{{Infobox song | name = So Gone | cover = So Gone.png | alt = | type = single | artist = Monica | album = After the Storm | released = {{Start date|2003|4|8}} | recorded = | studio = Hit Factory Criteria (Miami) | genre = | length = 4:02 | label = J | writer = *Melissa Elliott *Zyah Ahmonuel *Kenneth Cunningham *Jamahl Rye | producer = Missy Elliott | prev_title = Too Hood | prev_year = 2002 | next_title = Knock Knock | next_year = 2003 }}
"'''So Gone'''" is a song by American R&B recording artist Monica. It was one out of several tracks rapper-producer Missy Elliott wrote and produced along with Kenneth Cunningham and Jamahl Rye from production duo Spike & Jamahl for Monica's fourth studio album, ''After the Storm'' (2003), following the delay and subsequent reconstruction of her 2002 album, ''All Eyez on Me''. Incorporating elements of hip hop and 1970s-style smooth jazz as well as soul music, it features a sample from the 1976 song "You Are Number One", penned by Zyah Ahmonuel and performed by The Whispers.
Following the less successful chart performances of previous singles "All Eyez on Me" and "Too Hood", J Records released the song on April 8, 2003, as the lead single from ''After the Storm'' in the United States. The song was lauded by critics, who praised its vintage touches and sparse hip hop influences. "So Gone" became Monica's biggest commercial success in years, reaching number 10 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and the top of both the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and Hot Dance Club Play charts, becoming her first chart topper since 1999's "Angel of Mine".
The song's music video, directed by Chris Robinson and shot at Miami's South Beach in April 2003, features Monica as one half of a dysfunctional relationship in which she prejudges her man to cheat on her. It ends on a cliffhanger, which leads to the video for the album's second single, "Knock Knock". Nominated for a Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Single and a Teen Choice Awards, Monica performed the song on several televised events, including ''106 & Park'', ''The Today Show'', ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' and MTV's ''Total Request Live''.
==Background and recording== "So Gone" was written and produced by rapper Missy Elliott along with Kenneth Cunningham and Jamahl Rye from duo Spike & Jamahl.<ref name="Booklet">{{cite AV media notes |title=After the Storm |publisher=J Records|others=Monica |title-link=After the Storm (Monica album)|year=2003 }}</ref> 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".<ref name="Booklet"/> Backing vocals for the track were recorded by Monica, with additional vocals provided by fellow R&B singer Tweet.<ref name="Booklet"/> Built around a prominent sample from the 1976 song "You Are Number One", originally performed by American vocal group The Whispers, writer Zyah Ahmonuel holds partial songwriter credits on the song.<ref name="Booklet"/>
The record is one out of three Elliott-produced additions to the partially re-worked ''After the Storm'' album, commissioned by J Records head and executive producer Clive Davis after Elliott's 2002 success with her fourth studio album, ''Under Construction'', and the delay of Monica's original third studio album, ''All Eyez On Me'', the year before. It was conceived during a studio session week in the Goldmind recordings studios in Miami in early 2003, with most of it being "done in probably three or four hours."<ref name="mtvnews1">{{cite web| first= Shaheem| last= Reid| title= Monica Revises Leaked LP With Help From Missy Elliott| work= MTV News| publisher= MTV. Viacom| url= http://m.mtv.com/news/article.rbml?id=1471325| access-date= May 20, 2013| date= April 17, 2003| url-status= dead| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140419213109/http://m.mtv.com/news/article.rbml?id=1471325| archive-date= April 19, 2014}}</ref> 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."<ref name="mtvnews1"/> Initially recorded for the US re-release of ''All Eyez on Me'', it was later featured on the re-tooled ''After the Storm'' album only.<ref name="yahoomusic">{{cite web |first=Yves Erwin |last=Salomon| title=Monica Is 'So Gone'| work= Yahoo! Music| publisher=Yahoo!|url=http://new.music.yahoo.com/monica/news/monica-is-so-gone--12029787|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120901180203/http://music.yahoo.com/monica/news/monica-is-so-gone--12029787| accessdate= May 20, 2013|archive-date=September 1, 2012 |date= March 21, 2003}}</ref>
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."<ref>{{cite news | title= Monica: shares life's lessons on new CD 'After The Storm'| work= Jet Magazine| url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_5_104/ai_105917570| accessdate= July 28, 2003 | first=Margena A. | last=Christian | year=2003}}</ref> 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."<ref>{{cite web| title= Monica: Portrait| work= EJams.com| url= http://www.ejams.com/monica.htm| access-date= January 27, 2007| url-status= dead| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20061016011956/http://www.ejams.com/monica.htm| archive-date= October 16, 2006}}</ref> 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''.<ref name="Booklet"/>
