B'Day
Studio album by Beyoncé
Released	September 4, 2006 (2006-09-04) (worldwide)
Recorded	April 2006 at Sony Music Studios (New York City, New York) Great Divide Studios (Aspen, Colorado)
Genre	R&B, soul, funk, hip hop soul
Length	37:40 (U.S. standard) 52:19 (Europe/Australia) 99:13 (deluxe edition)
Label	Columbia, Music World
Producer	Beyoncé Knowles (executive producer), Swizz Beatz, Sean Garrett, Rich Harrison, Rodney Jerkins, Walter Millsap III, The Neptunes, Shaffer "Ne-Yo" Smith, Shea Taylor, Stargate, Cameron Wallace
Professional reviews
About.com [1] All Music Guide [2] Blender [3] Entertainment Weekly (B+)[4] The Guardian [5] PopMatters [6] Rolling Stone [7] Slant Magazine [8]
Beyoncé chronology
True Star: A Private Performance (2004) B'Day (2006) Green Light: Freemasons EP (2007)
Alternate cover
Deluxe edition cover

B'Day is the second solo studio album by American R&B singer Beyoncé. Columbia Records, in collaboration with Music World Music and Sony Urban Music, released it worldwide on September 4, 2006 to coincide with Knowles' twenty-fifth birthday (see 2006 in music). Birthday can mean: A celebration on a persons birthday Birthdays, a British greeting cards retailer Birthday (song), a song by The Beatles Birthday EP, an EP by Infected Mushroom Birthday, the fifth day of the week on the Zork calendar Birthday, a song by The Sugarcubes from their... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (651x650, 107 KB) This image is of a cover of an audio recording, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the publisher of the album or the artist(s) which produced the recording or cover artwork in... A studio album is a collection of studio-recorded tracks by a recording artist. ... Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (pronounced [1]) (born September 4, 1981) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, record producer, music video director, actress, dancer, and fashion designer. ... is the 247th day of the year (248th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sony Music Studios is a well-known music recording and mastering facility in New York City. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... This article is about the state. ... The City of Aspen is a Home Rule Municipality that is the most populous city and the county seat of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. ... Official language(s) English Demonym Coloradan Capital Denver Largest city Denver Largest metro area Denver-Aurora Metro Area Area  Ranked 8th in the US  - Total 104,185 sq mi (269,837 km²)  - Width 280 miles (451 km)  - Length 380 miles (612 km)  - % water 0. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Contemporary R&B is a music genre of American popular music, the current iteration of the genre that began in the 1940s as rhythm and blues music. ... For other uses, see Soul music (disambiguation). ... For other uses, including related musical genres, see Funk (disambiguation). ... Hip hop soul is the second major subgenre of contemporary R&B. The term generally describes a style of music that blends soulful R&B singing and raw hip hop production. ... In the music industry, a record label can be a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Kasseem Dean (born September 17, 1978) better known by his stage name Swizz Beatz, is a New York-based American hip hop record producer/rapper of Puerto Rican & African American descent. ... Sean Garrett is an American R&B Singer, songwriter and record producer. ... Rich Harrison is a Grammy winning record producer and song writer from Washington, D.C. // A classically trained pianist and trumpet player, from an early age Harrison demonstrated an exceptional ability to play anything he heard on the radio. ... Rodney Darkchild Jerkins (born July 29, 1977 in Pleasantville, New Jersey) is an African-American Grammy Award-winning songwriter, record producer, and musician. ... The Neptunes is the name for the record production duo consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who created the sound for some very successful Hip Hop, R&B and Pop artists in the late-90s and 2000s. ... Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1982), known professionally as Ne-Yo, is a Grammy Award-nominated American R&B and pop singer-songwriter. ... Stargate (sometimes written as StarGate) are a Norwegian record production and songwriting team, consisting of Tor Erik Hermansen and Mikkel S. Eriksen (often credited as Mikkel SE) working today in the genres of pop, R&B and hip hop. ... Screenshot of About. ... Image File history File links 4. ... The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music, owned by All Media Guide. ... Image File history File links 4_stars. ... Blender is an American magazine that bills itself as the ultimate guide to music and more. ... Image File history File links 4_stars. ... Entertainment Weekly (sometimes abbreviated EW) is a magazine published by Time Inc. ... For other uses, see Guardian. ... Image File history File links 4_stars. ... PopMatters is an international magazine of cultural criticism. ... Image File history File links Stars10060. ... This article is about the magazine. ... Image File history File links 3_stars. ... Since its inception in 2001, Slant Magazine has grown exponentially in content, exposure, and readership. ... Image File history File links 3. ... Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (pronounced [1]) (born September 4, 1981) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, record producer, music video director, actress, dancer, and fashion designer. ... Image File history File links B'day_-_Deluxe_Edition. ... A studio album is a collection of studio-recorded tracks by a recording artist. ... Contemporary R&B is a music genre of American popular music, the current iteration of the genre that began in the 1940s as rhythm and blues music. ... Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (pronounced [1]) (born September 4, 1981) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, record producer, music video director, actress, dancer, and fashion designer. ... Columbia Records is the oldest brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888, and was the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. ... Sony Urban Music was created in 2004. ... is the 247th day of the year (248th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... See also: 2006 in British music Musical groups established in 2006 Record labels established in 2006 // January – James Nicholl, drummer of Pay*Ola became ill and was admitted to hospital. ...

