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"Irreplaceable" is a song 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 second studio album, '' B'Day'' (2006). The song was written by Shaffer "Ne-Yo" Smith, Tor Erik Hermansen, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Espen Lind, Amund Bjørklund, Beyoncé and produced by
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 ...
and Beyoncé. "Irreplaceable" was originally a country record; it was re-arranged as a mid- tempo ballad with pop and R&B influences by modifying the vocal arrangements and instrumentation. During the production and recording sessions, Beyoncé and Ne-Yo wanted to create a record which people of either gender could relate to. The song's lyrics are about the breakdown of a relationship with an unfaithful man and the song contains a message about female empowerment. Following the moderate chart performances of " Déjà Vu" and " Ring the Alarm", "Irreplaceable" was released internationally on October 23, 2006, as the album's second
single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...
, and the third in the United States on December 5, 2006. The single was released through
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 ...
. '' Pitchfork Media'' and '' Rolling Stone'' placed it on their lists of Best Songs of the 2000s. "Irreplaceable" won several awards, including Best R&B/Soul Single at the 2007 Soul Train Music Awards. It was nominated for the Record of the Year award at the
50th Grammy Awards The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, on February 10, 2008. It honored musical achievement of 2007 in which albums were released between October 1, 2006, through September 30, 2007. The primary ceremonies ...
. The single became Beyoncé's fourth number-one in the U.S., was ''B'Day''s most successful release, and remained at the top of the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart for ten consecutive weeks. "Irreplaceable" was the twenty-fifth most successful song of the 2000s (decade) in the U.S., and was
certified Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...
double-platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA). It became Beyoncé's second single to achieve 200 million audience impressions in 2006. She is the second singer to achieve this feat in the U.S., the first having been
Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...
in 2005. "Irreplaceable" also peaked at number one in Australia, Hungary, Ireland, and New Zealand, at number four in the United Kingdom, and reached the top ten in several other European countries. "Irreplaceable" was the most successful song of 2007 in the US and 2007's tenth best-selling digital single with over 4.6 million copies sold worldwide. It also was the most downloaded female ringtone of the 2000s decade in the US. The single's accompanying music video was directed by
Anthony Mandler Anthony Mandler (born April 18, 1973) is an American film director, music video director, television commercial director and photographer. As a music video director, his most notable and frequent collaborator is Rihanna. The two have worked on s ...
and served as the debut performance of Beyoncé's all-female band, Suga Mama. The video was included on the 2007 ''
B'Day Anthology Video Album ''B'Day Anthology Video Album'' is the third DVD by American singer Beyoncé. It was released through Columbia Records, Sony Music and Music World Entertainment exclusively through Walmart stores on April 3, 2007 alongside the deluxe edition, b ...
'', and a video edit was produced for "Irreemplazable", the Spanish version of the song. It won the Video of the Year award at the 2007
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(BET) Awards, and was nominated for the MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year at the
2007 Awards 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube (algebra), cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion ...
. "Irreplaceable" has regularly featured in Beyoncé's tours and live performances since 2006. The
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...
(ASCAP) recognized the song as one of the most performed of 2007 at the ASCAP Pop Music Awards.


