Read U Wrote U
| "Read U Wrote U" | |
|---|---|
| Single by RuPaul featuring the cast of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars season 2 | |
| Released | October 12, 2016 |
| Length | 5:22 |
| Label | World of Wonder |
| Songwriter(s) | |
| Producer(s) |
|
| Performance video | |
| "Read U Wrote U" on YouTube | |
Listen to the song Read U Wrote U or Buy it on amazon
"Read U Wrote U" is a song recorded by the American drag queen RuPaul featuring American drag performers Alaska Thunderfuck, Detox, Katya Zamolodchikova and Roxxxy Andrews, credited as the cast of the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. It was released on October 12, 2016 by World of Wonder Productions as the "Ellis Miah mix", one day before premiering in the RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars episode "All Stars Supergroup".
The song peaked at number 29 on Billboard's Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart and at number 14 on its Dance/Electronic Digital Songs chart.
Background and release
On July 22, 2015, it was announced RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars was renewed for a second season by Logo TV.[1] Its cast was revealed on June 17, 2016, alongside its premiere date of August 25 by Entertainment Weekly.[2] Alaska Thunderfuck, Detox, Katya Zamolodchikova and Roxxxy Andrews were announced as finalists during the season's seventh episode, "Family That Drags Together", following the elimination of Alyssa Edwards.[3]
"Read U Wrote U" (Ellis Miah mix) was released on music streaming and digital download platforms on October 12, 2016 by World of Wonder Productions.[4] The following day, the eighth and final episode of the season, "All Stars Supergroup", was premiered, documenting the finalists recording their verses and rehearsal process before their performance of the song.[5]
Composition and development
"Read U Wrote U" was written by RuPaul and Ellis Miah, with Alaska Thunderfuck, Detox, Katya Zamolodchikova and Roxxxy Andrews writing and performing rap verses. RuPaul performs during the song's intro and hook of the song. As shown on the RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars episode "All Stars Supergroup", AB Soto recorded Alaska, Detox, Katya and Roxxxy's rap verses, with Travis Wall choreographed the song's performance.[6] During an episode for the documentary series Portrait of a Queen, Detox recalled recording the track:
Nobody heard each other's lyrics, nobody heard each other's verses until the night before we went in to do rehearsal. [...] It wasn’t even finished, but everyone on set was like, "This is going to be fucking epic," and it was.
— Detox, Portrait of a Queen[7]
The song starts with a rap verse performed by Alaska Thunderfuck, where she references the Wizard of Oz (1939) film with the lyrics "I'm Dorothy, you're Toto, get in a basket".[8] During Detox's verse, she spells out her name, rapping the line "D to the E to the T to the O to the… hold it! X!", which she highlights during the song's performance with a low buttock drop.[8][9] The song continues with a verse from Katya Zamolodchikova performed in a Russian accent, which she opens by mentioning her full drag name, Yekaterina Petrovna Zamolodchikova.[8] Roxxxy Andrews sings a half of her verse
Critical reception
| Critic/Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard | 10 Best Musical Numbers In RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Herstory | 1 | [9] |
| 20 Best Songs From RuPaul’s Drag Race Queens | Unranked | [10] | |
| Decider | RuPaul's Drag Race: Every Final Challenge Girl Group Performance, Ranked | 2 | [11] |
| Glamour | 7 Best Drag Race Performances Ever, According to Michelle Visage | 6 | [12] |
| Screen Rant | RuPaul's Drag Race: The 10 Most Difficult Maxi Challenges | Unranked | [13] |
| The Tab | Definitive Ranking of Every RuPaul's Drag Race Song with Verses from the Queens | 1 | [14] |
| Rolling Stone | 20 Best Songs by Drag Queens | 8 | [15] |
| Vulture | Every Drag Race RuMix, Ranked | 2 | [16] |
Legacy
In a review of the RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars season 3 finale episode "A Jury of Their Queers", Tim Mulkerin of Mic praised "Read U Wrote U" as an "instantly iconic number", noting that fans and queens continued to reference it regularly, while describing the All Stars 3 contestants' performance of "Kitty Girl" as a "calculated, try-hard followup" to "Read U Wrote U", concluding that it failed to match the latter's cultural impact.[17]
On May 3, 2020, a virtual performance of the song, subtitled as the "2020 Quarantine" edition, was released on YouTube as part of Digital DragCon, which was held following the cancellation of in-person events due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[18][19] It featured the song's original lineup performing remotely, with different Animoji covering Detox's face following an invasive facial treatment.[20]
Elements of the song have been incorporated multiple times in songs by American drag performer Bob the Drag Queen. On the song "Yet Another Dig" (2017), Alaska Thunderfuck, as a featured artist, references Roxxxy Andrews' "Read U Wrote U" rap verse.[21] The song's instrumental was later used on the diss track "Dear Ms. Banks" (2018), directed at the American rapper Azealia Banks.[22]
The song's instrumental was again used in the diss tracks by Bob the Drag Queen and Maddy Morphosis during an online feud. Bob the Drag Queen released "Corned Beef" on February 4, 2024. The title referenced comments made by Maddy Morphosis on the Drag Race companion show The Pit Stop, in which she described Bob the Drag Queen's writing of new verses over pre-existing RuPaul's Drag Race songs as "corny". Bob the Drag Queen referred to Maddy Morphosis as a "straggot", referencing the original track with the lyrics, "Read U Wrote U, yeah you’ve been read / Fayetteville, Arkansas, giving inbred". In response, Maddy Morphosis released a diss track titled "Who Popped Ya?" on February 5, while referring to Bob the Drag Queen as a "has-been".[23]
Charts
| Chart (2016) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs (Billboard)[24] | 29 |
| US Dance/Electronic Digital Songs (Billboard)[25] | 14 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | October 12, 2016 | World of Wonder | [4] |
References
- ↑ Nakamura, Reid (July 22, 2015). "RuPaul's All Stars Drag Race Returns for Season 2". TheWrap. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- ↑ Boardman, Madeline; Kickham, Dylan (June 17, 2016). "RuPaul's All Stars Drag Race Season 2: Meet the Cast". Entertainment Weekly. ISSN 2169-3188. OCLC 21114137. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- ↑ Kim Booster, Joel (October 6, 2016). "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Recap: Miss Congeniality". Vulture. Archived from the original on June 8, 2025. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 RuPaul featuring the cast of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars season 2 (October 12, 2016). "Read U Wrote U (Ellis Miah mix) - Single". World of Wonder Productions. Retrieved August 3, 2026 – via Apple Music.
