Time Machine (Alicia Keys song)

"Time Machine" is a song by American singer and songwriter Alicia Keys. It was written by Keys, Sebastian Kole and Rob Knox and produced by Keys and Rob Knox, with co-production from Emile Haynie. The song was released on November 20, 2019, through RCA Records as the second single from Keys' seventh studio album Alicia (2020).

As a song with retro-funk sound, the song is a departure from Keys' previous singles. The song received a positive critical reception, with many critics complimenting the new musical direction. A music video directed by Art Johnson and Cole Cook was released on the same day and features a cameo from American rapper Tierra Whack. Remixes by Cedric Gervais, MK and KC Lights were released in February 2020. In the United States, the song peaked on the Billboard Dance Club Songs at number 25 in March 2020.

Background

In September 2019, Keys released the first single "Show Me Love" featuring Miguel, from her then untitled seventh studio album. In November, it was announced that Keys would host the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, having hosted it also the previous year. Keys released "Time Machine" after announcing 2020 Grammy nominees on November 20, 2019, with Gayle King and Bebe Rexha on CBS This Morning.

On the song's release day, Keys tweeted: "You have your roller skates ready? I’ve been dying for you to hear this one!!". In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Keys described the song as "a zone — it's such a vibration and frequency that you can't help but just feel good".

Composition and lyrics

"Time Machine" is an R&B song and is composed in key of E♭ minor with a tempo of 106 beats per minute. As described by Althea Legaspi from Rolling Stone, the lyrics talk about "letting go of hang-ups and finding freedom". On the chorus, Keys "croons": "No we can't rewind/Life ain't no time machine. But once you free your mind/There is beauty in everything". Nick Smith from musicOMH described the song as having a "backdrop of retro-funk and sitars" and according to him, the song "advocates mindfulness and forward thinking, rather than overanalysing and harking back to the past". Adi Mehta from Entertainment Voice described the song as having a "sculpted dark noise framed in an instantaneous, minimal dance beat". Andy Kellman from Allmusic wrote that the song is "built on a sliding groove" and likened the song to "Cranes in the Sky" by Solange. Meg Bishop from Minnesota Daily wrote that the song is "carpeted with funk pop" and according to her reminiscent of "Mirror" by Lil Wayne and "Man in the Mirror" by Michael Jackson.

Critical reception

Rap-Up described the song as a "retro-funk bop". Vulture described the song with the words "smooth, old-school" and "throwback". According to New Music Weekly, the song "celebrates the freedom that comes with letting go". Michael Saponara from Billboard noted that the production of the song is "a stark change compared to the heavy key-laden records we've become accustomed to from Keys recently". Writing for Rated R&B, Anders Hare opined that the "haunting" song "steadily grows in intensity as Keys delivers some of the best vocals to date". musicOMH's Nick Smith in his review of the Alicia album found Keys' vocals on the song "divine". According to Shakeena Johnson from Clash, the song "takes you back to the sound of the 80s". Andy Kellman from Allmusic named it one of the highlights on the album and wrote that it is Keys' "funkiest and spaciest songs, unlike anything else she has recorded". Adi Mehta from Entertainment Voice praised the vocals, writing that "Keys sings with an effortless cool and seasoned showmanship, with her increasingly impassioned, wispy utterances giving way to angelic falsetto cascades". The Arts Desk's Joe Muggs wrote that the song "is a heavy disco-funk stomp, where Keys's multi-octave range is put to fantastic use harmonising with herself" and added that "dirty synth basslines and sitars are treated to all sorts of trippy effects". A. D. Amorosi from Variety gave a positive review of the song, writing that the "swipe-and-swoosh soul" of the song "finds Keys’ reverb-dripping voice pushed to the back, then given multilayered harmonies, before reaching a synth-bass-filled chorus".

Music video

The music video was released on November 20, 2019. It was directed by Art Johnson and Keys’ brother Cole Cook and filmed at World on Wheels in Los Angeles.

Live performances

Keys performed "Time Machine" along with "Underdog" (2020), "Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart" (2009), Billie Eilish song "Everything I Wanted" (2019) and "Fallin'" (2001) at BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge on February 6, 2020. Keys performed the song at a concert to promote the Alicia album held at Bush Hall in London on February 7, 2020. Keys performed the song during the Alicia Keys Rocks New Year's Eve concert on BBC One on December 31, 2020. The song is performed as part of Alicia + Keys World Tour.