Production

"Irreplaceable" was written for Chrisette Michele. Production team
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 ...
and singer-songwriter Ne-Yo had written for Beyoncé's second album ''B'Day'', but Tor Erik Hermansen of Stargate said that they might not have gone in the direction they did on the song. The tune did not suit Beyoncé's voice, and Ne-Yo wrote the lyrics from a male perspective, although it was not based upon his personal experiences. Ne-Yo wrote the song in the country style, thinking of country singers Shania Twain and Faith Hill during the sessions. When Ne-Yo heard them playing the song with a guitar, he thought it sounded like country music. But when the drums were incorporated into the music, it was brought to an R&B vibe, and Ne-Yo considered making an R&B-country western music song instead. When the team worked with Ne-Yo, they recorded the song with a male vocalist. However, they thought a female vocalist would be more suitable, and Ne-Yo also thought that it was empowering for a woman to sing it. Eriksen of Stargate said it was an A&R person who suggested that the song would work better when sung by a woman. Two labels wanted the song. While Beyoncé worked on material for ''B'Day'', she was pleased with the demo of the "Irreplaceable" that was presented to her. However, "Irreplaceable" did not seem to fit on ''B'Day'', which was supposed to be "a hard-hitting club album". Swizz Beatz, who was working on the album, declared that Beyoncé would be crazy not to include the song on the record. Beyoncé asked for changes to the song, including the addition of drums, vocal arrangements, and singing in a higher register than the demo. Espen Lind and Amund Bjørklund, from the Norwegian production team Espionage, wrote the chord structure and the guitar part. In an interview with
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, Ne-Yo said, "Beyoncé had some stuff that she wanted to get off her chest", while aiming to make a record that women could relate to, in keeping with the theme of the album. The recording was engineered by Jim Caruana and mixed by Jason Goldstein at Sony Music Studios in New York City. Goldstein was hired to mix ''B'Day''. He said: "This song was really simple to mix. It was produced by Stargate and the sounds are really good and they all made sense, and there was lots of room for all the instruments." Goldstein used a board equalizer for the drums' treatment. For the acoustic guitars, he used the analogue flanger of a TC 1210 spatial expander "to sweeten the sound" and to give them "a little bit more spread". Goldstein thought "Irreplaceable" sounded "a bit old-school"; an eighth note
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echo was placed on the song's lead vocal at 341ms, using the ''Echo Farm''
plug-in Plug-in, plug in or plugin may refer to: * Plug-in (computing) is a software component that adds a specific feature to an existing computer program. ** Audio plug-in, adds audio signal processing features ** Photoshop plugin, a piece of softwar ...
software. For the backing vocals, Goldstein used ''Echo Farm'' with a quarter note delay at 682ms and Sony's ''Oxford Dynamics''
compressor A compressor is a mechanical device that increases the pressure of a gas by reducing its volume. An air compressor is a specific type of gas compressor. Compressors are similar to pumps: both increase the pressure on a fluid and both can transp ...
/ limiter in dual-mono mode. The compressor was placed in Classic setting, to emulate the LA-2A leveling amplifier, and the Warmth button used to add harmonics. ''Oxford Dynamics'' was used for the bass in a different setting. Goldstein passed the final mix through the ''Oxford EQ'' and ''Inflator'' plug-ins. Pro Tools software was used to print the aux track into a 44.1kHz/
24-bit Notable 24-bit machines include the CDC 924 – a 24-bit version of the CDC 1604, CDC lower 3000 series, SDS 930 and SDS 940, the ICT 1900 series, the Elliott 4100 series, and the Datacraft minicomputers/Harris H series. The term SWORD is ...
CD and then into a 24-bit CD master. After the sessions for "Irreplaceable" ended, Hermansen said that "everyone felt they had captured something special and that Beyoncé had done the track justice", but there were still concerns that urban radio might not play the song as it featured acoustic guitars and had more of a pop appeal. "But then it became the biggest urban record ... ever," ermansensaid.


Songwriting controversy

A controversy arose over the writing credits on "Irreplaceable". Ne-Yo told MTV: "Apparently Beyoncé was at a show somewhere and right before the song came on she said, 'I wrote this for all my ladies' and then the song came on ... The song is a co-write. I wrote the lyrics, I wrote all the lyrics. Beyoncé helped me with the melodies and the harmonies and the vocal arrangement and that makes it a co-write. Meaning my contribution and her contribution made that song what it is." In 2011, Ne-Yo said that he wrote the song for himself, but thought that it would be better suited for Beyoncé. Some of Beyoncé's fans read Ne-Yo's remark as disrespectful towards her. However, he clarified his comment later through Twitter, writing, "I said I originally wrote the song for me. ... Once I realized how the song comes across if sung by a guy, that's when I decided to give it away."


