"Stronger" is the second single from Kanye West's album Graduation. The sin… Read Full Bio ↴"Stronger" is the second single from Kanye West's album Graduation. The single was first released digitally on July 31, 2007. Stronger features a prominent sample from the song Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger by the French house music duo Daft Punk, who received songwriter credits (along with original "Cola Bottle Baby" songwriter Edwin Birdsong, who Daft Punk themselves sampled) and had their costumes appear in the music video, which was co-directed by West and Hype Williams.

According to an interview with Def Jam president (at the time) Jay-Z, West obsessed over the production and mixing of the track, having it mixed 75 times, as he could not seem to get the kick drum to sound precisely the way that he wanted it to, amongst other issues. West reportedly recorded over fifty versions of the track.

The song topped the charts in the United States and was eventually certified Diamond (10x platinum) by the RIAA in 2021. The song won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 50th Grammy Awards on February 10, 2008, where West performed the song with Daft Punk as a surprise guest in what became their first televised live performance in their career. The song has since been included on Rolling Stone magazine's '500 Greatest Albums of All Time' list (at #500). The track has also since been credited with not only encouraging other hip-hop artists to incorporate house and electronica elements into their music, but also with playing a part in the revival of disco and electro-infused music in the late 2000s. The song also brought Daft Punk to prominence in the United States; Rolling Stone credited it with "the beginning of the group's path to mainstream success."

Stronger
Kanye West ft. Daft Punk Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

N-now th-that that don't kill me
Can only make me stronger
I need you to hurry up now
Cause I can't wait much longer
I know I got to be right now
Cause I can't get much wronger
Man I've been waiting all night now
That's how long I been on ya

I need you right now!

Let's get lost tonight
You could be my black Kate Moss tonight
Play secretary, I'm the boss tonight
And you don't give a fuck what they all say, right?
Awesome, the Christian in Christian Dior
Damn, they don't make em like this anymore
I ask, cause I'm not sure:
Do anybody make real shit anymore?
Bow in the presence of greatness
Cause right now thou hast forsaken us
You should be honored by my lateness
That I would even show up to this fake shit
So go ahead, go nuts, go apeshit
Specially on my Pastel, on my Bape shit
Act like you can't tell who made this
New Gospel homey - take 6. And take this, haters

N-now th-that that don't kill me
Can only make me stronger
I need you to hurry up now
Cause I can't wait much longer
I know I got to be right now
Cause I can't get much wronger
Man I've been waiting all night now
That's how long I been on ya
I need you right now!

I don't know if you got a man or not
If you made plans or not
God put me in the plans or not
I'm tripping, this drink got me saying a lot
But I know that God put you in front of me
So how the hell could you front on me?
There's a thousand yous, there's only one of me
I'm tripping, I'm caught up in the moment, right?
Cause it's Louis Vuitton Don night
So we gonna do everything that Kan like
Heard they'd do anything for a Klondike
Well, I'd do anything for a blonde dyke
And she'll do anything for the limelight
And will do anything when the time's right
Uh, baby you're makin' it (harder, better, faster, stronger)

N-now th-that that don't kill me
Can only make me stronger
I need you to hurry up now
Cause I can't wait much longer
I know I got to be right now
Cause I can't get much wronger
Man I've been waiting all night now
That's how long I been on ya
I need you right now!

You know how long I've been on ya?
Since Prince was on Apollonia
Since O.J. had isotoners
Don't act like I never told ya

N-now th-that that don't kill me
Can only make me stronger
I need you to hurry up now
Cause I can't wait much longer
I know I got to be right now
Cause I can't get much wronger
Man I've been waiting all night now
That's how long I been on ya
I need you right now!

You know how long I've been on ya?
Since Prince was on Apollonia
Since O.J. had isotoners
Don't act like I never told ya

You know how long I've been on ya?
Since Prince was on Apollonia

Since O.J. had isotoners
Don't act like I never told ya

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Kanye West ft. Daft Punk's song Stronger speak about the perseverance and strength that Kanye has in the face of adversity. He confidently proclaims that no matter what happens, he cannot be killed but only made stronger. He urges someone to hurry up and join him because he has been waiting for them all night long. Then, he speaks about how he knows he needs to do things right now because if he does not, he cannot afford to go any further.

