"Irreplaceable" is a song by American R&B singer Beyoncé
Knowles. The song was written by Knowles, Ne-Yo, Tor Erik
Hermansen, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Espen Lind, Amund Bjørklund, and
produced by Stargate and Knowles for her second solo album,
B'Day(2006). Originally not created for Knowles, she
re-arranged the demo presented by the producers—a
country-turned-pop-contemporary R&B song. The lyrics refer
to breaking up with an unfaithful man, part of Knowles and
Ne-Yo's vision of creating a record that people could relate
to, and was considered an anthem to female empowerment.
Following the less successful chart performances of "Déjà
Vu" and "Ring the Alarm", "Irreplaceable" was released on
December 5, 2006 in the United States as the album's third
single, and the second single in most international music
markets. "Irreplaceable" was a worldwide commercial and
critical success, becoming Knowles' second best-selling single
in her solo career after "Crazy in Love" and
B'Day's most successful release. The single performed
well on the US Hot 100, remaining at the top spot for ten
consecutive weeks. Certified multi-platinum, "Irreplaceable" is
the US' best-selling single in 2007 and the 25th most
successful song of the 2000s, according to the
BillboardHot 100 Songs of the Decade.
"Irreplaceable" was lauded by contemporary critics, citing
its distinct production compared with most tracks featured on
the album. The song won awards, including one during the 2007
Soul Train Music Award. The single's music video, which
features the debut performance of Knowles' all-female band Suga
Mama, earned Knowles additional awards.
Rolling Stoneranked it number sixty on their list of 100
Best Songs of the 2000s decade.
"Irreplaceable" was originally not made for Knowles, but
instead for Chrisette Michele. Norwegian production team
Stargate and American R&B-pop singer-songwriter Ne-Yo had
been writing for her second solo album
B'Day; but Tor Erik Hermansen of Stargate stated that
"they might not have gone in the direction they did on the
song". The tune was originally not matched to Knowles' voice,
and Ne-Yo wrote the lyrics from a male perspective, which he
revealed not from his personal experiences. Written as country
song, he was thinking of country-based singers Shania Twain and
Faith Hill during the sessions. When Ne-Yo heard them playing
the song with a guitar, he thought it sounded like country
Western music. But when the drums were incorporated into the
music, it was brought to R&B vibe, and Ne-Yo considered
making an R&B-country western music song.
When the team worked with him, they recorded the song with
male on vocals. However, they thought of a female's vocal more
suitable, and Ne-Yo also thought that it is empowering for a
woman singing it. While Knowles was working on material for
B'Dayafter filming
Dreamgirls, she was pleased with the demo of the song
that was presented to her. Knowles asked for changes in the
track, including the addition of drums, vocal arrangements, and
singing the song in higher note than the demo. Espen Lind and
Amund Bjørklund, from the Norwegian production team Espionage,
wrote the chord structure and came up with the guitar part. The
recording was engineered by Jim Caruana and mixed by Jason
Goldstein at Sony Music Studios in New York City.
What happens sometimes, is you think about a specific artist
and you put them in this box, the song has to be this way or
that, and then you're usually confining yourself to the thing
they did three years ago.
After the sessions for "Irreplaceable" ended, Hermansen said
that "everyone felt they had captured something special and
that Beyoncé had done the track justice". In an interview,
Ne-Yo said, "Beyoncé had some stuff that she wanted to get off
her chest", while also aiming to make a record that women could
relate to, in keeping with the theme of the album.
"Irreplaceable" is a mid-tempo pop song, with ballad and
R&B influences. Written in the key of B♭ major, the beat is
set in common time and moves at a moderate 88 bpm. Knowles
vocal range spans nearly two and a half octaves, from B♭
2to E♭
5. While most of the songs in the album are
aggressive and uptempo, her voice in "Irreplaceable" is toned
down.
