Snooze (SZA song)

In 2017, SZA released her commercially successful and well-acclaimed debut studio album, Ctrl. Critics throughout the years have credited it for being innovative within the R&B genre and establishing her as a major figure in contemporary pop and R&B music. SZA spoke in Ctrl variously about romance, desire, and self-esteem, as well as the many ways in which emotions like jealousy and intense desire can destroy them. The next album after Ctrl was SOS. Disappointed that she had become frequently categorized as an R&B musician, which she felt was due to her being a Black woman. SZA opted to incorporate several genres and musical styles on SOS, while still she still retaining her already established sound. Rowe declaring before the album's release that she "love[d] making Black music, period". SZA said that she was fine with making R&B songs yet wanted space to diversify her work. Certain tracks on SOS have an aura SZA described as "aggressive", while others, like "Snooze", were softer and slower. == Composition ==

"Snooze" is an R&B song set to a midtempo pace. Its instrumental consists of drums and twinkling synthesizers, combined with bass and guitars to build the chords and rhythm. SZA's main vocals are accompanied by layered harmonies and several ad libs, Critics have frequently described the song's sound as "dreamy". Writing for Billboard, Andrew Unterberger said that the composition felt like "being in bed with someone you love and deciding you just have to have another 15minutes there". Julianne Escobedo Shepherd of Pitchfork wrote that "Snooze" is heavily influenced by "classic" R&B songs from the past, citing how the song ends via a fade-out as a demonstrative example. == Production ==

The first "Snooze" demo came from producer Blair Ferguson (BLK) in late 2021, while he was staying the winter in Glasgow at his aunt's attic. Before it became a part of SOS tracklist, the song was a planned duet by SZA and Babyface for the latter's ninth studio album, Girls Night Out (2022). BLK, in his words, took a "traditional R&B route" for the demo, infusing it with "the dreamy and smooth aspects of [SZA's] sound". Upon finishing the demo, BLK sent his work to Leon Thomas III, member of the production duo the Rascals. Noticing the producers were rehearsing one of their beats, she heard Thomas use his voice as a sample on a "Snooze" instrumental. He had done a vocal chop, which he made by slowly singing the melody in a different key, then increasing the tempo. Impressed, SZA began writing the lyrics, finished within 20–30 minutes, and recorded her vocals in the same day. They put Thomas' pitch-shifted vocals near the end of the song, == Lyrics ==

According to SZA, the making of SOS involved several "palate cleanser" sessions, in which she would quickly write tracks like "Snooze" within an hour to refresh her mind in preparation for her more demanding projects. Romance is a frequent subject across SOS tracks, and SZA often discusses it with an idealized, melancholic, or vicious tone. Aside from love, other topics and themes that the album covers include hate, self-worth, and revenge. In 2022, SZA told Glamour that SOS would explore the feelings of heartbreak and "being pissed": "This is my villain era, and I'm very comfortable with that. It is in the way I say no[...] It's in the fucked up things that I don't apologize for." In "Snooze", SZA sings that her dedication to the song's subject is so great that she will go to risky extremes to prove her love. Lyrics from the chorus ("I can't lose when I'm with you/ How can I snooze and miss the moment?") indicate that SZA cannot fathom a life without their romantic relationship and will take every possible chance to be with them. Dispersed throughout SOS are pop culture references to several films, with tracks named after Kill Bill (2003) and Gone Girl (2014) as well as mentions of characters from the Star Wars and Despicable Me franchises. "Snooze" in particular references the crime drama film Scarface (1983) and the character Elvira Hancock, who marries the criminal protagonist and is portrayed with a bob haircut. The relevant lyrics read: "In a drop-top ride with you, I feel like Scarface (Scarface)/ Like that white bitch with the bob, I'll be your main one", implying that SZA wants to be partners in crime, or extremely close, with her lover. Then, her degree of yearning is revealed to be one-sided, much to her dismay. "Snooze" demonstrates, as Larisha Paul writes for Rolling Stone, that "in both lust and love", vulnerability in SZA's music "prevails with limitless devotion." Despite promising to kill, steal, or start a fire for her lover, SZA feels as though they are failing to return the same amount of attention and effort to make their romance work. The bridge shows how the argument between them takes place: ("How you frontin' on me and I'm the main one tryin'?/ How you blame it on me and you the main one lyin'? How you threatenin' to leave and I'm the main one cryin'?") ==Release==

features on an acoustic remix of "Snooze", released a month after he appeared in the song's music video. In November 2022, SZA announced the release date of SOS, alongside its title, via an interview with Billboard. The album was released on December9, through Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA Records. Its tracklist consists of 23 songs, with "Snooze" placed at number eight. Over time, "Snooze" received a steady surge of streams due to its going viral on the video-sharing application TikTok. In response, Top Dawg and RCA sent the song to rhythmic and R&B/hip-hop radio in April 25, 2023, as the album's sixth single. Canadian singer Justin Bieber, who made a cameo in the music video, features on an acoustic remix of the song. The remix was released on September15, via digital streaming platforms. Although there is no new verse, Bieber provides background vocals and replaces SZA as the second verse's main vocalist. == Critical reception ==

