically from dismissal to pain, reflecting the realities of processing a breakup itself. The chorus of “I got this ice box where my heart used to be/icebox where my heart used to be,” immediately followed by Timbaland’s “I’m so cold, I’m so cold, I’m so cold,” achieves exactly the kind of passionless and desolate sound that Omarion attempts to convey through his lyrics. “Ice Box” is a masterfully produced track by Timbaland, and Omarion’s vocal performance was the ideal complement to complete the standoffish tone of the track. By skillfully wavering between grief and aloofness, pain and detachment, but most of all, uncertainty, Omarion's tone and vocal performance epitomizes the second–guessing and confusing nature of a recent breakup.
Yet, as soon as Omarion ramps up to the chorus, the tone of the song shifts dramatically from dismissal to pain, reflecting the realities of processing a breakup itself. The chorus of “I got this ice box where my heart used to be/icebox where my heart used to be,” immediately followed by Timbaland’s “I’m so cold, I’m so cold, I’m so cold,” achieves exactly the kind of passionless and desolate sound that Omarion attempts to convey through his lyrics. “Ice Box” is a masterfully produced track by Timbaland, and Omarion’s vocal performance was the ideal complement to complete the standoffish tone of the track. By skillfully wavering between grief and aloofness, pain and detachment, but most of all, uncertainty, Omarion's tone and vocal performance epitomizes the second–guessing and confusing nature of a recent breakup.
However, yet another factor enhancing the character of "Ice Box's" music video is the fact that this sultry woman is actually Solange. Ten years prior to her excellent album A Seat at the Table, the R&B artist herself performed as the woman towards which Omarion had gone so cold. Complete with a sudden journey into the woods, more heavily–choreographed dancing, and Timbaland sitting in the back of an all–white Rolls Royce, this music video is the epitome of mid–2000s R&B and easily gives “Ice Box” the crown for the best breakup song of the past 15 years
| Single by Omarion featuring Timbaland | |
|---|---|
| from the album 21 | |
| Released | October 31, 2006 |
| Format | |
| Recorded | 2006 |
| Genre | R&B, electrohop |
| Length | 4:16 |
| Label | |
| Songwriter(s) | |
| Producer(s) |
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Labels: 2005, Keri Hilson, Omarion, R&B, Timbaland
posted by Timbaland Page @ 6:41 AM
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