Composition

"Irreplaceable" is a mid- tempo ballad with
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...
and R&B influences. Written 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 ...
of
B major B major (or the key of B) is a major scale based on B. The pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A are all part of the B major scale. Its key signature has five sharps. Its relative minor is G-sharp minor, its parallel minor is B minor, and its ...
, the beat is set in common time and moves at a moderate 88 beats per minute.Sheet music for "Irreplaceable". Sony/ATV Music Publishing (2005). Beyoncé's vocal range in the song spans nearly two and a half
octave In music, an octave ( la, octavus: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is the interval between one musical pitch and another with double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been refer ...
s, from B2 to E5. While most of the songs on the album are aggressive and uptempo, her voice on "Irreplaceable" is toned down. "Irreplaceable" uses a gently strummed acoustic guitar, following the B5–F5–Cm7–E6/9
chord Chord may refer to: * Chord (music), an aggregate of musical pitches sounded simultaneously ** Guitar chord a chord played on a guitar, which has a particular tuning * Chord (geometry), a line segment joining two points on a curve * Chord ( ...
series. Hermansen and Eriksen combined the classic chord progression on an acoustic guitar, a modern-sounding 808 drum beat and cellos. Al Shipley of ''
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'' noted that the guitar strum can be found in
Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...
's 2007 single " Hate That I Love You", a song co-produced by Stargate and Ne-Yo. Rob Sheffield of '' Rolling Stone'' wrote that
Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to '' Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempo ...
's 2007 single " With You", another Stargate-produced song, also features the same element. He wrote, "'With You' is the convincer, even if you can instantly tell that producer Stargate was just trying to roll out 'Irreplaceable' one more time." while ''
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'' magazine wrote that it "leans a bit too heavily" to the song. Jim DeRogatis of the '' Chicago Sun-Times'' wrote that "Irreplaceable" resembles ballads sung by Whitney Houston. Spence D. of IGN wrote that the song was inspired by
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 ...
's work since "Irreplaceable" consists of several variations in gutturals and octave range. The lyrics of "Irreplaceable" concern the breakdown of a woman's relationship with her boyfriend after she discovers his infidelity, and the song "sounds a lot like a statement of independence". Sarah Rodman of '' The Boston Globe'' wrote, "With a heretofore unknown grasp of nuance, Beyonce combines heartache, bravado, and anger as she tells a cad he's far from irreplaceable—and that, in fact, her new man will be arriving momentarily." Hermansen said that "Irreplaceable" is a song that "people from all walks of life can enjoy". Beyoncé said that the song is "a little honest", and, "... basically we can't forget our power and our worth. And sometimes you're so in love, you forget that. And sometimes you feel like you're not being appreciated. And sometimes they forget that they can be replaced." The song's lyrics are constructed in the verse-pre-chorus-chorus form. It begins with guitar strumming, and Beyoncé sings the hook- intro, "To the left, to the left: everything you own in a box to the left". In bar seven, she sings the first verse, arguing with her boyfriend about the indifference of their relationship, and tells him to walk away. The pre-chorus and chorus follow, "You must not know 'bout me ... I can have another you by tomorrow / I could have another you in a minute ... Don't you ever for a second get to thinking / You're irreplaceable". In the second verse, Beyoncé recollects the moment she discovered her boyfriend's infidelity. The same pattern leads to the second chorus. Towards the end, Beyoncé sings the bridge, where she tells her lover, "Replacing you is so easy". The song closes with an ad-libbed chorus. ''The Boston Globe'' noted that Beyoncé sings some parts of it in a higher register "that complements the lyrics' wounded sensibility".


Release

During the production of "Irreplaceable", Hermansen thought that the track would not receive radio play because of the acoustic guitars, and deemed the song too pop-oriented. Hermansen did not expect "Irreplaceable" to conform to any genre. Despite his prediction, the song became successful on urban charts. It was played in New York and on country radio stations. Shortly after the release of "Irreplaceable", Beyoncé told MTV: "I love 'Irreplaceable'. I think it's important to have those songs. I've had so many people come up to me in tears, saying, 'I experienced my first breakup. If it wasn't for the song, I wouldn't be strong enough to not call. I wouldn't know how much I'm worth.' I'm happy to be a part of that." "Irreplaceable" was released in the United Kingdom on October 23, 2006, as the second single there. In the US, "Irreplaceable" was the third single from ''B'Day''', and followed " Ring the Alarm". The single was released on December 5, 2006, and featured the album and instrumental versions of the track. "Irreplaceable" was the second single released from ''B'Day'' in international markets on Columbia Records. Two versions of the single were released in the UK on October 26, 2006. A CD single, which featured the album version of "Irreplaceable", and the
Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
club mix radio edit of "Ring the Alarm", was released. An
enhanced CD Enhanced CD is a certification mark of the Recording Industry Association of America for various technologies that combine audio and computer data for use in both Compact Disc and CD-ROM players. Formats that fall under the "enhanced CD" ca ...
, which included the album version, three remixes of "Ring the Alarm", and the "Ring the Alarm" music video, was also released. A
12-inch single The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12″) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surfac ...
was released in the UK the following week. In Australia, a maxi single, which featured the album version and two remixes of "Déjà Vu", was released on December 5, 2006. A Maurice Joshua remix edit of the song was released in Australia two weeks later. Beyoncé recorded a Spanish version of the song, called "Irreemplazable", with additional lyrical contributions from Rudy Pérez and was included on the second disc of the deluxe edition of ''B'Day'' released on June 12, 2007. An '' Irreemplazable'' EP was released in the US on August 28, 2007, and on September 10, 2007, in the UK. The EP includes "Irreemplazable", the Norteña Remix of "Irreplaceable", "
Amor Gitano "Amor Gitano" (English: "Gypsy Love") is a Latin pop duet by Mexican recording artist Alejandro Fernández and American recording artist Beyoncé. The song contains a mixture of cultures, mostly influenced by the language of Fernández, that is ...
", three versions of " Beautiful Liar", the Timbaland remix of " Get Me Bodied" featuring Voltio, and "Oye", the Spanish version of " Listen". As a fundraiser for the victims of the
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six minutes ...
in Japan, a compilation album that included "Irreplaceable", called '' Songs for Japan'', was released on March 25, 2011.


