So Gone

"So Gone" was written and produced by rapper Missy Elliott along with Kenneth Cunningham and Jamahl Rye from duo Spike & Jamahl. Recorded by Demacio Castellon at Hit Factory Criteria in Miami, Florida, the song was mixed by Scott Kieklak, while Marcella Araica and Javier Valeverde both assisted in the audio engineering of "So Gone". Speaking about its sound, Monica said in an interview with MTV News: "'So Gone' takes you back to when people first heard me. It's got that feeling like no holds barred, not trying to cater to any one audience." Lyrically, "So Gone" describes and chronicles lovesickness towards an unfaithful romantic partner. "The song is saying that I'm so gone that I'm not thinking straight," Monica told Jet Magazine. "I do that sometimes because I'm pretty hard. She [Missy Elliott] may have taken some of the real life from me and put it into song." Elliott proposed the singer to start rapping over the record — a venture, that would become "second nature" to her: "Missy kept telling me that I act like a rapper so she encouraged me to rap on 'So Gone' and 'Knock Knock'. She would put together rhythms." Elliott protégé, singer Tweet, and frequent collaborator, rapper Busta Rhymes, joined the recording sessions to provide vocals for a remix version of the song, which was later also included as "Outro" on After the Storm. ==Critical reception==

earned favorable reviews for her producton on "So Gone." while Chuck Arnold of People wrote that "So Gone" was one of three standout tracks on parent album After the Storm. He noted that the use of The Whispers' 1977 single "You Are Number One," was resulting in a retro-soul atmosphere reminiscent of Aretha Franklin's 1972 hit "Day Dreaming." In his review of After the Storm, AllMusic editor Andy Kellman wrote that "So Gone," along with Elliott's other productions such as "Get It Off" and "Knock Knock," constituted the album's most exciting material, praising the tracks for adding "just the right amount of swagger" to Monica's more wide-eyed 1990s persona. Writing for the Los Angeles Times, Natalie Nichols observed that the song depicts "the obsessive love call of an unrequited female suitor" and is driven by a hip hop–influenced beat from Elliott, complemented by "funky-to-humorous old-school touches," including horns and vinyl surface noise. Chuck Taylor of Billboard described the song's "sparse, hip-hop-influenced" production and "vintage touches" as "instantly infectious." He further commented that Monica's familiar "around-the-way-girl" persona was "on full display," adding that "So Gone" could help the singer maintain her relevance. Similarly, Jon Pareles from The New York Times wrote that "So Gone," with "a sparse backdrop of static and sampled strings and horns, has the singer missing her ex so much that she stalks him." The Washington Post described the song as "a jilted lover's fulmination abetted by the platinum production touch of Missy Elliott," but judged it inferior to its "Outro" remix. ==Commercial performance==

"So Gone" was one of Monica's most commercially successful singles in several years. The song debuted at number 66 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number 10, becoming her eighth top-ten entry on the chart. Its comparatively strong performance contrasted with that of many of her singles released between 1999 and 2003, several of which failed to chart on the Hot 100 or its Bubbling Under extension. "So Gone" also marked Monica’s tenth top-ten hit on the US domestic charts overall and her first top-ten single since "Angel of Mine" in early 1999. The track remained in the Hot 100's top forty for twenty weeks and was ranked number 39 on the chart's 2003 year-end list. The song also spent five consecutive weeks at number one on Billboards component Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, becoming Monica's first chart topper since 1998's "The First Night" and sixth number-one hit in total. It was ranked fourth on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles 2003 year-end chart behind 50 Cent's "In da Club", R. Kelly's "Ignition (Remix)" and Aaliyah's "Miss You". The "Scum frog Club Mix" of the song also spent one week on top of the Hot Dance Club Play chart. Outside North America, "So Gone" received only a limited 12-inch vinyl release, which contributed to its modest performance in international markets. The song peaked at number 17 on the Canadian Singles Chart and reached number 82 on the UK Singles Chart. In 2024, it earned a Gold certification from Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ). ==Music video==

neighborhood in Miami. The cinematography was handled by Jo Willems, and the costume design was created by Alexander Allen. Actor Derek Luke co-stars as Monica’s love interest, while producer Missy Elliott makes a cameo in several scenes. It performed strongly on music video countdowns, peaking at number two on BET's 106 & Park and at number six on MTV's Total Request Live. ==Track listings==

Notes • denotes co-producer(s) • denotes additional producer(s) • denotes vocal producer(s) Sample credits • "So Gone (Album Version)" contains excerpts from the composition "You Are Number One" (1976) by The Whispers. • "So Gone (Remix)" contains samples from "Violation" (1978) by Saint Tropez and "Bonita Applebum" (1990) by A Tribe Called Quest. • "All Eyez on Me" contains excerpts from the composition "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" (1982) by Michael Jackson. ==Credits and personnel==

Credits adapted from the liner notes of After the Storm. • Monica Arnold – lead vocals, background vocals • Marcella Araica – audio engineering • Demacio Castellon – recording • Tom Coyne – mastering • Kenneth Cunningham – co-producer, writer • Missy Elliott – production • Scott Kieklak – mixing • Jamahl Rye – co-producer, writer • Tweet – additional vocals • Javier Valeverde – audio engineering ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts ==Certifications==