==Critical reception== [[File:Missy Elliott 2006.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Rapper Missy Elliott earned favorable reviews for her producton on "So Gone."<ref name="Booklet"/>]] "So Gone" received generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics, many of whom praised its retro-inspired sound. Lewis Dene of BBC Music described the track as an "infectious ’70s soul groove,"<ref>{{cite web | title=After The Storm presents a different aspect of Monica's musicality | work=BBC Music | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/28gb/ | first=Lewis | last=Dene | date=August 4, 2003 | access-date=January 27, 2013}}</ref> 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."<ref>{{cite web | first=Chuck | last=Arnold | title=Picks and Pans Review: After the Storm | website=People |url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20140412,00.html| date=June 30, 2003 | access-date=January 27, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819083015/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20140412,00.html|archive-date=August 19, 2014}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Kellman">{{cite web|last=Kellman|first=Andy|title=After the Storm Review|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/after-the-storm-mw0000223299|website=AllMusic|access-date=January 31, 2026}}</ref>
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.<ref name="Nichols">{{cite web | first=Natalie | last=Nichols| title=More than Drive-In fare| website=Los Angeles Times | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-jun-22-ca-rack22-story.html| date=June 30, 2003 | access-date=January 31, 2026}}</ref> 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.<ref name="bb13">{{cite magazine | first=Chuck | last=Taylor | title=Reviews & Previews | magazine=Billboard | publisher=Prometheus Global Media | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mA0EAAAAMBAJ&q=review+%22MONICA%22+%22SO+GONE%22&pg=PA46 | date=May 3, 2003 | access-date=January 17, 2013}}</ref> 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."<ref>{{cite web | first=Jon | last=Pareles| author-link=Jon Pareles|title=CRITIC'S CHOICE/New CD's; A Midsummer Night's Steam| website=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/08/arts/critic-s-choice-new-cd-s-a-midsummer-night-s-steam.html| date=July 8, 2003 | access-date=January 31, 2026|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527230831/https://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/08/arts/critic-s-choice-new-cd-s-a-midsummer-night-s-steam.html|archive-date=May 27, 2015}}</ref> ''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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Quick Spins| website=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2003/06/25/quick-spins/5821734c-c7f9-434d-8492-74fd2d03e2c7/| date=June 25, 2003 | access-date=February 1, 2026}}</ref>
==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.<ref name="Billboardhot100"/> 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.<ref name="Billboardhot100"/> "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.<ref name="Billboardhot100"/> 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.<ref name="Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2003"/>
The song also spent five consecutive weeks at number one on ''Billboard''{{'}}s 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.<ref name="Billboardrandbhiphop"/> 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".<ref name="BByeRb"/> The "Scum frog Club Mix" of the song also spent one week on top of the Hot Dance Club Play chart.<ref name="Billboarddanceclubplay"/> 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.<ref name="Canada"/><ref name="UK"/> In 2024, it earned a Gold certification from Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ).<ref name="RMNZ"/>
==Music video== [[Image:Miamimetroarea.jpg|thumb|The music video for "So Gone" was filmed in various locations throughout the South Beach neighborhood in Miami.<ref name="mtvnews2"/>]] The music video for "So Gone" was directed by Chris Robinson and produced by Dawn Rose for Partizan Entertainment.<ref name="IMDb">{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10239044/fullcredits/|title=Monica: So Gone |publisher=IMDb |accessdate=January 31, 2026}}</ref> The cinematography was handled by Jo Willems, and the costume design was created by Alexander Allen.<ref name="IMDb"/> Filming took place on April 1 and 2, 2003, with many interior scenes shot at the same Key Biscayne, Florida mansion used in the 1983 film ''Scarface'', as well as at various locations throughout the South Beach area of Miami, Florida.<ref name="mtvnews2">{{cite web |first=Jon |last=Wiederhorn |title=Missy, DMX, Tyrese To Give Monica's New LP Extra Oomph |work=MTV News |publisher=MTV. Viacom |url=http://m.mtv.com/news/article.rbml?id=1471325 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419213109/http://m.mtv.com/news/article.rbml?id=1471325 |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 19, 2014 |access-date=May 20, 2013 |date=March 31, 2003}}</ref> Actor Derek Luke co-stars as Monica’s love interest, while producer Missy Elliott makes a cameo in several scenes.<ref name="mtvnews2"/>
