Love Lockdown is a pop/
R&B song written and produced by American hip hop artist
Kanye West for his fourth studio album,
808s & Heartbreak. West premiered the song at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards and released it as the album's lead single on September 18, 2008. Despite being a drastic departure from his previous work, the song was well received by critics, and was frequently cited as a highlight of the album.
Time magazine critic Josh Tyrangiel named
Love Lockdown the best song of 2008.
Time, December 22, 2008, pages 47-8. The single was also successful commercially, as it managed to debut at number three on the U.S.
Billboard Hot 100 and went on to sell over 2.5 million on iTunes.
