Virgo's Groove

"Virgo's Groove" is a song by American singer and songwriter Beyoncé from her seventh studio album, '' Renaissance'', which was released on July 29, 2022, through Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records as an album track. The song was sent to Italian radio as the album's fourth and final single on June 2, 2023. "Virgo's Groove" was nominated for Best R&B Performance at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.

Background and composition

"Virgo's Groove", aptly named after Beyoncé’s astrological sign, is a disco-funk song with a running time of six minutes and eight seconds, making it the longest song on the album. In an early 2023 interview with ''Billboard'', songwriter Jocelyn Donald revealed the song began as a "Houston R&B"-influenced demo she had co-written with Baltimore rapper Tate Kobang almost four years prior, titled "Right Here, Right Now", before being modified from "a great song into a masterpiece.” In an interview with ''Variety'', songwriter Leven Kali recalled that the process for "Virgo's Groove" took "two-to three years" with an “incredibly collaborative process" to relate the song to the whole project. Kali also explains that the sound and the attitude of the song were helped by Beyoncé's, who was "thinking about a certain type of energy, a certain sound and we were also thinking in that direction so it was super organic" and flowed into themes and sounds "North Star, funk, positivity, love, dance, and groovy music".

Critical reception

"Virgo's Groove" was critically acclaimed by music critics, with many of them calling it the best song on the album, especially appreciating Beyoncé's modulation of her voice.

Upon the release of the song's parent album, Eric Torres of ''Pitchfork'' gave the song its own review and applauded it, giving it the title of "Best New Track". In the review, he called the song the "apex" of the album, praising the song's production while also giving praise to Beyoncé for letting loose on the track and showcasing her voice. ''Billboard'' ranked "Virgo's Groove" as the third best song on the album, writing that in it "you get all the nuances of Beyoncé's voice in one colossus" and that the singer's ability to manipulate her voice "truly impresses."

Wesley Morris of '' The New York Times'' claimed it was the "most luscious" sounding song that Beyoncé has ever recorded. Craig Jenkins of ''Vulture'' said that the song was a "muscular update" on post-disco.

Commercial performance

After the release of ''Renaissance'', "Virgo's Groove" debuted and peaked on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart at number 43. It also debuted and peaked on the Hot R&B Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts at number 11 and 17 respectively. In Canada, the song debuted at number 65 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart.

Live performance

Beyoncé first performed "Virgo's Groove" on the Renaissance World Tour (2023), with the opening night taking place in Stockholm, Sweden. The performance followed a choir-led interlude leading up to Beyoncé being revealed inside a clam shell and wearing a shimmery, gold Loewe bodysuit, both referencing '' The Birth of Venus'' by Sandro Botticelli. On certain dates of the tour, she wore a silver variation of the outfit, as well as a red variation of it. Mid-way through the performance, Beyoncé switches to "Naughty Girl" and is walked down the shell to perform choreography before returning to "Virgo's Groove" for the outro. As the song closes, she sings snippets of several R&B songs from across her entire discography: " Say My Name," "Be With You," "Signs," " Speechless," " Cater 2 U," "Dance for You," and Rocket."

Personnel

Credits adapted from Beyoncé's website.

Performers
* Vocals by Beyoncé
* Background vocals by Leven Kali, Ashlee Wingate, Kye Young, Laylani Gesteedle-Diamant, and Anika Gesteedle-Diamant

Musicians
* Beyoncé – sound FX
* The-Dream – synthesizers, drum programming, sound FX

Technical credits
* Beyoncé – production, vocal production
* Leven Kali - production
* The-Dream - additional production
* Matheus Braz – assistant engineering
* Andrea Roberts – engineering
* John Cranfield – engineering
* Stuart White – mixing, recording

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Beyoncé songs

Single chart called without song
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2022 songs
2023 singles
Beyoncé songs
Columbia Records singles
Song recordings produced by Beyoncé
Song recordings produced by The-Dream
Songs written by Beyoncé