Human (Lenny Kravitz song)

"Human"
Single by Lenny Kravitz
from the album Blue Electric Light
Released	March 22, 2024 (2024-03-22)
Genre	Funk rock, symphonic rock, new wave
Length	4:27
Label	Roxie BMG
Songwriter(s)	Lenny Kravitz
Producer(s)	Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz singles chronology
"I Believe in Love Again" (2023) "Human" (2024) "Paralyzed" (2024)
Music video
"Human" on YouTube

"Human" is a song by American singer Lenny Kravitz, from his twelfth studio album Blue Electric Light. The song was released as the album's second single on 22 March 2024.^[1][2][3]

Background

Kravitz debuted the new single during the March 20 episode of NBC's The Tonight Show.^[4]

In his interview for American Songwriter Kravitz said: "You know, it’s about us as spiritual beings living this human existence and what that is. When you stop trying to please everybody and do what people are trying to get you to do."^[5] Kravitz also explained to Essence, "As Spring opens up, it’s an anthem to just run out in the street and just start dancing. It just has that feeling. That’s the statement of celebrating this human experience that we’re having as spiritual beings and being authentic to who God created us to be."^[6]

Lenny Kravitz' guitarist and engineer Craig Ross played the guitar solo on this track.^[7] Kravitz himself played all the other instruments.

Music video

The song's music video was released on the same day, March 22, 2024, via YouTube, the music video was released on April 5, 2024, directed by Joseph Kahn.^[8][9] The music video won at Best Rock Video category at 2024 MTV Video Music Awards.

Reception

Jacob Uitti of American Songwriter wrote that "Human" opens "with a rattle. And either by choice or by divine intervention (or maybe both), it's the perfect opening. The rattle, if considering the new track philosophically, can be thought of as a soul-stirring awakening. The jolt of bones, the spark of a spirit inside. A rattle, too, is almost always a person's first toy, doubling also as our first musical instrument."^[5] Steve Baltin of Forbes commented, "The song is a superb microcosm of the album, as it showcases the juxtaposition of Kravitz' incredibly thoughtful lyrics and the catchy beat that are the hallmarks of this album."^[10]

Charts

Chart performance for "Human"

Chart (2024)	Peak position
France Airplay (SNEP)[11]	58
Iceland (Tónlistinn)[12]	29
Italy (EarOne Airplay)[13]	24
Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard Japan)[14]	13
San Marino (SMRRTV Top 50)[15]	29
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[16]	22
US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[17]	21

Release history

List of release dates, showing region, release format, catalog, and label

Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
Italy	March 22, 2024	Radio airplay	BMG	[18]

References

1. "Lenny Kravitz Is Back with New Single 'Human'". Numéro Netherlands. March 25, 2024. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
2. Redfern, Mark (March 27, 2024). "Lenny Kravitz Shares New Song "Human"". Under the Radar. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
3. Zemler, Emily (March 21, 2024). "Watch Lenny Kravitz Premiere Inspirational Single 'Human' on Fallon". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
4. "Lenny Kravitz Shares 'Human' Video". Skratch 'N Sniff. March 26, 2024. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
5. Uitti, Jacob (March 22, 2024). "The Bold and the Beautiful: Lenny Kravitz Talks New Single "Human"". American Songwriter. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
6. Ruff, Rivea (March 25, 2024). "How Lenny Kravitz Captured the 'Human' Experience After 6 Years Away From Music". Essence. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
7. "Human by Lenny Kravitz on Apple Music". Apple Music. March 22, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
8. "Human (2024) by Lenny Kravitz". imvdb.com. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
9. "Lenny Kravitz drops video for 'Blue Electric Light' track, "Human"". KIXI. April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
10. Baltin, Steve (March 22, 2024). "Q&A: Lenny Kravitz On Being 'Human' In 2024". Forbes. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
11. "Classement Radio (Week 21, 2024)". SNEP. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
12. "Tónlistinn – Lög" [The Music – Songs] (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Archived from the original on May 4, 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
13. "Classifica Airplay Radio - Lenny Kravitz - Human". EarOne. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
14. "Billboard Japan Hot Overseas – Week of April 17, 2024". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved April 17, 2024.
15. "Top 50 – Radio San Marino RTV – 10/05/2024" (in Italian). San Marino RTV. May 10, 2024. Archived from the original on May 10, 2024. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
16. "Lenny Kravitz Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
17. "Lenny Kravitz Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
18. "Lenny Kravitz - TK421 (Radio Date: 22-03-2024)" (Press release) (in Italian). EarOne. March 22, 2024. Retrieved December 27, 2024.