The album was originally planned for a 2004 release as a follow-up to her debut album Dangerously in Love. However, the project was put on hiatus due to the recording of Destiny's Child's final album Destiny Fulfilled and her starring role in the 2006 movie Dreamgirls. While on vacation after filming Dreamgirls, Knowles began contacting various producers; she had employed technique for faster collaboration, and completed B'Day in three weeks. A debut album is the first released music album by an artist or a band. ... This article is about the album. ... This article is about the group. ... Alternative cover Limited edition cover Singles from Destiny Fulfilled Released: November 1, 2004 Released: November 2, 2004 Released: May 3, 2005 Released: July 19, 2005 Destiny Fulfilled is the fourth studio album by American R&B trio Destinys Child. ... Dreamgirls is a 2006 American musical film jointly produced and released by DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures. ...

Most of the lyrical content of the album was inspired by Knowles' role in the film. The style of the songs ranges from '70s to '80s funk and balladry to urban contemporary elements like hip hop and R&B. Live instrumentation was employed on most tracks as part of Knowles' vision of creating a record using live instruments. For other uses, including related musical genres, see Funk (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Ballad (disambiguation). ... The term urban contemporary was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. ... Hip hop music is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. ... Instrumentation is the study and practice of writing music for a musical instrument. ...

The album was commercially successful, topping the U.S. Billboard 200 chart on its debut. It sold 541,000 units within a week of release, beating its predecessor, Dangerously in Love. The album yielded six singles, and was successful in music markets, entering the top ten of many charts worldwide. B'Day was re-released on April 3, 2007 as an expanded double-disc deluxe edition; a DVD counterpart was also released, featuring ten music videos of the songs from the album. The album has earned a three-time platinum certification in the United States from the Recording Industry Association of America and has sold more than seven million copies worldwide. The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... Reefer Madness was issued in a Special Addiction as a reference to the cult films ironic appeal. ... A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a song. ... RIAA redirects here. ...

Production

Background

In 2002, Knowles had generative studio sessions in the making of her debut album, Dangerously in Love, recording up to forty-five songs.^[9] After the release of Dangerously in Love in 2003, Knowles had planned to produce a follow-up album using several of the left-over tracks.^[9] However, on January 7, 2004, a spokesperson for her record label, Columbia Records, announced that Knowles had put her plans on hiatus in order to concentrate on the recording of Destiny's Child's final album, Destiny Fulfilled, and for her singing of the US national anthem at the Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston, which was her childhood dream.^[10] In late 2005, Knowles decided to postpone the recording of her sophomore album because she had landed the starring role in the film adaptation of the 1981 Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Dreamgirls.^[11] As she wanted to focus on one project at a time, Knowles decided to wait until the movie would wrap up before returning to the studio.^[12] Knowles told Billboard magazine, "I'm not going to write for the album until I finish doing the movie."^[13] A debut album is the first released music album by an artist or a band. ... This article is about the album. ... “Sound recorder” redirects here. ... is the 7th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Columbia Records is the oldest brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888, and was the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. ... This article is about the group. ... Alternative cover Limited edition cover Singles from Destiny Fulfilled Released: November 1, 2004 Released: November 2, 2004 Released: May 3, 2005 Released: July 19, 2005 Destiny Fulfilled is the fourth studio album by American R&B trio Destinys Child. ... The Star Spangled Banner is the national anthem of the United States. ... Date February 1, 2004 Stadium Reliant Stadium City Houston, Texas MVP Tom Brady, Quarterback Favorite Patriots by 7 National anthem Beyoncé Coin toss Earl Campbell, Ollie Matson, Don Maynard, Y.A. Tittle, Mike Singletary, Gene Upshaw Referee Ed Hochuli Halftime show Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Outkast, P. Diddy, Kid Rock... What is popularly called the Tony Award (formally, the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre) is an annual award celebrating achievements in live American theater, including musical theater, primarily honoring productions on Broadway in New York. ... Dreamgirls is a 2006 American musical film jointly produced and released by DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures. ... It has been suggested that Billboard be merged into this article or section. ...

