On Saturday, Swizz Beatz and Timbaland recruited The-Dream and Sean Garrett for an Instagram Live songwriters battle. One of the highlights was when The-Dream debuted the demo track for JAY-Z’s Justin Timberlake-assisted song, “Holy Grail,” with his original vocals replacing Timberlake’s parts. Less than 24 hours later, a studio version was released on TIDAL.
Besides singing the intro, bridge, chorus, and refrain on the original version of “Holy Grail,” The-Dream co-produced and co-wrote the track. In a verified annotation, the singer-songwriter explained how he linked up with Jay:
The demo version is largely identical to the identical, except for Timberlake’s extended bridge:
You get the air out my lungs whenever you need it
And you take the blade right out my heart
Just so you can watch me bleed
And I still don’t know why, why I love you so much, yeah
(Thanks for warnin' me, thanks for warnin' me)
And you play this game in spite to drive me insane
I got it tattooed on my sleeve
Forever in ink with guess whose name
But I still don’t know why, why our love is so much, yeah
(Thanks for warnin' me, thanks for warnin' me)
“Holy Grail” is the opening track and lead single from Jay’s 2013 album, Magna Carta… Holy Grail. It was a major hit for the Brooklyn rapper and pop singer, peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also won a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and was certified 4x Platinum in December 2016.
Besides working with JAY-Z, The-Dream has co-written No. 1 singles for Rihanna (“Umbrella”) and Beyoncé (“Single Ladies”), as well as hits for Kanye West (“Ultralight Beam”), Mariah Carey (“Obsessed”), and Justin Bieber (“Baby”).
He previously appeared on Genius Level for career-spanning conversation about his songwriting work:
Listen to the song above. Read all the lyrics to demo track and released version of Jay-Z’s “Holy Grail” on Genius now.
