Hell N Back

Album

Single

Label

Black Butter Records

Genre

Dance-pop

Composer(s)

Abubakar Shariff-Farr;Andrew Boyd;Isaiah Barr;Jacob James Kosich;Johnny Steven Jr. Kosich;Lee Diamond;Matt Schaeffer

Entered Chart

Apr 20, 2024

Peak Date

Apr 27, 2024

Released

15 August 2019

Born Abubakar Baker Shariff-Farr, Bakar grew up in North London's Camden and has roots in Yemen and Tanzania. He dropped his first solo mixtape, Badkid, in May 2018, then in September 2019, Bakar came through with the EP Will You Be My Yellow? with "Hell N Back" the lead single. In this jam, Bakar takes us on a trip down memory lane, reminiscing about all the good times he's had with his lover, especially when they first met. But let's be real, Bakar had to grind and hustle his way through some tough times before finding his soulmate. He was struggling, turning to substances to cope, and felt hella lonely. With his girl by his side, he's finally been able to find happiness and feel complete. Dude had to go through hell and back, but now he's found peace. Bakar makes a direct reference to the EP title in the first verse: Would you be my light, be my yellow? P.Y.T. walking down Portobello Put a smile on this face at the end of the day Bakar's love interest has unique qualities that other girls he was with in the past didn't. Bakar co-wrote the breezy song with Beach Noise, an American production collective comprising Johnny Kosich, Jake the Snake, and Matt Schaeffer. They co-produced several tracks on Kendrick Lamar's 2022 Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers album and K-Dot's cousin Baby Keem's The Melodic Blue record. The Aiden Cullen-directed video shows Bakar strolling on an empty beach in the early hours. Report this ad "Hell N Back" became a sleeper hit in the United States, topping Billboard's Adult Alternative Airplay chart and being certified Gold in January 2022. It also hit Gold status in Australia in 2020 and the UK in 2023. "Hell N Back" entered the UK singles chart for the first time in March 2023 when it soundtracked the teaser trailer for the Pixar film Elemental. Bakar also included "Hell n Back" on his second album, Halo, released on September 22, 2023 on Black Butter Records. The song returned to the UK Singles Chart at #49 the following week. Spring 2024 saw a surge in popularity for Summer Walker's "Hell N Back" remix thanks to TikTok. The verse "I was over love, I had enough, then I found you" became the anthem for a viral trend where users gushed about their significant others.

Could you tell where my head was at when you found me?
Me and you went to hell and back just to find peace
Man, I thought I had everything, I was lonely
Now you're my everything, I was lonely

I mixed a lot of love with a lot of drugs, then I found you
She liked petty crimes, she had green eyes, like Mountain Dew
And where she go, I'll never know
Her friends bounced too
I guess it's their loss 'cause they'll never know what we'll amount to
And would you be my light, be my yellow?
P.Y.T walking down Portobello
Put a smile on this face at the end of the day
MDMA helped us fly away
Who'da known, who'da known you would save my life?
Who'da known, who'da known you would fly my kite?
Could you tell, could you tell?
Could you tell?

Could you tell where my head was at when you found me?
Me and you went to hell and back just to find peace
Man, I thought I had everything, I was lonely
Now you're my everything, I was lonely

Yeah
Yeah
Yeah, yeah
Yeah

I remember, I remember
I was all alone
Late night you would call my phone
Just to check if I was blessed 'cause you knew I was low
Head gone rolling off the throne
I remember, I remember
We was in the park
Late night made love on the grass
Got my head in the clouds, counting all my stars
In my ears said the world was ours
Got to hell and back just to heal my wounds
'Cause it gets like that, wrong side of the moon
No Tutankhamun, you're my Cleopatra
No side ting, don't need a backup
Need a real one, don't need an actor
I lost once they think you won a BAFTA
Come and be my girl, yeah

Could you tell where my head was at when you found me?
Me and you went to hell and back just to find peace
Man, I thought I had everything, I was lonely
Now you're my everything, I was lonely

Yeah (just like we say)
Yeah (just like we say)
Yeah, yeah (just like we say, say, say)
Yeah