I Am… Sasha Fierce
Encyclopedia
I Am... Sasha Fierce is the third studio album
by American R&B
recording artist Beyoncé
. It was released on November 18, 2008, by Columbia Records
. The album was released in dual disc
format, in which both discs represent a contrasting facet to Knowles' personality and musical style. The first disc, I Am..., incorporates slow and mid-tempo R&B
and pop
ballad
s, while the second disc, Sasha Fierce, named after Knowles' on-stage alter ego
, contains uptempo dance songs that blend Euro
and electropop genres. A deluxe edition of the album was released simultaneously with the standard edition.
Knowles credited her husband and rapper
Jay-Z
and jazz
singer Etta James
for inspiring her to effectively incorporate other genres and melodies into the album. Musically, I Am... drew inspiration from folk music
and alternative rock
, while blending acoustic guitar elements into the contemporary ballads. The tracks on the first disc were written and produced by Knowles, with assistance from Kenneth Edmonds, Christopher Stewart
, Terius Nash
, and Ryan Tedder
. Sasha Fierce incorporated production and songwriting from Rodney Jerkins
, Sean Garrett, and Solange
. The album received mixed to positive reviews from music critics, with many commenting on the album's failure to differentiate between Knowles and her alter-ego, something that would have been avoided in a one disc collection.
I Am... Sasha Fierce debuted at number one on the Billboard 200
chart, having sold 482,000 units in its first week, becoming Knowles' third consecutive US number-one solo album. It became a commercial success, earning at least fifteen platinum
certifications in separate markets worldwide. As of March 2011, I Am... Sasha Fierce had sold over seven million copies worldwide, with its digital tracks alone having sold more than 15 million units globally. The album garnered eight Grammy Award
nominations at the 52nd annual ceremony
, eventually collecting five wins. To promote the album, Knowles made several award show and televised appearances across Europe and America, as well as embarking on the worldwide I Am... Tour.
The album spawned several singles, some serving as international and stateside releases, while others were for promotional purposes. The two lead singles from I Am... Sasha Fierce, "If I Were a Boy
" and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
", were both international chart toppers. The former topped the charts in over eight countries and reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100
, while the latter peaked inside the top ten in several major music markets, becoming her fifth number one single on the Hot 100 chart. "Diva
" and "Ego
" were released as US-only singles, while "Halo
" and "Sweet Dreams
" were promoted internationally as the third and fourth singles respectively. "Broken-Hearted Girl
" was released internationally as the fifth single and "Video Phone", the final single, was released in November 2009.
Knowles began working on I Am... Sasha Fierce in 2007. In a letter to her fans on October 2, 2008, she said: "I have worked on this album for close to one year. I have taken the time so I can create my sound. Something that says who I am at this stage in my life. I have poured my heart and soul into it. It is my baby. It is the most time I have spent on any project since my first records as a member of Destiny's Child
when I was 15 years old." According to Knowles, she was inspired by her husband Jay-Z
and especially by Etta James
, whose "boldness" inspired her to explore other musical genres and styles. When Knowles started recording tracks for the album, she felt that she had to grow and become more mature as an artist. She stated: "Even though I've been very successful and very fortunate, I want to still be challenged." She co-wrote and/or co-produced all materials on the album.
Recording sessions for the album took place during 2007 and 2008 at several recording studios, including: Tree Sound Studios in Atlanta; Chung King Studios
; Electric Lady Studios
; Strawberrybee Productions in New York
; GAD Studios in (Ibiza
), Spain; Mansfield Studios and The Campground in Los Angeles
; South Beat Studios in Miami Beach
; and The Boom Boom Room in Burbank, California
. Several record producer
s and songwriter
s collaborated with Knowles on the album including Kenneth Edmonds, Stargate
, Christopher Stewart
, Terius Nash
, Rodney Jerkins
, Sean Garrett
, Solange
, Jim Jonsin, Rico Love and Ryan Tedder
. Tedder also assisted her with crafting the album's balladry. Additionally, she collaborated with some musicians that she had never worked with in the past, including producer Toby Gad
on "If I Were a Boy
" and British songwriter Amanda Ghost
on "Disappear". Recording for the album took place over an eight month period, during which Knowles had co-written and co-produced over seventy songs. After a process of elimination, twelve tracks were selected to be placed on the standard edition of the album, while five additional tracks were chosen to make the final cut for the deluxe edition of the album. Knowles later revealed that songs from established producers like The Neptunes
and Danja were not able to make the final cut.
For the I Am... disc, Knowles was influenced by folk
and alternative rock
genres, while incorporating other instruments she had not normally used previously, such as the acoustic guitar. As stated by an author of The China Daily
, these ballads combine "the best elements of pop
and soul music
", while simultaneously "expanding the possibilities of both genres." Knowles wanted to try something different; she felt people had strong expectations for her work. Additionally, Knowles worked with Amanda Ghost
to re-write the Franz Schubert
"Ave Maria
" after having co-written "Disappear" in London. On November 8, 2008, Ghost told The Daily Telegraph
that both Knowles and herself were inspired by their recent marriages and had walked down the aisle to the song. The Sasha Fierce disc utilizes production and songwriting from Jerkins, Garrett, Solange, Love and Jonsin. The only producer-songwriter duo to feature on both sides of the album is Tricky Stewart and Terius Nash, who worked on "Smash into You" from the I Am... disc and the lead-in track on the Sasha Fierce disc, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)".
In the months leading up to the release of the album, Knowles released a statement on her official website giving details about the nature of the album and what could be expected from it. She said: "I am in a different place right now and I want people to see the many sides of me. The music is upbeat for the dance, fun side and it is reflective, passionate and serious for the personal side. It's me and I am so excited to share it with the world on November 18." Making comparisons to a magazine, Knowles further elaborated that the record was a double album and that it had two covers.
In a Billboard
magazine interview, Knowles further described the album: "That's why this is a double-album. One side has songs that are more mainstream
and another has my more traditional R&B
songs for my fans who've been there the whole time. Some of it sounds like Barbra Streisand
, Karen Carpenter
and The Beatles
around the 1970s." Music writer Andy Kellman of Allmusic views its first disc as, "... essentially a small set of adult contemporary ballads. Acoustic guitars, pianos, strings, contemplative soul searching, and grand sweeping gestures fill it out, with more roots in '[19]70s soft rock
than soul
." The second disc, Sasha Fierce, contains consistent electro influences, which are displayed in songs like "Radio
" and "Sweet Dreams
". Bill Lamb of About.com
commented about the songs on the Sasha Fierce side, stating "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
" is a throwback to B'Day's "Get Me Bodied
". Furthermore, Andy Kellman of Allmusic said in his review that "Diva
" resembles B'Day's "Freakum Dress
" or "Ring the Alarm
" in terms of audacity.
The album formally introduces Knowles' alter-ego "Sasha Fierce". Knowles said that Sasha was born during the making of her 2003 hit single "Crazy in Love". In an interview with People
magazine, Knowles affirmed that her alter-ego is strictly for the stage, with the editor describing Sasha Fierce as the singer's sensual, aggressive alter ego. Lamb commented: "A uniting concept of the Sasha Fierce set is exploration of the celebrity side of Beyoncé." Knowles told MTV News
: "Half the record, I Am..., is about who I am underneath all the makeup, underneath the lights and underneath all the exciting star drama. And Sasha Fierce is the fun, more sensual, more aggressive, more outspoken side and more glamorous side that comes out when I'm working and when I'm onstage. The double album allows me to take more risks and really step out of myself, or shall I say, step more into myself, and reveal a side of me that only people who know me see." Later interviewed by Marie Claire
, she revealed that she feels possessed by her alter-ego on stage: "I've created an alter ego [...]: things I do when performing I would never do normally. I reveal things about myself that I wouldn’t do in an interview. I have out-of-body experiences [on stage]. If I cut my leg, if I fall, I don’t even feel it. I’m so fearless, I'm not aware of my face or my body".
In the music video for "Single Ladies", Knowles wears a "roboglove", made of titanium
. It was designed by her longtime jeweler, Lorraine Schwartz
, and it is worn to complement Knowles' alter ego
, "Sasha Fierce". It consists of several pieces, including a ring and a separate component that covers the upper arm. She first wore the roboglove on the red carpet at the MTV Europe Music Awards
on November 8, 2008. She was also later seen with the same glove on Saturday Night Live
and on the cover of Gotham
magazine. Not all of the songs were attributed to just "Sasha Fierce". For instance, "Ego", "Why Don't You Love Me" and "Scared of Lonely" were noted as being more like a meeting ground between the album's halves. According to Jennifer Vineyard of MTV News, they resemble Sasha musically, but thematically and lyrically, they are vulnerable like Beyoncé.
", the first single of I Am..., stands as the only song on either disc that Knowles did not co-write. BC Jean
, who wrote most of the song's lyrics, took inspiration from the product of a poor relationship. Knowles explained in Essence Magazine
that "If I Were a Boy" is different from her previous songs in the sense that it is not a traditional R&B
song. Music critics remarked that the song seemed to be a mixture of Knowles' 2006 hit "Irreplaceable
", Fergie's 2007 single "Big Girls Don't Cry
", and Ciara
's 2007 single "Like a Boy
". According to Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly
, "If I Were a Boy" soars with melodic swells and unwavering sentiments shown in its lyrics. The lyrics of the song make reference to an expression of sadness about misunderstanding between the genders and an indictment of the male side of relationships. Trish Crawford of Toronto Star
compared the other lead single
, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
" to Aretha Franklin
s "Respect
" and Gloria Gaynor
's "I Will Survive
". Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times
saw the song's theme of female empowerment as an expansion on that of "Irreplaceable". Musically, "Single Ladies" is an upbeat
-dance-pop
and R&B
song and features dancehall
and bounce
influences. In "Single Ladies", Knowles lays emphasis on her more aggressive and sensual side, her alter ego "Sasha Fierce", who recognizes her dichotomy from Knowles' more intimate side in the way that she is empowered by the wedding ring on her finger. According to Jonah Weiner of Blender
, the song makes a clear reference to marriage while Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune
felt that the lyrics had a connection with "post-breakup".
"Halo
", composed by Ryan Tedder
and Evan Bogart
, was initially intended for Knowles but was almost recorded by Leona Lewis
due to Knowles' schedule. According to Christian Williams of Billboard, "Halo" has a mainstream pop sound, with subtle R&B undertones. As stated in the Daily Mail
, Knowles sings in a lower register than usual in the song, over big drums
, "an epic piano pattern", and stirring strings. The piano sound is further amplified by the "soul claps and step stomps". "Halo" describes a love so phenomenal that it is described as "heavenly" by the protagonist. Critics noted "Diva
" as a variation on Lil Wayne
's "A Milli
" and coined it as its female counterpart. "Diva" carries a "stuttering" beat accompanied by a slow-rolling, bass-pumping groove. In the song, the female protagonist speaks and sings about the positive definition of a diva, explaining "diva is a female version of a hustler", and makes frequent references to her millions of dollars, even fanning herself with dollar bills. "Ego
" is a pop
song, set in a rhythm and blues
tempo. The song also incorporates influences from bump jazz
, and soul music
. "Sweet Dreams
" was critically acclaimed for its use of electronic bassline
, which was compared to Michael Jackson
's "Beat It
", and for its electropop sound. "Sweet Dreams" is derived from contemporary R&B
and incorporates influences from the classic 1980's funk
. According to Priya Elan of The Times
, the disturbed and haunting lyrics of the song describes a relationship, which the singer believes could be a "sweet dream or a beautiful nightmare". "Broken-Hearted Girl
" is an R&B pop-song beginning as a piano-and-vocal ballad
, and then transcending into a minimalist beat. The production and melody is backed by strings
and a drum machine
beat. Mariel Concepcion of Billboard wrote that Knowles "belts emotively" on the song's hook, "I don't want a broken heart/And I don't want to play the broken-hearted girl". According to Spence D. of IGN Music
, "Hello" comes off like another ballad that "populate[s] the first part of the album." It contains the "Jerry Maguire
" line – "You had me at hello" – as part of its chorus. It essentially consists of "sweet guitar-picking and delicate harmonies."
"Radio
" is an uptempo song that generates influences of 1980s synthpop
, electro, europop
, and techno
. In the song, Knowles explores the relationship between a young girl and her love for the songs played on the radio. "Radio" consists of a bouncy beat with a sneering attitude. In addition, its drum and bass
and its techno or house
feel that all create a refreshing sound, which according to James Reed of the The Boston Globe
, makes the song "perfect for a night at the club." According to critics, "Video Phone" contains lyrics that are in reference to "a celebration of Skype sex and putting on a solo show, on camera, for a guy you just met at the club". The remixed version featured both Knowles and Lady Gaga
trading verses with one another. Musically the song consists of simple lyrics, with hidden innuendo
s, and is backed by thin-spread beat
s; Knowles and Gaga uttering gasps and groans while singing the song. The remixed version of the song, which features Lady Gaga, was included on the 2009 deluxe edition of the album. The song "Why Don't You Love Me
", that appears on the platinum edition of I Am... Sasha Fierce, is different from Knowles' previous dance-pop
songs because it makes use of a retro style. The song is an upbeat track that is derived from the genre of R&B. The album also contains several reworked songs including "Smash into You", which was previously recorded by Jon McLaughlin
as "Smack into You". The song was re-worked and re-recorded by Beyoncé, earning her minimal song writing credits for changing "Smack" into "Smash". It was subsequently used for the soundtrack
of Obsessed
, a 2009 film in which the Knowles had a lead role. "Disappear" consists of "sweet guitar-picking and delicate harmonies". The platinum edition of the album also included a cover version by Knowles of the 1979 Billy Joel
song "Honesty
".
