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"Irreplaceable"
#1 weeks: 7
weeks: 2007-01-06, 2007-01-13, 2007-01-20, 2007-01-27, 2007-02-03, 2007-02-10, 2007-02-17
genre: r&b, pop
artist: Beyoncé
album: B'Day
writers: Shaffer "Ne-Yo" Smith, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Espen Lind, Amund Bjørklund, Beyoncé Knowles
producers: Stargate, Knowles, Ne-Yo (co-producer)
label:
formats: CD single, digital download, maxi single, 12" single
lengths: 3:47

"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.