"Snooze" has received critical acclaim. The instrumental was a recurring subject of attention; Billboard Andrew Unterberger and Rolling Stone Larisha Paul said it was "intoxicating", The catchiness and composition were points of praise for News24 Joel Ontong, who recommended listeners play the song on repeat and said that its instrumental was the album's best. although Gigwise Millie O'Brien thought that "Snooze" marked the beginning of SOS "forgettable" middle part. Speaking about its long-term impact, critics believe that "Snooze" will become a timeless classic. In 2025, Rolling Stone ranked "Snooze" at number 13 in the 2025 edition of their "Greatest Songs of the 21st Century" list. In the entry description, Mankaprr Conteh wrote the following: "People like to compliment records as timeless, but this one shines precisely because it boasts such a contemporary take on the age-old drama of a relationship going wrong — matched with a feeling so right." == Commercial performance ==

In the US, "Snooze" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number29 as a non-single track on December24, 2022. Due to consistent streaming numbers, it slowly climbed the chart and reached the top 10 eight months later, in August 2023. "Snooze" was the only song to appear on every Billboard Hot 100 issue in 2023. It peaked at number two there, as well as on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. and it spent 37 weeks at number one on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay. On the Billboard Global 200, which tracks worldwide streams and downloads for songs, "Snooze" peaked at number 6. Outside the US, "Snooze" reached the top 20 in numerous countries like the Philippines (2), the UAE (18), The acoustic version peaked at number6 on the country's Hot Singles chart for trending songs; Countries where "Snooze" placed on their corresponding year-end charts include the Philippines (5), New Zealand (14), In a Billboard roundtable discussion, staffer Heran Mamo told the others that by the month of September 2023, "nobody [could] sleep on that song anymore." In another roundtable by the magazine, some said that despite failing to reach number one, "Snooze" arguably overshadowed the chart-topping "Kill Bill" as SOS most popular single because of its longevity. They added that, for this same reason, "Snooze" would become SZA's career-defining song. == Music video ==

To tease the music video for "Snooze", SZA posted two behind-the-scenes footage on Instagram on August12, 2023. Each clip was set to unreleased music. The music video premiered on YouTube on August 25, 2023, and was directed by Bradley J. Calder and SZA. The video begins with multiple romantic scenes, each featuring SZA with one of the four suitors. She can be seen with Mazino in a farm, where they feed a horse and ride a quad bike; McClain in a gym, where she strips and performs a sultry dance for him; Bieber in a bedroom, where they smoke cannabis after a picnic outdoors; and Blanco on the lawn, where he eats fries with ketchup from atop SZA's buttocks. As the video progresses, her relationships with them deteriorate, a result of the men's failure to give SZA enough attention. After finding herself in a series of arguments with them, she ends her romances with all four of the suitors. Near the end, she settles for a robot on a couch wearing a baseball cap, giving it a lap dance and being accompanied by two backup dancers. Concluding the video is a snippet of "Diamond Boy (DTM)", a track from SOS reissue titled Lana. The outro's format is consistent with SZA's promotion strategy of previewing future music at the end of her music videos. The short "DTM (Diamond Boy)" preview accompanies various scenes of SZA and an unknown lover, who both run towards each other in a large meadow and share an embrace. Due to the vulgarity and sexual scenes in the video, the video was broadcast after 10 p.m. in France and some scenes was blurred. == Live performances and covers ==

set, where she performed "Snooze" Throughout 2024, she performed the song in a lengthy series of music festivals, including BST Hyde Park, Glastonbury, Lollapalooza, and Osheaga. During that year's Grammy Awards, SZA used "Snooze" for the first half of a medley with "Kill Bill", wearing a trenchcoat and singing on a stage that depicted a burning alleyway. The 2023 MTV Video Music Awards ceremony could have included a performance of "Snooze" as well, but it was canceled at the behest of SZA's manager Punch, who was unhappy she was not nominated for Artist of the Year. Elsewhere, she performed the song during her co-headlining Grand National Tour (2025) with rapper Kendrick Lamar. "Snooze" has been covered by multiple artists, including Bieber and Thomas. Thomas's version was uploaded to YouTube in late January 2023, and Bieber performed his at a surprise Toronto concert during the NHL All-Star Player Draft on February1, 2024. Other covers include one from Terrace Martin, who did an instrumental-only rendition on the saxophone; it was later featured on his 11th studio album, Fine Tune (2023). When John Legend attended an online influencer's birthday party in November, he was asked to sing "Snooze" impromptu, to which he agreed and performed for the guests with a piano. Non-Western acts who covered the song include Stacey and Mikha of the Filipina girl group Bini. == Accolades ==

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of SOS. Recording and management • Engineered at Westlake Barn and Studios A and D (Los Angeles, California) • Mixed at Ponzu Studios (Los Angeles) • Mastered at Becker Mastering (Pasadena, California) Personnel • Solána Rowe (SZA) vocals, songwriting • Kenny B. Edmonds (Babyface) songwriting, production • Khris Riddick-Tynes songwriting, production • Leon Thomas songwriting, production • Blair Ferguson (BLK) songwriting, production • Rob Bisel vocal production, engineering, mixing • Jonathan Lopez assistant engineering • Syd Tagle assistant engineering • Dale Becker mastering • Katie Harvey assistant mastering • Noah McCorkle assistant mastering ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts ==Certifications==