Me, Myself and I (Beyoncé Knowles song)

"Me, Myself and I"
Single by Beyoncé
from the album Dangerously in Love
Released December 16, 2003
Format CD single, 12" single
Recorded South Beach Studios
(Miami, Florida)
Genre R&B
Length 5:01 (Album Version)
3:57 (Radio/Video Edit)
Label Columbia
Writer(s) Beyoncé Knowles, Scott Storch, Robert Waller
Producer Beyoncé Knowles, Scott Storch
Certification Gold (US)
Beyoncé singles chronology
"Fighting Temptation"
(2003)		 "Me, Myself and I"
(2003)		 "Summertime"
(2003)
Audio sample
file info · help

"Me, Myself and I" is a song by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles. Written by Knowles, Scott Storch and Robert Waller, the track was produced by Storch and Knowles for her debut solo album Dangerously in Love (2003). The song is about dealing with a cheating boyfriend and learning from the consequences.

"Me, Myself and I" was released on December 16, 2003 as the third single from Dangerously in Love. It maintained the number four position on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks, and is Knowles fourth consecutive top five single in the United States. The song was recognized at the 2005 ASCAP Pop Music Awards as Most Performed Song; Knowles also earned Songwriter of the Year which she shared with Storch and Waller. This song was remixed by Panjabi MC.

Contents

Background and composition

After the release of her former group Destiny's Child's 2001 album Survivor, Beyoncé worked on her debut solo album, Dangerously in Love. She stated that it was more personal than her previous records because she only had to write for herself.[1] She contacted various musical collaborators, including Storch and Waller—the same team who collaborated on her 2004 single "Naughty Girl".

In an interview with MTV News, Beyoncé said of the song:

... it basically talks about a girl who the guy's not right for her and he's cheating and whatever. And usually women feel stupid and silly and they blame themselves 'cause you have all the signs most of the time, but you love the guy so you don't want to see them go. And in this song, it's kind of like a celebration of the breakup ...[2]

"Me, Myself and I" is an R&B song performed in a moderately slow manner. It is written in the key of D♭ major; the tempo is set to eighty-four beats per minute, in common time. The chord follows the E♭m9-Fm7-G♭7 keys, appearing every other bar.[3] The lyrics are constructed in the common verse-chorus form, each written in two stanzas. The song includes an intro and a bridge that appears between the second and final choruses.

Release and reception

"Me, Myself and I" was released as the third single from Dangerously in Love (following the release of "Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy") in different formats on different dates. The single was released on October 21, 2003 in the United States as Me, Myself and I/Krazy in Luv, which contained the radio edit of the track and the "Krazy in Luv" Junior's dance radio mix.[4] On December 16, 2003, a 12" single was released in the same country. The same year, it was released in the United Kingdom containing a radio edit, a remix and a live video of "Naughty Girl" and "Work it Out".[5] A Canadian CD single was released on December 30, 2003, featuring the album version and two remixes of the track.[6] A CD single was released in Australia on January 16, 2004, which included the radio edit and three remixes of the track.[7]

The song received generally positive response from music critics. Mark Anthony Neal of Popmatters said "Beyoncé sounds assured" in her singing of the song and "lacking any of the 'shrill overboard' that describes some of the 'melisma fits'".[8] Ryan Schreiber of Pitchfork Media called the song's instrumentation an "unremarkable" blending of "creeping funk keyboards, slippery bass and minimal, programmed R&B percussion". However, he noted it as the "most notable 80s throwback" of the album, as its "augmented chords" call to mind Patti Austin and James Ingram's 1983 single "Baby Come to Me" and Michael Jackson's 1983 single "Human Nature", or a decelerated version of "Baby Be Mine", from Jackson's 1982 album, Thriller.[9]

At the 2005 American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers Pop Music Awards, Beyoncé received the Songwriter of the Year award, sharing it with Storch and Waller. It was recognized as Most Performed Song in 2005, alongside Beyoncé's "Baby Boy" and "Naughty Girl".[10][11] Knowles' live version of "Me, Myself and I" from The Beyoncé Experience Live! gained a nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 2009 Grammy Awards.[12]

