Listen (song)

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This article documents a current single. Information is likely to change as the song remains in the charts.

"Listen"
Single by Beyoncé
from the album Dreamgirls: Music from the Motion Picture and B'Day
Released	October 16, 2006 (radio) December 5, 2006 (CD single)
Format	CD single
Recorded	2006
Genre	Soul/Adult contemporary
Length	3:37
Label	Music World/Columbia
Writer(s)	Henry Krieger Anne Preven Beyoncé Knowles Scott Cutler
Producer(s)	The Underdogs Beyoncé Knowles
Chart positions
#112 (U.S. Hot 100)
Beyoncé singles chronology
"Irreplaceable" (2006)	"Listen" (2007)	"Upgrade U" (2007)

"Listen" is the first single released from the Dreamgirls soundtrack, performed by American R&B singer Beyoncé. The song can also be found as a hidden track on international editions of her second solo studio album B'Day. The song is preceded on B'Day with a brief introduction by Knowles, stating that while shooting Dreamgirls, she was so inspired by her character, Deena Jones, that she wrote songs with Deena in mind. "Listen", with music by Dreamgirls composer Henry Krieger and lyrics by Knowles, Anne Preven, and Scott Cutler, is one of four songs to be featured in the Dreamgirls film that are not present in the original Broadway play.

Contents 1 Song information 2 Overview 2.1 Lyrics and themes 3 Music Video 4 Notes

[edit] Song information

Deena has no solo number in the original stage version of Dreamgirls, although she sings lead on the Dreams' hit songs as depicted in the story. In addition, the play's best known song, the dramatic number "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going", is sung by the character Effie White (portrayed in the film by Jennifer Hudson) at the play's halfway point. Therefore, "Listen" was composed and introduced into the film to both give Deena a solo and to balance the second act with a ballad on the level of "And I Am Telling You" (the two sequences exist in the film as parallels of each other).

[edit] Overview

[edit] Lyrics and themes

"Listen's" lyrics reflect Knowles' character in Dreamgirls, the Diana Ross-based Deena Jones, struggling to find herself. After feeling trapped by her controlling Husband Curtis Taylor, Jr. (portrayed by Jamie Foxx in the film), Deena finally breaks through her shy demeanor and expressing her feelings, stating that she has finally found her own voice and is able to share it. As Deena is based upon the light-voiced Ross, all of the character's vocal parts are simple pop-based arrangements until this number, a dramatic ballad with a full orchestra.

[edit] Music Video

The "Listen" video features Beyoncé walking through a performance hall in modern-day street clothes, performing the song. Once she arrives onstage and at the song's bridge, she appears in costume as Deena, dressed in a 1970s-period gown. Intercut into the video are scenes from Dreamgirls, most of which depict Deena's relationship with her husband and employer, Curtis Taylor, Jr., particularly shots from a Vogue photo shoot scene in the film.

DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures, the producers of Dreamgirls, are presenting "Listen", alongside Dreamgirls songs "Love You I Do" and "Patience", for consideration as a candidate for the 2007 Academy Award for Best Original Song. "Listen" and "Love You I Do" have both been nominated for the 2006 International Press Academy Satellite Award for Best Original Song. Dreamgirls received seven nominations at the 12th Annual Critics Choice Awards, include a Best Song nod for "Listen". ^[1] "Listen" was also nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.

"Listen" was released to radio during the week of October 16. It will be released as a CD single on December 5, on the same day as the Dreamgirls soundtrack and twenty days before the film's wide release. The video for the song, directed by Diane Martel, premiered on MTV's Making the Video on November 29.

[edit] Notes

1. ^ (Dec. 1, 2006). Official press release for International Press Academy Satellite Awards Nominations. Retrieved from http://www.pressacademy.com/satawards/forms/pdf/2006-IPA-Nom-Announce.pdf on December 2, 2006.