"Broken-Hearted Girl" is a song recorded by American singer

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

for her third studio album '' I Am... Sasha Fierce'' (2008). Written by Beyoncé,

Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds Kenneth Brian Edmonds (born April 10, 1959), better known by his stage name Babyface, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has written and produced over 26 number-one R&B hits throughout his career and has won 12 Grammy A ...

, and production duo

Stargate ''Stargate'' (often stylized in all caps) is a military science fiction media franchise based on the Stargate (film), film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin. The franchise is based on the idea of an alien E ...

, it was initially a classic rhythm and blues song until Babyface changed the arrangement and chords. The track appears on the ''I Am...'' disc, including songs which give a behind-the-scenes glimpse of Beyoncé's life stripped of her make-up and celebrity trappings. The song is a

midtempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

R&B

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

accompanied by piano,

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

, and drum machine beats. The lyrics describe heartache and romantic insecurities. "Broken-Hearted Girl" was initially announced as the sixth single from ''I Am... Sasha Fierce'' in the United States and the fourth elsewhere, but was replaced with " Sweet Dreams".

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

released "Broken-Hearted Girl" outside the United States on August 28, 2009. Critics praised Beyoncé's emotional vocals on the track but had divided opinions on the production. Commercially, the song reached the top 20 in Australia, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Ireland.

Sophie Muller Sophie Luise Elisabeth Muller (born 31 January 1962) is a British music video director who has directed more than 300 music videos. She won a Grammy Award for Annie Lennox's 1992 ''Diva'' video album, and an MTV Video Music Award for Lennox's son ...

directed a monochrome accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for the song, in which Beyoncé's character reminisces about her relationship on a beach in

Malibu, California Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malibu ...

. Beyoncé performed "Broken-Hearted Girl" on the I Am... World Tour (2009–10).

Writing and production

wrote "Broken-Hearted Girl" alongside the Norwegian production team

, which consists of Tor Erik Hermansen and Mikkel Storleer Eriksen. The duo initially composed "Broken-Hearted Girl" as a traditional

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

song but co-writer

changed one chord and added

falsetto ''Falsetto'' (, ; Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous ed ...

vocals. His recording a

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

version preceded a rewrite of the

backing track A backing track is an audio recording on audiotape, CD or a digital recording medium or a MIDI recording of synthesized instruments, sometimes of purely rhythmic accompaniment, often of a rhythm section or other accompaniment parts that live music ...

chords and the addition of a

four-on-the-floor Four-on-the-floor (or four-to-the-floor) is a rhythm pattern used primarily in dance genres such as disco and electronic dance music. It is a steady, uniformly accented beat in time in which the bass drum is hit on every beat (1, 2, 3, 4)."T ...

piano; the result was a "grand-piano ballad". According to the sheet music published by

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...

, "Broken-Hearted Girl" was composed at a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

of 84

beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ( ...

using

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

in the

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

D minor D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative major is F major and its parallel major is D major. The D natural minor scale is: Changes needed for t ...

. Eriksen explained, "I suppose many of our songs are in minor keys. We probably lean towards more a moody, melodic expression. It's what comes most natural for us." Stargate and Beyoncé produced "Broken-Hearted Girl" in 2008 at Roc the Mic Studios in New York City. Beyoncé arranged & performed the vocals, which Jim Caruana recorded. Eriksen assisted in recording the instrumental track &, along with Hermansen, arranged the music & played the instruments.

Mark "Spike" Stent Mark "Spike" Stent (born 3 August 1965) is an English record producer and mixing engineer who has worked with many international artists including Madonna, Marshmello, U2, Beyoncé, Björk, Depeche Mode, Echo & The Bunnymen, Grimes, Ed Sheeran ...

and Matt Green then mixed the track. "Broken-Hearted Girl" is included on the

double album A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording i ...

'' I Am... Sasha Fierce'' as part of the ''I Am...'' disc, which features

ballads A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

that describe Beyoncé's insecurities about love and depict the person she is "underneath all the makeup, underneath the lights and underneath all the exciting star drama". Beyoncé said she likes to sing ballads because "the music and the emotion in the story is told so much better. It's a better connection because you can hear it and it's not all these other distractions. n the ''I Am'' disc,I really wanted people to hear my voice and hear what I had to say."

