irreplaceable

"Irreplaceable" is an R&B song performed by American singer Beyoncé and written by American singer-songwriters Beyoncé Knowles, Ne-Yo, and Norwegian songwriters Amund Bjørklund, Espen Lind, Mikkel S. Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen for Knowles' second studio album B’Day. Produced by Norwegian production team Stargate and Beyoncé, the song was released as the album's third single domestically, and the second single outside North America in October 2006. "Irreplaceable" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on December 16, 2006, making it Beyoncé's eighth Billboard number-one, and her fourth as a solo artist (her first without a guest rapper). It has sold one million copies in digital sales. It was the last U.S. #1 of 2006 and the first of 2007.

"Irreplaceable" has been the Billboard Hot 100 number-one single for seven weeks so far, and has received world wide critical acclaim. In the United States, it has become the most successful track from B’Day. In December of 2006, a Spanish-language version of "Irreplaceable" entitled "Irremplazable"^[1] (which means "Indispensable") was released. This remix has peaked on #10 on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs. It has also been faring fairly well on charts in Latin countries and will be included in her Spanish language re-release of B'Day.

Writing and inspiration

Beyoncé was inspired to write "Irreplaceable" by the role she played in the movie adaptation of the broadway musical Dreamgirls. Her character Deena Jones was in a controlling relationship with husband/manager Curtis Taylor Jr. and after filming, Beyoncé went immediately to the studio to release some of the energy and emotions she had kept inside.^[2] Consequently, the entire B’Day album centers on themes of independence, feminism, and female empowerment, most exponent in tracks such as "Irreplaceable," "Kitty Kat," or "Ring the Alarm."^[3]

According to Beyoncé, "Irreplaceable" is meant to empower her female fans by encouraging them to end bad relationships: "[Irreplaceable] is a secret weapon...It's a celebration of a breakup and makes women feel like they're worth more."^[2]

Critical reception

The song was well-received by critics. While many of the tracks from B’Day have been upbeat club-bangers, featuring heavy 808-driven beats, "Irreplaceable" has been praised by critics for its simple, guitar-driven melody. Bill Lamb of About.com gave the song four and a half stars, and characterised it as "one of the strongest" tracks from the album. He praised its "simple, pop-oriented production" and the "subject matter of female strength and independence."^[4] Lamb ranked "Irreplaceable" the fourth best R&B song of 2006.^[5] Barry Schwartz of Stylus Magazine wrote that "[Irreplaceable] recaptured “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."^[6]

For Entertainment Weekly, Jody Rosen said the track was "a lilting tune unlike anything Beyoncé has ever performed,"^[7] while Billboard magazine praised "Irreplaceable"'s simplicity and 'radio-friendliness,' noting that the "song dilutes the excessive instrumentation of B's first two singles in favor of smooth drum taps and guitar strumming" and "should blast off at radio."^[8]

Music video

The music video for "Irreplaceable" premiered on British music channel The Box on October 3, 2006. While it also premiered on various stations in United States during the week of October 16, 2006, the official edited video premiered on BET's 106 & Park countdown on October 19, 2006, where it was about twenty seconds shorter than the original version [1].

Filmed by director Anthony Mandler in the week of September 11, 2006 in New York, the video is a simple story where Beyoncé's boyfriend is packing his belongings and leaving her house. Between cuts, she is seen dancing, looking at herself in the mirror wearing lingerie, huge curlers, a high-waisted skirt, and lipstick, singing with her band, and enjoying herself. The video ends with Beyoncé's new boyfriend at her front door. The background music in the video is varies from the album version; it contains more musical instruments. This video also featured a guest appearance by Phoenix Suns center Amare Stoudemire.

On MTV's Total Request Live, the video peaked at number one on the countdown. The video also peaked at number one on Yahoo! Music Top 100. The video was so popular at MTV, it was named the number-one video of 2006 by TRL. On January 18, 2007, Irreplaceable retired at #1 on MTV's Total Request Live, having spent 40 days on the countdown, with 11 days being #1, the most days at #1 for any Beyonce video. This was also her second video to retire on TRL, the other being "Naughty Girl" back in 2004.

Chart performance

"Irreplaceable" has entered various charts around the world, and has become the most successful single from B’Day. The single debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on the issue dated November 4, 2006 at position eighty-seven, and climbed the charts rapidly because of heavy airplay— it received the "Greatest Airplay Gainer" certification for seven weeks, six of which were consecutive. It also received the "Greatest Sales Gainer" for three consecutive weeks. It summited the Hot 100 on December 16, 2006, making the song Beyoncé's fourth number one single, and her second in 2006, following Check On It (featuring Slim Thug). On the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, the song debuted at position forty-two on which it became her fourth number one single.

Much of the song's success depended on its considerable airplay. On December 11, 2006, following "Check on It," "Irreplaceable" passed the 200 million audience impressions mark in the United States, according to Mediabase. This achievement makes Beyoncé one of the only artists to have two songs pass the 200 million impression mark in a single year; the only other artist to achieve this is Mariah Carey, when in 2005 "We Belong Together" and "Shake It Off" passed the 200 million mark. "Irreplaceable" had major cross-over success, becoming the first song to simultaneously occupy the number-one position on twelve Billboard charts on the week ending December 30, 2006: the Hot 100, Hot 100 Airplay, Hot 100 Single Sales Chart, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, Hot R&B/Hip Hop Singles Sales Chart, Pop 100, Pop 100 Airplay, the Mainstream Top 40, Rhythmic Top 40, Hot Digital Songs, and the Hot Digital Tracks charts. Irreplaceable has also the best audience week of Beyoncé's career and the second-best sum in the chart's history, with 196.3 radio impressions. Only Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together" has bested that total; it garnered 212 million impressions during a week in July 2005. ^{citation needed]}

Internationally, the song has experienced major success as well. On the Irish Singles chart, the song peaked at number one in its second week, making it her second Irish number one after "Crazy in Love". In Australia, "Irreplaceable" debuted at number eight on the singles chart and has now reached number one on the chart on December 31, becoming her first number one single in Australia and has remained at the top for three consecutive weeks,going Platinum. In New Zealand the song jumped to number one during its sixth week on the charts, making the single Beyoncé's second number one, after "Check on It" reached number one in early 2006. In the UK, despite reaching a peak of number four, "Irreplaceable" had remained in the top ten for seven weeks. Sales of the single in the UK now stand at 159,000 copies.^{citation needed]} It was also revealed that the single was the 29th highest selling single of 2006 in the UK [2]. It in fact outsold her previous release, Deja Vu, which reached number 1. As of December 2006 the single has sold over 1.260.801 copies in digital downloads and a further 180,000 across various other formats In the United States alone. ^{citation needed]}

The single has helped B’Day to climb 40-12 position in Canada in its 17th week and to re-enter in Australian charts (#49).

Charts

"Irreplaceable" has entered many charts around the world. The following table lists the various charts and peak positions.

Official versions

• Irreplaceable (Radio Edit)
• Irreplaceable (Instrumental)
• Irreplaceable (Maurice Joshua Nu Soul Mix)
• Irreplaceable (Ralphi & Craig Club Remix)
• Irreplaceable (Ralphi & Craig Club Radio Edit)
• Irreplaceable (Ralphi's Dub)
• Irreplaceable (Remix) (featuring Ghostface)
• Imprescindible (Spanish Version) (featuring Pitbull)
• Imprescindible (Spanish Version) (no rap)

Track listings and formats