"Make Her Say" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kid Cudi, released as the second single from his debut album Man on the Moon: The End of Day (2009). The single was digitally released to iTunes on June 9, 2009. It features fellow American rappers Common and Kanye West, the latter of whom also produced the song. The song is perhaps best known for its sample of the US number-one hit single "Poker Face", as performed by American singer Lady Gaga. The song received a nomination for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards.
Background and lyrical content[]
Gaga performing live at The Cherrytree House.
"Make Her Say" is performed by Kid Cudi, Kanye West, and Common. It was originally titled "I Poke Her Face", but was changed to make it more acceptable for radio. The song was written by all three artists, produced by West, and features scratches from DJ A-Trak. Lady Gaga (of whom West is a fan) and producer RedOne are credited as co-writers, because an acoustic version of Gaga's song "Poker Face" from The Cherrytree Sessions EP (2009) is sampled throughout the song. Gaga voiced approval of the track, saying that West "had so much insight into what the song was about." Incidentally, just a few weeks later, the two revealed plans to tour together; however, the tour was later canceled. In addition to the Lady Gaga sample, the song also makes musical references to T.I.'s "Whatever You Like", Asher Roth's, C-Murder's "Down for My N's", "I Love College", and Jamie Foxx's "Blame It".
Music video[]
The music video for "Make Her Say" was directed by Nez Khammal and released on July 20, 2009. The video carries a minimal aesthetic, with scenes taking place in empty, wide-open spaces. Although Kid Cudi, Kanye West, and Common all appear in the video, they never attended a film shoot together. The music video utilizes a split screen effect to create the illusion that the three artists were all filmed in the same location. In reality, they had shot their individual scenes on opposite coasts of the United States; Common and Kid Cudi were filmed in New York City while Kanye was filmed in Los Angeles. The group had wanted Lady Gaga to be included in the video, but she was too busy to make the appearance.The video uses a shortened version of the song that cuts out the outro.
Remixes[]
- Make Her Say (Afrojack Remix) - 4:18
- Make Her Say (Nadastrom 88 Dub) - 6:07
Performances[]
Kid Cudi and Gaga on stage (2009).
Kid Cudi was the opening act of the Theater Version of The Monster Ball, he also returned on stage to perform the song with Gaga.
| Tour | Dates | Performances |
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Lyrics[]
[Kid Cudi]:
(I make her say)
[Lady Gaga]:
Oh, oh-oh-oh
Oh, oh-oh-oh
[Kid Cudi]:
(When I)
[Lady Gaga]:
P-p-p-poker face
P-p-poke her face
[Kid Cudi]:
(I make her say)
[Lady Gaga]:
Oh, oh-oh-oh
Oh, oh-oh-oh
[Kid Cudi]:
(When I)
[Lady Gaga]:
P-p-p-poker face
P-p-poke her face
(I make her say)
[Kid Cudi]:
(Me first!)
[Kid Cudi]:
She wanna have whatever she like
She can if she bring her friend
And we can have one hell of a night
Through the day
Eh, I mean staring like a creeper cause you gotta peep 'er
I mean you probably might be saying you aint jockin' either
But man, yo girl got a fat old ass
Yeah, the type that make you tell a bitch Just Dance
And fuck them other n**** cause you down for her bitches
Fuck them other n**** cause she down for the stickin'
And fuck them other n**** hope she down for some lickin'
And fuck them other bitches
Cause she's down for the trickin' up
I'm hopin' she a rider
When its said and done
And she spit it up and swallow now
I ain't got a trip about them n**** who like her
But me and mammy know who can really make her go
[Kid Cudi]:
(I make her say)
[Lady Gaga]:
Oh, oh-oh-oh
Oh, oh-oh-oh
[Kid Cudi]:
(When I)
[Lady Gaga]:
P-p-p-poker face
P-p-poke her face
[Kid Cudi]:
(I make her say)
[Lady Gaga]:
Oh, oh-oh-oh
Oh, oh-oh-oh
[Kid Cudi]:
(When I)
[Lady Gaga]:
P-p-p-poker face
P-p-poke her face
(I make her say)
[Kanye West]:
She said she want whatever she like
She said she gon' bring her friend
Now we gon' have a hell of a night
Through the day
I made her say
Hold up, born in '88
How old is that? Old enough
I got seniority with the sorority
So, that explain why I love college
Gettin' brain in the library 'cause I love knowledge
When you use your Medulla Oblongata
And give me scoliosis until I comatoses
And do it while I sleep yeah a little osmosis
And that’s my commandment you ain’t gotta ask Moses
More champagne more toastes
More damn planes, more coastes
And fuck a bus, the Benz is parked like Rosa …
[Kid Cudi]:
(I make her say)
[Lady Gaga]:
Oh, oh-oh-oh
Oh, oh-oh-oh
[Kid Cudi]:
(When I)
[Lady Gaga]:
P-p-p-poker face
P-p-poke her face
[Kid Cudi]:
(I make her say)
[Lady Gaga]:
Oh, oh-oh-oh
Oh, oh-oh-oh
[Kid Cudi]:
(When I)
[Lady Gaga]:
P-p-p-poker face
P-p-poke her face
(I make her say)
[Common]:
She said she want whatever she like
But she gotta bring your friend
We could have a hell of a night, through the day
She blamed it on the a-a-a-a-a-alcohol
She had her hair did, it was bound to fall
Down, down for a damn, Cudi already said it
A poker face book I already read it
But man, her head was gooder than the music
Electro body known to blow fuses
A stripper from the south lookin' for a payday
Said bitch you should do it for the love like Ray Jay
But they say you be on that conscious tip
Get your hair right and get up on this conscious dick
I embody everything from the Gali to the party
It's the way I was raised on the south side safari, so
[Lady Gaga]:
Oh, oh-oh-oh
Oh, oh-oh-oh
(When I)
P-p-p-poker face
P-p-poke her face
(I make her say)
Oh, oh-oh-oh
Oh, oh-oh-oh
(When I)
P-p-p-poker face
P-p-poke her face
[Lady Gaga]:
Can't read my, can't read my
No he can't read my poker face
She's got me like nobody
Can't read my, can't read my
No he can't read my poker face
She's got me like nobody
Credits[]
- Studio: Avex Honolulu Studios (Honolulu, Hawaii)
- Keyboards by Jeff Bhasker
- Recorded by Andrew Dawson, Anthony Kilhoffer
- Assisted by Christian Mochizuki, Taylor Rohrbacher
- Mixed by Manny Marroquin
- Assisted by Christian Plata, Erik Madrid
- Mastered by Vlado Meller
Contains an interpolation and a sample of "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga. It also embodies elements of "Blame It" by Jamie Foxx.
Trivia[]
- "Just Dance" is mentioned on the line "Yeah, the type that make you tell a bitch Just Dance".