A native of Los Angeles, California's San Pedro community, Miguel Jontel Pimentel was involved at the age of 16 with the production company Drop Squad. Three years later, he was offered a slot in Fatty Koo, and appeared on the R&B group's BET reality show, but he turned the position down and eventually signed a solo deal with distribution from major-label Universal. In 2005, "Getcha Hands Up!" was issued as a promotional solo single, and its accompanying video -- showcasing Miguel's dancing skills -- aired on BET. An album, Young & Free, was planned for release, but it was never issued. By that point, Miguel was becoming increasingly known in the underground through his collaborative work with Blu, Exile, and Daz-I-Kue.
Miguel signed a solo deal with Jive in 2007 and continued to work with underground and major-label artists. By the end of the decade, he placed songs on albums by Musiq Soulchild and Asher Roth. He experienced major growth during 2010. Jaheim's "Finding My Way Back," a song he co-wrote, reached number 12 on Billboard's R&B/hip-hop hit (and was subsequently nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best R&B Song). Miguel also co-wrote a pair of the Jam & Lewis-produced songs that appeared on Usher's Raymond v. Raymond, which topped the Billboard 200 just before Miguel made his proper solo debut with the atmospheric hip-hop soul of "All I Want Is You," a Top Ten R&B/hip-hop hit. The parent album, All I Want Is You, followed that November and reached the Top Ten of the R&B/hip-hop albums chart, as well as the Top 40 of the Billboard 200, boosted by "Sure Thing" (number one R&B, number 36 Billboard 200) and "Quickie" (number three R&B). Once Wale's Miguel-assisted Top 40 pop hit "Lotus Flower Bomb" was well on its way to platinum certification, Miguel resumed his solo output in early 2012 with a trilogy of three-song EPs dubbed Art Dealer Chic.
The intermediate releases led to Kaleidoscope Dream, which entered the R&B/hip-hop chart at number one and crossed into the Billboard 200 Top Five in October 2012. The RCA-issued full-length was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Urban Contemporary Album, while "Adorn," Miguel's second number one R&B/hip-hop single, was nominated for three awards and won for Best R&B Song. The following year, the album's "How Many Drinks?" was nominated as well. Stardom notwithstanding, Miguel remained available for outside work. "#Beautiful," a collaboration with Mariah Carey, was issued in May 2013 and went platinum. Miguel also devoted time between albums to sessions for J. Cole, Janelle Monáe, Big Sean, Jessie Ware, A$AP Rocky (the gold "Everyday"), Mac Miller (the platinum "Weekend"), and Hudson Mohawke.
Miguel's third album, Wildheart, was released in June 2015. Like his previous full-length, it debuted within the Top Five of the Billboard 200, reaching number two and landing in the same spot on the R&B/hip-hop chart. Less melodic than what preceded it, Wildheart emphasized sensual slow jams and was acknowledged with a Grammy nomination in the Best Urban Contemporary Album category. Another round of collaborations, including a duet with Dua Lipa, and singles highlighted by "2 Lovin U" (produced by DJ Premier) and the platinum-certified "Sky Walker" (featuring Travis Scott), preceded the December 2017 release of the urgent War & Leisure. Another R&B/hip-hop chart topper, it also entered the Billboard 200 at number nine. Miguel continued his extracurricular activity through 2018 with Kygo's "Remind Me to Forget" among his most commercially successful featured appearances. His next solo release was the Spanish-language EP Te Lo Dije, which peaked at number 11 on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart in 2019. Also that year, Alicia Keys' Miguel-assisted "Show Me Love" began its ascent to gold status.
A mix of smaller-scale solo output and featured appearances followed during the first few years of the 2020s. Early in the decade, Miguel was featured on tracks such as Jhené Aiko's platinum "Happiness Over Everything (H.O.E.)." The Art Dealer Chic series of EPs resumed in 2021 with a fourth volume containing the grinding "Funeral." After he was featured on Diplo's "Don't Forget My Love," Miguel saw "Sure Thing" become more popular than ever in 2023 -- thanks to TikTok -- and a re-release of the single consequently reached number 14 on the Hot 100, thereby surpassing "Adorn" as his highest-charting pop single. The singer responded that April with the smoldering slow jam "Give It to Me." ~ Andy Kellman & David Jeffries
Funeral
Miguel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause somebody's daughter I just fucking slayed
Blood on the carpet, it came from my heart
Once I start, I can't stop it, and now we are prey
I wanna dive in you tonight
Wouldn't that be special? (special)
'Cause you're so fucking special (special)
I wanna get you so high (high)
'Til you feel it in your mental (mental)
Do you feel me in your mental? (mental)
I'm fucking drilling in your dead soul (woah oh)
I lost my mind, yeah
So I made y'all's mine, yeah
Two souls and a dance with the de-
Only one comin' alive
Send my regards to the mother and father
'Cause somebody's daughter I just fucking slayed
Blood on the carpet, it came from my heart
Once I start, I can't stop it, and now we are prey
(Ah, twerk)
Go until you see the light
(Yeah)
Baby, do you see the light?