Writing and recording process

While having a month-long vacation after filming Dreamgirls, Knowles went to the studio to start working on the album. She said, "[When filming ended] I had so many things bottled up, so many emotions, so many ideas",^[12] prompting her to begin working without telling her father-record label manager Mathew Knowles.^[14] People who knew she went to the studio were her A&R man Max Gousse, and the team of producers they contacted to collaborate for the album.^[15] Knowles began working with songwriter-producers Rich Harrison, Rodney Jerkins, and Sean Garrett.^[14][16] She also collaborated with several studio personalities: Cameron Wallace; the Neptunes, Norwegian production duo Stargate, American hip hop producer-rapper Swizz Beatz, and Walter Millsap.^[17] Two female songwriters were also included in the production team who helped structure the album: Knowles' cousin Angela Beyincé, who had previous collaborations in Dangerously in Love, and up-and-coming songwriter Makeba Riddick, who actually made her way onto the team after writing "Déjà Vu", the lead single of the album.^[12] In the music industry, a record label can be a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... Mathew Knowles is an American record executive and manager. ... Rich Harrison is a Grammy winning record producer and song writer from Washington, D.C. // A classically trained pianist and trumpet player, from an early age Harrison demonstrated an exceptional ability to play anything he heard on the radio. ... Rodney Darkchild Jerkins (born July 29, 1977 in Pleasantville, New Jersey) is an African-American Grammy Award-winning songwriter, record producer, and musician. ... Sean Garrett is an American R&B Singer, songwriter and record producer. ... The Neptunes are Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, a pair of producers based in their hometown of Virginia Beach, Virginia who created the sound for some of hip-hops most successful artists (Nellys Hot In Herre, Jay-Zs Change Clothes) and pop icons (Britney Spears Im... Stargate (sometimes written as StarGate) are a Norwegian record production and songwriting team, consisting of Tor Erik Hermansen and Mikkel S. Eriksen (often credited as Mikkel SE) working today in the genres of pop, R&B and hip hop. ... Hip hop is a cultural movement that began amongst urban African American youth in New York and has since spread around the world. ... Kasseem Dean (born September 17, 1978) better known by his stage name Swizz Beatz, is a New York-based American hip hop record producer/rapper of Puerto Rican & African American descent. ... Angela Jeanine Beyincé (born May 14, 1982 in Galveston, Texas) is an African-American songwriter and personal assistant to her cousin Beyoncé Knowles. ... Déjà Vu is an R&B song written by Beyoncé Knowles, Shawn Jay-Z Carter, Rodney Jerkins, Makeba Riddick, Nicole Keli Price, and Delisha Thomas for Knowles second solo album B’Day (2006). ...

She [Knowles] had multiple producers in Sony Studios. She booked out the whole studio and she had the biggest and best producers in there. She would have us in one room, we would start collaborating with one producer, [and] then she would go and start something else with another producer. We would bounce around to the different rooms and work with the different producers. It was definitely a factory type of process.

—Makeba Riddick, MTV News^[12] MTV News is the news division of MTV, the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTVs related channels around the world. ...

Influenced by Jay-Z's method in collaborating with multiple record producers,^[18] Knowles rented the whole Sony Music Studios in New York City and booked Harrison, Jerkins and Garrett, each with their own room to work in.^[14] During sessions, Knowles would go to each room after the other to check the progressions her collaborators had made, and had fostered "healthy competition" among producers.^[14] When Knowles conceived of a potential song, she would tell the group who would later deliberate; after three hours, the song would be created.^[12] While Knowles and the team brainstormed on the lyrics, other collaborators like the Neptunes, Jerkins and Swizz Beatz would simultaneously produce the tracks.^[12] They would sometimes begin working at eleven o'clock, reaching fourteen hours a day during the recording process.^[12] Knowles arranged, co-wrote and co-produced all the songs.^[14] Swizz Beatz co-produced four songs for the album, the most-produced tracks by a single producer in the team.^[12] Knowles recorded three songs a day, finishing it for two weeks.^[15] B'Day, which is coined as tribute to Knowles' birthday,^[19] was completed in three weeks, ahead of the originally planned six-week toil.^[20] Twenty-five songs were produced for the album; eleven of the tracks were selected for the track list, and mastered in early July.^[21] Sony Music Studios is a well-known music recording and mastering facility in New York City. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... In music, an arrangement refers either to a rewriting of a piece of existing music with additional new material or to a fleshing-out of a compositional sketch, such as a lead sheet. ...