Composition and lyrical interpretation

"Broken-Hearted Girl" is a midtempo R&B ballad with an airy vocal melody. Beyoncé's vocals are accompanied by strings, a drum machine

beat Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ( ...

and a cascading melancholy piano that opens the song. The ballad has a Dm–B–F(add9)–F–C/E

chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice ...

and a verse-chorus structure. Beyoncé sings the introduction in a low

vocal register A vocal register is a range of tones in the human voice produced by a particular vibratory pattern of the vocal folds. These registers include modal voice (or normal voice), vocal fry, falsetto, and the whistle register. Registers originate in la ...

that heightens her vocal power; in the song, her voice ranges from F₃ to F₅. According to Beyoncé, the lyrics of "Broken-Hearted Girl" concern a woman's fear of the downsides of love. The protagonist sings about heartache, and the possibility of a breakup due to the decline of her relationship with an unfaithful lover. She wishes that she did not have to experience this emotional hurt. While her lover is out cheating on her, at home the woman wonders if she has the courage to continue the relationship, "now that her rock has turned out to be made of mud", as interpreted by Fraser McAlpine of

BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio o ...

. The protagonist accepts that her feelings for her lover are too strong, and that she does not have the courage to leave him. She decides to fight for her love and not become the victim, singing emotively: "I don't want a broken heart / And I don't want to play the broken-hearted girl". Despite the desire to have her lover back, she sings, "I know that I love you but let me just say / I don't want to love you in no kind of way". The woman gains confidence, and towards the end of the song, she wants to spend her life with her lover despite the previous letdowns.

Release

"Broken-Hearted Girl" and "

Ego Ego or EGO may refer to: Social sciences * Ego (Freudian), one of the three constructs in Sigmund Freud's structural model of the psyche * Egoism, an ethical theory that treats self-interest as the foundation of morality * Egotism, the drive to ...

" were initially planned for simultaneous release as singles in the United States, but "Broken-Hearted Girl" was replaced with " Sweet Dreams", which became the sixth single from the ''I Am.. Sasha Fierce''. "Ego" and "Sweet Dreams" are both on the ''Sasha Fierce'' disc, while the other joint-releases from ''I Am.. Sasha Fierce'' included one song from each disc to demonstrate the concept of Beyoncé's conflicting personalities—the album's central theme. "Broken-Hearted Girl" was subsequently released as the seventh overall single from ''I Am.. Sasha Fierce'' and the fifth outside the US. The ballad was made available in a two-track digital download in Australia and New Zealand on August 28, 2009. A

CD single A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any si ...

, featuring the album version of "Broken-Hearted Girl" and an extended

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

of " Video Phone", was released in Germany on October 20, 2009. French

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

musician

Alan Braxe Alain Quême (), professionally known as Alan Braxe (born 9 July 1971), is a French electronic music artist. Braxe is most widely known for his collaborative work with electronic bassist Fred Falke and Kris Menace, and for being part of the musi ...

produced a different version of "Broken-Hearted Girl" that was released in Europe. It is a bubblegum dance and

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

remix with guitars,

horns Horns or The Horns may refer to: * Plural of Horn (instrument), a group of musical instruments all with a horn-shaped bells * The Horns (Colorado), a summit on Cheyenne Mountain * ''Horns'' (novel), a dark fantasy novel written in 2010 by Joe Hill ...

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

whip A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally e ...

s, and

snare drum The snare (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often used ...

s. Braxe reworked the ballad's

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

and made changes to Beyoncé's vocals, such as increasing the speed of her singing. On October 30, 2009, a

maxi single A maxi single or maxi-single (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song. The first maxi singles Mungo Jerry's first single, "In the Summertime" was the ...

was released in Europe that features a

radio edit In music, a radio edit or radio mix is a modification, typically truncated or censored, intended to make a song more suitable for airplay, whether it be adjusted for length, profanity, subject matter, instrumentation, or form. Radio edits may als ...

and four remixes. Another maxi single was made available on November 2 in the United Kingdom by

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

. Digital

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

s later came out on November 20, 2009, in Australia, New Zealand, and Europe.