Critical reception

Jody Rosen of '' Entertainment Weekly'' noted "Irreplaceable" to be "a lilting tune unlike anything Beyoncé has ever performed". Sarah Rodman of ''The Boston Globe'' wrote that the song is "gentle but maddeningly hook-y". Spence Abbott of IGN wrote that "Irreplaceable" and "Resentment" go for "a much more traditional contemporary R&B vibe" than any of the previous tracks on ''B'Day'', making them stand out as if they were recorded separately from the rest of the album. Roger Friedman of
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wrote that "Irreplaceable" is a "clever ballad" and the most memorable track on ''B'Day''. He added that it has the most potential of catching on with fans quickly, and that it is the only song on the album that "you might actually want to sing along to". Mike Joseph of PopMatters commented that "'Irreplaceable' tellingly, was co-written by Ne-Yo, who may not be the powerhouse vocalist Beyonce is, but has significantly stronger songwriting skills. It's the best song on the album—perhaps Ms. Knowles should take a hint." Tim Finney of '' Pitchfork Media'', called "Irreplaceable" the best song on ''B'Day'' and praised its overall production, writing:
Before, Beyoncé's approach to heartbreak was always literal, her voice and her words declaiming her feelings with a studied earnestness that at times was difficult to believe, let alone connect with. 'Irreplaceable' is the first song in which Beyoncé lies to herself, and the way her voice perfectly betrays that lie (revealing a giveaway tremble in the stiff upper lip of the lyrics) simultaneously renders it her most sophisticated and her most honest performance to date.


Recognition and accolades

Mark Edward Nero ranked it as the ninth best R&B song of 2006, and wrote, "This song has modern-day classic written all over it." '' The Village Voice'' listed it 18 on their list of best songs of 2006. Staff members of ''Pitchfork Media'' ranked the song on their list of The Top 100 Tracks of 2006 at number 45. Shaheem Reid, Jayson Rodriguez and Rahman Dukes of MTV News placed the song at number 3 on their year-end list of 27 Essential R&B Songs of 2007. In 2009, Ryan Schreiber ranked "Irreplaceable" at number 183 on his list of Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s (decade). Barry Schwartz of ''Stylus'' Magazine wrote that "Irreplaceable" recaptured Beyoncé's 2003 debut single " Crazy in Love"'s near-perfection, describing it as "gentle but defiant", and further wrote, "Through some breezy strums and a sweet plaintive melody Beyonce delivers her most genuinely emotional vocal to date, equal parts vulnerable, upset, pissed off, vindictive, resigned, and apathetic." ''Rolling Stone'' ranked the song at number 60 on its list of 100 Best Songs of the 2000s. The
RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
recognized the song as the "Highest-certified Master Ringtone by a Female Artist" of the decade achieving three times multiplatinum certification "Irreplaceable" won the award for Best R&B/Soul Single, Female, at the 2007 Soul Train Music Award, and the 'Favorite Song' award at the 2007
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. It was nominated for the
Grammy Award for Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...
in the
2008 Grammy Awards The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, on February 10, 2008. It honored musical achievement of 2007 in which albums were released between October 1, 2006, through September 30, 2007. The primary ceremonie ...
, and Song of the Year at the VH1 Soul Vibe awards. "Irreplaceable" was recognized as one of the five most-performed songs of 2007 by the ASCAP Pop Music Awards.