Content

Music and style

Knowles performing during The Beyoncé Experience tour, flanked with dancers and her band, holding various instruments

B'Day was musically crafted from a variety of American genres,^[22] and like the roots of her previous album, incorporated urban contemporary elements including R&B and hip hop. Some songs have '70s and '80s styles, inspired through record sampling. "Suga Mama", which employs blues-guitar samples^[7] from Jake Wade and the Soul Searchers' "Searching for Soul", reminds a '70s funk-flavored and '80s go-go influenced melody.^[23] "Upgrade U" is sampled from the Betty Wright's 1968 "Girls Can't Do What the Guys Do". "Resentment", on the other hand, used Curtis Mayfield's 1972 "Think (Instrumental)", from the Superfly soundtrack. "Déjà Vu" rooted from the '70s,^[2] "Green Light" is a classic groove,^[24] and "Get Me Bodied" features twang, a musical style originated from Texas.^[6] The Beyoncé Experience is a 2007 worldwide concert tour by American singer, songwriter, and actress Beyoncé Knowles. ... The term urban contemporary was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. ... R&B redirects here. ... Hip hop music is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ... The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ... This article is about reusing existing sound recordings in creating new works. ... Blues music redirects here. ... Jake Wade and the Soul Searchers was a funk band signed to Ubiquity Records. ... Go-Go is a subgenre of funk music developed in and around Washington, D.C. in the mid and late 1970s. ... Betty Wright on the cover of her album 4u2njoy Betty Wright (born December 21, 1953, in Miami, Florida) is a soul and R&B singer, who influenced a generation of female singer-songwriters and also influenced the world of hip hop, who sampled some of her more famous material. ... Curtis Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American soul, funk and R&B singer, songwriter and guitarist best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions and composing the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Superfly. ... Superfly is a 1972 film soundtrack by Curtis Mayfield for the blaxploitation film Superfly. ... A fishing light attractor is an underwater light that can be used to attract fish of many species, including baitfish, and larger fish. ... This article is about Western art music from 1000 AD to the present. ... In popular music groove, used in the sense of rhythm, is a term for metre and its embellishment by a rhythm section. ... A drawl is a perceived feature of some varieties of spoken English, and generally infers longer vowel sounds and/or dipthongs. ... For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). ...

Knowles crafted most songs in B'Day through live instrumentation. Evident on the song "Déjà Vu", the track utilizes bass guitar, conga, hi-hat, horns and the 808.^[24] In an interview, Knowles said, "When I recorded 'Déjà Vu' ... I knew that even before I started working on my album, I wanted to add live instruments to all of my songs..."^[12] While "Déjà Vu" employs a production of old school horns,^[25] other songs like "Ring the Alarm" uses percussion^[3] and "Irreplaceable" features a guitar-driven melody. Instrumentation is the study and practice of writing music for a musical instrument. ... A sunburst-colored Fender Precision Bass The electric bass guitar (or electric bass[1][2]; pronounced , as in base) is a bass stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers (either by plucking, slapping, popping, or tapping) or using a pick. ... For other uses, see Conga (disambiguation). ... The hi-hat stand has changed little since its invention. ... The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer was one of the first programmable drum machines (TR serving as an acronym for Transistor Rhythm). Introduced by the Roland Corporation in late 1980, it was originally manufactured for use as a tool for studio musicians to create demos. ... Old school, variously spelled old skool, oldschool or oldskool, is a slang term referring to an older school of thinking or acting and to old objects in general, within the context of newer, more modern times. ... French horn redirects here. ... Percussion redirects here. ...

Lyrics and theme

Knowles singing "Listen". "Listen" is one of songs in the album that were inspired by her role in the Broadway musical adaptation Dreamgirls (2006).

Much of the theme and the musical style of the album was inspired by Dreamgirls. The plot of the film revolves around The Dreams, a fictional '60s group of three female singers who had changed in plight after discovering their manipulative manager, Curtis Taylor. Knowles portrays Deena Jones, the lead singer of the group and the wife of Taylor, and is emotionally abused by him. Because of her role, Knowles was inspired to produce an album with an overriding theme of feminism and female empowerment.^[12] In the bonus track, "Encore for the Fans", Knowles says, "Because I was so inspired by Deena, I wrote songs that were saying all the things I wish she would have said in the film."^[26] Dreamgirls (2006) singles chronology One Night Only (2006) Listen (2007) And I Am Telling You Im Not Going (2007) Listen is a song performed by American R&B singer-songwriter Beyoncé Knowles in the 2006 film Dreamgirls. ... Note on spelling: While most Americans use er (as per American spelling conventions), the majority of venues, performers and trade groups for live theatre use re. ... Musical theater (or theatre) is a form of theatre combining music, songs, dance, and spoken dialogue. ... Dreamgirls is a 2006 American musical film jointly produced and released by DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures. ...