Critical reception

Celine Dion Concert Singing Taking Chances 2008

"Broken-Hearted Girl" received a mixed response from critics. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond of ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

'' described the song as "romantic-comedy soundtrack fare", and Colin McGuire of ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'' commented that the balladry is more similar to the work of Canadian pop singer

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

than American soul singer

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

.McGuire, Colin. (2009-02-06
Review: ''I Am... Sasha Fierce''

. Retrieved on 2009-11-11. A writer for the ''

Eastern Daily Press The ''Eastern Daily Press'' (''EDP'') is a regional newspaper covering Norfolk, northern parts of Suffolk and eastern Cambridgeshire, and is published daily in Norwich, UK. Founded in 1870 as a broadsheet called the ''Eastern Counties Daily ...

'' noted that it is a ballad in the vein of Beyoncé's 2008 single "

If I Were a Boy "If I Were a Boy" is a song written by BC Jean and Toby Gad and originally performed by Jean in 2008. The song gained international attention the same year in a version by the American singer Beyoncé, from her third studio album '' I Am... Sa ...

" and that Dion would be proud of its "insipid ndsentimental" balladry. David Riva of ''

The Michigan Daily ''The Michigan Daily'' is the weekly student newspaper of the University of Michigan. Its first edition was published on September 29, 1890. The newspaper is financially and editorially independent of the University's administration and other stu ...

'' saw "Broken-Hearted Girl" as "a powerful and emotionally stirring ballad with universal resonance" and one that shows Beyoncé's growth as a songwriter. Jay Lustig of

New Jersey On-Line NJ.com is a digital news content provider and website in New Jersey owned by Advance Publications. According to a report in ''The New York Times'' in 2012, it was the largest provider of digital news in the state at the time. In 2018, comScore r ...

felt that the only standout on the ''I Am...'' disc was "Broken-Hearted Girl", which he noted to have a "stately, classic-soul vibe" in contrast to the other ballads on the disc. Critics had polarized opinions on the production of "Broken-Hearted Girl". Spence D. of

IGN Music ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

wrote that "strings create a mournfully thoughtful tone" on the ballad. Mayer Nissim of

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...

commended "the pleasant mix of cascading piano and tender strings", but criticized the drum sounds for their hollowness. He nevertheless added that the drums do not prevent the song from being "a classy, well-constructed pop ballad". Nissim concluded that although "the emotion-filled vocals offer yet more proof that eyoncéis one of the finest pop singers of her generation", "Broken-Hearted Girl" is not as catchy as her best work. Darryl Sterdan of

Jam! Jam! was a Canadian website which covers entertainment news. It was part of the Canoe.com online portal, formerly owned and operated by Quebecor through its Sun Media division, and now owned by Postmedia Network. Jam! was the only media outlet ...

called it a "grand-piano ballad" that may stand out from pop songs on a regular studio album, but seems monotonous on ''I Am... Sasha Fierce'' as it is on a disc that contains ballads only. Negative reviews came from ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

'' Michaelangelo Matos, who felt that "Broken-Hearted Girl" sounded "unfinished", and '' Paste'' magazine's Jessica Suarez, who said Beyoncé's "commanding voice sounds unusually thin" on the ballad. She was unconvinced by the lyrics, noting that the line, "I don't want to play the broken-hearted girl", "rings false". Ben Westhoff of ''

Las Vegas Weekly ''Las Vegas Weekly'' is a free alternative weekly newspaper based in Henderson, Nevada, covering Las Vegas arts, entertainment, culture and news. ''Las Vegas Weekly'' is published by Greenspun Media Group. The paper was founded in 1992 by James P ...

'' wrote that it was difficult to guess what inspired the development of the breakup ballad as Beyoncé married

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

a few months before the album's release.

Chart performance

On November 14, 2009, "Broken-Hearted Girl" reached number twenty-seven on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. Starting on November 21, 2009, the single descended the chart for twelve weeks, last appearing on November 19, 2009. It has been certified silver by the

British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with th ...

