Through the Wire

"Through the Wire" is the debut solo single by American rapper and producer Kanye West, who wrote and recorded the song with his jaw wired shut after a car crash on October 23, 2002. The song prominently samples (and its title is a play on) Chaka Khan's 1985 single "Through the Fire", and thus, Tom Keane of The Keane Brothers, Cynthia Weil, and David Foster, who wrote "Through the Fire", earn writing credits. The song was recorded at the Record Plant in Los Angeles, California, and is a hip-hop track with West's then-signature chipmunk soul style. The track is about West's then-recent car accident, with West using the "Through the Fire" sample as a way to reference the impact, specifically his jaw being wired shut.

The song was originally released as "Through the Wire (Still Standing)" on West's debut mixtape Get Well Soon..., released before the single, on December 14, 2002. The mixtape version also features an outro sampled from Elton John's "I'm Still Standing", representing his hope after the accident and partially giving the song its title. As such, when the sample was removed, so was the sample's mention in the title of the track. The song was then most famously released on September 30, 2003, as the lead single and nineteenth track from his debut studio album, The College Dropout (2004), backed with fellow album track "Two Words". The single was specifically released through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings.

Upon its release, "Through the Wire" received near-universal acclaim from music critics and peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the charts for a total of twenty-one weeks. It also charted in the top 10 on three other charts in the United States and one in the United Kingdom, the latter being its highest position, a peak at number 3 on the UK Hip Hop and R&B Singles and Albums Charts. The track was also certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) respectively, alongside certifying Gold in Denmark. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award, specifically for Best Rap Solo Performance, in 2005, but lost to Roc-A-Fella co-head Jay-Z's "99 Problems". The music video was financed by West, who was inspired by an Adidas advertisement. The video would end up winning Video of the Year at the 2004 Source Hip Hop Awards.