Upgrade U

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“Upgrade U”
“Upgrade U” cover
Single by Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z
from the album B'Day
Released November 27, 2006 (U.S.)[1]
Format 12" promo single, digital download
Recorded Sony Music Studios
(New York City, New York)
Genre Hip hop soul,
Label Columbia
Writer(s) Beyoncé Knowles, MK, Makeba, Sean Garrett, Angela Beyincé, Shawn Carter, Willie Clarke, Clarence Reid, Solange Knowles
Producer Swizz Beatz, Cameron Wallace, Beyoncé Knowles
Certification Gold
Beyoncé singles chronology
"Ring the Alarm"
(2006)
"Upgrade U"
(2006)
"Irreplaceable"
(2007)
Jay-Z singles chronology
"Show Me What You Got"
(2006)
"Upgrade U"
(2006)
"Lost One"
(2006)

"Upgrade U" is a hip hop soul song written by Beyoncé Knowles, MK, Makeba, Sean Garrett, Angela Beyincé, Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Willie Clarke, Clarence Reid, and Solange Knowles for Knowles' second solo album, B'Day (2006). It is her sixth collaboration with Jay-Z, who is featured on the song. The song samples Betty Wright's "Girls Can't Do What the Guys Do", and was originally going to have featured T.I.. The song is about a relationship between a female and a male; Beyoncé sings that she can upgrade her man and introduce him to new things, improving his life style and reputation. The phrase "let me upgrade U" has been used in Lil' Mama's "Lip Gloss", Kanye West's first verse in the freestyle of Rich Boy's "Throw Some D's", and Bow Wow's rap verse on the remix of Paula DeAnda's "Easy". Lil Wayne did a freestyle over the beat of "Upgrade U" on his mixtape Da Drought 3.

Contents

[edit] Writing and recording

"Upgrade U" contains samples from Betty Wright's 1986 song "Girls Can't Do What the Guys Do" written by Willie Clarke and Clarence Reid. It was produced by Cameron Wallace and Beyoncé Knowles, and was recorded at Sony Music Studios in New York City, New York.[2] Beyoncé's sister Solange Knowles co-wrote and Swizz Beatz co-produced the song.[2] "Upgrade U" is the album's second collaboration with Jay-Z.

T.I. recorded a verse for the song, but it was not included in the album.[3]

[edit] Music structure and lyrics

"Upgrade U" is a moderate song set in the key of D minor. [4] It is set in common time in 4/4 count.[4] The song uses a synth-horn backdrop crafted by Swizz Beatz.[5] Like most of the tracks in the album, "Upgrade U" utilizes the 808 drums.[6] "Upgrade U" has an old soul influences.[7]

"Upgrade U" offers luxuries to a man, similar to the concept of "Suga Mama".[8] The song has a rap rendered by Jay-Z. Both him and Beyoncé name-checks in the song several luxury goods and companies, personalities and places: "Audemars Piguet," a Swiss watchmaker; "Jacob the Jeweler," a celebrity jeweler; "Cartier," a jeweler and watch manufacturer; "Hermès," a luxury goods company; "Lorraine Schwartz," a celebrity jeweler; "Ralph Lauren Purple Label," a higher-end division of the legendary designer's clothing line; "Natura Bisse Diamond Cream," a diamond dust mixed with cream that is expensive; "6 star pent suites," only a handful exist in the world such as Crown Macau in China and Dreams Los Cabos near San Jose del Cabo in Mexicom; "The Amalfi Coast," located in Southern Italy; "Fendi," a luxury goods company; and "The Bloomberg Luxury Accommodation Group," that is partly owned by Calangian and Zobel families which is located around the world and caters to Hollywood-millionaire types.

