Gone

"Gone" is a song by American recording artist Nelly, taken from his sixth studio album, 5.0. Featuring additional lead vocals from American recording artist Kelly Rowland, "Gone" is the sequel to Nelly's 2002 worldwide number one single "Dilemma", also featuring Rowland. It was written by Eric Goudy II, Nelly, Earl Hood and co-written and produced by Rico Love & Jim Jonsin as a continuum to the love story outlined in "Dilemma". "Gone" was initially known as "Dilemma p.2" but the title was changed and Nelly stopped referring to the song as "Dilemma" sequel for fear that it would not match people's expectations and through his desire for "Gone" to be recognised as a separate recording. The predominantly R&B-ballad contains elements of pop music and was sent to U.S. Urban/Urban AC radio stations on January 4, 2011. It was sent to top 40/mainstream stations on January 19, 2011 and serves as the third single from 5.0. Critics generally praised "Gone" for reusing the best elements of "Dilemma" and recapturing the same sentiments though there was some negative reception towards the relevance of the sequel duet and lack of distinction in the song's R&B feel. Background and inspiration "Gone" is a ballad written by Eric Goudy II, Nelly, Earl Hood, Rico Love and Jim Jonsin as the sequel to Nelly and Rowland's 2002 duet "Dilemma". Initially known as its working title, "DL Part 2", "Gone" extends the story of the duo's earlier single "Dilemma". Nelly told Jayson Rodriguez, from MTV, that "Gone" was not just a sequel. He said It was recorded in May–June 2010 during studio sessions where Rowland and Nelly were recording the urban remix of the song "Commander", lead single of Rowland's third album, Here I Am. Rap-Up magazine described it as the "smooth sequel" which picks up "where 'Dilemma' left off", catering to both R&B and pop audiences. MTV revealed that the song would be a future single, but would not hit airwaves yet due to Nelly's success with "Just a Dream", the lead single from his sixth album, 5.0. The single cover from "Gone" was unveiled on January 19, 2011. Composition "Gone" is a mid-tempo R&B-ballad produced by Rico Love and Jim Jonsin. On December 26, 2009, some studio footage of the recording of "Gone" was released through Rap-Up.com. Later in an MTV interview, Nelly was keen to stress that he didn't see "Gone" as a sequel to "Dilemma". He said "It can never be 'Dilemma,' but we wanted to extend the story.