"Irreplaceable" uses a gently strummed acoustic guitar,
following the B♭
5-F
5-Cm
7-E♭
6/9chord series. Hermansen and Eriksen combined the
classic chord progression on an acoustic guitar, a
modern-sounding 808 drumbeat and cellos. Al Shipley of Stylus
Magazine noted that the guitar strum was copied in Barbadian
R&B singer Rihanna's 2007 single "Hate That I Love You", a
song co-produced by Stargate and Ne-Yo. A 2007
Stargate-produced single "With You" performed by American
R&B-pop singer Chris Brown also features the same element,
which Rob Sheffield of
Rolling Stonemagazine wrote that "Stargate was just
trying to roll out 'Irreplaceable' one more time", while a
review from
Billboardmagazine said that it "leans a bit too heavily"
to the song.
"Irreplaceable" refers to a woman breaking up with a
boyfriend after she found him cheating, and the lyrics were
considered a statement of independence. Hermansen quoted that
"it's a song people from all walks of life can enjoy", while
Knowles stated that it is "a little honest". When interviewed
about the song, she replied: "Basically we can't forget our
power and our worth. And sometimes ... you're so in
love, you forget that. And sometimes you feel like you're not
being ... appreciated. And ... sometimes
they forget that they can be replaced." Bill Lamb of About
noted that the female empowerment theme of "Irreplaceable" has
similarities to the central concept of Terry McMillan's 1995
novel
Waiting to Exhale.
The song's lyrics are constructed in the
verse-pre-chorus-chorus form. Starting with a guitar strum,
Knowles sings the hook-intro "To the left, to the left",
repeating for three times in alternating bars. In bar seven,
she sings the first verse, arguing her boyfriend about the
indifference of their relationship, and telling him to walk
away. The pre-chorus and chorus follows, giving way to the
second verse where she recollects the moment she found her
boyfriend unfaithful to her. The same pattern occurs, leading
to the second chorus. Towards the end, Knowles sings the
bridge. She repeats the intro and the chorus, ending with an
ad-libbed chorus.
Following
B'Day's lead single "Déjà Vu", "Irreplaceable" was
released as the second single in international markets through
Columbia Records. Two single versions were released in the
United Kingdom on October 26, 2006: a standard CD single, which
features the album version of the track and the Freemasons club
mix radio edit of "Ring the Alarm"; and an enhanced CD,
containing the album version, three "Ring the Alarm" remixes
and "Ring the Alarm" music video. A 12" single was released in
the same country the following week. In Australia, a maxi
single was released on November 4, 2006, featuring the album
version and two remixes of "Déjà Vu".
In the United States, "Irreplaceable" served as
B'Day's third single, following "Ring the Alarm". The
single was released on December 5, 2006, featuring the album
and instrumental version of the track. Knowles recorded a
Spanish version of the song called "Irreemplazable", and was
included in the second disc of the deluxe edition of
B'Dayreleased on June 12, 2007. An
IrreemplazableEP was released in the United States on
August 28, 2007 and on September 10 in the United Kingdom. The
EP includes "Irreemplazable" and the Norteña Remix of
"Irreplaceable", "Amor Gitano", three versions of "Beautiful
Liar", the Timbaland remix of "Get Me Bodied" featuring Voltio,
and "Oye", the Spanish version of "Listen".
The song was performed in various public appearances of
Knowles. She opened the 2006 American Music Awards performing
"Irreplaceable". American country band Sugarland, who were
known for covering Knowles' songs in their live performances,
were joined by the singer for a performance of the country
version of "Irreplaceable" at the 2007 American Music Awards.
"Irreplaceable" was the closing song during her 2007 The
Beyoncé Experience world tour. It was originally performed
towards the end of the set in earlier tour dates, but was
shifted when she embarked on the United States leg. The footage
of the performance at the Staples Center, Los Angeles was
included in
The Beyoncé Experience Live!DVD.
In May 2007, the song was featured prominently in the
crucial final scene of "When the Chickens Come Home to Roost",
the first season finale of the CW comedy-drama television
series
The Game.