Commercial performance

"Irreplaceable" entered various charts worldwide, and became the most successful single released from ''B'Day''. The single debuted on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart on November 4, 2006, at number eighty-seven. It climbed the charts rapidly because of its radio airplay, and it was the "Greatest Airplay Gainer" for six consecutive weeks by early December 2006. Three weeks after the release of "Irreplaceable", ''B'Day'' re-entered the top ten on the US ''Billboard'' 200. "Irreplaceable" reached number one on December 16, becoming Beyoncé's fourth number one single as a solo artist, and her second in 2006, following " Check on It" (2005). The single spent ten consecutive weeks at number one and was replaced by Nelly Furtado's " Say It Right" (2006) on February 24, 2007. "Irreplaceable" outperformed " Baby Boy"'s nine weeks at number one. Beyoncé's former group
Destiny's Child Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limited ...
's single " Independent Women Part I" (2000) remained at number one for eleven weeks in late 2000 and early 2001. "Irreplaceable" remained on the chart for thirty weeks, and as of December 2017, and was
certified Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...
double platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA). It was additionally certified triple platinum in July 2007, denoting sales of three million master ringtones. "Irreplaceable" peaked atop the US Radio Songs, staying atop the chart for eleven consecutive weeks. According to Mediabase, "Irreplaceable" passed the two hundred million audience impressions mark on December 11, 2006. Another Beyoncé's single "Check on It" previously passed this mark on January 31, 2006. Consequently, Beyoncé became the second singer to achieve this in the United States, the first having been
Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...
whose two singles, " We Belong Together" (2005) and " Shake It Off" (2005), passed the same audience impressions mark in 2005. "Irreplaceable" was the best-performing single in the United States of 2007, topping the ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' Top Hot 100 Hits. "Irreplaceable" installed Beyoncé at third place for most number one singles by a female songwriter, overtaking
Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...
and
Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who has been active since 1958, initially as one of the staff songwriters at 1650 Broadway and later as a solo artist. Regarded as one ...
and tying
Diane Warren Diane Eve Warren (born September 7, 1956) is an American songwriter. She has received several awards including a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, three ''Billboard'' Music Awards and an Honorary Academy Award. Wa ...
for nine number-one singles. Beyoncé received three songwriting credits in one year, the only woman to achieve this since King in 1971 and Carey in 1991. In February 2010, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) listed "Irreplaceable" as the highest certified master ringtone by a female solo artist of the 2000s. By August 2011, the single had sold over three million digital downloads in the United States. Spanish version of the song "Irreemplazable" charted equally well, peaking at number four on the
Hot Latin Songs The ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs (formerly Hot Latin Tracks and Hot Latin 50) is a record chart in the United States for Latin songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Since October 2012, chart rankings are based on digital sales, rad ...
. The extended play (EP) of the same title appeared on the US Latin Pop Albums at number two, Top Latin Albums at number three, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums at number forty-one and on the ''Billboard'' 200 at number one-hundred-and-five. "Irreplaceable" debuted at number eight on the Australian
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 ...
, and peaked at number one, staying atop the chart for three consecutive weeks, becoming Beyoncé's first and so far only number-one single in Australia. It was certified six-times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), denoting shipments of 420,000 copies. "Irreplaceable" appeared twice on the ARIA year-end charts, reaching number twenty-three in 2006, and number forty-two in 2007. "Irreplaceable" debuted at number three on the New Zealand Singles Chart on November 6, 2006, the song's highest debut on any chart. It peaked at number one, and remained on the chart for eighteen weeks. It was later certified platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded Mus ...
(RIANZ). "Irreplaceable" peaked atop the charts in Hungary and Ireland, as well; it also entered the top ten in Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Scotland, Slovakia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Venezuela. In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart, spending twelve weeks in the top twenty and twenty-five weeks on the chart in total. It was Beyoncé's fifth longest-charting single in the United Kingdom, and spent more weeks on the chart than her number-one singles "Crazy in Love" and " Déjà Vu" but slightly less than more recent hit singles " If I Were a Boy", " Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", " Halo" and " Sweet Dreams". Due to Beyoncé's performance of "Irreplaceable" at the
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on June 26, 2011, the song re-entered the top forty of the UK Singles Chart at number thirty-three, and the live version appeared at number twenty-six on the UK Singles Chart Update. According to the
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 19 ...
(IFPI), "Irreplaceable" was 2007's tenth best-selling digital single with over 4.6 million copies sold worldwide;