The deluxe edition of the album was released simultaneously with the standard edition. Mathew Knowles
, Beyonce's father and then manager, held a listening party for the album in New York on October 22, 2008. Prior to the album's release it was premiered on November 11, 2008, on Beyoncé's MySpace
account. To correspond with the double album's release, Columbia Records
created a teaser website for Sasha Fierce. On June 16, 2009, Above and Beyoncé: Video Collection & Dance Mixes was released as a combined CD and DVD. The release included a CD of dance remixes to the singles of the album (including the "Ego
" remix with rapper Kanye West
) and the DVD features videos previously released for these singles. Finally, the platinum edition of I Am... Sasha Fierce was released in a list of selected countries in November 2009, featuring a CD and a DVD. The deluxe edition of the album was re-issued in the United States on November 23, 2009, including all of the previously released songs in addition to the new songs "Poison", "Why Don't You Love Me
", and the remix of "Video Phone" with Lady Gaga
. An EP
titled I Am...Sasha Fierce – The Bonus Tracks was released on November 23, 2009, in several countries featuring these new tracks.
Following the album's digital release, "Ave Maria" debuted at number 150 on November 29, 2008 on the UK Singles Chart
. Knowles also covered a version of the song "Honesty
" (a 1979 song by Billy Joel
) and included it as a bonus track for the platinum edition of the album. It gained some attention in Japan
where it charted at number 79 in 2009. Knowles also performed the song on her I Am... Tour (in Korea
only) and it eventually charted at number 2 on the Korean Singles Chart during the week ending January 17, 2010. In September 2009 "Radio
" was used in Dutch television commercials to promote local radio stations, and peaked at number 14 on the Dutch Top 40
due to strong digital downloads. After the release of I Am... Sasha Fierce – The Bonus Tracks a new song "Poison", which featured on the EP, became very popular in Korea and reached the top position of the Korean Singles Chart during the week ending February 7, 2010. In February 2010 a bonus track from the album's multiple re-releases "Why Don't You Love Me
", which served as a promotional single, climbed up the US Hot Dance Club Songs, eventually taking the top spot and becoming Knowles' thirteenth number-one dance hit. On May 4, 2010, a full-length music video appeared online. After its release as a promotional single, "Why Don't You Love Me" peaked at number fifty-one on the UK Singles chart and at number fourteen on its R&B chart.
" in a concert organized by the Power 105.1
radio station on October 29, 2008. Knowles first performed "If I Were a Boy
" on November 6, 2008, at the MTV Europe Music Awards
. Wearing trousers, a frilly white shirt and a velvet jacket, she later performed the song on November 9, 2008, at the 2008 World Music Awards
in Monaco
. She was also wearing her "roboglove" metallic hand glove, which she pointed to as she sang the chorus of "Single Ladies". She then took to the stage of The Oprah Winfrey Show
to perform "If I Were a Boy" on November 13, 2008. She also appeared on television show Saturday Night Live
on November 15, 2008, where she sang "Single Ladies". That particular night, Knowles also featured in a parody
of the "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" music video, where the two female dancers from the video were replaced by pop singer Justin Timberlake
and Saturday Night Live cast members Andy Samberg
and Bobby Moynihan
. On November 16, 2008, backed by a live band, Knowles sang a medley of "If I Were a Boy", then switched to "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", and ended up with "Crazy in Love" during the final episode of Total Request Live
. "Single Ladies" was also performed by Knowles on November 18, 2008, at BET
's 106 & Park
, and during the 2008 American Music Awards
on November 23, 2008. The promotion of the song continued on November 25, 2008, with Knowles singing the song on The Ellen DeGeneres Show
, and at Rockefeller Plaza
on The Today Show, the following day. She also gave a performance of "Single Ladies" on The Tyra Banks Show
with two male dancers, on January 9, 2009.
Knowles' first live performance of "Halo" was at the 2009 NAACP Awards
on February 12, 2009. She also performed the song on The Late Show with David Letterman
after an interview on April 22, 2009. In May 2009 Knowles appeared at MTV to talk about her upcoming single "Ego". She seized the opportunity to elaborate a bit about the album, saying: "One of the great things about the album is that it's so diverse." On June 25, 2009, Michael Jackson
died
while Knowles was touring, prompting her to pay tribute to him at some of the venues of the tour, including Atlanta, on July 1, 2009, and New Orleans, on July 3, 2009. During the tribute an image of Jackson appeared on the main screen. She changed the lyrics, replacing "Baby" with "Michael", and adding "your music" between "you" and "won't"—she included "Michael I can see your Halo. I pray your music won't fade away." In addition, Knowles was due to perform "Sweet Dreams
" at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards
on September 13; however, she only performed the bridge from "Sweet Dreams" at the beginning of her performance, before switching to "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)". Wearing a sparkling leotard and one silver glove, Knowles started performing the song with two background dancers. Knowles then paused and called out: "Now wait"; the lights dimmed and the crowd began to stand and clap their hands together. When the lights came back suddenly, there was an army of single ladies from the front to the back of the stage. By the end of the song, all of Radio City Music Hall was standing and Knowles thanked the crowd "graciously". Knowles also performed "If I Were a Boy" on January 31, 2010, at the 52nd Grammy Awards
ceremony and also covered Alanis Morissette
's 1995 hit single "You Oughta Know
" on the same event.
, Canada
, on March 26, 2009, in support of the album. The European leg of the tour started on April 26, 2009, in Zagreb
, Croatia
, and ended on June 9, 2009, in London
, England
. On June 21, 2009, she began the third leg of the tour in the United States and finished in August with the I Am... Yours
4-day revue at Encore Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip
. Starting on September 15, 2009, the fourth leg began in Melbourne
, Australia
and finished on September 24 in Perth
, Australia. Knowles then went on to perform in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and the United Kingdom, before finishing the 2009 portion of the tour on November 24 in Belfast
, Northern Ireland
. The tour had its final leg in 2010, visiting Latin America. Starting on February 4, 2010, in Florianópolis
, Brazil
, she visited five other places before ending in Trinidad
on February 18, 2010. According to Pollstar, the tour earned $17.2 million between January 1 – June 30, 2010, which added to her total of $86 million for her first 93 concerts in 2009, bringing the tour total to $103.2 million for the 97 shows. The I Am... Yours
residency at the Encore Theater in Las Vegas was recorded on August 2, 2009, and later released as a DVD, audio CD and television special in late November 2009. Various performances on the tour were filmed worldwide for a live DVD, I Am... World Tour
, which was released on November 30, 2010.
, selling 482,000 units in its first week and giving Knowles her third consecutive number one album in the US. Eventually, Knowles became the third female artist of the 2000s decade to have her first three albums debut at the top spot of the US Billboard 200 albums chart. Having sold 1,459,000 copies in 6 weeks of release in 2008 alone, I Am... Sasha Fierce emerged as the tenth best selling album of 2008 according to Billboard magazine. With this achievement, Knowles eventually equaled Garth Brooks
, Mariah Carey
, and Shania Twain
for placing an album in Nielsen SoundScan
's year-end top 10 for the fifth time. The album later emerged as the second best selling album of 2009 in the US itself. It has been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA). As of April 2011, the album has sold around 2.9 million copies in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan. In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number ten on November 29, 2008, becoming Knowles' lowest-debuting album despite having higher first week sales than her previous album, B'Day
. Following Knowles' performance at the 2008 The X Factor
finale with winner Alexandra Burke
, the album moved up to number nine on December 27, 2008. Due to the success of its singles in the United Kingdom and especially due to the success of "Sweet Dreams
", I Am... Sasha Fierce rose from number five to its highest peak of number two in its thirty-ninth week on the chart, which was the week of August 16, 2009.
In Ireland, I Am... Sasha Fierce debuted at number three, making it Knowles' second top three album in that country. It would later go to top the Irish charts for two consecutive weeks in early January 2009, giving Knowles her second Irish number-one album. In Australia, I Am... Sasha Fierce debuted at number nine in late November 2008 and peaked at number eight in early January 2009. Following the success of singles "Sweet Dreams
" and "Broken-Hearted Girl
", the album rebounded to a new peak of three on two separate occasions in October 2009 and it was certified triple-platinum on November 23, 2009. In New Zealand, the album debuted at number 16 in late November 2008 and initially peaked at number six in early March 2009. After growing popularity of its singles, especially "Sweet Dreams", the album upped to a new peak of three on September 21, 2009. The album was certified platinum on April 26, 2009, (after twenty-three weeks on the chart) shipping over 15,000 copies to retailers. In Spain, the album debuted and peaked at number 7 on November 26, 2008, and was certified platinum for shipment of over 60,000 copies on October 26, 2009. The album went on to be certified diamond in Brazil. With this achievement, Beyoncé was described as a "sales phenomenon" by Alexandre Schiavo. With 182 thousand copies sold between January 2009 and October 2009, I Am... Sasha Fierce ranked third among the most sold albums in the country. After the 52nd Grammy Awards
ceremony, I Am... Sasha Fierce either ascended several albums charts or re-entered others and set new peaks in countries such as Switzerland, Austria, and Portugal in February 2010. After having peaked at number five on the Polish Albums Chart
on February 8, 2009, I Am... Sasha Fierce re-entered the chart at number one on August 28, 2011, that is nearly three years after its release in Poland. As of March 2011, the album has sold over seven million copies worldwide.
s from the album. One single was taken from the I Am... disc while the other was taken from the Sasha Fierce disc to demonstrate the concept of dueling personalities of Knowles, highlighted by the integral album. The first lead single "If I Were a Boy
" peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100
, topped eight charts worldwide and reached the top ten in many other charts. "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
" was the second lead single and peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Knowles' fifth number-one single, and was also successful in other international markets, peaking in top-ten listings around the world. The singles were certified 2× platinum and 4× platinum respectively by Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA). "Diva
" was released as a US-only single and peaked at number nineteen on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Knowles' twelfth top-twenty single, and at number three on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart. It was certified gold by the RIAA. The next single, "Halo
", was released internationally and peaked at number five in the US Billboard Hot 100, proving to be commercially successful and reaching the top-ten listings around the world. It was certified double-platinum in early 2010 by the RIAA.
"Ego
" was released as a US-only single on May 19, 2009, and subsequently came up as a remix featuring additional vocals from Kanye West
. It peaked at number thirty-nine on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number three on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song was certified gold by the RIAA. Following announcements of the I Am... Tour two more singles were initially lined up, namely "Broken-Hearted Girl
" and "Sweet Dreams
"—though they switched order to become the sixth and seventh singles respectively. "Sweet Dreams" reached the top-ten in most countries though it did top the New Zealand Singles chart, and was certified platinum in the United States. "Broken-Hearted Girl", the seventh single, reached the top-forty in charts around the world, despite never being certified nor released in the United States. More than one year after the album's release, "Video Phone" was released as the eighth single from the album with a music video and digital download release, taking form as an extended remix featuring American electropop artist, Lady Gaga
. Like its predecessor, it reached the top-forty in countries around the world, peaking at number sixty-five in the US. It also became Knowles' fourteenth number-one on the US Dance Club Chart. As of July 2010 the digital tracks from the album had sold a combined total of 12.3 million units in the United States; and according to Columbia Records
the album has sold 15 million digital singles worldwide.
, which assigns a normalized
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
score of 62, based on 24 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Slant Magazine
's Sal Cinquemani commented that "The strength of , then, is its individual songs [...] a testament to Beyoncé as one of today's most reliable singles artists.", but also noted "the real disparity is her inability to reconcile the adult-contemporary schmaltz of I Am with the more modern, edgy sounds of Sasha Fierce." Adam Mattera of The Observer
gave it two out of five stars and noted both discs for lacking depth, stating "Disc 1 is too busy chasing radio formats to expose any genuine soul [...] The Sasha side cuts straight to business with the single-minded 'Radio'...and a succession of independent woman anthems such as 'Single Ladies' and 'Diva', which will no doubt inspire drag queens the world over but leave most others bemused." Pitchfork Media
s Ryan Dombal viewed it as a regression from her previous album B'Day and stated: "Nobody wins the Beyoncé vs. Sasha battle— often, the listener loses." Allmusic writer Andy Kellman found its double-disc "gimmick" "flimsy" and favored its second disc's "decent, if easily forgettable, upbeat pop." He expressed that on the I Am... disc, "Beyoncé feels each line to the fullest extent, which almost rescues the set's staidness." In his consumer guide for MSN Music
, critic Robert Christgau
gave it a B rating and named it "dud of the month", indicating "a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought". Christgau viewed its "split-personality bit" as "deeply vapid" and stated "there are three good songs on this 11-track artifact".
Jonah Weiner of Blender
gave it three out of five stars and stated "Beyoncé is still a beauty-shop feminist, quick with the smack-downs, and she still describes the rattling rush of love with preternatural poise". Amy Linden of Vibe stated: "Ironically, it's the more tame (and nameless) persona that's the most intriguing, commanding and sexual. ... Beyoncé sounds relaxed, confident and, if for no other reason than the fact that you can't hear her trying, hits the mark". Matos Michaelangelo of The A.V. Club
gave the album a B− rating even though he said that "The two halves wouldn't necessarily sound better shuffled together—both are pretty uneven." Stacey Anderson of Spin
commented that its first disc "meanders over [...] down-tempo cuts" and called ... Sasha, "an intriguing but diluted direction". The Village Voice
s Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond found the I Am... disc lacking cohesion, but stated "Sasha Fierce suffers no such identity crisis. Brassy, big-headed, confrontational, and witty, each incendiary track challenges you to leave your inhibitions at coat-check." Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone
noted that its slow songs are "full of bland self-affirmation and saggy lines", but wrote that "the "Sasha" disc boasts Beyoncé's most adventurous music yet". Colin McGuire of PopMatters
called the album "a little rough around the edges at times" and viewed its Sasha Fierce disc as "a far more compelling trip down dance-lane". Daniel Brockman of The Phoenix
gave the album three stars out of four and recommended to "skip directly to disc two". Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly
wrote that the album offers "two compelling sides" of Knowles and stated: "The collection might have been better served had she edited it down to one disc, rather than belabor what ultimately seems like a marketing gimmick. And while fans will surely speculate, there's little in the lyrics that feels more revealing than previous emotional fire-starters."
Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly ranked I Am… Sasha Fierce at number two on his list of the 10 Best Albums of 2008, stating that "'If I Were a Boy' and 'Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)' are undoubtedly album highlights; still, the surprise here is how consistently satisfying the rest of it is – even the less showy tracks blossom on repeated listening." Mark Edward Nero of About.com ranked it at the ninth place on his list of the Best R&B Albums of 2008. Christian Gerard of NBC Washington
placed I Am... Sasha Fierce on his list of "Honorable Mentions" while writing the list for the Best Albums of 2008. Agence France-Presse, as reported by ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs, recognized the album as the twelfth best selling one of 2008. On the second anniversary of the debut of the album on the US Billboard 200 albums chart, Kyle Anderso of MTV News
wrote an article on December 6, 2010, about Knowles' alter ego, titled "Beyoncé's Alter-Ego Tops The Charts: Wake-Up Video" in which the production and composition of I Am... Sasha Fierce was praised and said to be Knowles' "best and boldest" work yet. The album was ranked number twelve on the list of Best Albums of the Decade in Rolling Stones Reader's Poll.
I Am... Sasha Fierce also won a 2009 Soul Train Award
for Album of the Year. Knowles won the Favorite Female R&B Artist award at the 2009 American Music Awards
, and where the album also garnered a nomination in the category Favorite Album for Soul/R&B. Knowles also won Best R&B Artists
at the 2009 BET Awards
. However, she lost the same award to Alicia Keys
at the 2010 BET Awards. Similarly, Knowles was nominated for Best International Female Solo Artist at the 2009 BRIT Awards
at the 2009 Meteor Awards (Ireland), and at the 2010 International Dance Music Awards
. In 2009 Knowles won the Best International Act accolade at the Music of Black Origin Awards (United Kingdom), where I Am... Sasha Fierce was also nominated for Best Album. At the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards
, Knowles was recognized as the Best Female Artist
and "Single Ladies" won Best Video
accolade with "Halo" the winner in the Best Song
category.
I Am... Sasha Fierce was nominated for the Outstanding Album
award at the 2009 NAACP Image Award
, and for International Album of the Year (Album international de l'année) at the 2010 NRJ Music Award. At the 2010 OVMA World Awards, Knowles won Artist of the Year as well as Best R&B Artist, however, the album lost in the category Album of the Year. Knowles was also nominated for Favorite Female Artist and for Favorite R&B Artist at the 36th People's Choice Awards
as well as at the 2010 Teen Choice Awards
, and in the categories World's Best R&B Artist and World's Best Pop Artist at the 2010 World Music Awards
. I Am... Sasha Fierce and its singles earned Knowles eight Grammy Award
nominations, including Album of the Year
, ultimately winning Best Contemporary R&B Album
. "Single Ladies" won Song of the Year
, Best R&B Song
and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
at the 52nd Grammy Awards
on January 31, 2010. "Halo" won in the category Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
and it was also nominated for Record of the Year
.
s.
Managerial
Performance credits
Visuals and imagery
Instruments
Technical and production
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
recording artist Beyoncé
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
. It was released on November 18, 2008, by Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
. The album was released in dual disc
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
format, in which both discs represent a contrasting facet to Knowles' personality and musical style. The first disc, I Am..., incorporates slow and mid-tempo R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
and pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
s, while the second disc, Sasha Fierce, named after Knowles' on-stage alter ego
Alter ego
An alter ego is a second self, which is believe to be distinct from a person's normal or original personality. The term was coined in the early nineteenth century when dissociative identity disorder was first described by psychologists...
, contains uptempo dance songs that blend Euro
Europop
Europop refers to a style of pop music that first developed in today's form in Europe, throughout the late 1970s. Europop topped the charts throughout the 1980s and ’90s...
and electropop genres. A deluxe edition of the album was released simultaneously with the standard edition.
Knowles credited her husband and rapper
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
singer Etta James
Etta James
Etta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer...
for inspiring her to effectively incorporate other genres and melodies into the album. Musically, I Am... drew inspiration from folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
and alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
, while blending acoustic guitar elements into the contemporary ballads. The tracks on the first disc were written and produced by Knowles, with assistance from Kenneth Edmonds, Christopher Stewart
Christopher Stewart (music producer)
Christopher "Tricky" Stewart is an American songwriter, music producer, music publisher, executive producer, recording industry executive and recording studio owner. In a career spanning 16 years, Stewart, at the helm of his company RedZone Entertainment, is responsible for over 25 million...
, Terius Nash
The-Dream
Terius Youngdell Nash , better known by his stage name The-Dream, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is known for co-writing "Umbrella" for Rihanna and "Single Ladies " for Beyoncé, as well as for his three solo albums, Love Hate, Love vs...
, and Ryan Tedder
Ryan Tedder
Ryan Benjamin Tedder is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the frontman of the pop rock band, OneRepublic, though he has an independent career as songwriter and producer for various artists such as Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, Far East Movement, Jordin Sparks, Leona...
. Sasha Fierce incorporated production and songwriting from Rodney Jerkins
Rodney Jerkins
Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Jerkins received two Grammy nominations in 2011.-Biography:...
, Sean Garrett, and Solange
Solange Knowles
Solange Piaget Knowles , who performs under the mononym Solange, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, model, dancer, and DJ. Knowles was born and raised in Houston, Texas along with her older sister singer Beyoncé, a former member of R&B group Destiny's Child...
. The album received mixed to positive reviews from music critics, with many commenting on the album's failure to differentiate between Knowles and her alter-ego, something that would have been avoided in a one disc collection.
I Am... Sasha Fierce debuted at number one on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart, having sold 482,000 units in its first week, becoming Knowles' third consecutive US number-one solo album. It became a commercial success, earning at least fifteen platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
certifications in separate markets worldwide. As of March 2011, I Am... Sasha Fierce had sold over seven million copies worldwide, with its digital tracks alone having sold more than 15 million units globally. The album garnered eight Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nominations at the 52nd annual ceremony
52nd Grammy Awards
The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards took place on January 31, 2010, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Neil Young was honored as the 2010 MusiCares Person of the Year on January 29, two days prior to the Grammy telecast. Only ten of the 109 awards were received during the broadcast...
, eventually collecting five wins. To promote the album, Knowles made several award show and televised appearances across Europe and America, as well as embarking on the worldwide I Am... Tour.
The album spawned several singles, some serving as international and stateside releases, while others were for promotional purposes. The two lead singles from I Am... Sasha Fierce, "If I Were a Boy
If I Were a Boy
"If I Were a Boy" is a pop song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles. It was composed by Toby Gad and BC Jean. Jean initially recorded her version of the song which was rejected by Jean's record company. Knowles then recorded a new version for her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce...
" and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
"Single Ladies " is a song by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles from her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce. It was released by Columbia Records on October 12, 2008 as the album's lead single, and appeared with "If I Were a Boy" as a double A-side single, demonstrating the...
", were both international chart toppers. The former topped the charts in over eight countries and reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, while the latter peaked inside the top ten in several major music markets, becoming her fifth number one single on the Hot 100 chart. "Diva
Diva (Beyoncé Knowles song)
"Diva" is a song by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles. The song was written and produced by Shondrae "Bangladesh" Crawford, Sean Garrett, and Knowles for her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce . It was released as the album's third overall single in the United States alongside the third...
" and "Ego
Ego (Beyoncé Knowles song)
"Ego" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles for the deluxe edition of her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce . The song was composed by Elvis Williams, Harold Lilly, and Knowles. "Ego" was officially remixed with additional vocals from hip hop artist, Kanye West...
" were released as US-only singles, while "Halo
Halo (Beyoncé Knowles song)
"Halo" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles for her third studio album I Am... Sasha Fierce . Columbia Records released the song as the fourth single of the album, to mainstream radio in the United States on January 20, 2009. It was composed by Ryan Tedder, Evan Bogart, and...
" and "Sweet Dreams
Sweet Dreams (Beyoncé Knowles song)
"Sweet Dreams" is a song by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles from her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce . Originally titled "Beautiful Nightmare", the song leaked in March 2008, eight months prior to the album's release. Written and produced by Knowles, James Scheffer, Wayne Wilkins, and...
" were promoted internationally as the third and fourth singles respectively. "Broken-Hearted Girl
Broken-Hearted Girl
"Broken-Hearted Girl" is a song by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles. It was written by Knowles, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen, and was produced by Knowles and Stargate for Knowles' third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce...
" was released internationally as the fifth single and "Video Phone", the final single, was released in November 2009.
Production and development
 |
I'm a human being. I cry. I'm very passionate and sensitive. My feelings get hurt. I get scared and nervous like everyone else. And I wanted to show that about myself. It [The album] is about love. I'm a woman, I'm married, and this portion of my life is all in the album. It's a lot more personal. I'm very private and I don't talk about a lot of things, but there are certain songs that are on the album that are very personal. It's [The album] my diary. It's my story... I still have my album of fun songs." | |
Knowles began working on I Am... Sasha Fierce in 2007. In a letter to her fans on October 2, 2008, she said: "I have worked on this album for close to one year. I have taken the time so I can create my sound. Something that says who I am at this stage in my life. I have poured my heart and soul into it. It is my baby. It is the most time I have spent on any project since my first records as a member of Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
when I was 15 years old." According to Knowles, she was inspired by her husband Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
and especially by Etta James
Etta James
Etta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer...
, whose "boldness" inspired her to explore other musical genres and styles. When Knowles started recording tracks for the album, she felt that she had to grow and become more mature as an artist. She stated: "Even though I've been very successful and very fortunate, I want to still be challenged." She co-wrote and/or co-produced all materials on the album.
Recording sessions for the album took place during 2007 and 2008 at several recording studios, including: Tree Sound Studios in Atlanta; Chung King Studios
Chung King Studios
Chung King Recording Studios, formerly known as The Chung King House Of Metal, is a New York City recording studio founded by John King with financial backing of the Etches brothers and engineer expertise of Steve Ett became a site of many classic punk and hip hop recordings...
; Electric Lady Studios
Electric Lady Studios
Electric Lady Studios, at 52 West 8th Street, in New York City's Greenwich Village, is a recording studio originally built by Jimi Hendrix and designed by John Storyk in 1970...
; Strawberrybee Productions in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
; GAD Studios in (Ibiza
Ibiza
Ibiza or Eivissa is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands or Pityuses. Its largest cities are Ibiza...
), Spain; Mansfield Studios and The Campground in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
; South Beat Studios in Miami Beach
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
; and The Boom Boom Room in Burbank, California
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
. Several record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
s and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
s collaborated with Knowles on the album including Kenneth Edmonds, Stargate
Stargate (production team)
This is a list of songs written and produced by the Norwegian production team Stargate.-Produced singles:-1999:5ive - Invincible*05. "Two Sides to Every Story"*06. "You Make Me a Better Man"Noora Noor - Curious*01. "Curious"...
, Christopher Stewart
Christopher Stewart (music producer)
Christopher "Tricky" Stewart is an American songwriter, music producer, music publisher, executive producer, recording industry executive and recording studio owner. In a career spanning 16 years, Stewart, at the helm of his company RedZone Entertainment, is responsible for over 25 million...
, Terius Nash
The-Dream
Terius Youngdell Nash , better known by his stage name The-Dream, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is known for co-writing "Umbrella" for Rihanna and "Single Ladies " for Beyoncé, as well as for his three solo albums, Love Hate, Love vs...
, Rodney Jerkins
Rodney Jerkins
Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Jerkins received two Grammy nominations in 2011.-Biography:...
, Sean Garrett
Sean Garrett
Garrett Hamler, better known by his stage name Sean Garrett is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, and record producer. He has produced fifteen number one singles in only seven years of producing music. That number puts him in fifth place on the Billboard list of producers with the most number...
, Solange
Solange
Solange was a Frankish shepherdess and a locally-venerated Christian saint, whose cult is restricted to Sainte Solange, Cher...
, Jim Jonsin, Rico Love and Ryan Tedder
Ryan Tedder
Ryan Benjamin Tedder is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the frontman of the pop rock band, OneRepublic, though he has an independent career as songwriter and producer for various artists such as Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, Far East Movement, Jordin Sparks, Leona...
. Tedder also assisted her with crafting the album's balladry. Additionally, she collaborated with some musicians that she had never worked with in the past, including producer Toby Gad
Toby Gad
Tobias "Toby" Gad is a Los Angeles-based hit producer and songwriter from Germany, perhaps best known for co-writing Fergie's Grammy nominated hit song "Big Girls Don't Cry" as well as co-writing and producing Beyoncé's worldwide #1 hit "If I Were a Boy", and The Veronicas multi-platinum #1...
on "If I Were a Boy
If I Were a Boy
"If I Were a Boy" is a pop song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles. It was composed by Toby Gad and BC Jean. Jean initially recorded her version of the song which was rejected by Jean's record company. Knowles then recorded a new version for her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce...
" and British songwriter Amanda Ghost
Amanda Ghost
Amanda Ghost is a singer and songwriter from Enfield, North London, England. After an initial period in which she performed as a solo artist, she formed a band which performed under her name, and of which she was the lead singer...
on "Disappear". Recording for the album took place over an eight month period, during which Knowles had co-written and co-produced over seventy songs. After a process of elimination, twelve tracks were selected to be placed on the standard edition of the album, while five additional tracks were chosen to make the final cut for the deluxe edition of the album. Knowles later revealed that songs from established producers like The Neptunes
The Neptunes
The Neptunes are a record production duo consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who are credited with contributing the sound for many successful hip hop, R&B and pop artists in the late-1990s and 2000s...
and Danja were not able to make the final cut.
For the I Am... disc, Knowles was influenced by folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
and alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
genres, while incorporating other instruments she had not normally used previously, such as the acoustic guitar. As stated by an author of The China Daily
China Daily
The China Daily is an English language daily newspaper published in the People's Republic of China.- Overview :China Daily was established in June 1981 and has the widest print circulation of any English-language newspaper in the country...