While most of the tracks featured in
B'Dayare upbeat, "Irreplaceable" was well received by
critics for its guitar-driven melody. Bill Lamb of the website
About complimented Stargate for the "simple, pop-oriented
production", and listed on the site as their fourth best
R&B song of 2006. For a review in
Entertainment Weeklymagazine, Jody Rosen said the track
is "a lilting tune unlike anything Beyoncé has ever performed".
Sarah Rodman of
The Boston Globewrote that the song is "gentle but
maddeningly hook-y", and Bill Lamb called it a "gorgeous,
lightly swinging Stargate arrangement". Spence Abbott of the
website IGN observed that "Irreplaceable", alongside
"Resentment", "go for a much more traditional contemporary
R&B vibe" compared to the other tracks in the album, and
stated that it made them "stand out as if they were recorded
separately from the rest of the album". In 2009 Pitchfork
ranked the song as the #183 song on list of The Top 500 Tracks
of the decade.
Lamb listed "Irreplaceable" on their site as one of the
strongest tracks in the album, and noted it as "subject matter
of female strength and independence". The indie-oriented
website Pitchfork Media named the song Knowles' "most
sophisticated" and her "most honest performance to date". Barry
Schwartz of Stylus Magazine wrote that "Irreplaceable"
recaptured Knowles' debut single "Crazy in Love"'s
"near-perfection and features her most genuinely emotional
vocal to date, equal parts vulnerable, upset, pissed off,
vindictive, resigned, and apathetic".
"Irreplaceable" won at the 2007 Soul Train Music Award for
Best R&B/Soul Single, Female, and the 2007 Nickelodeon
Kid's Choice Award for Favorite Song. It was nominated for
Record of the Year in the 2008 Grammy Awards, as well Song of
the Year at the VH1 Soul Vibe awards show. The song was awarded
among the top five most-performed songs in 2008 at the ASCAP
Pop Music Awards.
The song created controversy over the writing credits. Ne-Yo
spoke to MTV to clarify any confusion: "Apparently Beyonce was
at a show somewhere and right before the song came on she said,
'I wrote this for my girls' and then the song came on. ...
The song is a co-write. I wrote the lyrics, I wrote all the
lyrics. Beyonce helped me with the melodies and the harmonies
and the vocal arrangement and that makes it a co-write. Meaning
my contribution and her contribution made that song what it
is."
During the production of "Irreplaceable", Hermansen thought
that the track would not receive radio play because of its
acoustic guitars, and deemed the song too pop-oriented.
Hermansen did not expect "Irreplaceable" to conform to any
genre. Despite his prediction, the song became successful on
urban charts; it was played in New York- and country-based
radio stations. "Irreplaceable" entered various charts
worldwide, and became the most successful single released from
B'Day.
The single debuted on the US Hot 100 on November 4, 2006 at
number eighty-seven. It climbed the charts rapidly because of
heavy airplay, and received the Greatest Airplay Gainer
certification for six consecutive weeks in early December 2006.
Three weeks after its release, it helped
B'Dayre-enter the top ten on the 200. The single peaked
at number one on December 16, becoming Knowles' fourth
number-one single as solo artist, and her second in 2006,
following "Check on It" featuring Slim Thug. The single spent
ten consecutive weeks at the top spot, and was replaced by
Canadian singer Nelly Furtado's 2006 single "Say It Right" on
February 24, 2007. The feat was achieved since 2006 after Kanye
West's 2005 single "Gold Digger" featuring Jamie Foxx took ten
weeks at the top spot. "Irreplaceable" outperformed "Baby
Boy"'s nine-week record; however, it failed to surpass her
former group Destiny's Child's 2000 single "Independent Women
Part I", which stayed on the top spot for eleven weeks late in
2000 and early in 2001. On the list of most number-one singles
by a female song-writer, "Irreplaceable" installed Knowles at
the third place, beating American singers Janet Jackson and
Carole King and tying Diane Warren for nine number-one singles.
Knowles received three song-writing credits in a single year,
the only woman to achieve since King in 1971 and Carey in 1991.