Chart performance

"Me, Myself and I" failed to equal the chart-topping performances of "Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy". However, the single, like the latter and "Naughty Girl", attained more immediate and commercial success than its predecessors, propelling the album onto the charts and helping it be certified as multi-platinum.[13] On November 16, 2003, it debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 78, while "Baby Boy" was still at the top spot.[14] Fourteen weeks after its debut, the single peaked at number four for two weeks,[15] becoming the third consecutive top-five release from Dangerously in Love. "Me, Myself and I" remained on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 24 weeks.[16] On January 30, 2009, the single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.[17]

The single was less successful in international music markets, peaking below the top ten. It has reached number eleven in Australia and the United Kingdom, and top twenty in the New Zealand and the Netherlands.[16] It only stayed in the UK Top 100 for 7 weeks, making it her second shortest single chart run, after her 2009 duet with Lady Gaga, "Video Phone".

Music video

Following her first two videos with Jake Nava, Beyoncé hired Johan Renck to direct the music video for "Me, Myself and I". The footage follows the plot of the song's theme, which shows Beyoncé dealing with a cheating boyfriend. From the aftermath of the affair, Beyoncé discards her old possessions that reminds her of her boyfriend. The events in the video are played in reverse.

The music video debuted on MTV's Total Request Live on December 12, 2003 at number seven. It remained on the countdown for 41 days, the same chart run "Baby Boy" achieved.[18] The video was nominated for Best R&B Video at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards, but lost to R&B-soul singer Alicia Keys' "If I Ain't Got You" video.[19]

In May 2010, an alternate version surfaced online. It has a couple of new scenes added and unlike the original version, the events in the video are not played in reverse.[20]

Track listing

Belgium single[21]
  1. "Me, Myself and I (Radio Edit)" - 3:58
  2. "Dangerously In Love (Live from Headliners)" - 4:59
European Maxi-Single
  1. "Me, Myself and I (Radio Edit)" - 3:58
  2. "Me, Myself and I (Eastern Delight Mix)" - 4:25
  3. "Me, Myself and I (Bama Boys Sexy Remix)" - 4:42
  4. "Me, Myself and I (Junior's Radio Mix)" - 3:44
  5. "Work It Out (Live Video from Headlines)" - 3:37 (Enhanced Video)
German Pock It-CD (3inch)
  1. "Me, Myself and I (Radio Edit)" - 3:58
  2. "Me, Myself and I (Bama Boys Throwback Remix)" - 3:58

Charts

Chart (2004)[16][22] Peak
position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart 11
Austrian Singles Chart 51
Belgian Singles Chart 49
Canadian Singles Chart 7
Dutch Top 40 14
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 32
French Singles Chart 45
German Singles Chart 35
Irish Singles Chart 21
Italian Singles Chart 25
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart 18
Romanian Singles Chart 91
Swedish Singles Chart 43
Swiss Singles Chart 41
UK Singles Chart 11
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 4
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs 2
U.S. Billboard Top 40 Tracks 16
U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream 18