Music video

"Irreplaceable" was directed by
Anthony Mandler Anthony Mandler (born April 18, 1973) is an American film director, music video director, television commercial director and photographer. As a music video director, his most notable and frequent collaborator is Rihanna. The two have worked on s ...
, who co-directed the video of "Get Me Bodied". The video features the debut performance of Beyoncé's all-female band, Suga Mama, who also appeared in the " Green Light" music video. Her acting-then-ex-boyfriend in the video is model
Bobby Roache Bobby Elliot Roache (born May 1, 1982) is an American male model and actor. Bobby established himself among the top most recognisable and in-demand models for his appearance role as Beyoncé's love interest in the #1 hit Irreplaceable. Biography B ...
, who played police officer for the "Ring the Alarm" music video and warrior during
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 ...
and Beyoncé's live performance at the 2006 Fashion Rocks show. The video was included on the 2007 ''
B'Day Anthology Video Album ''B'Day Anthology Video Album'' is the third DVD by American singer Beyoncé. It was released through Columbia Records, Sony Music and Music World Entertainment exclusively through Walmart stores on April 3, 2007 alongside the deluxe edition, b ...
'', and a video edit was produced for "Irreemplazable". Part of the video which shows Beyoncé dancing in silhouette in front of a glass door is inspired by a James Bond movie. Late in January 2008, "Irreemplazable" premiered on the MiTRL, a video countdown show on the bilingual channel MTV Tr3s. The music video follows the storyline of the song's lyrics. "She told me to pack up all my stuff, I'm getting kicked out—the video starts off like that", said Roache. It opens with Beyoncé filing her nails in silence, as her ex-partner packs up his property, as Beyoncé orders him to leave. Mid-way in the video, Beyoncé follows her then-ex-boyfriend outside the house and leans on a 2007 Jaguar XK. She appears to be pretentiously caressing him; only for the audience to find out that she is repossessing things she bought for him. He leaves her and the car, about to ride off in a taxi. Between cuts, Beyoncé manages herself in front of a mirror; putting on a lipstick, wearing huge curlers and a high-waisted skirt. There are additional beats mixed to the arrangement for the video version that can be heard, when Beyoncé sings with her all-female band, Suga Mama, towards the end. It ends with Beyoncé greeting her new boyfriend at the front door. At the 2007 Black Entertainment Television (BET) Awards, Beyoncé won Video of the Year Award for "Irreplaceable", an award for which " Beautiful Liar" was also nominated. It was nominated for Video of the Year during the
2007 MTV Video Music Awards The 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, honoring the best music videos from the previous year between June 2006 to June 2007, took place on September 9, in Las Vegas at The Palms. The 2007 VMAs were the smallest VMAs ever held in MTV history, eliminati ...
, but it lost to Rihanna's single, " Umbrella" (2007). At the 2007 Soul Train Music Awards, the video was nominated for the Michael Jackson Award for Best R&B/Soul or Rap Music Video, but lost to rapper (and husband) Jay-Z's " Show Me What You Got" video. The video received two nominations for Best Female Artist and Video of the Year at the 2007 MTV Australia Video Music Awards.


Live performances

Beyoncé performed "Irreplaceable" during various public appearances, including the
2006 American Music Awards The 34th Annual American Music Awards were held on November 21, 2006. They were hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. The awards recognized the most popular albums and artists from the year of 2005–2006. As usual, the ceremony was broadcast by ABC. Musical p ...
, '' The Ellen DeGeneres Show'', the '' Today Show''. The song was a part of Beyoncé's set list for her tour The Beyoncé Experience and I Am... World Tour. "Irreplaceable" was the closing song during her 2007 The Beyoncé Experience world tour. It was performed late in the set on earlier tour dates, but when Beyoncé embarked on the US leg, it was performed earlier in the show. Beyoncé performed "Irreplaceable" during her Revel Presents: Beyoncé Live revue. Beyoncé has performed "Irreplaceable" without backup dancers or live instrumentation, or in another case, Beyoncé was accompanied by two drummers, two keyboardists, a percussionist, a horn section, three backup vocalists called the Mamas, and the lead guitarist, Bibi McGill. Footage of Beyoncé's performance at the
Staples Center Crypto.com Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. The arena opened on October 17, 1999; it was ...
, Los Angeles was included on '' The Beyoncé Experience Live!'' DVD (2007), and the deluxe edition of ''I Am... World Tour'' (2010). According to '' NME'', "'Irreplaceable'
t the Glastonbury Festival T, or t, is the twentieth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''tee'' (pronounced ), plural ''tees''. It is deri ...
sparked a mass singalong, with the crowd taking the lead on the entire first verse." Following the performance of "Irreplaceable" at the Glastonbury Festival, the song was digitally released in the UK and the US on June 27, 2011, as charity single to raise funds for
Oxfam Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent charitable organizations focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International. History Founded at 17 Broad Street, Oxford, as the Oxford Co ...
, WaterAid and
Greenpeace Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by Irving Stowe and Dorothy Stowe, immigrant environmental activists from the United States. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth t ...
. This version charted at number twenty-six on the UK Singles Chart Update.