Tracks

"Déjà Vu", which features rap from Jay-Z, is the opening track of B'Day. Set as the album's lead single, it was released on July 2006 to mixed reviews.^[16][25] The single reached number four in the US, and number one in the UK. The single's couture-motivated music video evoked displeased reaction from fans, thousands of whom petitioned for it to be re-shoot.^[24][27] "Get Me Bodied" features former band-mates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams and sister Solange Knowles in its '60s-influenced instructional music video.^[28] It is the second track of the album, and was the fifth single released in the US. "Get Me Bodied" was the album's lowest charting US-released single, having reached the Billboard Hot 100 below top fifty.^[29] "Suga Mama" is set as the third track; its music video features Knowles riding a mechanical bull.^[30] Déjà Vu is an R&B song written by Beyoncé Knowles, Shawn Jay-Z Carter, Rodney Jerkins, Makeba Riddick, Nicole Keli Price, and Delisha Thomas for Knowles second solo album B’Day (2006). ... Rap redirects here. ... Jay-Z (aka the Jigga, HOV and Hova, born Shawn Carter on December 4, 1970 in Brooklyn, New York) is an African American rapper/hip hop artist and record label executive; one of the most popular and successful rappers of the late 1990s and early 2000s. ... A lead single is the first single released by a musician or a band from a given album. ... Haute couture (French for high sewing or high dressmaking; IPA: ) refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted fashions. ... BDay track listing Get Me Bodied is a song written by Beyoncé Knowles, Sean Garrett, Solange Knowles, Angela Beyince, Makeba Riddick, and Swizz Beatz for Knowles second studio album, BDay (2006). ... Kelendria Trene Rowland (born February 11, 1981) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress, who rose to fame as one of the founding members of the successful R&B girl group Destinys Child, one of the best-selling female band of all time, according to the... Michelle Williams may refer to: Michelle Williams, (born July 23, 1980), an American singer and member of the group Destinys Child. ... Solange Piaget Knowles[1] (born June 24, 1986 in Houston, Texas) is an American actress, R&B singer, songwriter, producer, model. ... “Hot 100” redirects here. ... Suga Mama is an R&B/soul/funk/rock song written by Beyoncé Knowles, Rich Harrison, Makeba, and produced by Knowles and Harrison for Knowles second solo album, BDay (2006). ... A man riding a mechanical bull in Rio de Janeiro A mechanical bull is a machine-operated ride that replicates the sensation of riding a bull. ...

The promotional single "Upgrade U" is the album's fourth track. Another collaboration with Jay-Z, the lyrics speaks of luxuries.^[31] Knowles acts as Jay-Z in his part of the single's music video.^[32] "Ring the Alarm", which is the album's second-released single, is noted for the use of a siren in its melody. It was called a song that "shows a harder edge to Beyoncé's sound."^[14] The single was released on October 3, and became her highest-charting single debut, opening at number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100.^[33] "Kitty Kat" is the sixth track of the album; its music video features Knowles with cats.^[28] "Freakum Dress", the next track, is a crescendo that uses a two-note riff and galloping beats.^[34] The song "advises women who have partners with straying eyes to put on sexy dresses and grind on other guys in the club to regain their affections."^[31] Knowles made a video for the song to explain what "Freakum Dress" was, using different women on ages, races, and sizes, along with the thirty metallic dresses used in the production.^[28] "Green Light" is the seventh track, and was released outside the US. Its use of the "uh-huh huh huh" vocals and brassy stabs are a direct echo of "Crazy in Love".^[27] A three day-shoot music video, it is remembered for giving Knowles a blistered foot and muscle spasms because of wearing ballet-pointed heels for an 18-hour filming;^[30] Knowles considered it as her toughest video shoot.^[32] Image File history File links DejaVuSample. ... Image File history File links IrreplaceableSample. ... Upgrade U is an R&B/hip hop song written by Beyoncé Knowles, MK, Makeba, Sean Garrett, Angela Beyincé, Shawn Jay-Z Carter, Willie Clarke, Clarence Reid, and Solange Knowles for Knowles second solo album, B’Day (2006). ... Not to be confused with the song with the same name by Tenor Saw. ... This article is about the bird-women of Greek myth. ... “Hot 100” redirects here. ... Crescendo may mean: In musical notation, crescendo refers to a passage of music during which the volume gradually increases. ... Riff is also an alternate spelling of Rif, a region of Morocco. ... A fishing light attractor is an underwater light that can be used to attract fish of many species, including baitfish, and larger fish. ...

"Irreplaceable" is the ninth track of the album, and was released as the third single in the US and the second single outside North America. Gaining positive critical reviews, "Irreplaceable" was the most successful single off the album, staying on the Billboard Hot 100 at number one for ten weeks consecutively. The single's music video features the debut performance of her all-female band, Suga Mama.^[32] The ballad and gospel-influenced^[1] "Resentment", which was treated as an "oversung downer",^[31] is the album's closing track. "Listen", a bonus track for the North American release, is an inspirational ballad about "the song in my heart".^[4] Originally produced for Dreamgirls' soundtrack, Knowles co-wrote "Listen", which was suggested by the film's director, Bill Condon, because the second half of the movie needed to have an accompanying song. She performed the song when her fictional life in the story changes direction.^[35] Audio sample Info Irreplaceable (help· info) Alternate covers Maxi cover Irreplaceable is a song written by American singer-songwriters Beyonce Knowles and Ne-Yo, and Norwegian songwriters Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Espen Lind, and Amund Bjørklund for Knowles second studio album, BDay (2006). ... North American redirects here. ... Suga Mama is the all-female band of Beyoncé for her 2007 tour, The Beyoncé Experience. ... Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as (in terms of the varying music styles) to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music. ... Dreamgirls (2006) singles chronology One Night Only (2006) Listen (2007) And I Am Telling You Im Not Going (2007) Listen is a song performed by American R&B singer-songwriter Beyoncé Knowles in the 2006 film Dreamgirls. ... For other uses, see Ballad (disambiguation). ... Dreamgirls (2006) singles chronology One Night Only (2006) Listen (2007) And I Am Telling You Im Not Going (2007) Listen is a song performed by American R&B singer-songwriter Beyoncé Knowles in the 2006 film Dreamgirls. ...