, these ballads combine "the best elements of pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and soul music
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
", while simultaneously "expanding the possibilities of both genres." Knowles wanted to try something different; she felt people had strong expectations for her work. Additionally, Knowles worked with Amanda Ghost
Amanda Ghost
Amanda Ghost is a singer and songwriter from Enfield, North London, England. After an initial period in which she performed as a solo artist, she formed a band which performed under her name, and of which she was the lead singer...
to re-write the Franz Schubert
Franz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...
"Ave Maria
Hail Mary
The Angelic Salutation, Hail Mary, or Ave Maria is a traditional biblical Catholic prayer asking for the intercession of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. The Hail Mary is used within the Catholic Church, and it forms the basis of the Rosary...
" after having co-written "Disappear" in London. On November 8, 2008, Ghost told The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
that both Knowles and herself were inspired by their recent marriages and had walked down the aisle to the song. The Sasha Fierce disc utilizes production and songwriting from Jerkins, Garrett, Solange, Love and Jonsin. The only producer-songwriter duo to feature on both sides of the album is Tricky Stewart and Terius Nash, who worked on "Smash into You" from the I Am... disc and the lead-in track on the Sasha Fierce disc, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)".
In the months leading up to the release of the album, Knowles released a statement on her official website giving details about the nature of the album and what could be expected from it. She said: "I am in a different place right now and I want people to see the many sides of me. The music is upbeat for the dance, fun side and it is reflective, passionate and serious for the personal side. It's me and I am so excited to share it with the world on November 18." Making comparisons to a magazine, Knowles further elaborated that the record was a double album and that it had two covers.
Composition
| |
I really wanted people to get to know what I love and to introduce them to different types of music. I started out, obviously, in Destiny's Child singing R&B, and I still love it. So I had to make sure I still had those grooves on the album." | |
In a Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine interview, Knowles further described the album: "That's why this is a double-album. One side has songs that are more mainstream
Mainstream
Mainstream is, generally, the common current thought of the majority. However, the mainstream is far from cohesive; rather the concept is often considered a cultural construct....
and another has my more traditional R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
songs for my fans who've been there the whole time. Some of it sounds like Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
, Karen Carpenter
Karen Carpenter
Karen Anne Carpenter was an American singer and drummer. She and her brother, Richard, formed the 1970s duo The Carpenters. She was a drummer of exceptional skill, but she is best remembered for her vocal performances of idealistic romantic ballads of true love...
and The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
around the 1970s." Music writer Andy Kellman of Allmusic views its first disc as, "... essentially a small set of adult contemporary ballads. Acoustic guitars, pianos, strings, contemplative soul searching, and grand sweeping gestures fill it out, with more roots in '[19]70s soft rock
Soft rock
Soft rock is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock music to compose a softer, more toned-down sound. Soft rock songs generally tend to focus on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of acoustic guitars, pianos, synthesizers and sometimes...
than soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
." The second disc, Sasha Fierce, contains consistent electro influences, which are displayed in songs like "Radio
Radio (Beyoncé Knowles song)
It just seems like a feel-good record but when you really listen to the lyrics, it's about me growing up. In my household, I didn't go all of the parties and I didn't do all the things that a lot of the other teenage girls did because I was so in love with my radio and my music...
" and "Sweet Dreams
Sweet Dreams (Beyoncé Knowles song)
"Sweet Dreams" is a song by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles from her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce . Originally titled "Beautiful Nightmare", the song leaked in March 2008, eight months prior to the album's release. Written and produced by Knowles, James Scheffer, Wayne Wilkins, and...
". Bill Lamb of About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
commented about the songs on the Sasha Fierce side, stating "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
"Single Ladies " is a song by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles from her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce. It was released by Columbia Records on October 12, 2008 as the album's lead single, and appeared with "If I Were a Boy" as a double A-side single, demonstrating the...
" is a throwback to B'Day's "Get Me Bodied
Get Me Bodied
"Get Me Bodied" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles. The song was written by Beyoncé Knowles, Sean Garrett, Solange Knowles, Angela Beyince, Makeba Riddick, and Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean, and produced by Swizz Beatz, Beyoncé and Sean Garrett, for Knowles' second solo studio...
". Furthermore, Andy Kellman of Allmusic said in his review that "Diva
Diva (Beyoncé Knowles song)
"Diva" is a song by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles. The song was written and produced by Shondrae "Bangladesh" Crawford, Sean Garrett, and Knowles for her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce . It was released as the album's third overall single in the United States alongside the third...
" resembles B'Day's "Freakum Dress
Freakum Dress
"Freakum Dress" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles for her second studio album, B'Day . It was composed by Knowles, Rich Harrison, and Makeba Riddick. "Freakum Dress" is similar to songs that Destiny's Child used to record in the 1990s. The song draws from the genres from...
" or "Ring the Alarm
Ring the Alarm
"Ring the Alarm" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles for her second studio album, B'Day . It was composed by Knowles, Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean, and Sean Garrett...
" in terms of audacity.
The album formally introduces Knowles' alter-ego "Sasha Fierce". Knowles said that Sasha was born during the making of her 2003 hit single "Crazy in Love". In an interview with People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
magazine, Knowles affirmed that her alter-ego is strictly for the stage, with the editor describing Sasha Fierce as the singer's sensual, aggressive alter ego. Lamb commented: "A uniting concept of the Sasha Fierce set is exploration of the celebrity side of Beyoncé." Knowles told MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
: "Half the record, I Am..., is about who I am underneath all the makeup, underneath the lights and underneath all the exciting star drama. And Sasha Fierce is the fun, more sensual, more aggressive, more outspoken side and more glamorous side that comes out when I'm working and when I'm onstage. The double album allows me to take more risks and really step out of myself, or shall I say, step more into myself, and reveal a side of me that only people who know me see." Later interviewed by Marie Claire
Marie Claire
Marie Claire is a monthly women's magazine first published in France but also distributed in other countries with editions specific to them and in their languages. While each country shares its own special voice with its audience, the United States edition focuses on women around the world and...
, she revealed that she feels possessed by her alter-ego on stage: "I've created an alter ego [...]: things I do when performing I would never do normally. I reveal things about myself that I wouldn’t do in an interview. I have out-of-body experiences [on stage]. If I cut my leg, if I fall, I don’t even feel it. I’m so fearless, I'm not aware of my face or my body".
In the music video for "Single Ladies", Knowles wears a "roboglove", made of titanium
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
. It was designed by her longtime jeweler, Lorraine Schwartz
Lorraine Schwartz
Lorraine Schwartz is an American jeweler who has gained fame as a designer of jewelery for Hollywood movie stars and other well-known public figures.-Background:...
, and it is worn to complement Knowles' alter ego
Alter ego
An alter ego is a second self, which is believe to be distinct from a person's normal or original personality. The term was coined in the early nineteenth century when dissociative identity disorder was first described by psychologists...
, "Sasha Fierce". It consists of several pieces, including a ring and a separate component that covers the upper arm. She first wore the roboglove on the red carpet at the MTV Europe Music Awards
MTV Europe Music Awards 2008
The MTV Europe Music Awards 2008 took place on November 6, 2008 in Liverpool, United Kingdom at the Echo Arena. Nominations were officially announced on September 29, 2008. The hosts of the awards were Katy Perry with Jared Leto, Shannon Leto and Tomo Miličević of 30 Seconds to Mars hosting the...
on November 8, 2008. She was also later seen with the same glove on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
and on the cover of Gotham
Gotham (magazine)
Gotham Magazine is a regional magazine published by Niche Media, LLC since 2001 and primarily targets New York's most affluent residents and visitors. According to a survey commissioned by the company, 56% of Gotham Magazine readers are male, with 51% married, and some two-thirds within the age...
magazine. Not all of the songs were attributed to just "Sasha Fierce". For instance, "Ego", "Why Don't You Love Me" and "Scared of Lonely" were noted as being more like a meeting ground between the album's halves. According to Jennifer Vineyard of MTV News, they resemble Sasha musically, but thematically and lyrically, they are vulnerable like Beyoncé.
Musical style and lyrical content
"If I Were a BoyIf I Were a Boy
"If I Were a Boy" is a pop song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles. It was composed by Toby Gad and BC Jean. Jean initially recorded her version of the song which was rejected by Jean's record company. Knowles then recorded a new version for her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce...
", the first single of I Am..., stands as the only song on either disc that Knowles did not co-write. BC Jean
BC Jean
Britney Jean Carlson , known better by her stage name BC Jean, is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known for writing the song "If I Were a Boy" for R&B singer Beyoncé, which premiered on music industry website "Crazed Hits" in May 2008, several months prior to Beyoncé getting a hold...
, who wrote most of the song's lyrics, took inspiration from the product of a poor relationship. Knowles explained in Essence Magazine
Essence (magazine)
Essence is a monthly magazine for African-American women between the ages of 18 and 49. The magazine covers fashion, lifestyle and beauty with an intimate girlfriend-to-girlfriend tone.-History:...
that "If I Were a Boy" is different from her previous songs in the sense that it is not a traditional R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
song. Music critics remarked that the song seemed to be a mixture of Knowles' 2006 hit "Irreplaceable
Irreplaceable
"Irreplaceable" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles for her second studio album, B'Day . The song was written by Knowles, Shaffer "Ne-Yo" Smith, Tor Erik Hermansen, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Espen Lind, Amund Bjørklund, and produced by Stargate and Knowles...
", Fergie's 2007 single "Big Girls Don't Cry
Big Girls Don't Cry (Fergie song)
"Big Girls Don't Cry" is a song written by Fergie and Toby Gad for pop singer Fergie's debut solo album The Dutchess . The song was released as the album's fourth single in 2007 and topped the charts in several countries, most notably in Australia , and in...
", and Ciara
Ciara
Ciara Princess Harris , known mononymously as Ciara, is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, actress and fashion model. Born in Austin, Texas, she traveled around the world during her childhood, only to land in Atlanta, Georgia where she met music producer, Jazze Pha...
's 2007 single "Like a Boy
Like a Boy
"Like a Boy" is a song performed by American singer Ciara for her second album Ciara: The Evolution . Written by Ciara, Candice Nelson, Balewa Muhammad, J. Que, Ezekiel Lewis, and Calvin Kenon, it is the third release in the U.S...
". According to Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, "If I Were a Boy" soars with melodic swells and unwavering sentiments shown in its lyrics. The lyrics of the song make reference to an expression of sadness about misunderstanding between the genders and an indictment of the male side of relationships. Trish Crawford of Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
compared the other lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
"Single Ladies " is a song by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles from her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce. It was released by Columbia Records on October 12, 2008 as the album's lead single, and appeared with "If I Were a Boy" as a double A-side single, demonstrating the...
" to Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
s "Respect
Respect (song)
"Respect" is a song written and originally released by Stax recording artist Otis Redding in 1965. "Respect" became a 1967 hit and signature song for R&B singer Aretha Franklin. The music in the two versions is significantly different, and through a few minor changes in the lyrics, the stories told...
" and Gloria Gaynor
Gloria Gaynor
Gloria Gaynor is an American singer, best known for the disco era hits; "I Will Survive" , "Never Can Say Goodbye" , "Let Me Know " and "I Am What I Am" .-Early career:Gaynor was a singer with the Soul...
's "I Will Survive
I Will Survive
"I Will Survive" is a song first performed by American singer Gloria Gaynor, released in October 1978. It was written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris...
". Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
saw the song's theme of female empowerment as an expansion on that of "Irreplaceable". Musically, "Single Ladies" is an upbeat
Beat (music)
The beat is the basic unit of time in music, the pulse of the mensural level . In popular use, the beat can refer to a variety of related concepts including: tempo, meter, rhythm and groove...
-dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
and R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
song and features dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
and bounce
Bounce music
Bounce music is an energetic style of New Orleans hip hop music which is said to have originated as early as the late 1980s, but is typically believed to have begun with the 1991 single "Where Dey At" by MC T.Tucker and DJ Irv...
influences. In "Single Ladies", Knowles lays emphasis on her more aggressive and sensual side, her alter ego "Sasha Fierce", who recognizes her dichotomy from Knowles' more intimate side in the way that she is empowered by the wedding ring on her finger. According to Jonah Weiner of Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
, the song makes a clear reference to marriage while Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
felt that the lyrics had a connection with "post-breakup".
"Halo
Halo (Beyoncé Knowles song)
"Halo" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles for her third studio album I Am... Sasha Fierce . Columbia Records released the song as the fourth single of the album, to mainstream radio in the United States on January 20, 2009. It was composed by Ryan Tedder, Evan Bogart, and...
", composed by Ryan Tedder
Ryan Tedder
Ryan Benjamin Tedder is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the frontman of the pop rock band, OneRepublic, though he has an independent career as songwriter and producer for various artists such as Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, Far East Movement, Jordin Sparks, Leona...
and Evan Bogart
Evan Bogart
Evan "Kidd" Bogart is an American music executive, television producer, music publisher and songwriter who has contributed to a long list of internationally successful artists...
, was initially intended for Knowles but was almost recorded by Leona Lewis
Leona Lewis
Leona Louise Lewis is a British singer and songwriter. Lewis first came to prominence in 2006 when she won the third series of the British television series The X Factor....
due to Knowles' schedule. According to Christian Williams of Billboard, "Halo" has a mainstream pop sound, with subtle R&B undertones. As stated in the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
, Knowles sings in a lower register than usual in the song, over big drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, "an epic piano pattern", and stirring strings. The piano sound is further amplified by the "soul claps and step stomps". "Halo" describes a love so phenomenal that it is described as "heavenly" by the protagonist. Critics noted "Diva
Diva (Beyoncé Knowles song)
"Diva" is a song by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles. The song was written and produced by Shondrae "Bangladesh" Crawford, Sean Garrett, and Knowles for her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce . It was released as the album's third overall single in the United States alongside the third...
" as a variation on Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...
's "A Milli
A Milli
"A Milli", abbreviated occasionally as "Milli", is the second official single, and the official street single from Lil Wayne's sixth studio album, Tha Carter III.-Background:...