Cover versions and usage in media

American band
Sleigh Bells Sleigh Bells may refer to: * Sleigh bells, a type of bell which produces a distinctive 'jingle' sound, especially in large numbers. * Sleigh Bells (band) Sleigh Bells is an American musical duo based in Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2008 and ...
recorded an acoustic cover of the song during their Maida Vale sessions and released it Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show on March 6, 2012. A writer of ''Billboard'' magazine commented that their cover was "ethereal". Ray Rahman of ''Entertainment Weekly'' described the cover as "really good!... Krauss also has a teen-pop background thanks to her Rubyblue days, so it's actually not that surprising that she can find her away around a Top 40 single so well." However, Maura Johnston of '' The Village Voice'' gave a negative review for the cover, saying: "Krauss sighs her way through the song, turning her voice into a mew that sounds like she was trying to sing along with the radio while not being heard by her roommates or anyone else outside of a six-inch radius... Also, some of the guitar chords are a bit off.... it's sorta disappointing." In 2007,
Gregory and the Hawk Meredith Godreau is an American singer-songwriter performing under the pseudonym Gregory and the Hawk. Active since 2001, Godreau initially enjoyed independent success with two EPs and a full-length album selling a total of 15,000 copies. Earl ...
and Taylor Swift each covered the song. US country band
Sugarland Sugarland is an American country music duo founded in Atlanta, Georgia. The duo consists of singer-songwriters Jennifer Nettles (lead vocals) and Kristian Bush (vocals, guitar, mandolin). They were founded in 2002, at which point Kristen Hall (vo ...
, who performed some of Beyoncé's songs during their live shows, performed a country version of "Irreplaceable" with Beyoncé at the
2007 American Music Awards The 35th Annual American Music Awards took place on November 18, 2007 at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. Performers Winners and nominees Winners are highlighted in boldface. ...
, held on November 18. Kate Nash covered "Irreplaceable" in January 2008. In November 2009, Damon Thomas of The Underdogs sang the song. Kidz Bop covered "Irreplaceable" on their eleventh studio album ''
Kidz Bop 11 Kidz Bop is an American children's music group composed like a music brand that produces family-friendly cover versions of pop songs and related media. Kidz Bop releases compilation albums that feature children covering clean versions of contem ...
'' (2007). A group named Faith, consisting of Michelle Delamor, Ashley Rodriguez and Charity Vance, sang "Irreplaceable" on the 'group night' episode of ninth season of ''American Idol'' on February 10, 2010, In 2011, Canadian singer
Maria Aragon Maria Lourdes Aragon (born July 17, 2000) is a Canadian singer.
, and South Korean singer G.NA, covered the song. Andy Grammer performed "Irreplaceable" on the radio station The Mix Lounge 104.1 and posted the video of his performance on his YouTube page in June 2011. During the finale of the tenth season of '' American Idol'' on May 25, 2011, the lady contestants joined together onstage to perform "Irreplaceable" along with a medley of Beyoncé's other singles. On August 26, 2013, singer Barry Southgate covered the song during the fifth season of '' The X Factor Australia''. Giles Hardie of '' The Sydney Morning Herald'' rated his performance eight out of ten and wrote it was "a very clever song choice". In September 2013, Lily Allen covered "Irreplaceable" at a celebration party in Italy, and on June 30, 2014, Anja Nissen covered the song on the
third series Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * Hig ...
of '' The Voice Australia''. In May 2007, "Irreplaceable" was used in the final scene of "When the Chickens Come Home to Roost", the final episode of the first season of the television series ''
The Game The Game or The Games may refer to: Sports and games * The Game (dice game) (German: ''Das Spiel''), a dice game designed by Reinhold Wittig * The Game (mind game), a mind game, the objective of which is to avoid thinking about The Game itself * ...
''. The series also used the song in the opening moments of its premiere episode for the second season. In 2017, Woman2Woman group from Cape Town, South Africa, did a parody on the breakfast show ''Expresso''. Felicity Kiran, Anray Amansure and Lauren-Lee Bock originally did it as promotional video. It went viral with around 40 million views worldwide.