(BPI), for shipment of 200,000 copies in the United Kingdom. "Broken-Hearted Girl" entered the

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are bas ...

at number thirty-nine on October 8, 2009, and reached number twenty on November 5, 2009. The single spent nine consecutive weeks on the chart, on which it last appeared on December 3, 2009. It attained top twenty positions on the Czech Republic Airplay Chart and the

German Singles Chart The GfK Entertainment charts are the official music charts in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindust ...

, respectively peaking at number fifteen and fourteen. "Broken-Hearted Girl" debuted and peaked at number thirty-eight on

Austrian Singles Chart Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

. On the

Swiss Singles Chart The Swiss Hitparade (german: link=no, Schweizer Hitparade) is Switzerland's main Record chart, music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland. The Swiss charts include: * ...

, it peaked at number sixty-two, and charted for three non-consecutive weeks. The ballad made its way to the top ten of the Belgian Tip Charts. On Australia's

ARIA Singles Chart 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 songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

, "Broken-Hearted Girl" debuted at number twenty-eight on September 21, 2009, and ascended to number fifteen the following week. On October 5, 2009, it rose to number fourteen, and was there for an additional week; it lasted for nine consecutive weeks on the chart. "Broken-Hearted Girl" peaked at number four on the ARIA Urban Singles Chart, and emerged as the thirty-seventh best-selling urban single of 2009 in Australia. It reached number ten on the Brazilian Hot 100 Airplay chart in the October 2010 issue.

Music video

The

for "Broken-Hearted Girl" was directed by

. It was released on the remix and video album '' Above and Beyoncé – Video Collection & Dance Mixes'' on June 16, 2009, and through

iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...

s on November 20, 2009. Most of it had been filmed in

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

on a beach in

, in late February 2009. The protagonist (Beyoncé) reminisces on an isolated beach about a relationship that went wrong. The video begins as the protagonist parks her car and cries following an argument she has had with her lover. She then leaves the car, walks towards the sea, and lets down her hair. Flashbacks of the woman and her lover on the beach are shown. With teary eyes, she heads into the sea as waves break the shore. Back in the car, she imagines her lover holding her hands. The video transitions into color, as Beyoncé's character appears on the beach in a green dress and holds a rose without its petals, which she later restores. The video then flashes back to black-and-white memories of the woman resting her head on her lover's shoulder. She eventually realizes that she must set her relationship back on the right track. In the end, she drives off with a smile. A critic for ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'' found the video "sultry". Peter Gigas of ''

E! News ''E! News'', previously known as ''E! News Daily'' and ''E! News Live'', is the entertainment news operation for the cable network E! in the United States. Its former on-air weekday newscast debuted on September 1, 1991, and primarily reports ...

'' wrote that Beyoncé " ooksexceptionally stunning" even while crying over a poor relationship. He noted that the clip is "simple and straightforward", and connects effectively with viewers who like the ballad.

Live performances

Flickr - anniepoes - Broken-Hearted Girl

"Broken-Hearted Girl" was in Beyoncé's

set list A set list, or setlist, is typically a handwritten or printed document created as an ordered list of songs, jokes, stories and other elements an artist intends to present during a specific performance. A setlist can be made of nearly any materi ...

of the worldwide I Am... World Tour (2009–10), which was in support of ''I Am... Sasha Fierce''. The performances of her uptempo songs were followed by a rapid costume change. Wearing a white dress, she sang three ballads from the album in a row; she performed "Broken-Hearted Girl" after singing "Smash into You", on the top of a staircase, and "

Ave Maria The Hail Mary ( la, Ave Maria) is a traditional Christian prayer addressing Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical passages featured in the Gospel of Luke: the Angel Gabriel's visit to Mary (the Annunciation) and Mary's s ...

", for which she changed into a wedding dress. A recorded version of the performance was previewed on the music video website

Vevo Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, di ...