" and coined it as its female counterpart. "Diva" carries a "stuttering" beat accompanied by a slow-rolling, bass-pumping groove. In the song, the female protagonist speaks and sings about the positive definition of a diva, explaining "diva is a female version of a hustler", and makes frequent references to her millions of dollars, even fanning herself with dollar bills. "Ego
Ego (Beyoncé Knowles song)
"Ego" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles for the deluxe edition of her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce . The song was composed by Elvis Williams, Harold Lilly, and Knowles. "Ego" was officially remixed with additional vocals from hip hop artist, Kanye West...
" is a pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
song, set in a rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
tempo. The song also incorporates influences from bump jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, and soul music
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
. "Sweet Dreams
Sweet Dreams (Beyoncé Knowles song)
"Sweet Dreams" is a song by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles from her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce . Originally titled "Beautiful Nightmare", the song leaked in March 2008, eight months prior to the album's release. Written and produced by Knowles, James Scheffer, Wayne Wilkins, and...
" was critically acclaimed for its use of electronic bassline
Bassline
A bassline is the term used in many styles of popular music, such as jazz, blues, funk, dub and electronic music for the low-pitched instrumental part or line played by a rhythm section instrument such as the electric bass, double bass, tuba or keyboard...
, which was compared to Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's "Beat It
Beat It
"Beat It" is a song written and performed by American recording artist Michael Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones . It is the third single from the singer's sixth solo album, Thriller . Eddie Van Halen was hired to add the song's distinctive overdriven guitar solo, but was prevented by his...
", and for its electropop sound. "Sweet Dreams" is derived from contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
and incorporates influences from the classic 1980's funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
. According to Priya Elan of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, the disturbed and haunting lyrics of the song describes a relationship, which the singer believes could be a "sweet dream or a beautiful nightmare". "Broken-Hearted Girl
Broken-Hearted Girl
"Broken-Hearted Girl" is a song by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles. It was written by Knowles, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen, and was produced by Knowles and Stargate for Knowles' third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce...
" is an R&B pop-song beginning as a piano-and-vocal ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
, and then transcending into a minimalist beat. The production and melody is backed by strings
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
and a drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
beat. Mariel Concepcion of Billboard wrote that Knowles "belts emotively" on the song's hook, "I don't want a broken heart/And I don't want to play the broken-hearted girl". According to Spence D. of IGN Music
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, "Hello" comes off like another ballad that "populate[s] the first part of the album." It contains the "Jerry Maguire
Jerry Maguire
Jerry Maguire is a 1996 American romantic comedy-drama film starring Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding, Jr. It was written, co-produced, and directed by Cameron Crowe...
" line – "You had me at hello" – as part of its chorus. It essentially consists of "sweet guitar-picking and delicate harmonies."
"Radio
Radio (Beyoncé Knowles song)
It just seems like a feel-good record but when you really listen to the lyrics, it's about me growing up. In my household, I didn't go all of the parties and I didn't do all the things that a lot of the other teenage girls did because I was so in love with my radio and my music...
" is an uptempo song that generates influences of 1980s synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
, electro, europop
Europop
Europop refers to a style of pop music that first developed in today's form in Europe, throughout the late 1970s. Europop topped the charts throughout the 1980s and ’90s...
, and techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
. In the song, Knowles explores the relationship between a young girl and her love for the songs played on the radio. "Radio" consists of a bouncy beat with a sneering attitude. In addition, its drum and bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
and its techno or house
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
feel that all create a refreshing sound, which according to James Reed of the The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
, makes the song "perfect for a night at the club." According to critics, "Video Phone" contains lyrics that are in reference to "a celebration of Skype sex and putting on a solo show, on camera, for a guy you just met at the club". The remixed version featured both Knowles and Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
trading verses with one another. Musically the song consists of simple lyrics, with hidden innuendo
Innuendo
An innuendo is a baseless invention of thoughts or ideas. It can also be a remark or question, typically disparaging , that works obliquely by allusion...
s, and is backed by thin-spread beat
Beat (music)
The beat is the basic unit of time in music, the pulse of the mensural level . In popular use, the beat can refer to a variety of related concepts including: tempo, meter, rhythm and groove...
s; Knowles and Gaga uttering gasps and groans while singing the song. The remixed version of the song, which features Lady Gaga, was included on the 2009 deluxe edition of the album. The song "Why Don't You Love Me
Why Don't You Love Me (Beyoncé Knowles song)
"Why Don't You Love Me" is a song by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles taken from her third studio album, I Am… Sasha Fierce. It later released as a bonus track on a digital EP titled I Am... Sasha Fierce - The Bonus Tracks. Composed by Knowles, Angela Beyince, Solange Knowles and The Bama Boyz,...
", that appears on the platinum edition of I Am... Sasha Fierce, is different from Knowles' previous dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
songs because it makes use of a retro style. The song is an upbeat track that is derived from the genre of R&B. The album also contains several reworked songs including "Smash into You", which was previously recorded by Jon McLaughlin
Jon McLaughlin
Jon McLaughlin is a pop rock singer-songwriter and pianist from Anderson, Indiana. His debut album Indiana was released on May 1, 2007, preceded by his first EP Industry, also known as Jon McL, in February 2007...
as "Smack into You". The song was re-worked and re-recorded by Beyoncé, earning her minimal song writing credits for changing "Smack" into "Smash". It was subsequently used for the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
of Obsessed
Obsessed (2009 film)
Obsessed is a 2009 American thriller film directed by Steve Shill. The Screen Gems production stars Idris Elba, Beyoncé Knowles and Ali Larter...
, a 2009 film in which the Knowles had a lead role. "Disappear" consists of "sweet guitar-picking and delicate harmonies". The platinum edition of the album also included a cover version by Knowles of the 1979 Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
song "Honesty
Honesty (Billy Joel song)
"Honesty" is a song by Billy Joel released in 1979 as the third single from his album 52nd Street. It was solely written by Joel, while production was handled by Phil Ramone. It reached number 24 on the U.S...
".
Release
| |
I'm in a very good place right now. I'm very happy. I'm growing up, and I'm really comfortable with myself. I'm getting wiser and smarter. ... I know that people see celebrities, and they seem like they're so perfect – they seem like their life is so great, and they have money and fame. But I'm a human being. I cry. I'm very passionate and sensitive. My feelings get hurt. I get scared and nervous like everyone else. And I wanted to show that about myself. It's about love. That's what this album is all about." | |
The deluxe edition of the album was released simultaneously with the standard edition. Mathew Knowles
Mathew Knowles
Mathew Knowles is an American music executive and manager. He is the father and former manager of R&B singer Beyoncé , Knowles also managed Kelly Rowland as well as girl group Destiny's Child . He was also the manager of Solange Knowles.-Manager and producer:Knowles is an alumnus of Fisk...
, Beyonce's father and then manager, held a listening party for the album in New York on October 22, 2008. Prior to the album's release it was premiered on November 11, 2008, on Beyoncé's MySpace
Myspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
account. To correspond with the double album's release, Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
created a teaser website for Sasha Fierce. On June 16, 2009, Above and Beyoncé: Video Collection & Dance Mixes was released as a combined CD and DVD. The release included a CD of dance remixes to the singles of the album (including the "Ego
Ego (Beyoncé Knowles song)
"Ego" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles for the deluxe edition of her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce . The song was composed by Elvis Williams, Harold Lilly, and Knowles. "Ego" was officially remixed with additional vocals from hip hop artist, Kanye West...
" remix with rapper Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
) and the DVD features videos previously released for these singles. Finally, the platinum edition of I Am... Sasha Fierce was released in a list of selected countries in November 2009, featuring a CD and a DVD. The deluxe edition of the album was re-issued in the United States on November 23, 2009, including all of the previously released songs in addition to the new songs "Poison", "Why Don't You Love Me
Why Don't You Love Me (Beyoncé Knowles song)
"Why Don't You Love Me" is a song by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles taken from her third studio album, I Am… Sasha Fierce. It later released as a bonus track on a digital EP titled I Am... Sasha Fierce - The Bonus Tracks. Composed by Knowles, Angela Beyince, Solange Knowles and The Bama Boyz,...
", and the remix of "Video Phone" with Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
. An EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
titled I Am...Sasha Fierce – The Bonus Tracks was released on November 23, 2009, in several countries featuring these new tracks.
Following the album's digital release, "Ave Maria" debuted at number 150 on November 29, 2008 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. Knowles also covered a version of the song "Honesty
Honesty (Billy Joel song)
"Honesty" is a song by Billy Joel released in 1979 as the third single from his album 52nd Street. It was solely written by Joel, while production was handled by Phil Ramone. It reached number 24 on the U.S...
" (a 1979 song by Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
) and included it as a bonus track for the platinum edition of the album. It gained some attention in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
where it charted at number 79 in 2009. Knowles also performed the song on her I Am... Tour (in Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
only) and it eventually charted at number 2 on the Korean Singles Chart during the week ending January 17, 2010. In September 2009 "Radio
Radio (Beyoncé Knowles song)
It just seems like a feel-good record but when you really listen to the lyrics, it's about me growing up. In my household, I didn't go all of the parties and I didn't do all the things that a lot of the other teenage girls did because I was so in love with my radio and my music...
" was used in Dutch television commercials to promote local radio stations, and peaked at number 14 on the Dutch Top 40
Dutch Top 40
The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...
due to strong digital downloads. After the release of I Am... Sasha Fierce – The Bonus Tracks a new song "Poison", which featured on the EP, became very popular in Korea and reached the top position of the Korean Singles Chart during the week ending February 7, 2010. In February 2010 a bonus track from the album's multiple re-releases "Why Don't You Love Me
Why Don't You Love Me (Beyoncé Knowles song)
"Why Don't You Love Me" is a song by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles taken from her third studio album, I Am… Sasha Fierce. It later released as a bonus track on a digital EP titled I Am... Sasha Fierce - The Bonus Tracks. Composed by Knowles, Angela Beyince, Solange Knowles and The Bama Boyz,...
", which served as a promotional single, climbed up the US Hot Dance Club Songs, eventually taking the top spot and becoming Knowles' thirteenth number-one dance hit. On May 4, 2010, a full-length music video appeared online. After its release as a promotional single, "Why Don't You Love Me" peaked at number fifty-one on the UK Singles chart and at number fourteen on its R&B chart.
Promotion
Knowles promoted the album through various televised appearances and awards ceremonies by performing songs featured on I Am... Sasha Fierce. Knowles first promoted "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
"Single Ladies " is a song by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles from her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce. It was released by Columbia Records on October 12, 2008 as the album's lead single, and appeared with "If I Were a Boy" as a double A-side single, demonstrating the...
" in a concert organized by the Power 105.1
WWPR-FM
WWPR-FM, also known as "Power 105.1", is an urban contemporary radio station that features hip hop and R&B licensed to New York City that serves the Greater New York area....
radio station on October 29, 2008. Knowles first performed "If I Were a Boy
If I Were a Boy
"If I Were a Boy" is a pop song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles. It was composed by Toby Gad and BC Jean. Jean initially recorded her version of the song which was rejected by Jean's record company. Knowles then recorded a new version for her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce...
" on November 6, 2008, at the MTV Europe Music Awards
MTV Europe Music Awards 2008
The MTV Europe Music Awards 2008 took place on November 6, 2008 in Liverpool, United Kingdom at the Echo Arena. Nominations were officially announced on September 29, 2008. The hosts of the awards were Katy Perry with Jared Leto, Shannon Leto and Tomo Miličević of 30 Seconds to Mars hosting the...
. Wearing trousers, a frilly white shirt and a velvet jacket, she later performed the song on November 9, 2008, at the 2008 World Music Awards
2008 World Music Awards
The 20th annual World Music Awards was held on 9 November, 2008 in Monaco. Awards are given based on worldwide sales figures for that year. The ceremony was hosted by actor Jesse Metcalfe and singer Michelle Williams.-Performers:*Alicia Keys*Anastacia...
in Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
. She was also wearing her "roboglove" metallic hand glove, which she pointed to as she sang the chorus of "Single Ladies". She then took to the stage of The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
to perform "If I Were a Boy" on November 13, 2008. She also appeared on television show Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
on November 15, 2008, where she sang "Single Ladies". That particular night, Knowles also featured in a parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of the "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" music video, where the two female dancers from the video were replaced by pop singer Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
and Saturday Night Live cast members Andy Samberg
Andy Samberg
David Andrew "Andy" Samberg is an American actor, comedian, rapper and writer best known as a member of the comedy group The Lonely Island and as a cast member on Saturday Night Live...
and Bobby Moynihan
Bobby Moynihan
Robert M. "Bobby" Moynihan, Jr. is an American actor and comedian who is currently a cast member on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:...
. On November 16, 2008, backed by a live band, Knowles sang a medley of "If I Were a Boy", then switched to "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", and ended up with "Crazy in Love" during the final episode of Total Request Live
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
. "Single Ladies" was also performed by Knowles on November 18, 2008, at BET
Black Entertainment Television
Black Entertainment Television is an American, Viacom-owned cable network based in Washington, D.C.. Currently viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide, it is the most prominent television network targeting young Black-American audiences. The network was launched on January 25, 1980, by its...
's 106 & Park
106 & Park
106 & Park is a Top Ten Hip-Hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that airs weekdays at 6:00 PM on BET . Since its inception, it was the network's #1 rated show...
, and during the 2008 American Music Awards
American Music Awards of 2008
The 2008 American Music Awards were held on November 23, 2008 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.-Performers:-Presenters:* Jamie Foxx* Sarah Chalke* Akon* Julianne Hough* Ashley Tisdale...
on November 23, 2008. The promotion of the song continued on November 25, 2008, with Knowles singing the song on The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
, and at Rockefeller Plaza
Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering between 48th and 51st streets in New York City, United States. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. It was declared a National...
on The Today Show, the following day. She also gave a performance of "Single Ladies" on The Tyra Banks Show
The Tyra Banks Show
The Tyra Banks Show, also known as and shortened to Tyra or The Tyra Show, is an American talk show hosted by Tyra Banks. The last new episode aired on Friday, May 28, 2010.-2005-2009: Syndication:...
with two male dancers, on January 9, 2009.