Releases and promotion

Knowles performing "Flaws and All", one of the new tracks included in the deluxe edition of B'Day

B'Day was released through Columbia Records in collaboration with Sony Urban Music and Music World Music on September 4, 2007 to coincide with Knowles' 25th birthday.^[13] Subsequently, it was released on September 5 in North America.^[12] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (768 × 1024 pixel, file size: 426 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (768 × 1024 pixel, file size: 426 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Columbia Records is the oldest brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888, and was the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. ... Sony Urban Music was created in 2004. ... is the 247th day of the year (248th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... North American redirects here. ...

An expanded double-disc deluxe edition of the album was released on April 3, 2007,^[36] seven months from the release of the original version. It was later released on April 23 in the UK.^[37] Aside from the original track listing, the new edition features five new songs, including "Beautiful Liar", a duet with Colombian singer Shakira; its single single holds the distinction of having the largest upward movement on the Billboard Hot 100, moving ninety-one positions from number ninety-four to number three on April 7, 2007.^[38] "Amor Gitano" or "Gypsy Love" is a flamenco-pop song duet with Mexican singer Alejandro Fernández, a soundtrack for Telemundo's "El Zorro" telenovela,^[39] is included in the new version, alongside several Spanish re-recordings. The idea of recording foreign language songs was derived from her group's collaboration with Alejandro Sanz for "Quisiera Ser". Knowles worked with producer Rudy Perez for these recordings.^[32] The re-issue includes is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 113th day of the year (114th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Beautiful Liar is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé and Colombian Latin pop singer Shakira. ... This article is about the musician. ... April 7 is the 97th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (98th in leap years). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... Amor Gitano (Gypsy Love) is the theme song for the telenovela Zorro: La Espada y la Rosa, performed in Spanish by Beyoncé Knowles and Alejandro Fernández . ... Flamenco is a Spanish musical genre with strong, rhythmic undertones and is often accompanied with a similarly impassioned style of dance characterized by its powerful yet graceful execution, as well as its intricate hand and footwork. ... This article is about the genre of popular music. ... Alejandro Fernández (born April 24, 1971) is a popular Mexican singer nicknamed as El Potrillo (The Colt) by the media and his fans. ... Telemundo is an American television network based in Hialeah, Florida. ...

Simultaneously, B'Day Anthology Video Album was released, featuring ten videos, including the director's cut of "Listen" and the extended remix of "Get Me Bodied". Most of the videos are from her up tempo tracks;^[32] it is more on retro, colors and black hair styles which Knowles thought would be like her character Deena.^[28] The shooting of the videos was done in two weeks.^[30] At first, the DVD was available in Wal-Mart,^[32] but later released to other markets. Other editions of the second issue in several countries do not include the Spanish songs, instead the ten music videos in the DVD.^[40] BDay Anthology Video Album is a video album, released by the American R&B singer-songwriter Beyoncé, it was released alongside BDay: Deluxe Edition on April 3, 2007. ... Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. ... DVD (also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc - see Etymology) is a popular optical disc storage media format. ...

In mid-2006, Knowles looked for an all-female band for her 2007 tour, The Beyoncé Experience, to promote the album. She held an audition for keyboard players, bassists, guitarists, horn players, percussionists and drummers around the world.^[41] Visiting over ninety venues,^[42] Knowles embarked on the tour in Japan on April 10, 2007^[32] and concluded it on December 30, 2007 in Las Vegas. Suga Mama is the all-female band of Beyoncé for her 2007 tour, The Beyoncé Experience. ... The Beyoncé Experience is a 2007 worldwide concert tour by American singer, songwriter, and actress Beyoncé Knowles. ... Piano, a well-known instance of keyboard instruments A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. ... Deon Rexroat of Anberlin. ... For the UK magazine, see Guitarist (magazine). ... French horn redirects here. ... Percussion redirects here. ... For the comic book character, see Drummer (comics). ... is the 100th day of the year (101st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 364th day of the year (365th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... The south end of The Strip; approximately one third of the entire Strip is represented here. ...