. It was released on her live album '' I Am... World Tour'' on November 29, 2010. Jay Lustig of New Jersey On-Line commented that the song's performance at the

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

on June 21, 2009, had "plenty of blues grit". Jayson Rodriguez of

MTV News MTV News is the news production division of MTV. The service is available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network. In February 2016, MTV Networks confirmed it would refresh the MTV News brand in 2016, to compete with the likes ...

noted that Beyoncé displayed her softer side while performing the ballad, while Jim Farber of the '' Daily News'' said she showed "something more internal and deep". Ben Ratliff of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' criticized the performance, writing that it was "the evening's most comical moment, in a concert involving a bustier made with motorcycle lights". Michael Cragg of

musicOMH MusicOMH (stylized as musicOMH) is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History MusicOMH was founded and launched by ...

highlighted that Beyoncé's performance of "Broken-Heated Girl" was better than those of the previous two ballads "because it is allowed to exist on its own terms; a simple song, sung beautifully". ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...

''s Barbara Ellen commented that Beyoncé, singing in Zurich in May 2009, was "clawing pathos" on "Broken-Hearted Girl" and "can shape-change at will".

Formats and track listings

;Oceania download single # "Broken-Hearted Girl" – 4:39 # "Broken-Hearted Girl" (Catalyst remix) – 4:46 ;Europe and Oceania digital EP #"Broken-Hearted Girl" – 4:37 #" Video Phone" (extended remix featuring

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

) – 5:04 #"

Poison Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figuratively, with a broa ...

" – 4:04 ;Europe and Oceania digital EP #"Broken-Hearted Girl" – 4:37 #"Video Phone" (extended remix featuring Lady Gaga) – 5:04 #"Poison" – 4:04 #"Broken-Hearted Girl" (music video) – 4:39 ;Germany CD single # "Broken-Hearted Girl" – 4:39 # "Video Phone" (extended remix featuring Lady Gaga) – 5:04 ;Europe maxi single # "Broken-Hearted Girl" (Gareth Wyn remix) – 6:31 # "Broken-Hearted Girl" (Gareth Wyn remix 128 BPM) – 6:48 # "Broken-Hearted Girl" (Alan Braxe remix) – 4:18 # "Broken-Hearted Girl" (Alan Braxe Dub remix) – 7:01 # "Broken-Hearted Girl" (Olli Collins & Fred Portelli remix) – 6:36 # "Broken-Hearted Girl" (radio edit) – 3:29

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from the ''I Am... Sasha Fierce''

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...

. *Jim Caruana – recording engineer (vocals) *

–

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

Mikkel Storleer Eriksen Stargate is a record producing and songwriting team composed of Tor E. Hermansen (born 14 October 1972) and Mikkel S. Eriksen (born 10 December 1972), based in Los Angeles. The team's genres include R&B, pop and hip hop. Stargate was establi ...

–

instruments Instrument may refer to: Science and technology * Flight instruments, the devices used to measure the speed, altitude, and pertinent flight angles of various kinds of aircraft * Laboratory equipment, the measuring tools used in a scientific lab ...

, music recorded by, songwriter *Matt Green – assistant

mixing engineer A mixing engineer (or simply mix engineer) is responsible for combining ("mixing") different sonic elements of an auditory piece into a complete rendition (also known as "final mix" or "mixdown"), whether in music, film, or any other content of a ...

Tor Erik Hermansen Tor, TOR or ToR may refer to: Places * Tor, Pallars, a village in Spain * Tor, former name of Sloviansk, Ukraine, a city * Mount Tor, Tasmania, Australia, an extinct volcano * Tor Bay, Devon, England * Tor River, Western New Guinea, Indonesia Sc ...

– instruments, songwriter *Beyoncé –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

, songwriter *

– producer *

– mixing engineer

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

Beyoncé's official website
{{authority control 2000s ballads 2009 singles Beyoncé songs Song recordings produced by Stargate (record producers) Songs written by Beyoncé Music videos directed by Sophie Muller Pop ballads Contemporary R&B ballads Songs written by Babyface (musician) Songs written by Tor Erik Hermansen Songs written by Mikkel Storleer Eriksen 2008 songs Song recordings produced by Beyoncé Black-and-white music videos Songs about heartache Columbia Records singles