Kanye West “Only One” video: North West stars in the touching video (VIDEO).

North West Stars in the Touching Video for Kanye West’s “Only One”

North West Stars in the Touching Video for Kanye West’s “Only One”

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Slate's Culture Blog
Jan. 29 2015 11:39 AM

North West Stars in the Touching Video for Kanye West’s “Only One”

Kanye West is a family man. He always envisioned that future for himself, most notably on the song “New Day,” alongside Jay Z. With his wife, Kim Kardashian, and daughter, North, that future is now, to a certain extent, fully realized. And, yet, there’s still something missing: his late mother, Donda West. For Kanye’s first collaboration with Paul McCartney, “Only One,” he breaks down about the pain of not being able to share his newfound happiness with the most important woman in his life. For the music video, which premiered on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, he visualizes those conflicting feelings of heartache and euphoria. (You can stream the full video on Kanye's website.)

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The video, directed by Spike Jonze, brings to life the dreamlike state Kanye says he was in when he heard his mother’s words—the lyrics of the song. Kanye runs, in slow motion, through a foggy countryside. North, looking cute as ever, soon joins him for several candid father-daughter moments. The video also seems to incorporate a less Auto-Tuned version of Kanye’s vocals along with what sounds like muffled audio of North’s voice—who has been by Kanye's side in the studio while he finishes up his next album.

Dee Lockett is a writer for Vulture and a former Slate editorial assistant.