Holy Grail

Lore & Background

"Holy Grail", along with another track from Magna Carta... Holy Grail called "Oceans", was recorded during the sessions for Jay-Z's twelfth studio album. The early version of the instrumental was created by The-Dream. When the recording sessions for MCHG started, Timbaland, together with fellow producer J-Roc, rearranged the instrumental to create the final track. "Holy Grail" is composed in a D minor key, and plays in common time at a tempo of 72 beats per minute. The vocals range from the note of G3 to C6. Jay-Z lyrically sampled rock group Nirvana's single "Smells Like Teen Spirit" after receiving permission from the song's publishers and the surviving members of Nirvana. In an interview with BBC Radio 1, Jay-Z stated that "Holy Grail" was "the map for the album" and that it set the tone for the rest of MCHG. The song's lyrics can be interpreted as Jay-Z's and Timberlake's love-hate relationship with fame.

Reader's Guide

Andy Gill of The Independent described the song as "smooth and mellifluous," while Rolling Stone's Simon Vozick called it a "surprisingly moody opener." DJ Booth praised the track as an "appropriately bombastic intro to an epic LP." In Billboard, Adelle Platon noted the song "features Timberlake's vocals in raw, heart-wrenching form as he sings of the pitfalls of fame." Criticizing the song as "laughably overblown", Ian Cohen of Pitchfork Media writes that Timberlake "cycles through every tortured artist cliché short of a crucifixion metaphor." Cohen further stated that the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" interpolation "becomes just another forgettable status symbol" and commented: "Where Kurt Cobain felt compromised by his fame, Jay and Timberlake are doing everything in their power not to offend the money people—whether it's Samsung, Target, or someone dropping $250 to see them at the Rose Bowl." "Holy Grail" had a hot-shot debut on many charts upon the release of the album, despite not being released as an official single. It debuted at number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100, being at the time the second highest debut of the year 2013 on that chart. It peaked at number four and remained in the top 10 for 16 weeks. It has sold over 3.4 million copies in the US as of 2018. After entering at number 24, "Holy Grail" peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart. In 2013, "Holy Grail" was ranked as the 22nd most popular song of the year on the Billboard Hot 100.

Did You Know?

• The song debuted at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, the second highest debut of 2013 at the time.
• The music video was the first from major artists to debut exclusively on Facebook.
• Jay-Z received permission to sample Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' from the song's publishers and the surviving members of Nirvana.