Reception

Critical reviews

Contemporary critics had a polarized reaction to B'Day, most of whom cited the short-spanned production and numerous collaborations of the album. Roger Friedman of FOX News stated that "the result of so many cooks in the kitchen...is that...Beyoncé serves up a...shrill singing and invariably tuneless songs."^[16] The Boston Globe's Sarah Rodman, however, stated that the production team helped Beyoncé "focus on edgier, up-tempo tracks that take her sweet soprano to new places."^[31] Andy Kellman for his All Music Guide review was mixed, stating that Knowles' "hurryness" in the album produced "no songs with the smooth elegance of "Me, Myself and I" or "Be with You", adding, "...there is nothing desperate or weak about this album."^[2] Mike Joseph of PopMatters stated that "the album is solid", but because of its rushed production, he counter-argued that "aside from its relatively short running time, its sound suspiciously under produced".^[6] Rolling Stone's Brian Hiatt averred that "while the mostly up-tempo disc never lacks for energy, some of the more beat-driven tracks feel harmonically and melodically undercooked, with hooks that don't live up to 'Crazy in Love' or the best Destiny's Child hits."^[7] Fox News Channels slogan is We Report, You Decide The Fox News Channel is a U.S. cable and satellite news channel. ... The Boston Globe is the most widely-circulated daily newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts and in the greater New England region. ... The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music, owned by All Media Guide. ... Audio sample Info Me, Myself and I (help· info) Me, Myself and I is an R&B/neo soul song written by Beyoncé Knowles, Scott Storch, and Robert Waller for Knowles solo debut studio album Dangerously in Love (2003). ... PopMatters is an international magazine of cultural criticism. ... This article is about the magazine. ...

Other critics, however, found positive from the album. Bill Lamb of About.com complimented the album for exuding the "work of a woman with focus, energy, empathy, and vocal firepower to spare," giving it four and a half stars out of five.^[1] Entertainment Weekly's Jody Rosen noted that "the songs [in the album] arrive in huge gusts of rhythm and emotion, with Beyoncé's voice rippling over clattery beats," rating the album A-.^[4] Jonah Weiner of Blender approved the album with four stars for "producing up-tempo beats bringing the dance floor never cool down."^[3] Billboard's Gail Mitchell wrote that "throughout [the album], she romps with creative abandon, thankfully unafraid of stretching the boundaries lyrically and musically."^[43] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine noted that "B'Day is a reminiscent of former group at their commercial peak."^[8] Screenshot of About. ... Entertainment Weekly (sometimes abbreviated EW) is a magazine published by Time Inc. ... It has been suggested that Billboard be merged into this article or section. ... Since its inception in 2001, Slant Magazine has grown exponentially in content, exposure, and readership. ...

Accolades

In 2006, B'Day was nominated for five Grammy Awards, including "Best Contemporary R&B Album", "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance" for "Ring the Alarm", "Best R&B Song" for "Déjà Vu", "Best Rap/Sung Collaboration" for "Déjà Vu", and "Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical" for "Déjà Vu" (Freemasons club mix - no rap) (remixed by Russell Small and James Wiltshire). B'Day won the Best Contemporary R&B Album.^[44] The following year, B'Day received two Grammy nominations for Record of the Year for "Irreplaceable" and Best Pop Collaboration for "Beautiful Liar". She also received a Grammy nomination for her work on Dreamgirls.^[45] The 49th Annual Grammy Awards is a ceremony honoring the best in music for the 2006 recording year (October 1, 2005 - September 30, 2006) in the United States. ... Grammy Award statuette The Grammy Awards, presented by the Recording Academy (an association of Americans professionally involved in the recorded music industry) for outstanding achievements in the recording industry, is one of four major music awards shows held annually in the United States (the Billboard Music Awards, the American Music... The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album has been awarded since 2003. ... The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance has been awarded since 1968. ... The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (sometimes known as the R&B Songwriters Award) has been awarded since 1969. ... The Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration has been awarded since 2002. ... The Grammy Award for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical has been awarded since 2002. ... The 50th Annual Grammy Awards will take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA of February 10, 2008. ... The Record of the Year is an award created by record producer Jonathan King voted for by the UK public. ... Audio sample Info Irreplaceable (help· info) Alternate covers Maxi cover Irreplaceable is a song written by American singer-songwriters Beyonce Knowles and Ne-Yo, and Norwegian songwriters Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Espen Lind, and Amund Bjørklund for Knowles second studio album, BDay (2006). ... Beautiful Liar is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé and Colombian Latin pop singer Shakira. ... Dreamgirls is a 2006 American musical film jointly produced and released by DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures. ...

