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Beautiful Liar

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"Beautiful Liar"
Song

"Beautiful Liar" (Spanish: "Bello Embustero") is a song by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles and Colombian Latin pop singer Shakira. The song was written by Knowles, Amanda Ghost, Ian Dench, and Stargate members Mikkel S. Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen and produced by Stargate and Knowles for the re-release of her second solo album, B'Day. A Spanish and English mixed version of the song was produced called "Bello Embustero".

The song was the first single released from the deluxe edition. It held the distinction of having the largest upward movement on the US Billboard Hot 100 until in 2008. The track won at the 2007 MTV Video Music Award for Most Earth-Shattering Collaboration. In 2008, the song was awarded the Ivor Novello Awards for Best-Selling British Song.

Background

Knowles confirmed their duet with Shakira in an interview with Univision in December 2006.[1] In an MTV interview, she described how she had met Shakira several times at various awards shows over the recent years, and how they desired to collaborate on a song.[2][3] When Knowles invited her to record a song for the re-release of her second album, B'Day, Shakira was busy on tour and had difficulties matching their schedules. Despite this, "we did it 'cause we're both fans of each other and respect each other's work".[2] Knowles and Shakira recorded their respective parts in separate studios.[3]

The record was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards and was also nominated for Record of the Year at the 8th Annual Latin Grammy Awards, for the spanish version of the song, with "Bello Imbustero."

Composition

"Beautiful Liar" is a contemporary R&B song written in the key of G minor. The music's time signature is set in common time, with a tempo at a moderate 96 beats per minute. Knowles' vocal range spans from G3 to B♭4.[4]

Knowles has stated that "Beautiful Liar" is about female empowerment, in keeping with the theme of the album. The protagonists sing about being charmed by the same man; instead of fighting over him, they realize he is not worth their time: "... it's about a guy who's kind of playing both of us, and instead of us arguing over the guy we say, 'Forget him. Let's stick together. He's a beautiful liar."[2]

Release

"Beautiful Liar" had leaked onto the internet and was one of the songs with unpaid download.[5] The single was released on April 28, 2007 in the United Kingdom[6] and on May 15, 2007 in the United States.

The song has been produced to different versions. Puerto Rican reggaeton artist Don Omar has recorded verses for one of the song's remixes,[7] but has not been released. In the UK, majority of the radio stations such as Radio 1 played a more up-beat, dance remix of "Beautiful Liar" by the Freemasons, instead of the original mix. A Spanish version was produced, which appeared on some regional releases of the B'Day Deluxe Edition.

"Beautiful Liar" was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards.[8] The Spanish version of the song was nominated at the 8th Annual Latin Grammy Award for Record of the Year.[9] In Europe, the single won the Best-Selling British Song at the 2008 Ivor Novello Awards. Chiefly an American song, it was deemed eligible for the award since "Beautiful Liar" involved British songwriter Ian Dench.[10][11]

Chart performance

"Beautiful Liar" debuted at number 94 on the Billboard Hot 100 mainly due to digital download. In the following week, the single jumped 91 positions to number three with a massive digital sales of 150,000 copies, setting a record for the largest upward movement in the history of the Hot 100, until it was surpassed by American singer Britney Spears' single "Womanizer" with a move 96-1 in October 2008.[12][13] On the Billboard Pop 100, the single jumped 74 places, from number 77 to number three. "Beautiful Liar" also became one of a very few singles to debut at number one on both the Billboard Hot Digital Tracks and Hot Digital Songs charts.[14] In mid-May, the single climbed to number one on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales, the fifth from B'Day to do so. The Recording Industry Association of America has certified "Beautiful Liar" gold for sales of over 500,000 units.[15]

The single performed better in international music markets, reaching number one across 32 countries. It became another worldwide hit for Shakira and Knowles,[16] who both have released number-one singles before "Beautiful Liar": Knowles with "Déjà Vu"‎ and Shakira with "Hips Don't Lie". In the United Kingdom, the Freemasons remixed version of the song was widely promoted by radio stations including BBC Radio 1,[17] where it was put on the A-List. It made its debut, two weeks prior to the CD release, on the UK Singles Chart at number ten, making it both Knowles' and Shakira's highest debut on the UK Singles Chart on digital downloads alone. The single has sold 37,500 units in its first week.[6] After the physical release exactly two weeks later, the single reached number one,[18] making it Knowles' fifth number-one single there and Shakira's second; it maintained the position for three weeks.[6] On June 20, 2007, the single was certified silver in the United Kingdom.[19] Sales-wise, the song was 2007's 12th biggest-selling single in the United Kingdom.[20]

In Australia, the single has reached number five, and was the country's 51st best-performing single in 2007.[21] The Australian Recording Industry Association has certified "Beautiful Liar" gold for having sold over 35,000 units.[22] The single debuted at number one on the New Zealand Singles Chart.[23]

Music video

Shakira (left) and Knowles (right) in the music video for "Beautiful Liar"

The music video for "Beautiful Liar" was helmed by English director Jake Nava, who has directed several of Knowles' other videos. It was shot in only two days, during the two-week production of B'Day Anthology Video Album. Since the schedule was hectic, the production team did not have an ample time in the choreography.[24] It was done spontaneously, rehearsing the routines in forty minutes. Knowles learned some of the choreography from Shakira, who created most, and taught her a few belly dancing moves.[25] The idea of playing look alike came from Knowles, who once saw a boy dancing, like performing before a mirror, until she realized he was dancing with another person.[3]

The first half of the video features Knowles and Shakira in separate cuts. It begins with the women's faces masked by smoke. As the video progresses they are featured against several different backgrounds, including: dawn (Knowles) and dusk (Shakira); sheets blown in the wind; bamboo covered in yellow orchids; a room with blue neon lighting and Avestan writing on the walls; and finally a background of stormy weather. Slow dance moves and belly dancing, during a breakdown after the bridge, are featured heavily throughout the video. The women wear matching hairstyles and black outfits for the entirety of video.

