Take Care

Take Care's harmony is deliberately minimal — a single four-chord loop in C minor that never resolves to a traditional V-i cadence. The VII (Bb) acts as a subtonic passing chord rather than a dominant, keeping the progression in a state of perpetual drift that perfectly suits the song's vulnerable mood. The blues influence comes not from the chord types themselves but from the sampled lineage: Brook Benton's original 'I'll Take Care of You' was a blues standard, and Gil Scott-Heron's version carried that tradition forward. Jamie xx's atmospheric treatment stripped the blues form but retained its emotional weight, which 40 and Drake then recontextualized within a modern R&B framework.

Take Care was built around Jamie xx's 2011 remix of Gil Scott-Heron's cover of Brook Benton's 'I'll Take Care of You,' which was originally recorded by Bobby Bland in 1959. Drake and his longtime producer Noah '40' Shebib reworked Jamie xx's atmospheric remix into a full song, layering Drake's introspective vocals and Rihanna's guest performance over the sampled foundation. The song also references Lesley Gore's 1963 number one single 'It's My Party,' with Drake reworking the lyrics into a birthday-themed verse.

The title track from Drake's landmark 2011 album, 'Take Care' pairs his introspective rap-singing with Rihanna's smoky vocals over a haunting sample of Jamie xx's remix of Gil Scott-Heron's 'I'll Take Care of You.' Released as a single in January 2012, it peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and became certified seven-times Platinum in the US, cementing Drake's signature blend of hip-hop vulnerability and atmospheric R&B production.