Commercial performance

B'Day peaked at number one on the Billboard 200, the official album chart in the US, on September 23, 2006,^[46] becoming the chart's highest debut.^[47] The album gave Knowles her second highest charting album since Dangerously in Love, which topped the chart also on its debut. The album racked up 541,000 units sold after a week of release, 224,000 higher than Dangerously in Love's 317,000 sales, but 122,000 lower that her former group's Survivor, earning 663,000 on its start. According to Nielsen SoundScan, a music source provider, B'Day was the chart's best sales number since Tool's 10,000 Days selling 564,000 copies in May of the same year.^[46] Simultaneously, B'Day also charted at the number one position on the Billboards's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums tally^[46] and later on Billboard Top Internet Albums.^[48] The album, however, failed to continue dominate the top spot after Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006) replaced it the following week. In 2006, the album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.^[49] B'Day became the US' thirty-eighth best-selling album of 2006.^[50] The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. ... is the 266th day of the year (267th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the album. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Nielsen SoundScan is an information system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett that tracks sales data for singles, albums, and music video products in Canada and the United States for Billboard and other music industry companies. ... Tool is an American rock band that was formed in 1990 in Los Angeles, California. ... 10,000 Days is the Grammy Award-winning fourth full-length studio album by Tool. ... The Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart was established by Billboard magazine in 1984. ... Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981[1]), sometimes known as JT, is an American pop and R&B singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, and actor. ... Alternate cover FutureSex/LoveSound Deluxe Edition Singles from FutureSex/LoveSounds Released: August 21, 2006 [1] Released: October 31, 2006 [2] Released: February 26, 2007[3] Released: April 10, 2007[4] Released: July 2, 2007 [5] Released: November 13, 2007 [6] FutureSex/LoveSounds is Justin Timberlakes second solo studio album. ... RIAA redirects here. ...

While the album chart performance was eventually decreasing, the release of the deluxe edition has helped it back on the top ten; it has sold 214,000 copies since their release at the beginning of April.^[51] After the first week release, the album's number sixty-three position surges back to number three,^[52] and charted again at number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It sold up to 126,000 scans having the sales increased by 903 percent.^[52] On April 16, 2007, Recording Industry Association of America re-certified B'Day as triple platinum.^[49] is the 106th day of the year (107th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ...

Internationally, B'Day gained positive reaction. In the UK, B'Day debuted at number three on September 11, 2007.^[53] Like the album's performance in Ireland, where it debuted at the same number, it did not reach any higher position and stayed on the chart for thirty-eight weeks. The British Phonographic Industry certified B'Day double platinum for selling 807,000 units. Across the Oceania, B'Day had the same reception debuting on Australian Albums Chart and New Zealand Albums Chart both at number eight on the same week, September 11, 2006.^[47] It stayed at the stop position on two weeks in New Zealand. B'Day remained the charts for twenty and twenty-five weeks respectively.^[47] In the United World Chart, B'Day opened at number one, and was the chart's highest debut. On the 2006 Year End, the album charted as number twelve for earning 3,113,000 points in the inclusive year.^[54] The album stayed on the chart for forty-one non-consecutive weeks.^[47] is the 254th day of the year (255th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... For other uses, see Oceania (disambiguation). ... is the 254th day of the year (255th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United World Chart is a worldwide chart issued every week by Media Traffic, using both sales (digital and physical) and airplay to determine the most popular albums and singles worldwide. ...

Controversies

After three weeks from the release,^[55] the deluxe edition and the video anthology DVD was temporarily ceased in the retail stores. A lawsuit was filed for breach of contract of using "Still in Love (Kissing You)", a version of British singer Des'ree's own cover of Kissing You.^[51] Not intended for the album's inclusion, Des'ree's permission was not to alter the title of the song and not subjected for an accompanying video; however, Knowles did otherwise.^[55][56] After the infringement issue, the present version of the re-issue does not include the track.^[55] Desree (born Desiree Weeks, 30 November 1968, London [1]) is one of Britains most successful pop/soul singers throughout the 1990s. ... Kissing You is a song written by British singer Desree Weeks and Timothy Atack, and recorded by Desree for the soundtrack of the 1996 film William Shakespeares Romeo + Juliet. ...

The artwork of B'Day, including the cover of "Ring the Alarm", fueled controversy after Knowles used alligators during the photo shoot. Knowles revealed that using the animal and taping their mouths shut was her idea. PETA, an animal rights organization which had previous confronted her after she had used furs for her fashion line's clothing design, contacted a biologist who later wrote a letter to her: Not to be confused with the song with the same name by Tenor Saw. ... People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals logo People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is an animal rights organization based in the United States. ... A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of organisms. ...

As a specialist in reptile biology and welfare, I'm concerned about your posing with a terrified baby alligator for your new album cover. Humans and alligators are not natural bedfellows, and the two should not mix at events such as photo shoots. In my view, doing so is arguably abusive to an animal.^[57]

In 2007, Knowles appeared on billboards and newspapers across the United States showing her holding an antiquated cigarette holder. Taken from the back cover of B'Day, the image provoked response from an anti-smoking group, stating that she needed not to add the cigarette holder "to make herself appear more sophisticated".^[58]

Track listing