The video’s narrative portrays Monica as a distraught girlfriend who believes she has uncovered her partner’s hidden secret. "The video is like [Luke] and I are in a relationship," Monica explained in an interview with ''MTV News''. "In my mind I think he’s cheating. As you see in the video, my mind’s playing tricks on me. I’ve destroyed his home and all this stuff for no reason. I get arrested, as you would in real life."<ref name="mtvnews1"/> The video concludes with Monica being taken away in a police cruiser, creating a cliffhanger that leads directly into the video for the album’s second single, "Knock Knock."<ref name="mtvnews1"/>
The "So Gone" video premiered worldwide on April 23, 2003, during the closing segment of BET's television series ''Access Granted''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tvshows.aol.com/episode/-/access-granted/EP45705100657|title=Access Granted – Episode Details|via=AOL.com |accessdate=February 1, 2026|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120719193158/http://tvshows.aol.com/episode/-/access-granted/EP4570510065|archive-date=July 19, 2012}}</ref> 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== {{track listing | headline = Maxi-CD single<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.discogs.com/Monica-So-Gone/release/626097|title=Monica – So Gone (CD, Maxi-Single) |publisher=Discogs |accessdate=2013-05-15}}</ref> | extra_column = Producer(s)
| title1 = So Gone | note1 = Radio Edit | writer1 = {{hlist|Melissa Elliott|Zyah Ahmonuel|Kenneth Cunningham|Jamahl Rye}} | extra1 = {{hlist|Missy Elliott|Spike & Jamahl{{ref|a|[a]}}}} | length1 = 3:26
| title2 = So Gone | note2 = Album Version | writer2 = {{hlist|Elliott|Ahmonuel|Cunningham|Rye}} | extra2 = {{hlist|Elliott|Spike & Jamahl{{ref|a|[a]}}}} | length2 = 4:02
| title3 = So Gone | note3 = Remix featuring Busta Rhymes | writer3 = {{hlist|Elliott|Ahmonuel|Cunningham|Rye|Trevor Smith, Jr.|William Allen|Roy Ayers|Edwin Birdsong|Walter Booker|Kamaal Fareed|Ali Shaheed Muhammad|Charles Stepney}} | extra3 = {{hlist|Elliott|Spike & Jamahl{{ref|a|[a]}}}} | length3 = 4:46
| title4 = So Gone | note4 = Scumfrog Remix, Part II | writer4 = {{hlist|Elliott|Ahmonuel|Cunningham|Rye}} | extra4 = {{hlist|Elliott|Spike & Jamahl{{ref|a|[a]}}|The Scumfrog{{ref|b|[b]}}}} | length4 = 3:40
| title5 = U Should've Known Better | writer5 = {{hlist|Monica Arnold|Jermaine Dupri|Harold Lilly}} | extra5 = {{hlist|Dupri|Bryan Michael Cox{{ref|a|[a]}}}} | length5 = 4:17 }} {{track listing | headline = US CD single II | extra_column = Producer(s)
| title1 = So Gone | note1 = Radio Mix | writer1 = {{hlist|Elliott|Ahmonuel|Cunningham|Rye}} | extra1 = {{hlist|Elliott|Spike & Jamahl{{ref|a|[a]}}}} | length1 = 3:26
| title2 = All Eyez on Me | note2 = Radio Edit – Urban Mix | writer2 = {{hlist|Arnold|Rodney Jerkins|LaShawn Daniels}} | extra2 = {{hlist|Jerkins|Daniels{{ref|c|[c]}}}} | length2 = 3:58 }} '''Notes''' *{{sup|{{note|a|a}}}} denotes co-producer(s) *{{sup|{{note|b|b}}}} denotes additional producer(s) *{{sup|{{note|c|c}}}} denotes vocal producer(s) '''Sample credits''' *"So Gone (Album Version)" contains excerpts from the composition "You Are Number One" (1976) by The Whispers.<ref name="Booklet"/> *"So Gone (Remix)" contains samples from "Violation" (1978) by Saint Tropez and "Bonita Applebum" (1990) by A Tribe Called Quest.<ref name="Booklet"/> *"All Eyez on Me" contains excerpts from the composition "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" (1982) by Michael Jackson.<ref name="Booklet"/>
==Credits and personnel== Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''After the Storm''.<ref name="Booklet"/> {{col-begin}} {{col-2}} * Monica Arnold – lead vocals, background vocals * Marcella Araica – audio engineering * Demacio Castellon – recording * Tom Coyne – mastering *Kenneth Cunningham – co-producer, writer {{col-2}} * Missy Elliott – production * Scott Kieklak – mixing *Jamahl Rye – co-producer, writer * Tweet – additional vocals * Javier Valeverde – audio engineering {{col-end}}
==Charts== {{col-begin}} {{col-2}}