(That's right)
Call the coroner tonight (tonight)
Blacked-out girl, it's a funeral (funeral)
She was dead on arrival (arrival)
Heart crossed, hand on the Bible (alright)
'Cause I lost my mind, yeah
So I made y'all's mine, yeah
Two souls and a dance with the de-
And only one comin' out alive
Send my regards to the mother and father
'Cause somebody's daughter I just fucking slayed
(Call the coroner tonight)
Blood on the carpet (it's a funeral tonight)
It came from my heart (my condolences tonight)
Once I start, I can't stop it (go until you see the light)
And now we are prey
The lyrics to "Funeral" by Miguel are dark and intense. The song speaks to the loss of sanity and the desire for someone so much it becomes deadly. The opening line, "Send my regards to the mother and father 'Cause somebody's daughter I just fucking slayed," sets the tone for the rest of the song, indicating that the singer is a murderer. The following line, "Blood on the carpet, it came from my heart," emphasizes the pain and passion that led to the killing. The singer is unable to stop when they start, and now they and the person they slayed are prey, suggesting that there may be consequences for their actions.
The lyrics then shift to a sexually charged tone as the singer expresses their desire to be with someone. They want to "dive" into this person tonight and make them feel "special." They are drilling into this person's "dead soul," suggesting that they may also have a dark side. Overall, the song is about the loss of control, the desire for someone so much that it becomes deadly, and the consequences that arise from such actions.
Line by Line Meaning
Send my regards to the mother and father
Please pass on my sympathies to the parents of the woman I just killed.
'Cause somebody's daughter I just fucking slayed
I just killed someone's beloved daughter, and I did it violently.
Blood on the carpet, it came from my heart
The blood spilled during the murder comes from the deep, dark place in my soul where all my violent impulses reside.
Once I start, I can't stop it, and now we are prey
Once I give in to my violent urges, both myself and the person I'm attacking become prey to my impulses.
I wanna dive in you tonight
I want to engage in sexual intercourse with you tonight, in the most intimate way possible.
Wouldn't that be special? (special)
Wouldn't it be a unique and memorable experience for us both?
'Cause you're so fucking special (special)
You are deserving of unique treatment and attention due to your exceptional qualities or attributes.
And that pussy ain't a rental (no)
You have complete control and ownership over your own sexual desires and experiences.
I wanna get you so high (high)
I want to provide you with an experience that elevates your mood, taking you to a higher level of emotion or ecstasy.
'Til you feel it in your mental (mental)
So strong will be the effect of this experience on your psyche, that it'll leave a lasting positive impact on your thoughts and emotions.
Do you feel me in your mental? (mental)
Do you sense the deep connection that I'm trying to establish on an intellectual level?
I'm fucking drilling in your dead soul (woah oh)
My relentless sexual pursuit is fueled by the dark, unhealthy place in both our souls that craves this type of interaction.
I lost my mind, yeah
I've given in to a type of insanity that fuels my violent and sexual impulses.
So I made y'all's mine, yeah
I've claimed full ownership of both my own mind and the mind of the person I'm connected to right now.
Two souls and a dance with the de-
Our individual souls have met and interacted in a very precise and calculated way.
Only one comin' alive
This interaction has ended up being very intense and only one person is going to emerge from it victorious, leaving the other behind.
(Ah, twerk)
An expression of excitement or enthusiasm for a sexual act to come.
Go until you see the light
Engage in sexual activity to the point of climaxing and feeling the intense, pleasurable release that comes with it.
Baby, do you see the light?
Is the intensity of this sexual experience leading you to see stars or experience something close to enlightenment?
(That's right)
Affirming that the listener should be enjoying the moment as much as possible.
Call the coroner tonight (tonight)
The sexual connection between us is so intense and potentially dangerous that death may be imminent for one or both of us.
Blacked-out girl, it's a funeral (funeral)
This intense sexual experience has leading to a complete and utter loss of self-awareness and control, with one person potentially being at risk of 'dying' from it.
She was dead on arrival (arrival)
The person who was vulnerable to these sexual advances was already spiritually dead and lost when we first met.
Heart crossed, hand on the Bible (alright)
The crossing of hearts signifies the intense, polarizing effects of this sexual experience, while placing a hand on the Bible is a symbol of renewal and reinvigoration of one's personal spirituality.
Blood on the carpet (it's a funeral tonight)
This intense sexual experience has led to violence, with blood being spilled, leading to an almost funeral-like atmosphere.
It came from my heart (my condolences tonight)
The violence and sexual energy that was exchanged came from a very dark, deeply unhealthy place within my own heart and psyche, leading to a sense of regret and loss once the experience was over.
Once I start, I can't stop it (go until you see the light)
Once my dark impulses and desires are awakened, it's very difficult to put them to rest, leading to a sense of mania and instability within myself and the person I'm connecting with.
And now we are prey
I'm in full control of the person I'm connecting with, leading to a sense of both fear and animalistic pleasure as we engage in this dangerous game of intimacy.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Aleksey Savchenko, Arutyun Artakovich Tamamyan, Deion Gill, Miguel Pimentel
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Diamond Donn
I just don't get why The Whole World doesn't stop when this guy releases music. I think they're afraid of him. He's Definitely a Beautiful problem to have.
craig Hughes
Nothing wrong with him at all, its called transcendence. This track is absolute F I R E. PERIOD
mvj
Transcendence to where? lol
Raffine Whaley
The Scorpio in me just went crazy‼ The track, lyrics and delivery SLAPPED‼ The imagery SNAPPED‼
Kyshuna Humes
If you didn’t know Miguel was dark and sexual like this you clearly don’t know him 😩😩
Kaffe latte
Amen!
Gigi Jackson
Exactly!
Venus Fly Godis
Precisely! Straight scorpion energy
Nerdlie Joseph
some things shouldn't be normalized as a character trait
Gabe Lazar
I'm so happy that he didn't give up on this song because I think it's his most exciting, interesting and adventurous song he's ever created both sonically and lyrically and I'm here for this direction. I love artists taking risks!