Knowles' first live performance of "Halo" was at the 2009 NAACP Awards
NAACP Image Award
An NAACP Image Award is an accolade presented by the American National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to honor outstanding people of color in film, television, music, and literature....
on February 12, 2009. She also performed the song on The Late Show with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman is a nightly hour-long comedy talk show on NBC that was created and hosted by David Letterman. It premiered in 1982 as the first incarnation of the Late Night franchise and went off the air in 1993, after Letterman left NBC and moved to Late Show on CBS. Late Night...
after an interview on April 22, 2009. In May 2009 Knowles appeared at MTV to talk about her upcoming single "Ego". She seized the opportunity to elaborate a bit about the album, saying: "One of the great things about the album is that it's so diverse." On June 25, 2009, Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
died
Death of Michael Jackson
On June 25, 2009, American singer Michael Jackson died of acute propofol intoxication after he suffered a respiratory arrest at his home in the Holmby Hills neighborhood in Los Angeles. His personal physician, Conrad Murray, said he found Jackson in his room, not breathing, but with a faint pulse,...
while Knowles was touring, prompting her to pay tribute to him at some of the venues of the tour, including Atlanta, on July 1, 2009, and New Orleans, on July 3, 2009. During the tribute an image of Jackson appeared on the main screen. She changed the lyrics, replacing "Baby" with "Michael", and adding "your music" between "you" and "won't"—she included "Michael I can see your Halo. I pray your music won't fade away." In addition, Knowles was due to perform "Sweet Dreams
Sweet Dreams (Beyoncé Knowles song)
"Sweet Dreams" is a song by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles from her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce . Originally titled "Beautiful Nightmare", the song leaked in March 2008, eight months prior to the album's release. Written and produced by Knowles, James Scheffer, Wayne Wilkins, and...
" at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards
2009 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 13, 2009, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, honoring the best music videos from June 19, 2008, to June 29, 2009. Comedian Russell Brand hosted the event for the second time in a row. The awards were held a few months after Michael...
on September 13; however, she only performed the bridge from "Sweet Dreams" at the beginning of her performance, before switching to "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)". Wearing a sparkling leotard and one silver glove, Knowles started performing the song with two background dancers. Knowles then paused and called out: "Now wait"; the lights dimmed and the crowd began to stand and clap their hands together. When the lights came back suddenly, there was an army of single ladies from the front to the back of the stage. By the end of the song, all of Radio City Music Hall was standing and Knowles thanked the crowd "graciously". Knowles also performed "If I Were a Boy" on January 31, 2010, at the 52nd Grammy Awards
52nd Grammy Awards
The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards took place on January 31, 2010, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Neil Young was honored as the 2010 MusiCares Person of the Year on January 29, two days prior to the Grammy telecast. Only ten of the 109 awards were received during the broadcast...
ceremony and also covered Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. She has won 16 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination...
's 1995 hit single "You Oughta Know
You Oughta Know
"You Oughta Know" is a alternative rock song, which also is known for its grunge effect styles in it. The instruments held in it are guitars, electric guitars, drums and drum machine...
" on the same event.
I Am... Tour
To promote the album, Knowles embarked on a worldwide tour with several performances. Knowles' I Am... Tour kicked off in EdmontonEdmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, on March 26, 2009, in support of the album. The European leg of the tour started on April 26, 2009, in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, and ended on June 9, 2009, in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. On June 21, 2009, she began the third leg of the tour in the United States and finished in August with the I Am... Yours
I Am... Yours
I Am... Yours was a 2009 Las Vegas revue show by American singer-songwriter Beyoncé Knowles, in support of her third studio album I Am... Sasha Fierce. The concerts were held at the Encore Theatre in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show was deemed "an intimate encounter" as Knowles portrayed a more raw and...
4-day revue at Encore Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
. Starting on September 15, 2009, the fourth leg began in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and finished on September 24 in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, Australia. Knowles then went on to perform in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and the United Kingdom, before finishing the 2009 portion of the tour on November 24 in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. The tour had its final leg in 2010, visiting Latin America. Starting on February 4, 2010, in Florianópolis
Florianópolis
-Climate:Florianópolis experiences a warm humid subtropical climate, falling just short of a true tropical climate. The seasons of the year are distinct, with a well-defined summer and winter, and characteristic weather for autumn and spring. Frost is infrequent, but occurs occasionally in the winter...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, she visited five other places before ending in Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
on February 18, 2010. According to Pollstar, the tour earned $17.2 million between January 1 – June 30, 2010, which added to her total of $86 million for her first 93 concerts in 2009, bringing the tour total to $103.2 million for the 97 shows. The I Am... Yours
I Am... Yours
I Am... Yours was a 2009 Las Vegas revue show by American singer-songwriter Beyoncé Knowles, in support of her third studio album I Am... Sasha Fierce. The concerts were held at the Encore Theatre in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show was deemed "an intimate encounter" as Knowles portrayed a more raw and...
residency at the Encore Theater in Las Vegas was recorded on August 2, 2009, and later released as a DVD, audio CD and television special in late November 2009. Various performances on the tour were filmed worldwide for a live DVD, I Am... World Tour
I Am... World Tour
I Am... World Tour is a live DVD/CD concert film by American R&B recording artist Beyoncé Knowles who also produced, directed and edited the concert film for her own Parkwood Pictures. The DVD was filmed in presence of more than a million of fans during her worldwide I Am... Tour, running from...
, which was released on November 30, 2010.
Commercial performance
I Am... Sasha Fierce made its first debut at number five on Japan's Oricon international albums chart and subsequently moved to the top spot on the chart, becoming Knowles' third number-one album in that country. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, selling 482,000 units in its first week and giving Knowles her third consecutive number one album in the US. Eventually, Knowles became the third female artist of the 2000s decade to have her first three albums debut at the top spot of the US Billboard 200 albums chart. Having sold 1,459,000 copies in 6 weeks of release in 2008 alone, I Am... Sasha Fierce emerged as the tenth best selling album of 2008 according to Billboard magazine. With this achievement, Knowles eventually equaled Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks
Troyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
, Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
, and Shania Twain
Shania Twain
Shania Twain, OC is a Canadian country pop singer-songwriter. Her album The Woman in Me , brought her fame and her 1997 album Come On Over, became the best-selling album of all time by a female musician in any genre, and the best-selling country album of all time. It has sold over 40 million...
for placing an album in Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...
's year-end top 10 for the fifth time. The album later emerged as the second best selling album of 2009 in the US itself. It has been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA). As of April 2011, the album has sold around 2.9 million copies in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan. In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number ten on November 29, 2008, becoming Knowles' lowest-debuting album despite having higher first week sales than her previous album, B'Day
B'Day
B'Day is the second studio album by American R&B recording artist Beyoncé Knowles, released on September 4, 2006 by Columbia Records in collaboration with Music World Music and Sony Urban Music. It was released to coincide with Knowles' twenty-fifth birthday. The album was originally planned for a...
. Following Knowles' performance at the 2008 The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
finale with winner Alexandra Burke
Alexandra Burke
Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke is a British R&B and pop recording artist who rose to fame after winning the fifth series of British television series The X Factor in 2008...
, the album moved up to number nine on December 27, 2008. Due to the success of its singles in the United Kingdom and especially due to the success of "Sweet Dreams
Sweet Dreams (Beyoncé Knowles song)
"Sweet Dreams" is a song by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles from her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce . Originally titled "Beautiful Nightmare", the song leaked in March 2008, eight months prior to the album's release. Written and produced by Knowles, James Scheffer, Wayne Wilkins, and...
", I Am... Sasha Fierce rose from number five to its highest peak of number two in its thirty-ninth week on the chart, which was the week of August 16, 2009.
In Ireland, I Am... Sasha Fierce debuted at number three, making it Knowles' second top three album in that country. It would later go to top the Irish charts for two consecutive weeks in early January 2009, giving Knowles her second Irish number-one album. In Australia, I Am... Sasha Fierce debuted at number nine in late November 2008 and peaked at number eight in early January 2009. Following the success of singles "Sweet Dreams
Sweet Dreams (Beyoncé Knowles song)
"Sweet Dreams" is a song by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles from her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce . Originally titled "Beautiful Nightmare", the song leaked in March 2008, eight months prior to the album's release. Written and produced by Knowles, James Scheffer, Wayne Wilkins, and...
" and "Broken-Hearted Girl
Broken-Hearted Girl
"Broken-Hearted Girl" is a song by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles. It was written by Knowles, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen, and was produced by Knowles and Stargate for Knowles' third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce...
", the album rebounded to a new peak of three on two separate occasions in October 2009 and it was certified triple-platinum on November 23, 2009. In New Zealand, the album debuted at number 16 in late November 2008 and initially peaked at number six in early March 2009. After growing popularity of its singles, especially "Sweet Dreams", the album upped to a new peak of three on September 21, 2009. The album was certified platinum on April 26, 2009, (after twenty-three weeks on the chart) shipping over 15,000 copies to retailers. In Spain, the album debuted and peaked at number 7 on November 26, 2008, and was certified platinum for shipment of over 60,000 copies on October 26, 2009. The album went on to be certified diamond in Brazil. With this achievement, Beyoncé was described as a "sales phenomenon" by Alexandre Schiavo. With 182 thousand copies sold between January 2009 and October 2009, I Am... Sasha Fierce ranked third among the most sold albums in the country. After the 52nd Grammy Awards
52nd Grammy Awards
The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards took place on January 31, 2010, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Neil Young was honored as the 2010 MusiCares Person of the Year on January 29, two days prior to the Grammy telecast. Only ten of the 109 awards were received during the broadcast...
ceremony, I Am... Sasha Fierce either ascended several albums charts or re-entered others and set new peaks in countries such as Switzerland, Austria, and Portugal in February 2010. After having peaked at number five on the Polish Albums Chart
Polish Music Charts
The Polish Music Charts are two official album charts and seven singles charts in Poland, provided by ZPAV, the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry . The first, the Top 100, is a monthly chart based on data received from the album companies...
on February 8, 2009, I Am... Sasha Fierce re-entered the chart at number one on August 28, 2011, that is nearly three years after its release in Poland. As of March 2011, the album has sold over seven million copies worldwide.
Singles
On October 8, 2008, Knowles premiered two lead singleLead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
s from the album. One single was taken from the I Am... disc while the other was taken from the Sasha Fierce disc to demonstrate the concept of dueling personalities of Knowles, highlighted by the integral album. The first lead single "If I Were a Boy
If I Were a Boy
"If I Were a Boy" is a pop song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles. It was composed by Toby Gad and BC Jean. Jean initially recorded her version of the song which was rejected by Jean's record company. Knowles then recorded a new version for her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce...
" peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, topped eight charts worldwide and reached the top ten in many other charts. "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
"Single Ladies " is a song by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles from her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce. It was released by Columbia Records on October 12, 2008 as the album's lead single, and appeared with "If I Were a Boy" as a double A-side single, demonstrating the...
" was the second lead single and peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Knowles' fifth number-one single, and was also successful in other international markets, peaking in top-ten listings around the world. The singles were certified 2× platinum and 4× platinum respectively by Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA). "Diva
Diva (Beyoncé Knowles song)
"Diva" is a song by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles. The song was written and produced by Shondrae "Bangladesh" Crawford, Sean Garrett, and Knowles for her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce . It was released as the album's third overall single in the United States alongside the third...
" was released as a US-only single and peaked at number nineteen on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Knowles' twelfth top-twenty single, and at number three on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart. It was certified gold by the RIAA. The next single, "Halo
Halo (Beyoncé Knowles song)
"Halo" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles for her third studio album I Am... Sasha Fierce . Columbia Records released the song as the fourth single of the album, to mainstream radio in the United States on January 20, 2009. It was composed by Ryan Tedder, Evan Bogart, and...
", was released internationally and peaked at number five in the US Billboard Hot 100, proving to be commercially successful and reaching the top-ten listings around the world. It was certified double-platinum in early 2010 by the RIAA.
"Ego
Ego (Beyoncé Knowles song)
"Ego" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles for the deluxe edition of her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce . The song was composed by Elvis Williams, Harold Lilly, and Knowles. "Ego" was officially remixed with additional vocals from hip hop artist, Kanye West...
" was released as a US-only single on May 19, 2009, and subsequently came up as a remix featuring additional vocals from Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
. It peaked at number thirty-nine on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number three on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song was certified gold by the RIAA. Following announcements of the I Am... Tour two more singles were initially lined up, namely "Broken-Hearted Girl
Broken-Hearted Girl
"Broken-Hearted Girl" is a song by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles. It was written by Knowles, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen, and was produced by Knowles and Stargate for Knowles' third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce...
" and "Sweet Dreams
Sweet Dreams (Beyoncé Knowles song)
"Sweet Dreams" is a song by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles from her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce . Originally titled "Beautiful Nightmare", the song leaked in March 2008, eight months prior to the album's release. Written and produced by Knowles, James Scheffer, Wayne Wilkins, and...
"—though they switched order to become the sixth and seventh singles respectively. "Sweet Dreams" reached the top-ten in most countries though it did top the New Zealand Singles chart, and was certified platinum in the United States. "Broken-Hearted Girl", the seventh single, reached the top-forty in charts around the world, despite never being certified nor released in the United States. More than one year after the album's release, "Video Phone" was released as the eighth single from the album with a music video and digital download release, taking form as an extended remix featuring American electropop artist, Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
. Like its predecessor, it reached the top-forty in countries around the world, peaking at number sixty-five in the US. It also became Knowles' fourteenth number-one on the US Dance Club Chart. As of July 2010 the digital tracks from the album had sold a combined total of 12.3 million units in the United States; and according to Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
the album has sold 15 million digital singles worldwide.
