"Count Me Out" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, from his fifth studio album "Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers", released on May 13, 2022. The tenth track on the album (and the first on 'Disc 2'), the song was produced by Sounwave, DJ Dahi, Tim Maxey and J.lbs.
Lyrics.
The song begins with an intro sung by Sam Dew:
The song covers themes of regret, infidelity, self-forgiveness, redemption, and determination. The opening verse can be interpreted as a therapeutic confession. The song switches to a more upbeat tempo in the second verse before slowing down in the final verse.
Music video.
The music video was released on December 16, 2022, on YouTube and directed by Lamar himself and Dave Free and stars Lamar and Helen Mirren. The video, which includes only the song's first verse, covers a therapy session between Lamar and his therapist (portrayed by Mirren). After Lamar tells the story of a humorous parking incident, the therapist recounts a text message she received from Lamar saying "I feel like I'm falling." and asks why he feels that way. Lamar answers "Life", in response, and raps the first verse of the song as clips relating to the various topics he covers appear on screen. At the end of the verse, Kendrick turns around to face his piano while an angel appears next to him.
Reception.
Both the song and video have received praise.
The song debuted at number 20 on the "Billboard Hot 100"
Performances.
Lamar performed "Count Me Out" during The Big Steppers Tour. The performance featured a silhouetted version of Kendrick rapping the first verse while hunched over, with arrows lodged into his back. Lamar performed the song with a mashup of "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" during the Grand National Tour.