Track listings

Digital download

"Time Machine" – 4:30

Digital download (Remixes)

"Time Machine" (Cedrick Gervais Remix) – 3:01
"Time Machine" (MK Remix) – 3:38
"Time Machine" (KC Lights 6am Remix) – 4:08

Charts

Chart (2020)	Peak position
UK Singles Downloads (OCC)	90
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)	25

References

^ "Alicia Keys Glows In New Music Video For "Time Machine"". New Music Weekly. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
Meier, Sam (2020-02-05). "Alicia Keys' 'Time Machine' Gets A Host Of Remixes". Promotionmusicnews.com. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
^ "Alicia Keys Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
^ Legaspi, Althea (2019-11-20). "Alicia Keys Finds Freedom at a Roller Rink in New 'Time Machine' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
Grein, Paul (2019-11-13). "Alicia Keys to Return as Grammy Awards Host in 2020". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
^ Murphy, Chris (2019-11-21). "Grammy Hostess Alicia Keys Tears Up the Roller Rink in 'Time Machine' Video". Vulture. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
"Grammy Awards 2020: Full list of nominees". CBS News. 2019-11-20. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
Price, Joe (2019-11-20). "Alicia Keys Goes Retro for Her "Time Machine" Video". Complex. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
Jones, Marcus (2019-11-20). "Behind the scenes of Alicia Keys' dreamy, roller skating-inspired 'Time Machine' video". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
^ "Time Machine - Single". Apple Music. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
"Alicia Keys & Splice Launch "Time Machine" Remix Contest For Chance At Official Release, Two GRAMMY Tickets & More". Grammy.com. 2019-12-19. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
^ Hare, Anders (2019-11-22). "Alicia Keys Shares New Song 'Time Machine'". Rated R&B. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
^ Smith, Nick (2020-09-18). "Alicia Keys – Alicia". musicOMH. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
^ Mehta, Adi (2020-09-18). "Alicia Keys Demonstrates Optimism, Empathy and Elegance on 'Alicia'". Entertainment Voice. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
^ Kellman, Andy. "Alicia – Alicia Keys". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-09-08.
Bishop, Meg (2020-09-29). "Review: Alicia Keys' New Album Is a Ritual in Self-care". Minnesota Daily. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
"Alicia Keys Debuts New Single 'Time Machine'". Rap-Up. 2019-11-20. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
Saponara, Michael (2020-11-20). "Alicia Keys Hits the Roller Rink in Hazy 'Time Machine' Video Starring Tierra Whack". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
Johnson, Shakeena (2020-09-19). "Alicia Keys – Alicia". Clash. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
Muggs, Joe (2020-09-18). "Album: Alicia Keys – Alicia". The Arts Desk. Archived from the original on September 20, 2020. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
Amorosi, A. D. (2020-09-18). "Alicia Keys Pushes the Limits of Her Voice and Imagination on 'Alicia': Album Review". Variety. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
"Radio 1's Live Lounge - Alicia Keys". BBC Radio 1. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (2020-02-10). "Alicia Keys in London — intimate glimpses of her new album". Financial Times. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
"Alicia Keys Setlist at The O2 Arena, London". setlist.fm. Retrieved 2022-07-09.
"Time Machine (Remixes)". Apple Music. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
"Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2021-07-17.

v t e Alicia Keys songs
Discography
Songs in A Minor	"Girlfriend" "How Come You Don't Call Me" "Fallin'" "A Woman's Worth"
The Diary of Alicia Keys	"Karma" "If I Was Your Woman / Walk On By" "You Don't Know My Name" "If I Ain't Got You" "Diary"
Unplugged	"Unbreakable" "Every Little Bit Hurts" "Wild Horses" "Love It or Leave It Alone / Welcome to Jamrock"
As I Am	"Superwoman" "No One" "Like You'll Never See Me Again" "Teenage Love Affair"
The Element of Freedom	"Doesn't Mean Anything" "Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart" "Wait Til You See My Smile" "Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)" "Put It in a Love Song" "Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down" "We're Almost There"
Girl on Fire	"Brand New Me" "New Day" "Girl on Fire" "Fire We Make" "Tears Always Win" "Not Even the King"
Here	"Blended Family (What You Do for Love)" "In Common"
Alicia	"Show Me Love" "Time Machine" "Underdog" "So Done" "Perfect Way to Die" "Good Job" "Love Looks Better" "A Beautiful Noise" "Wasted Energy"
Keys	"Lala" "Best of Me" "Trillions" "Come for Me"
Santa Baby	"December Back 2 June" "The Christmas Song"
As featured artist	"Brotha" "Calma" "Empire State of Mind" "Fireworks" "Gangsta Lovin'" "Ghetto Story" "I Will Pray (Pregherò)" "International Party" "Looking for Paradise" "New Day" "What's Going On"
Other songs	"28 Thousand Days" "America the Beautiful" "Another Way to Die" "Back to Life" "City of Gods" "Die Without You" "Don't Give Up (Africa)" "Finally" "Lifeline" "If This World Were Mine" "It's On Again" "Kaleidoscope" "Little Drummer Girl" "My Boo" "People Get Ready" "Rapture" "Someday We'll All Be Free" "Speechless" "Us" "Wake Me Up" "We Are Here" "We Gotta Pray"
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