Critical reception
Upon its release, I Am... Sasha Fierce received mixed to positive reviews from most music critics. At MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalized
Standard score
In statistics, a standard score indicates how many standard deviations an observation or datum is above or below the mean. It is a dimensionless quantity derived by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by the population standard deviation...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
score of 62, based on 24 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
's Sal Cinquemani commented that "The strength of , then, is its individual songs [...] a testament to Beyoncé as one of today's most reliable singles artists.", but also noted "the real disparity is her inability to reconcile the adult-contemporary schmaltz of I Am with the more modern, edgy sounds of Sasha Fierce." Adam Mattera of The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
gave it two out of five stars and noted both discs for lacking depth, stating "Disc 1 is too busy chasing radio formats to expose any genuine soul [...] The Sasha side cuts straight to business with the single-minded 'Radio'...and a succession of independent woman anthems such as 'Single Ladies' and 'Diva', which will no doubt inspire drag queens the world over but leave most others bemused." Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
s Ryan Dombal viewed it as a regression from her previous album B'Day and stated: "Nobody wins the Beyoncé vs. Sasha battle— often, the listener loses." Allmusic writer Andy Kellman found its double-disc "gimmick" "flimsy" and favored its second disc's "decent, if easily forgettable, upbeat pop." He expressed that on the I Am... disc, "Beyoncé feels each line to the fullest extent, which almost rescues the set's staidness." In his consumer guide for MSN Music
MSN Music
MSN Music was a part of the MSN web services. It delivered music news, music videos, spotlights on new music, artist information, and live performances of artists. In 2004, Microsoft created an MSN Music download store to compete with Apple's iTunes Music Store, though its sales in comparison were...
, critic Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
gave it a B rating and named it "dud of the month", indicating "a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought". Christgau viewed its "split-personality bit" as "deeply vapid" and stated "there are three good songs on this 11-track artifact".
Jonah Weiner of Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
gave it three out of five stars and stated "Beyoncé is still a beauty-shop feminist, quick with the smack-downs, and she still describes the rattling rush of love with preternatural poise". Amy Linden of Vibe stated: "Ironically, it's the more tame (and nameless) persona that's the most intriguing, commanding and sexual. ... Beyoncé sounds relaxed, confident and, if for no other reason than the fact that you can't hear her trying, hits the mark". Matos Michaelangelo of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
gave the album a B− rating even though he said that "The two halves wouldn't necessarily sound better shuffled together—both are pretty uneven." Stacey Anderson of Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
commented that its first disc "meanders over [...] down-tempo cuts" and called ... Sasha, "an intriguing but diluted direction". The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
s Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond found the I Am... disc lacking cohesion, but stated "Sasha Fierce suffers no such identity crisis. Brassy, big-headed, confrontational, and witty, each incendiary track challenges you to leave your inhibitions at coat-check." Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
noted that its slow songs are "full of bland self-affirmation and saggy lines", but wrote that "the "Sasha" disc boasts Beyoncé's most adventurous music yet". Colin McGuire of PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
called the album "a little rough around the edges at times" and viewed its Sasha Fierce disc as "a far more compelling trip down dance-lane". Daniel Brockman of The Phoenix
The Phoenix (newspaper)
The Phoenix is the name of several alternative weekly newspapers published in the United States by Phoenix Media/Communications Group of Boston, Massachusetts including the Boston Phoenix, the Providence Phoenix, the Portland Phoenix and the now-defunct Worcester Phoenix...
gave the album three stars out of four and recommended to "skip directly to disc two". Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
wrote that the album offers "two compelling sides" of Knowles and stated: "The collection might have been better served had she edited it down to one disc, rather than belabor what ultimately seems like a marketing gimmick. And while fans will surely speculate, there's little in the lyrics that feels more revealing than previous emotional fire-starters."
Recognition and accolades
WRC-TV
WRC-TV, channel 4, is an owned and operated television station of the NBC television network, located in the American capital city of Washington, D.C...
placed I Am... Sasha Fierce on his list of "Honorable Mentions" while writing the list for the Best Albums of 2008. Agence France-Presse, as reported by ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs, recognized the album as the twelfth best selling one of 2008. On the second anniversary of the debut of the album on the US Billboard 200 albums chart, Kyle Anderso of MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
wrote an article on December 6, 2010, about Knowles' alter ego, titled "Beyoncé's Alter-Ego Tops The Charts: Wake-Up Video" in which the production and composition of I Am... Sasha Fierce was praised and said to be Knowles' "best and boldest" work yet. The album was ranked number twelve on the list of Best Albums of the Decade in Rolling Stones Reader's Poll.
I Am... Sasha Fierce also won a 2009 Soul Train Award
Soul Train Music Awards
The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual award show which previously aired in national television syndication, and honors the best in Black music and entertainment...
for Album of the Year. Knowles won the Favorite Female R&B Artist award at the 2009 American Music Awards
American Music Awards of 2009
The 37th American Music Awards took place on November 22, 2009 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California. The nominees were announced on October 13, 2009. For the first time in history, there was no host for the year's ceremony. Instead, various celebrities introduced the performers similar...
, and where the album also garnered a nomination in the category Favorite Album for Soul/R&B. Knowles also won Best R&B Artists
BET Award for Best R&B Artists
The BET Award for Best R&B Artist is split between the overall best male and female contemporary R&B and soul singers who have released an album the previous or same year. As of 2010, Beyoncé & Alicia Keys has won the most BET Awards for Best Female R&B Artist, while Usher has won the most BET...
at the 2009 BET Awards
BET Awards
The BET Awards were established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate African Americans and other minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. The awards are presented annually and broadcast live on BET...
. However, she lost the same award to Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...
at the 2010 BET Awards. Similarly, Knowles was nominated for Best International Female Solo Artist at the 2009 BRIT Awards
2009 BRIT Awards
The 2009 BRIT Awards ceremony took place on Wednesday 18 February 2009. It was the 29th edition of the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The awards ceremony was held at Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London, and was broadcast live on ITV1 on 18 February at 8pm...
at the 2009 Meteor Awards (Ireland), and at the 2010 International Dance Music Awards
Winter Music Conference
The Winter Music Conference is a weeklong electronic music conference, held every March since the mid-1980s in Miami, Florida, United States. Venues are hosted primarily in Downtown Miami and Miami's South Beach...
. In 2009 Knowles won the Best International Act accolade at the Music of Black Origin Awards (United Kingdom), where I Am... Sasha Fierce was also nominated for Best Album. At the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards
MTV Europe Music Awards 2009
The MTV Europe Music Awards 2009 took place in Berlin, Germany at the O2 World and in front of the Brandenburg Gate. The award show was presented by Katy Perry. Nominations were officially announced on September 21, 2009. This is the fourth time that the MTV Europe Music Awards were hosted in...
, Knowles was recognized as the Best Female Artist
MTV Europe Music Award for Best Female
The MTV Europe Music Award for Best Female is one of the original general awards that has been handed out every year since the first annual MTV Europe Music Awards in 1994...
and "Single Ladies" won Best Video
MTV Europe Music Award for Best Video
The MTV Europe Music Award for Best Video initially awarded to Best Director, but in 1997 the category was renamed to Best Video. The winner of this category is chosen by MTV.-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:...
accolade with "Halo" the winner in the Best Song
MTV Europe Music Award for Best Song
The MTV Europe Music Award for Best Song is the main award of the EMA's. It was first awarded in 1994, when "7 Seconds" won it, and has been given out since. Lady Gaga,Pink and Beyoncé have been the big winners with two awards. In 2007 and 2008 the category was named Most Addictive Track, but in...
category.
I Am... Sasha Fierce was nominated for the Outstanding Album
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Album
The NAACP Image Award winners for Outstanding Album:...
award at the 2009 NAACP Image Award
NAACP Image Award
An NAACP Image Award is an accolade presented by the American National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to honor outstanding people of color in film, television, music, and literature....
, and for International Album of the Year (Album international de l'année) at the 2010 NRJ Music Award. At the 2010 OVMA World Awards, Knowles won Artist of the Year as well as Best R&B Artist, however, the album lost in the category Album of the Year. Knowles was also nominated for Favorite Female Artist and for Favorite R&B Artist at the 36th People's Choice Awards
36th People's Choice Awards
The 36th People's Choice Awards, honoring the best in popular culture for 2009, was held on January 6, 2010 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California, and was broadcasted on CBS. Not all of the awards were presented on air during the show, as many including Favorite Movie were left out...
as well as at the 2010 Teen Choice Awards
2010 Teen Choice Awards
2010 Teen Choice Awards were held on August 8, introducing a lot of new categories now separated into "Movie", "TV", "Music", "Summer", "Fashion" and "Other". The show aired on August 9, 2010 on Fox, co-hosted by Katy Perry, who also performed, and Cory Monteith, Chris Colfer, Kevin McHale, and...
, and in the categories World's Best R&B Artist and World's Best Pop Artist at the 2010 World Music Awards
2010 World Music Awards
The 2010 World Music Awards were held in Monte Carlo, Monaco and hosted by Michelle Rodriguez and Hayden Panettiere on May 18, 2010.-Performers:In order of appearance, shown on television....
. I Am... Sasha Fierce and its singles earned Knowles eight Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nominations, including Album of the Year
Grammy Award for Album of the Year
The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is the most prestigious award category at the Grammys. It has been awarded since 1959 and though it was originally presented to the artist alone, the award is now presented to the artist, the producer, the engineer and/or mixer and the mastering engineer...
, ultimately winning Best Contemporary R&B Album
Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album
The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works on albums in the contemporary R&B music genre...
. "Single Ladies" won Song of the Year
Grammy Award for Song of the Year
The Song of the Year is one of the four most prestigious awards in the Grammy Awards ceremony, if not in all of the American music industry. It has been awarded since 1959 and unlike the Record of the Year award, which goes to the performer and production team of a single song, Song of the Year...
, Best R&B Song
Grammy Award for Best R&B Song
The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song has been awarded since 1959. From 1969 to 2000 it was known as the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Song, from 1962 to 1968 it was known as Best Rhythm & Blues Recording, and from 1959-1961 as Best Rhythm & Blues Performance...
and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to female recording artists for quality R&B songs...
at the 52nd Grammy Awards
52nd Grammy Awards
The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards took place on January 31, 2010, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Neil Young was honored as the 2010 MusiCares Person of the Year on January 29, two days prior to the Grammy telecast. Only ten of the 109 awards were received during the broadcast...
on January 31, 2010. "Halo" won in the category Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance is the latest in a series of awards recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. The award goes to the artist...
and it was also nominated for Record of the Year
Grammy Award for Record of the Year
The Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959.-History:The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer....
.
Track listing
2009 deluxe edition
Platinum edition
In September 2009, an enhanced two-disc version of the album was released, its first disc featuring 16 tracks from the original version with four bonus audio tracks, and its second disc, the video collection from Above and Beyoncé, including seven music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s.
The Bonus Tracks EP
Notes- The deluxe edition on iTunes contains the videos for "If I Were a Boy" and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)".
Personnel
Credits are taken from the album's liner notes.Managerial
- A&R – Max Gousse, Beyoncé Knowles, Mathew Knowles
- A&R administration – Juli Knapp
- A&R coordination – Alexandra Velella
- Artist coordination – Jake McKim
- Executive producerExecutive producerAn executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
– Beyoncé Knowles
- MarketingMarketingMarketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
– Quincy Jackson - ManagementManagementManagement in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
– Tim Blacksmith, Danny D
Performance credits
- VocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
– Beyoncé Knowles
- Background vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
– Beyoncé Knowles, Rico LoveRico LoveRichard Preston Butler, Jr. , better known by his stage name Rico Love, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. Love wrote and produced hit records such as Usher’s "There Goes My Baby" and "Hey Daddy ”, Nelly's "Just a Dream" and "Gone", Beyoncé Knowles' "Sweet Dreams"...
Visuals and imagery
- Art directionArt directorThe art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
– Fusako Chubachi - Clothing designFashion designFashion design is the art of the application of design and aesthetics or natural beauty to clothing and accessories. Fashion design is influenced by cultural and social latitudes, and has varied over time and place. Fashion designers work in a number of ways in designing clothing and accessories....
– Jean-Paul GaultierJean-Paul GaultierJean Paul Gaultier , born 24 April 1952 in Arcueil, Val-de-Marne, France) is a French haute couture fashion designer. Gaultier was the creative director of Hermès from 2003 to 2010. In the past, he has hosted the television series Eurotrash....
, Thierry MuglerThierry MuglerThierry Mugler is a French fashion designer and creator of several perfumes.-Childhood:Mugler was born in Strasbourg, France on 21 December 1948. His passion led him to focus more on drawing than on school and at the age of 9, he began to study classical dance... - Hair stylistBarberA barber is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, and to shave or trim the beards of men. The place of work of a barber is generally called a barbershop....
– Kimberly Kimble - Logo – ilovedust
- Make-upCosmeticsCosmetics are substances used to enhance the appearance or odor of the human body. Cosmetics include skin-care creams, lotions, powders, perfumes, lipsticks, fingernail and toe nail polish, eye and facial makeup, towelettes, permanent waves, colored contact lenses, hair colors, hair sprays and...
– Francesca Tolot - Manicurist – Lisa Logan
- PhotographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
– Peter LindberghPeter LindberghPeter Lindbergh, born Peter Brodbeck, is a German photographer and filmmaker, born on November 23, 1944 in Leszno, Poland. He currently lives in Paris, New York and Arles.... - StylistWardrobe stylistA wardrobe stylist is the job title of someone who selects the clothing for published editorial features, print or television advertising campaigns, music videos, concert performances, and any public appearances made by celebrities, models or other public figures...
– Ty Hunter
Instruments
- DrumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
– Jens GadJens GadJens Gad is a songwriter, producer and guitarist. He was previously the co-producer for the musical project, Enigma. Currently, he is releasing albums under the name of Jens Gad Presents for his new instrumental work, and also under the name of Achillea, for his new world-influenced music which...
