Impossible (Kanye West song)

"Impossible"
Single by Kanye West featuring Twista, Keyshia Cole and BJ
from the album Mission: Impossible III
B-side	"Impossible" (Instrumental) / "Drive Slow" (Strings Mix)
Released	May 5, 2006
Recorded	March 2006, Sony Scoring Stage, Culver City
Genre	Hip hop
Length	3:23
Label	Roc-A-Fella Def Jam
Songwriter(s)	Kanye West Bryan James Sledge Carl Terrell Mitchell Keyshia Cole Sid Wayne Armando Manzanero
Producer(s)	Michael Giacchino
Kanye West singles chronology
"Touch the Sky" (2006) "Impossible" (2006) "Drive Slow" (2006)
{{{This album}}}

"Impossible" is a song by American hip-hop recording artist Kanye West, featuring Twista, Keyshia Cole and BJ. The song was not featured on West's albums Late Registration (2005) and Graduation (2007) that were released around the same time as it, but was featured on the Mission: Impossible III soundtrack. The track was actually used as the official theme song for this film. It charted on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and Bubbling Under Hot 100 in 2006.

Background

Along with the rest of the soundtrack for the film Mission: Impossible III, "Impossible" was recorded over the course of eight days at the Sony Scoring Stage in Culver City, California. Franchise star Tom Cruise was delighted at West contributing to the soundtrack, describing himself as being "a fan of Kanye's work".

Composition

Vocals from "It's Impossible" by New Birth are sampled throughout the track. West didn't contribute to the production whatsoever, since the song was solely produced by Michael Giacchino, who composed all of the soundtrack for the film.

Critical reception

"Impossible" was placed on a list of '20 Horrible Songs Made By Great Rappers' that Al Shipley of Complex published in 2013. Jonathan Ringen of Rolling Stone rated the song two out of five stars and elaborated by writing: "It doesn't quite work: The skittering beat never settles into a groove, and the rhymes never explain what, exactly, is supposed to be so impossible."

Track listing

CD single

1. "Impossible" (Radio) – 3:23
2. "Impossible" (Extended Radio) – 5:12
3. "Impossible" (Instrumental) – 5:09

12" single

A-side

1. "Impossible" (Radio) - 3:25
2. "Impossible" (Extended Version) - 3:25

B-side

1. "Impossible" (Instrumental) - 5:09
2. "Drive Slow" (feat. Paul Wall and GLC) (Strings Mix) - 5:41

Digital download

1. "Impossible" (Radio Edit) - 3:22

Commercial performance

The track spent a total of 16 weeks on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and managed to reach its peak position of 54 on June 24, 2006, over a month after being released as a single. It reached number 27 on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart on May 27, 2006.

Charts

Chart (2006)	Peak position
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)	3
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)	54
US Pop 100 (Billboard)	83