| “If I Were a Boy” | ||||
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| Single by Beyoncé | ||||
| from the album I Am… Sasha Fierce | ||||
| A-side | “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)“ | |||
| Released | October 8, 2008 | |||
| Format | ||||
| Recorded | 2008; Roc the Mic Studios, Strawberrybee Productions, GAD Studios | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 4:09 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
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| Beyoncé singles chronology | ||||
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“If I Were a Boy” is a song performed by American singer and songwriter Beyoncé from her third studio album I Am… Sasha Fierce (2008). It was written by BC Jean and Toby Gad, who also handled its production alongside Beyoncé. Inspired by the difficult break-up of a romantic relationship, the song was initially recorded by Jean, whose record company rejected it. Beyoncé then recorded her own version. Jean was upset when she learned that Beyoncé was releasing it as a single, but eventually, they reached an agreement. Columbia Records released “If I Were a Boy” to US radio on October 8, 2008, as a double A-side single album’s alongside “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” as the lead singles. The two songs showcased the contrast between Beyoncé’s personality and her aggressive onstage persona, Sasha Fierce. A Spanish version of the song, titled “Si Yo Fuera un Chico“, was digitally released in Mexico and Spain.
“If I Were a Boy” is a pop and R&B introspective ballad which draws influences from folk rock through its instrumentationof which includes acoustic guitars, drums and strings. The song’s lyrics lament the misunderstandings between the genders and indict the male side of relationships. “If I Were a Boy” was well received by critics, who complimented Beyoncé’s tormented and emotive vocal performance and called the song her best work to date. The single was a commercial success as it placed in the top ten on twenty-five different singles charts. It topped the charts in more than eight European countries, including the United Kingdom, where it is Beyoncé’s best-selling single. “If I Were a Boy” peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and earned multi-platinum certifications in Australia, Canada, and the US.
The accompanying music video for “If I Were a Boy” was directed by Jake Nava and shot in black-and-white. With a theme of role reversal, it is conceptually similar to the American comedy film Freaky Friday (1976). A video for the Spanish version of the ballad was edited from the original clip. Beyoncé promoted “If I Were a Boy” through live performances at venues including The Oprah Winfrey Show, the 52nd Grammy Awards, and the I Am… World Tour(2009–10). The song has been covered several times on televised music competitions. American singer Reba McEntiresang a country version of the ballad on Country Music Television (CMT), and a studio version was released as the second single from her 2010 album, All the Women I Am.
“If I Were a Boy” was widely acclaimed by contemporary music critics, who applauded Beyoncé’s vocal performance and called the song her best yet. Billboard magazine’s critic Chuck Taylor wrote that “If I Were a Boy” is Beyoncé’s “most affecting offering” since “Listen” (2006). He praised her vocals as “breathtaking, exquisitely emotive, mournful, and mature” and added that the song “exudes the fragrance of a Grammy Award”. According to Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times, “If I Were a Boy” is Beyoncé’s Streisand moment and “a tender, fairly simple ballad that [she] uses to prove she’s a great vocal actress”. Powers concluded, “This isn’t just another breakup song; it’s an elegy for female empowerment, Beyoncé’s admission that no amount of money, fame or skill can solve the basic inequity between her man’s heart and her own.” Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine wrote that “If I Were a Boy” could become as commercially successful as “Irreplaceable” because of its radio-friendly appeal. James Montgomery of MTV News complimented the “tear-jerking power” of “If I Were a Boy” and noted that it reveals “sides of Beyoncé we never knew existed”.
—Los Angeles Times‘ Ann Powers reviewing “If I Were a Boy”.
Matos Michaelangelo of The A.V. Club remarked that “If I Were a Boy” has “boilerplate lyrics” that would fit perfectly in a Hayley Mills film. Nick Levine of Digital Spy wrote in his review of the album that “If I Were a Boy” has the “most interesting lyrics” of the entire record. In a separate review of “If I Were a Boy”, Levine awarded it four stars out of five, writing that Beyoncé’s vocals on the song are passionate. He praised the lyrics for not being overwritten and commended their “emotional punch” and “very strong melody” which he said can make people feel that they have always known the song. Pitchfork Media‘s Ryan Dombal called “If I Were a Boy” an “effective and affecting gender-bender”. Allmusic writer Andy Kellman felt that though the ballad sounds like “the watery backdrop for a singing competition finale”, it is the most outstanding song on I Am… Sasha Fierce thanks to its lyrics and Beyoncé’s tormented performance. Colin McGuire of PopMatters felt that “If I Were a Boy” was the highlight of the first disc of the double album.
Jon Caramanica of The New York Times described the song as one of the greatest pop songs of the last few years and one of Beyoncé’s most complicated vocal performances. Joey Guerra of the Houston Chronicle commented that “If I Were a Boy” is an “elegant new musical direction” for Beyoncé and praised it for being different from the songs played on Top 40 radio. By contrast, Stacey Anderson of Spin magazine was unimpressed with “If I Were a Boy”, calling it a glistening and boring ballad. Adam Mazmanian of The Washington Times noted that the musical composition of “If I Were a Boy” has “a spare [and] cinematic quality that [Beyoncé] fills with an expansive voice”, which nevertheless falters at times. A 2010 review of “well-intended yet misguided feminist anthems” in The A.V. Club noted the song had both a “fresh perspective and a sense of self-awareness” but cast is as “a soppy wallow in whiny self-pity and broad stereotyping”.
Erika Ramirez and Jason Lipshutz of Billboard magazine placed “If I Were a Boy” at number 19 on a list of Beyoncé’s 30 biggest Billboard hits published for Beyoncé’s thirtieth birthday. They wrote that the song “found Beyoncé at her most honest, drawing in both women and men”. “If I Were a Boy” was nominated for the Best Foreign Song at the 2009 Porin Awards in Croatia. On The Village Voice‘s year-end Pazz & Jop singles list, “If I Were a Boy” was ranked at numbers 37 and 546 in 2008 and 2009 respectively.
G.E.M. Tang, a singer and songwriter from Hong Kong.
She is now very famous in China, Taiwan, Malaysia and other overseas Chinese communities.
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