, Steven "Steven J." JordanSteve Jordan (musician)Steve Jordan is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, musical director and Grammy Award-winning artist, who has made a name for himself as a producer from the Bronx in New York City. A graduate of the Fiorello H...
, SyienceSyienceReggie Syience Perry is a Grammy Award-winning American songwriter, record producer and musician. He has worked with a number of recognizable and respected artists, including Beyoncé, Cheryl Cole, Jay-Z, John Legend, Mary J Blige, Ne-Yo, and Nelly. Syience won two Grammys for his work on Mary J... - GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Ian DenchIan DenchIan Dench is a British songwriter and musician. Dench was the guitarist and principal songwriter for EMF, who scored a major international hit reaching number 1 in the United States with "Unbelievable" in 1991....
, Syience - HornHorn (instrument)The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
– Philip Margiziotis
- PianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
- Ryan TedderRyan TedderRyan Benjamin Tedder is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the frontman of the pop rock band, OneRepublic, though he has an independent career as songwriter and producer for various artists such as Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, Far East Movement, Jordin Sparks, Leona... - TrumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
– Dontae Winslow - Other InstrumentationInstrumentation (music)In music, instrumentation refers to the particular combination of musical instruments employed in a composition, and to the properties of those instruments individually...
– Mikkel S. Eriksen, Toby Gad
Technical and production
- ArrangementArrangementThe American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
– Beyoncé Knowles, Toby GadToby GadTobias "Toby" Gad is a Los Angeles-based hit producer and songwriter from Germany, perhaps best known for co-writing Fergie's Grammy nominated hit song "Big Girls Don't Cry" as well as co-writing and producing Beyoncé's worldwide #1 hit "If I Were a Boy", and The Veronicas multi-platinum #1...
, Ryan Tedder - Audio productionSound recording and reproductionSound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
– Beyoncé Knowles, Rico Love, Ian Dench, Chris "Tricky" Stewart, Dave McCracken, Amanda Ghost, Wayne Wilkins, Ryan Tedder, Shondrae Crawford, Sean Garrett, The-Dream, Rico Love, DTown, BC Jean - SongwriterSongwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
s – Beyoncé Knowles, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Christopher Stewart, Dave McCracken, James Scheffer, Amanda Ghost, Wayne Wilkins, Tor Erik Hermanson, Dwayne Nesmith, Shondrae Crawford, Sean Garrett, The-Dream, Rico Love, Mikkel S. Eriksen, E. Kidd Bogart, Makeba, Hugo Chakrabongse, BC Jean, Rodney Jerkins, LaShawn DanielsLaShawn DanielsLaShawn Ameen Daniels is an American songwriter, best known for his work with longtime colleague Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins. Daniels has written several of the Darkchild Team's hit songs, among them "The Boy Is Mine" by Brandy & Monica, "Say My Name" and "Lose My Breath" by Destiny's Child, "You...
, Crystal JohnsonCristyleCrystal Nicole Johnson, better known by her stage name Cristyle or sometimes credited as Cri$tyle is an American Grammy Award winning songwriter signed with So So Def/EMI Music.-Career:...
, Solange KnowlesSolange KnowlesSolange Piaget Knowles , who performs under the mononym Solange, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, model, dancer, and DJ. Knowles was born and raised in Houston, Texas along with her older sister singer Beyoncé, a former member of R&B group Destiny's Child... - EngineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
– Jim Caruana, Toby Gad, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Kuk HarrellKuk HarrellThaddis "Kuk" Harrell is an American songwriter, vocal producer, arranger and engineer. He is managed by RedZone Entertainment, and is a member of a songwriting–production team composed of himself, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and Terius "The Dream" Nash...
, Andrew Hey, Jim JonsinJim JonsinJames Scheffer, better known by his professional name, Jim Jonsin, is an American Grammy award winning record producer, songwriter, record executive, and entrepreneur...
, Miles Walker, Ryan Tedder, Brian "B Luv" Thomas, Marcos Tovar, Radio Killa - Engineering assistants – Kory Aaron, Christian Baker, David Boyd, Michael Paul Miller, Johntá AustinJohnta AustinJohntá Austin is an American singer-songwriter, who is currently signed to Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Recordings. He is commonly known for collaborating with Producers Bryan-Michael Cox, Jermaine Dupri & The Production Team StarGate. Austin was awarded two Grammy Awards for his work on the songs...
, Lady GagaLady GaGaStefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
- Executive producerExecutive producerAn executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
s – Beyoncé Knowles, Mathew Knowles - MasteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
– Tom Coyne - MixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
– Jim Caruana, Matt Green, Jim Jonsin, Dave Pensado, Mark "Spike" StentMark StentMark 'Spike' Stent is a British record producer, and audio engineer who has worked with The KLF, Björk, Keane, Depeche Mode, Muse, Erasure, Hard-Fi, Massive Attack, Janet Jackson, Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Marilyn Manson, Pet Shop Boys, Dave Matthews, No Doubt/Gwen Stefani, CSS, Beth Orton,...
, Wayne WilkinsWayne WilkinsWayne Wilkins is a classically trained pianist, Record producer, songwriter, record engineer, and record mixer born in the southeast London neighborhood of Croydon...
, Andrew Wuepper, Randy Urbanski, Jaycen Joshua - Mixing assistants – Matt Green, Andrew Wuepper, Randy Urbanski
- ProductionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
– Beyoncé Knowles, Bama BoyzBama BoyzThe Bama Boyz are a Grammy-nominated, Dove Award Winning, American record production, songwriting, and artist trio, consisting of Eddie “E-Trez” Smith III, Jesse J. Rankins, Jonathan D. Wells...
, BangladeshBangladesh (producer)Shondrae Crawford, better known as Bangladesh or Mr. Bangladesh, is a Grammy Award winning American record producer and disc jockey and rapper, who was born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa, and now lives in Atlanta, Georgia.- Life and career :...
, D-Town, DarkchildRodney JerkinsRodney "Darkchild" Jerkins is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Jerkins received two Grammy nominations in 2011.-Biography:...
, Ian Dench, The-DreamThe-DreamTerius Youngdell Nash , better known by his stage name The-Dream, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is known for co-writing "Umbrella" for Rihanna and "Single Ladies " for Beyoncé, as well as for his three solo albums, Love Hate, Love vs...
, Toby Gad, Sean GarrettSean GarrettGarrett Hamler, better known by his stage name Sean Garrett is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, and record producer. He has produced fifteen number one singles in only seven years of producing music. That number puts him in fifth place on the Billboard list of producers with the most number...
, Amanda GhostAmanda GhostAmanda Ghost is a singer and songwriter from Enfield, North London, England. After an initial period in which she performed as a solo artist, she formed a band which performed under her name, and of which she was the lead singer...
, Andrew Hey, Jim Jonsin, Harold Lilly, Rico LoveRico LoveRichard Preston Butler, Jr. , better known by his stage name Rico Love, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. Love wrote and produced hit records such as Usher’s "There Goes My Baby" and "Hey Daddy ”, Nelly's "Just a Dream" and "Gone", Beyoncé Knowles' "Sweet Dreams"...
, Dave McCrackenDave McCrackenDave McCracken is a British songwriter and music producer under the Roc Nation management. He is well known for his production on Ian Brown from The Stone Roses solo albums, Golden Greats, Music of the Spheres and Solarized...
, Ramon Owen, StargateStargate (production team)This is a list of songs written and produced by the Norwegian production team Stargate.-Produced singles:-1999:5ive - Invincible*05. "Two Sides to Every Story"*06. "You Make Me a Better Man"Noora Noor - Curious*01. "Curious"...
, Chris "Tricky" StewartChristopher Stewart (music producer)Christopher "Tricky" Stewart is an American songwriter, music producer, music publisher, executive producer, recording industry executive and recording studio owner. In a career spanning 16 years, Stewart, at the helm of his company RedZone Entertainment, is responsible for over 25 million...
, Ryan Tedder, Wayne Wilkins, Elvis WilliamsBlac ElvisElvis Williams, better known as Blac Elvis, is an award-winning American record producer, musician and song writer. He rose to fame in 1999 co-producing alongside Polow da Don. Producing hits for Ludacris, Ciara, Kelly Rowland, Fergie, Rich Boy, Kelis, Nelly, Pussycat Dolls and Mario. Recently he...
, Radio Killa - Vocal recording – Jim Caruana
- Vocal production – Beyoncé Knowles, Rico Love
- Other Contributions – Lisa Logan
Chart positions
| Chart (2008–2011) | Peak position | Year-end 2008 | Year-end 2009 | Year-end 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentinian Albums Chart Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers The Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers is an Argentine organization member of the IFPI, which represents the music industry in the country. It is a nonprofit organization integrated by multinational and independent record labels.... |
7 | |||
| Australian Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
3 | 50 | 10 | 61 |
| Australian Urban Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
1 | 6 | 2 | 9 |
| Austrian Albums Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
20 | 69 | ||
| Belgian Albums Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... (Flanders) |
10 | 14 | ||
| Belgian Albums Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... (Wallonia) |
32 | 57 | ||
| Brazilian Albums Chart Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos The Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos is an official representative body of the record labels in the Brazilian phonographic market.- About :... |
2 | 3 | ||
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
6 | 12 | ||
| Croatian Albums Chart Music of Croatia The music of Croatia, like the divisions of the country itself, has two major influences: the Central European one, present in the central and northern parts of the country, as well as in Slavonia, and the Mediterranean one, particularly present in the coastal regions of Dalmatia and Istria.In... |
1 | |||
| Czech Albums Chart | 5 | |||
| Danish Albums Chart IFPI Denmark IFPI Denmark is the Danish branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Denmark.-Gold and platinum awards:... |
25 | 58 | ||
| Dutch Albums Chart MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
6 | 75 | 11 | |
| European Top 100 Albums European Top 100 Albums The European Top 100 Albums chart is the European adaptation of the Billboard 200 albums chart. It was created in March 1984.The European Top 100 Albums, commonly referred to as Eurochart Top 100 Albums shows the sales of an act in 19 European countries based on IFPI data.The European Top 100... |
3 | 4 | 34 | |
| French Albums Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
20 | 176 | 104 | |
| German Albums Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
17 | 42 | ||
| Greek International Albums Chart IFPI Greece International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Greece or IFPI Greece is the Greek branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Greece. Currently two charts are compiled, one for sales of... |
3 | 25 | ||
| Hungarian Albums Chart Mahasz Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary.... |
8 | 18 | ||
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
1 | 5 | ||
| Italian Albums Chart Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... |
16 | 58 | ||
| Japanese Albums Chart Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... |
3 | |||
| Mexican Albums Chart | 66 | |||
| New Zealand Albums Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
3 | 15 | ||
| Norwegian Albums Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
2 | |||
| Polish Albums Chart Polish Music Charts The Polish Music Charts are two official album charts and seven singles charts in Poland, provided by ZPAV, the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry . The first, the Top 100, is a monthly chart based on data received from the album companies... |
1 | 53 | ||
| Portuguese Albums Chart Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa The Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa is currently the only recording industry association in Portugal. Created in 1989, it succeeded GPPFV and UNEVA .... |
2 | |||
| Russian Albums Chart Russia Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects... |
8 | |||
| Spanish Albums Chart | 7 | |||
| Swedish Albums Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
5 | 28 | ||
| Swiss Albums Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
7 | 31 | ||
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
2 | 8 | ||
| UK Scottish Albums Chart Scottish Singles and Albums Chart The Scottish Singles Chart and Scottish Albums Chart are charts compiled by The Official Charts Company, based on physical and digital sales in the STV North, STV Central and ITV Border regions.... |
10 | |||
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
1 | 10 | 2 | 84 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
1 | 1 | 25 |
Certifications
Chart procession and succession
Release history
| Country | Date | Edition (Format) | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | November 14, 2008 | Standard, deluxe edition (Double CD Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... , Digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... ) |
Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation.... |
| Ireland | |||
| Italy | |||
| Mexico | |||
| Switzerland | |||
| Norway | |||
| Australia | November 17, 2008 | ||
| Austria | |||
| Belgium | |||
| Denmark | |||
| France | |||
| United Kingdom | RCA RCA Records RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label... |
||
| Argentina | November 18, 2008 | Standard edition (Double CD) | Sony Music |
| Brazil | Standard, deluxe edition (Double CD, Digital download) |
||
| Canada | Columbia Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company... |
||
| China | Deluxe edition (Double CD) | Sony Music | |
| Hong Kong | Standard edition (Double CD) | ||
| Japan | Standard, deluxe edition (Double CD, Digital download) |
Sony Music Japan | |
| New Zealand | Sony Music | ||
| Philippines | |||
| Portugal | |||
| Spain | |||
| Sweden | |||
| Turkey | |||
| United States | Music World, Columbia | ||
| Korea | November 19, 2008 | Sony Music | |
| Thailand | November 20, 2008 | ||
| Netherlands | November 21, 2008 | ||
| Australia | September 4, 2009 | Platinum edition (CD + DVD) | |
| Hong Kong | September 7, 2009 | ||
| Thailand | September 17, 2009 | ||
| Netherlands | October 30, 2009 | ||
| France | November 2, 2009 | ||
| Poland | |||
| Spain | |||
| United Kingdom | RCA | ||
| Germany | November 20, 2009 | Sony Music | |
| Canada | November 23, 2009 | Deluxe edition re-release (CD) | |
| United Kingdom | RCA | ||
| Japan | November 24, 2009 | Sony Music Japan | |
| United States | Music World, Columbia | ||
| Taiwan | November 28, 2009 | Platinum edition (CD + DVD) | Sony Music |
| Japan | November 30, 2009 | Sony Music Japan | |
| New Zealand | Sony Music | ||
| Austria | January 29, 2010 | Deluxe edition re-release (CD) | |
| Germany |
| Country | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | November 9, 2009 | The Bonus Tracks (Digital EP Extended play An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact... ) |
Sony Music |
| United States | November 20, 2009 | Music World, Columbia | |
| Spain | November 24, 2009 | Sony Music |
External links
- I Am... Sasha Fierce at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
- I Am... Sasha Fierce at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...