The single remained on the chart for thirty weeks, and was
certified 3x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of
America on July 27, 2007. "Irreemplazable" charted equally
well, peaking at number four on the Hot Latin Songs. The EP
appeared on the Latin Pop Albums at number two, Top Latin
Albums at number three, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums at number
forty-one and on the
Billboard 200 at number 105. "Irreplaceable" was
the US' best-performing single of 2007, topping the
BillboardTop Hot 100 Hits. As of September 2009, the
single has sold over 2,697,000 digital downloads in the United
States.
Internationally, "Irreplaceable" performed equally well. In
Oceania, "Irreplaceable" debuted at number-eight on the
Australian ARIA Singles Chart, and eventually peaked at
number-one for three consecutive weeks becoming Knowles' first
number-one hit in the country. "Irreplaceable" was certified
Platinum by ARIA for sales in excess of 70,000 copies,
"Irreplaceable" appeared twice on the ARIA Year-Ends charts
ranked at number twenty-three in 2006, and number forty-two in
2007. "Irreplaceable" debuted at number three on November 6 on
the New Zealand Singles Chart, and was "Irreplaceable"'s
highest entry; it peaked at number one, and charted for
eighteen weeks. "Irreplaceable" reached number two for thirteen
weeks in Indonesia. "Irreplaceable" peaked at number four in
the United Kingdom, and generally inside the top fifteen across
European music markets. Despite only reaching #4 in the UK,
"Irreplaceable" spent 12 weeks inside the top 20 and with a
total of 25 weeks on the UK Singles Chart the song is Beyoncé's
third longest charting single (with more weeks on the chart
than her #1 singles "Crazy in Love" and "Déjà Vu" but slightly
less than her recent hits "If I Were a Boy" and "Single Ladies
(Put a Ring on It)"). On the UK iTunes chart, "Irreplaceable"
is currently Beyoncé's most downloaded non
I Am... Sasha Fiercesingle and still ranks in the top 30
of R&B/Soul songs.
"Irreplaceable" was directed by Anthony Mandler, who
co-directed the video of "Get Me Bodied". The video features
the debut performance of Knowles' all-female band, Suga Mama,
who also appeared in the "Green Light" music video. Her
acting-then-ex-boyfriend in the video is model Bobby Roache,
who played police officer for the "Ring the Alarm" music video
and warrior during Jay-Z and Knowles' live performance at the
2006 Fashion Rocks show. The video was included on the 2007
B'Day Anthology Video Album, and a video edit was
produced for "Irreemplazable". Part of the video which shows
Knowles dancing in silhouette in front of a glass door is
inspired by a James Bond movie. Late in January 2008,
"Irreemplazable" premiered on the MiTRL, a video countdown show
on the bilingual channel MTV Tr3s.
The music video follows the storyline of the song's lyrics.
"She told me to pack up all my stuff, I'm getting kicked out —
the video starts off like that", said Roache. Mid-way in the
video, Knowles follows her then-ex boyfriend outside the house
and leans on a 2007 Jaguar XK. She appears to be pretentiously
caressing him; only to find out she would be collecting things
she bought for him. He leaves her and the car, about to ride
off in a taxi. Between cuts, Knowles manages herself in front
of a mirror; putting on a lipstick, wearing huge curlers and a
high-waisted skirt. Towards the end of the video, she sings
with her all-female band, Suga Mama. It ends with Knowles
greeting her new boyfriend at the front door.
At the 2007 Black Entertainment Television (BET) Awards,
Knowles won Video of the Year Award for "Irreplaceable", an
award for which "Beautiful Liar" was nominated. It was
nominated for Video of the Year during the 2007 MTV Video Music
Awards, but was beaten by Rihanna's single "Umbrella". At the
2007 Soul Train Music Awards, the video was nominated for the
Michael Jackson Award for Best R&B/Soul or Rap Music Video,
but lost to rapper (and husband) Jay-Z's "Show Me What You Got"
video.