[edit] Reception

"Upgrade U" received mixed responses from contemporary critics. Eb Haynes of Allhiphop called the track as "the finest of the Bonnie and Clyde, Ride or Die series."[9] He further referred to it a song "consistent with B's assertiveness."[9] Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe wrote that Beyoncé "declares herself an equal" and "disturbingly conflates transforming her man into a leader".[8] Chris Williams of The Washington Post described the track a reflection of "buy-me-love sentiments".[6] Andy Kellman of All Music Guide considered "Upgrade U" the "most potent track on the album" which he described as a "low-slung Cameron Wallace production where Beyoncé wears and buys the pants while making her proposition sound more like empowerment than emasculation."[10] Tim Finney of Pitchfork Media called it a "stiffly blaring" track.[11] Mike Joseph of Popmatters considered that "Upgrade U" "survives not due to B’s singing, but due to the natural chemistry that she and Jay have."[12] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine found "Upgrade U" "could very well be a Destiny's Child track."[13] Bernard Zuel of The Sydney Morning Herald referred to it a "mechanical" track.[14] Phil Harrison of Timeout commented that "Upgrade U" "hints at ambivalence towards bling aspirations".[15] Carolyn Davis of US Magazine found it a "catchy track" where Beyoncé and Jay-Z "address rumors they're getting engaged."[16] Entertainment Weekly's The 10 Best Songs of 2007 listed "Upgrade you" at number five behind Justin Timberlake's "LoveStoned/I Think That She Knows," while Joy Rosen complimented the collaboration of Beyoncé and Jay-Z in the song as "both halves of music's power couple pay tribute to the virtues of materialism."[5]

[edit] Chart performance

After the release of B'Day, and before its release as a single, the song gained popularity on R&B and hip hop radio stations in the U.S.;[17] consequently, it entered the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and later the Billboard Hot 100 at number ninety-two on November 9, 2006. The song was released as a twelve-inch promotional single on November 27,[1] after which it reached number fifty-nine on the Hot 100 and number eleven on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[18] "Upgrade U" remained on the Hot 100 for eighteen non-consecutive weeks.[19] Although not officially released, it charted for three weeks on the UK Top 200 singles, peaking at number 176.

[edit] Music video

"Upgrade U" was one of the videos shot during the two-week filming for B'Day Anthology Video Album. The video was both directed by Melina and Beyoncé. It was shot between "Kitty Kat" and "Green Light" for a day and a half. Jay-Z first made his rap scenes after Beyoncé studied her part.[20] In the video, Beyoncé pretends as Jay-Z during the second rap. Beyoncé commented that she's "out of her character" or the character "people think" she is.[21]

It premiered on February 28 on BET's 106 & Park, the same day as the video for Beyoncé's other single release, "Beautiful Liar" featuring Shakira, on TRL. As of March 7, the music video for "Upgrade U" had peaked at number six on 106 & Park; in the UK, the music video peaked at number one on MTV Base's Base Chart Show on May 16.

In the beginning, Beyoncé is seen mouthing the words of Jay-Z's lyrics, dressed in masculine, hip-hop style clothing. She is later seen wearing vintage Cazal 907 sunglasses and singing in the backseat of a Rolls Royce. During the choruses, she dances in a gold minidress in front of a group of male back-up dancers. She continues the Jay-Z imitation through his rapped verse, and halfway through it, Jay-Z appears to finish the rap himself. Beyoncé is seen amidst gold watches and jewelry, continuing the motif of luxury that is alluded to in the song.

The music video is currently being used as a commercial advertising High Definition Satellite Television from DirecTV. Portions of the video have been re-shot for her announcement.