- ↑ Sava, Oliver (October 14, 2016). "Drag Race All Stars closes out a fantastic season with a satisfying crowning". The A.V. Club. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- ↑ "All Stars Supergroup". RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. Season 2. Episode 8. October 13, 2016. Logo TV.
- ↑ Shea, Ryan (March 13, 2019). "Detox Reveals Secrets Behind the Best F***ing Song to Ever Be on RuPaul's Drag Race". Instinct. ISSN 1096-0058. OCLC 37661257. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Tangcay, Jazz; Vary, Adam B.; MacCary, Julia; Stephan, Katcy; Ross, John (February 24, 2023). "The Most Iconic Moments in RuPaul's Drag Race Herstory: Masked Lip Syncs! Snatch Games! Self-Eliminations!". Variety. ISSN 0042-2738. OCLC 60626328. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Daw, Stephen (September 2, 2021). "The 10 Best Musical Numbers In RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Herstory". Billboard. ISSN 0006-2510. OCLC 732913734. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
- ↑ Lynch, Joe (June 26, 2019). "20 Best Songs From RuPaul's Drag Race Queens". Billboard. ISSN 0006-2510. OCLC 732913734. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
- ↑ White, Brett (June 18, 2021). "'Drag Race': Every Final Challenge Group Number, Ranked". Decider. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
- ↑ Ermac, Raffy (March 1, 2022). "The 7 Best Drag Race Performances Ever, According to Michelle Visage". Out. ISSN 1062-7928. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
- ↑ Mecchi, Jason (July 14, 2021). "RuPaul's Drag Race: The 10 Most Difficult Maxi Challenges". Screen Rant. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
- ↑ Brocklehurst, Harrison (April 21, 2022). "The definitive ranking of every RuPaul's Drag Race song with verses from the queens". The Tab. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
- ↑ Mier, Tomás; Spanos, Brittany (June 21, 2024). "The 20 Best Songs by Drag Queens". Rolling Stone. ISSN 3066-0580. OCLC 969027590. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
- ↑ Mitchell, Amanda (February 25, 2021). "Every Drag Race RuMix, Ranked". Vulture. Archived from the original on March 12, 2025. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
- ↑ Mulkerin, Tim (March 15, 2018). "Fundamental Reading: On the RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 3 finale, the girls tried to one-up AS2". Mic. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- ↑ Shea, Ryan (May 4, 2020). "'Read U Wrote U' Gets 2020 Quarantined Spin & It Is Everything". Instinct. ISSN 1096-0058. OCLC 37661257. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- ↑ Cooper, Matt (May 2, 2020). "Sashay down to RuPaul's Digital DragCon: It's your weekend quarantine must-watch". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 2165-1736. OCLC 3638237. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- ↑ Smith, Reiss (May 4, 2020). "Drag Race's All Stars 2 legends reunited for a quarantine edition of 'Read U Wrote U' and it was made well and truly clear". PinkNews. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- ↑ Lusk, Darian (December 28, 2017). "The Best Songs of 2017 by 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Contestants". Observer. ISSN 1052-2948. OCLC 17544657. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
On this one, she riffs on Roxxy’s “Read U Wrote U” verse (the “Hey Jude” of Drag Race-related music) and reads season nine winner Sasha Velour to pieces.
- ↑ Dommu, Rose (June 7, 2018). "Bob the Drag Queen Weighs in On Azealia Banks vs. RuPaul". Out. ISSN 1062-7928. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
- ↑ Daw, Stephen (February 7, 2024). "A Timeline of Maddy Morphosis & Bob the Drag Queen's 'Corny' Diss Tracks". Billboard. ISSN 0006-2510. OCLC 732913734. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- ↑ "RuPaul Chart History (Hot Dance/Electronic Songs)". Billboard.
- ↑ "RuPaul Chart History (Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved August 3, 2026.
This article "Read U Wrote U" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Read U Wrote U. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