===Weekly charts=== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |+Weekly chart performance for "So Gone" !scope="col"| Chart (2003) !scope="col"| Peak<br />position |- {{single chart|Australiapandora|72|url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20031006140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20031007-0000/Issue705.pdf|rowheader=true|access-date=February 5, 2024}} |- {{single chart|Australiaurban|20|url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20080222222425/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20031007-0000/Issue705.pdf|rowheader=true|access-date=February 27, 2022}} |- ! scope=row |Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)<ref name="Canada">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/monica/chart-history/cns/|title=Monica Chart History (Canadian Digital Song Sales)|magazine=Billboard|date=March 26, 2018}}</ref> |align="center"|17 |- {{single chart|UKsinglesbyname|82|artist=Monica|rowheader=true|access-date=December 8, 2017|refname="UK"}} |- {{single chart|UKrandb|12|date=20030907|rowheader=true|access-date=December 8, 2017}} |- {{single chart|Billboardhot100|10|artist=Monica|rowheader=true|access-date=May 26, 2021|refname="Billboardhot100"}} |- {{single chart|Billboarddanceclubplay|1|artist=Monica|rowheader=true|access-date=May 26, 2021|note=Scumfrog mixes|refname="Billboarddanceclubplay"}} |- {{single chart|Billboardrandbhiphop|1|artist=Monica|rowheader=true|access-date=May 26, 2021|refname="Billboardrandbhiphop"}} |- {{single chart|Billboardrhythmic|15|artist=Monica|rowheader=true|access-date=May 26, 2021|refname="Billboardrhythmic"}} |} {{col-2}}
===Year-end charts=== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |+Year-end chart performance for "So Gone" !scope="col"|Chart (2003) !scope="col"|Position |- !scope="row"|UK Urban (''Music Week'')<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/2004/Music-Week-2004-01-17.pdf|title=2003 Urban Top 30|magazine=Music Week|page=18|date=January 17, 2004|access-date=August 4, 2023}}</ref> |align="center"|15 |- !scope="row"|US ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref name="Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2003">{{cite web|url=http://billboardtop100of.com/2003-2/|title=Billboard Top 100 – 2003|website=Billboardtop100of.com|access-date=February 5, 2024}}</ref> |align="center"|39 |- ! scope="row"|US Dance Club Play (''Billboard'')<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Year in Music: Hot Dance Club Play Singles|magazine=Billboard|volume=115|issue=52|page=YE-65|date=December 27, 2003}}</ref> |align="center"|11 |- !scope="row"|US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks (''Billboard'')<ref name="BByeRb">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/charts/yearendcharts/2003/bsititl.jsp |magazine=Billboard |title=2003 Year End Chart: R&B/Hip-Hop Songs |date=December 27, 2003 |access-date=May 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120929212029/http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/charts/yearendcharts/2003/bsititl.jsp |archive-date=29 September 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> |align="center"|4 |- !scope="row"|US Rhythmic Top 40 (''Billboard'')<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/Billboard-Airplay/2003/BBAM-2003-12-19.pdf|title=Most Played Rhythmic Top 40 Songs of 2003|magazine=Airplay Monitor|volume=11|issue=51|page=26|date=December 19, 2003|access-date=March 29, 2020}}</ref> |align="center"|75 |} {{col-end}}
==Certifications== {{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "So Gone"}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|type=single|artist=Monica|title=So Gone|award=Gold|relyear=2003|certyear=2022|access-date=January 9, 2025|source=radioscope|refname="RMNZ"}} {{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}
==Release history== {|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:left" |+"So Gone" release history !scope="col"|Region !scope="col"|Date !scope="col"|Format(s) !scope="col"|Label(s) !scope="col"|{{abbr|Ref(s).|Reference(s)}} |- ! scope="row"| United States | March 31, 2003 | {{hlist|Rhythmic contemporary|urban radio}} | rowspan="2"| J | align="center"| <ref name="yahoomusic"/><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Going for Adds|magazine=Radio & Records|issue=1497|page=22|date=March 28, 2003}}</ref> |- ! scope="row"| Australia | August 18, 2003 | CD | align="center"| <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aria.com.au/Issue704.pdf|title=The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 18th August 2003|publisher=ARIA|page=25|date=August 18, 2003|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20031006140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20031007-0000/Issue704.pdf|archive-date=October 6, 2003|access-date=March 22, 2025}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> |}
==See also== *List of number-one dance singles of 2003 (U.S.) *List of number-one R&B singles of 2003 (U.S.)
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Monica songs}}
Category:Monica (singer) songs Category:2003 songs Category:2003 singles Category:Music videos directed by Chris Robinson (director) Category:Songs written by Missy Elliott Category:J Records singles Category:Songs about infidelity