[edit] Charts

Chart (2006) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[18] 59
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[18] 11
Lithuania Airplay Chart 10
Romanian Airplay Chart [22] 21
Turkish Top 20 Chart[23] 16

[edit] Credits and personnel

  • Lead vocals: Beyoncé Knowles, Jay-Z
  • Mixed by Jason Goldstein
  • Mixing assistance: Steve Tolle
  • Recorded by Jim Caruana at Sony Music Studios, New York City
  • Assisted by Rob Kinelski

[edit] Formats and track listings

12" single I[24]
  1. "Upgrade U" (album version) – 4:32
  2. "Upgrade U" (instrumental) - 4:32
  3. "Upgrade U" (album version - no rap) - 4:02
  4. "Upgrade U" (acapella) - 4:32
12" single II[25]
  1. "Upgrade U" (album version) – 4:32
  2. "Creole" - 3:53
  3. "Lost Yo Mind" – 3:47
  4. "Back Up" - 3:27

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ a b "BEYONCE feat JAY Z - Upgrade U". Juno Records. Retrieved June 28, 2007.
  2. ^ a b B'Day deluxe edition - CD booklet, Sony Music BMG Entertainment, 2007 
  3. ^ Reid, Shaheem. "Beyonce Album Preview: Harder Sound, Aggressive Songs Among B'Day's Gifts", Mtv.com, MTV Networks and TM MTV Networks, (August 30, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-27. 
  4. ^ a b Digital Sheet Music: Upgrade U. Musicnotes. Hal Leonard Corporation. Retrieved on 2007-12-27.
  5. ^ a b Rosen (September 01, 2007). Music Review: B'Day (2006)-Beyonce Knowles. EW.com. Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc.. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
  6. ^ a b Williams, Chris (September 06, 2006). Beyonce's 'B'Day' Is Nothing to Celebrate. The Washington Post. The Washington Post Company. Retrieved on 2008-02-10.
  7. ^ Beyonce - Biography. Music World Entertainment. Retrieved on 2008-02-11.
  8. ^ a b Rodman, Sarah (September 04, 2006). Beyonce shows rage and range on new release. The Boston Globe. The New York Times Company. Retrieved on 2008-02-10.
  9. ^ a b Haynes, Eb (September 20, 2006). B'Day. Allhiphop. Infinity, Allhiphop.com, Inc.. Retrieved on 2008-02-10.
  10. ^ Kellman, Andy. B'Day. All Music Guide. Macrovision Company. Retrieved on 2008-02-10.
  11. ^ Finney, Time (September 07, 2006). Beyoncé: B'Day. Pitchfork Media. Pitchfork Media Inc.. Retrieved on 2008-02-10.
  12. ^ Joseph, Mike (September 11, 2006). Beyoncé: B-Day. Popmatters. PopMatters Media, Inc. and PopMatters Magazine. Retrieved on 2008-02-10.
  13. ^ Cinquemani, Sal. Beyoncé: B'Day. Slant Magazine. Retrieved on 2008-02-10.
  14. ^ Zuel, Bernard (September 8, 2006). B'Day. Smh.com. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved on 2008-02-10.
  15. ^ Harrison, Phil (August 25, 2006). Beyoncé: B'Day. Timeout. Time Out Group Ltd.. Retrieved on 2008-02-10.
  16. ^ Davis, Carolyn. B-Day: Beyoncé’s back and branching out with a more mature sound. US Magazine. US Weekly. Retrieved on 2008-02-10.
  17. ^ Caulfield, Keith. "Ask Billboard - Replacing Irreplaceable". Billboard. December 29, 2006. Retrieved February 8, 2007.
  18. ^ a b c "Beyoncé - Artist Chart History - Singles". Billboard. Retrieved February 8, 2007.
  19. ^ "Beyoncé and Jay-Z - Upgrade U". aCharts.us. Retrieved June 28, 2007.
  20. ^ Vineyard, Jennifer. Beyonce: Behind The B’Day Videos. MTV. MTV Network. Retrieved on 2008-02-10.
  21. ^ Vineyard, Jennifer. Beyonce: Behind The B’Day Videos. MTV. MTV Network. Retrieved on 2008-02-10.
  22. ^ Romania Singles Chart
  23. ^ Turkish Airplay Chart
  24. ^ "Vinyl I". 2FunkyRecords. Retrieved on February 14, 2007.
  25. ^ "Vinyl II". 2FunkyRecords. Retrieved on February 14, 2007.