"Beautiful Liar" was nominated for Video Of The Year at the 2007 BET Awards but lost to another Knowles video, "Irreplaceable".[26][27] At the 2007 MTV Video Music Award, it won the Most Earthshattering Collaboration, which was a new category included in the awards show.[28] During the event, Knowles received the award alone because Shakira was on tour in Canada.[29]

Track listing

CD Single
  1. "Beautiful Liar" (Album version) (featuring Shakira) – 3:19
  2. "Beautiful Liar" (Radio Version) (featuring Shakira) -

3:23

  1. "Beautiful Liar" (Freemasons remix edit) (featuring Shakira) – 3:29
  2. "Irreplaceable" (Maurice Joshua remix) – 4:05
  3. "Déjà Vu" (Freemason radio mix) (featuring Jay-Z) – 3:15
  4. "Beautiful Liar" (Video)
2-Track CD Single
  1. "Beautiful Liar" (Album version) (featuring Shakira) – 3:19
  2. "Beautiful Liar" (Freemasons remix edit) (featuring Shakira) – 3:29

Charts

Preceded by Irish Singles Chart number-one single (first run)
April 19, 2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by UK Singles Chart number-one single
April 22, 2007 - May 6, 2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by New Zealand RIANZ singles chart number-one single
April 23, 2007 - April 29, 2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by French SNEP number-one single (first run)
April 28, 2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Italian Singles Chart number-one single
April 29, 2007 - May 12, 2007 		Succeeded by
"Extended Play" by Vasco Rossi
Preceded by Irish Singles Chart number-one single (second run)
May 3, 2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Billboard Eurochart Hot 100 number-one single
May 4, 2007 - June 15, 2007 		Succeeded by
"Umbrella" by Rihanna featuring Jay-Z
Preceded by
"Tranen Gelachen" by Guus Meeuwis
 Dutch Top 40 number-one single
May 5, 2007 - May 19, 2007 		Succeeded by
"Blijf Bij Mij" by Andre Hazes and Gerard Joling
Preceded by French SNEP number-one single (second run)
May 12, 2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by German Singles Chart number-one single
May 11, 2007 - May 17, 2007 		Succeeded by

References

  1. ^ "Beyonce". Univision. Retrieved 2007-03-28.
  2. ^ a b c Moss, Corey (2007-02-14). "Beyonce Turns Heads With Sports Illustrated Cover, Shakira Duet". MTV News. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
  3. ^ a b c Vineyard, Jennifer. "Beyoncé: Behind the B'Day Videos". MTV News. p. 1. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
  4. ^ "Beautiful Liar". Sony/ATV Music Publishing. 2007.
  5. ^ Sandoval, Greg (2007-09-20). "Leaked e-mails reveal MediaDefender's antipiracy woes". CNET News. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
  6. ^ a b c "ALL THE No.1's". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
  7. ^ "Don Omar, To Conquer the World". VOY Music. Retrieved 2007-04-16.
  8. ^ Nudd, Tim (2007-12-06). "Kanye West, Amy Winehouse Lead Grammy Nods". People. Time Inc. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
  9. ^ "8th Latin Grammy Awards Winners List". The Recording Academy. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
  10. ^ "2008 Ivor Novello awards: The winners". British Broadcasting Corporation. 2008-05-22. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
  11. ^ Paine, Andre (2008-04-21). "Ivors nominees". British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
  12. ^ Cohen, Jonathan (2007-03-29). "Akon Scores Second No. 1 Hit From 'Konvicted'". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
  13. ^ Pietroluongo, Silvio (2008-10-15). "Spears Scores Record-Setting Hot 100 Jump". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
  14. ^ "Beyonce Sets Billboard Chart Record as 'Beautiful Liar,' Her Superstar Duet With Shakira, Achieves the Biggest Jump in Hot 100 History". PR-Newswire. 2007-03-29. Retrieved 2007-03-29.
  15. ^ "Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
  16. ^ "Amanda Ghost". British Broadcasting Corporation. 2007-03-17. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
  17. ^ "This Week's Guest". British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
  18. ^ Sexton, Paul (2007-04-23). "Beyonce, Shakira And Avril Overtake U.K. Charts". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
  19. ^ "Certified Awards". BPI. Retrieved 2007-12-07.
  20. ^ "Top 40 Singles of the Year 200". British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
  21. ^ "ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 100 Singles 2007". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
  22. ^ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2007 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
  23. ^ "Top 40 singles". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
  24. ^ "Wild Child". Expressindia. Indian Express Newspapers (Mumbai) Ltd. 2007-10-24. Retrieved 2007-11-20.
  25. ^ Vineyard, Jennifer. "Beyoncé: Behind The B'Day Videos". MTV News. p. 3. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
  26. ^ Grossberg, Josh (2007-05-17). "Beyoncé Bests BET Noms". E! Online. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
  27. ^ "BET Awards 2007 Winners". Black Entertainment Television. 2007-06-26. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
  28. ^ Montgomery, James (2007-08-07). "MTV VMA Race Is On: Justin Timberlake, Beyonce Lead Nominations". MTV News. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
  29. ^ "2007 VMA: The Entire 2007 MTV Video Music Awards On-Demand". MTV Overdrive. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
  30. ^ a b "Beyoncé and Shakira - Beautiful Liar". αCharts.us. Retrieved 2006-03-08.
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