References

  1. ↑ "Beyoncé's debut Album, Dangerously In Love,". Thread. http://www.thread.co.nz/article/554. Retrieved 2008-03-06. 
  2. ↑ Moss, Corey. "Beyoncé: Genuinely In Love". MTV News. http://www.mtv.com/bands/b/beyonce/news_feature_062703/. Retrieved 2003-06-27. 
  3. ↑ "Me, Myself and I". Sheet Music Plus. http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_inside.html?item=5121825&cart=341377698960326197&page=01. Retrieved 2008-03-06. 
  4. ↑ "Me, Myself and I/Krazy in Luv". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/discography/more.jsp?tp=singles&pid=317670&aid=608221. Retrieved 2008-03-07. 
  5. ↑ "Me, Myself and I [UK CD"]. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/discography/more.jsp?tp=singles&pid=317670&aid=622336. Retrieved 2008-03-07. 
  6. ↑ "Me, Myself and I [Canada CD"]. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/discography/more.jsp?tp=singles&pid=317670&aid=615210. Retrieved 2008-03-07. 
  7. ↑ "Me, Myself & I". Sony BMG Australia. http://www.sonymusic.com.au/cd/releaseDetails.do?catalogueNo=674566.2. Retrieved 2008-03-07. 
  8. ↑ Neal, Mark Anthony (2003-07-11). "BEYONCÉ: Dangerously in Love". Popmatters. http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/b/beyonce-dangerously.shtml. Retrieved 2008-03-07. 
  9. ↑ Schreiber, Ryan (2004-01-12). "Beyoncé: "Me, Myself and I"". Pitchfork Media. http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/track_review/36418-me-myself-and-i. Retrieved 2008-03-07. 
  10. ↑ "ASCAP Pop Music Awards 2005". American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. http://www.ascap.com/eventsawards/awards/popawards/2005/. Retrieved 2008-03-07. 
  11. ↑ "Most Performed Songs". American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. http://www.ascap.com/eventsawards/awards/popawards/2005/winners.html. Retrieved 2008-03-07. 
  12. ↑ Harris, Chris (2008-12-04). "Lil Wayne, Coldplay Lead Grammy Nominations". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1600678/20081204/coldplay.jhtml. Retrieved 2008-12-05. 
  13. ↑ Stacy-Deanne; Kelly Kenyatta, Natasha Lowery (2005). Alicia Keys, Ashanti, Beyoncé, Destiny's Child, Jennifer Lopez & Mya: Divas of the New Millennium. Amber Books Publishing. pp. 60–61. ISBN 0974977969. http://books.google.com/books?id=1ZGMcUEvkyEC&pg=PA60&dq=Baby+Boy+by+Beyonce&lr=&as_brr=0&sig=H1TzeKTzJqsBqow_O7HLlQZ4VuM#PPA61,M1. Retrieved 2008-03-07. 
  14. ↑ "Billboard Hot 100". αCharts. http://acharts.us/billboard_hot_100/2003/46. Retrieved 2008-03-07. 
  15. ↑ "Billboard Hot 100". αCharts. http://acharts.us/billboard_hot_100/2004/08. Retrieved 2008-03-07. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 "Beyoncé - Me, Myself And I". αCharts. http://acharts.us/song/324. Retrieved 2008-03-07. 
  17. ↑ "Gold and Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America. http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=2&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&artist=Beyonce&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2009&sort=Artist&perPage=25. Retrieved 2009-02-06. 
  18. ↑ "TRL Debuts". Popfusion. http://host17.hrwebservices.net/~atrl/trlarchive/db.html. Retrieved 2008-03-11. 
  19. ↑ "MTV Awards 2004: The winners". BBC News. 2004-08-30. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3611884.stm. Retrieved 2008-03-11. 
  20. ↑ http://www.rap-up.com/2010/05/29/video-beyonce-me-myself-and-i-alternate-version/
  21. ↑ "iTunes Store - Beyoncé - Me, Myself and I - Single". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 2009-09-05.
  22. ↑ "Beyoncé: Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Macrovision Company. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:ce5a8qfmbtq4~T51. Retrieved 2008-03-11. 
Beyoncé singles
Discography · Videography · Songs · Awards and nominations · Tours
Dangerously in Love
"Crazy in Love" · "Baby Boy" · "Me, Myself and I" · "Naughty Girl"
#1's
"Check on It"
B'Day
"Déjà Vu" · "Ring the Alarm" · "Irreplaceable" · "Beautiful Liar" · "Get Me Bodied" · "Green Light"
I Am... Sasha Fierce
"If I Were a Boy" · "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" · "Diva" · "Halo" · "Ego" · "Sweet Dreams" · "Broken-Hearted Girl" · "Video Phone"
Featured singles
"I Got That" · "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" · "What More Can I Give" · "Hollywood" · "Amor Gitano" · "Until the End of Time" · "Love in This Club Part II" · "Just Stand Up!" · "Telephone" · "Put It in a Love Song"
Soundtrack singles
"Work It Out" · "Fighting Temptation" · "Summertime" · "One Night Only" · "Listen" · "At Last"
Other songs
"Dangerously in Love 2" · "Upgrade U" · "Suga Mama" · "Radio" · "Why Don't You Love Me"
Wikipedia book Book · Category Category · Portal Portal  · WikiProject WikiProject