Track listings and formats

* US Remixes – EP # "Irreplaceable" (
Ralphi Rosario Ralphi Rosario is an American house musician and founding member of the influential Chicago DJ group Hot Mix 5. Biography When Hot Mix 5 was formed in 1981 on radio station WBMX (now WVAZ), Rosario, the youngest member of the group, was still in ...
& Craig J Radio Mix) – 4:08 # "Irreplaceable" (Ralphi Rosario & Craig J Club Mix) – 8:51 # "Irreplaceable" (Ralphi Rosario Dub) – 9:27 # "Irreplaceable" ( Maurice Joshua Radio Mix) – 4:05 # "Irreplaceable" (Maurice Joshua Club Mix) – 7:06 # "Irreplaceable" (Featuring Ghostface Killah) – 4:45 # "Irreplaceable" (
DJ Speedy DJ Speedy, also known as Harvey Miller or "Gangsta Nerd" is a music producer. Originally from Orangeburg, SC, DJ Speedy resides in Atlanta, Atlanta, GA. Music career Miller acted as a mix show DJ in South Carolina. He moved to Atlanta, Geor ...
Remix) – 4:20 * Australian EP # "Irreplaceable" (Album Version) – 3:47 # " Déjà Vu" (
Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
Club Mix) – 8:05 # "Déjà Vu" (The Remix) – 3:54 * German Basic singleiTunes Store – Beyoncé – Irreplaceable – single
. iTunes Store (Germany). Apple Inc. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
# "Irreplaceable" (Album Version) – 3:47 # " Ring the Alarm" (Freemasons Club Mix Radio Edit) – 3:27 * German Premium CD-single # "Irreplaceable" (Album Version) – 3:48 # "Ring the Alarm" (Freemasons Club Mix Radio Edit) – 3:26 # "Ring the Alarm" (Karmatronic Remix) – 3:10 # "Ring the Alarm" (Tranzformas Remix featuring
Collie Buddz Colin Patrick Harper (born August 21, 1981), better known by his stage name Collie Buddz, is a Bermudian reggae artist best known for his single "Come Around". Career Although Harper was born in New Dadyal Hospital, AJK. He studied audio engine ...
) – 4:12 # "Ring the Alarm" (Enhanced Music Video)


Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from ''B'Day'' liner notes. * Vocals by Beyoncé Knowles * Written and composed by Ne-Yo, Beyoncé (melodies and harmonies), Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Espen Lind and Amund Bjorklund * Produced by Stargate and Beyoncé * Co-Produced by Ne-Yo * A&R: Max Gousse (Music World Productions Inc.) * Recording by Jim Caruana ** Assistant:
Rob Kinelski Robert Kinelski (born January 27, 1981) is an American mixing engineer, engineer, and record producer. He is best known for his engineering and mixing work for Billie Eilish, Finneas, Lil Dicky, Big Sean, Karol G, Joji, Beyoncé, and more. In 20 ...
* Mixing by Jason Goldstein * Guitars: Espen Lind * All other instruments: Eriksen and Hermansen


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Decade-end charts


All-time charts


Certifications


Release history


See also

* List of number-one singles in Australia in 2006 *
List of number-one singles of 2006 (Ireland) This is a list of the Irish Recorded Music Association's Irish Singles Chart Top 50 number-ones of 2006. See also * 2006 in music *List of artists who reached number one in Ireland This is an list of recording artists who have reached ...
* List of number-one singles from the 2000s (New Zealand) *
List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 2006 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is a chart that ranks the best-performing singles of the United States. Published by '' Billboard'' magazine, the data are compiled by Nielsen SoundScan based collectively on each single's weekly physical and digi ...
* List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 2007 * List of number-one R&B singles of 2006 (U.S.) * List of number-one R&B singles of 2007 (U.S.) *
List of number-one dance singles of 2007 (U.S.) These are the ''Billboard'' Hot Dance'' ''Club Play and Singles Sales number-one hits of 2007. See also * List of number-one dance airplay hits of 2007 (U.S.) *2007 in music * List of number-one dance hits (United States) *List of artists who ...


Notes


References

{{Authority control 2006 singles 2007 singles Beyoncé songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Music videos directed by Anthony Mandler Number-one singles in Australia Number-one singles in New Zealand Number-one singles in Turkey Song recordings produced by Stargate (record producers) Songs written by Beyoncé Songs written by Espen Lind Songs written by Amund Bjørklund Songs written by Ne-Yo Songs written by Tor Erik Hermansen Songs written by Mikkel Storleer Eriksen 2000s ballads Pop ballads Contemporary R&B ballads Song recordings produced by Beyoncé Songs about infidelity 2006 songs