Later on, Kanye talks about how he wants to get lost with someone special, and they can play the roles of boss and secretary. He acknowledges that not many people make real music anymore but he is proud of his own work. He asks to be bowed to in the presence of greatness and assures his listeners that he is worth honoring. He then tells his haters to go crazy on his pastel and bape clothes.

Towards the end of the song, Kanye talks about how God put someone special in his life but he is not sure if that person shares the same feelings. He talks about his love for dyed blondes and how they would do anything to be in the limelight. The song ends with a repetition of the initial lyrics about becoming stronger.

Line by Line Meaning

N-now th-that that don't kill me
Even though things are tough right now

Can only make me stronger
I know I can overcome anything

I need you to hurry up now
I need you to be there for me right away

Cause I can't wait much longer
I'm running out of patience

I know I got to be right now
I have to be on top of things at this moment

Cause I can't get much wronger
I've made too many mistakes already

Man I've been waiting all night now
I've been waiting for you for a long time

That's how long I been on ya
I've been chasing after you for a while

I need you right now!
I need your support immediately

Let's get lost tonight
Let's have some fun and forget about our problems

You could be my black Kate Moss tonight
You're beautiful and I want to be with you

Play secretary, I'm the boss tonight
Let's be playful and enjoy each other's company

And you don't give a fuck what they all say, right?
You're confident and don't care about other people's opinions

Awesome, the Christian in Christian Dior
Even though I'm successful, I still have faith in God

Damn, they don't make em like this anymore
I'm unique and one of a kind

I ask, cause I'm not sure:
I'm unsure about some things

Do anybody make real shit anymore?
Is there anything authentic anymore?

Bow in the presence of greatness
Respect me because I'm amazing

Cause right now thou hast forsaken us
I feel like people have abandoned me

You should be honored by my lateness
You should feel special because I'm taking time out of my busy schedule for you

That I would even show up to this fake shit
I'm disappointed in the inauthenticity around me

So go ahead, go nuts, go apeshit
Just have fun and enjoy yourself

Specially on my Pastel, on my Bape shit
You should admire my unique style

Act like you can't tell who made this
I'm so great at what I do that it's obvious I made this

New Gospel homey - take 6. And take this, haters
My music is innovative and fresh, and I don't care what the haters say

I don't know if you got a man or not
I'm unsure of your relationship status

If you made plans or not
I'm not sure if you have prior commitments

God put me in the plans or not
I feel like God intended for me to be with you

I'm tripping, this drink got me saying a lot
I'm under the influence and talking too much

But I know that God put you in front of me
I believe you're meant to be with me

So how the hell could you front on me?
Why would you reject me?

There's a thousand yous, there's only one of me
You might have other options, but there's no one like me

I'm tripping, I'm caught up in the moment, right?
I'm in the moment and caught up in my emotions

Cause it's Louis Vuitton Don night
I'm feeling luxurious and extravagant

So we gonna do everything that Kan like
Let's do things the way I like

Heard they'd do anything for a Klondike
Some people are willing to do anything for a small reward

Well, I'd do anything for a blonde dyke
I'm willing to do anything for a certain type of woman

And she'll do anything for the limelight
That woman is willing to do anything for attention or fame

And will do anything when the time's right
We'll do whatever we want when the opportunity arises

Uh, baby you're makin' it (harder, better, faster, stronger)
Being with you is making me feel invincible and unstoppable

You know how long I've been on ya?
Do you realize how much I've been pursuing you?

Since Prince was on Apollonia
I've been chasing after you for a long time

Since O.J. had isotoners
I've been trying to win you over for a while now

Don't act like I never told ya
Don't act like you didn't know I was interested in you

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: EDWIN BIRDSONG, GUY MANUEL HOMEM CHRISTO, KANYE OMARI WEST, THOMAS BANGALTER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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