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Work It Out (Beyoncé song)

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"Work It Out"
Song

"Work It Out" is a funk song recorded by American R&B singer–songwriter Beyoncé Knowles for the soundtrack to the 2002 film Austin Powers in Goldmember, in which Knowles starred as Foxxy Cleopatra. The song was later included on non-U.S. editions of Knowles' debut solo album, Dangerously in Love.

Composed by Knowles, Pharrell Williams, and Chad Hugo, the song was released as a single in June 2002. Commercially, the song failed to make an impact on the Billboard Hot 100 but managed to find minor success on the Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart. The song found a majority of its success in European countries such as the United Kingdom and Norway.[4] The song has been praised as beginning Knowles' career as a successful solo-artist, after finding multiple success as the lead single of Destiny's Child.

The song's accompanying music video was shot and directed by Matthew Rolston, under Knowles' Foxxy Cleopatra persona. The video featured many 70's and 60's inspirations. The song was later used by multiple reality television shows, in challenges that either involved Knowles or songs that are similar to "Work It Out."

Music and style

"Work It Out"
A sample of "Work It Out", which features a 1970's/60's funk.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Hal Leonard Corporation, "Work It Out" is a moderate R&B, Soul and Funk song pacing in moderately slow time and it is written in the key of G major with a metronome of 84.[3] "Work It Out" is a song reminiscent of the funk and soul of the 1970's.[5] The song features "super-heavy funk" while faultlessly taking on classic's by JBs & Lynn Anderson.[6] Producers, The Neptunes, create a retro-thumper with poppy staccato beats.[2] Although compared to the musical styles of the 1970's, Spin described the song as a "stunning '60s soul vamp," while recognizing the James Brown tribute within the song.[7] In the song, Knowles has been described as gritty and sultry, while referencing Tina Turner.[8] Slant stated that the song positioned Knowles as an MTV generation Tina Turner, as it took a turn towards a post-disco/funk work-out.[9] Knowles has additionally been described as "a 'Rock Steady'-era Aretha Franklin" while she ambitiously grunts, wails, and moans.[2]

Release

The song has been been praised as the track that marked Beyoncé's transition to solo artist.[9][10] Knowles premiered the song on May 23, 2002 on AOL.com.[11] According to manager and father, Mathew Knowles, the song serves as the first single off of Knowles' debut album Dangerously in Love. Both Knowles and Britney Spears debuted singles with the release of Austin Powers: Goldmember, Spears debuting "Boys".[11]

Critical reception

"Work It Out" garnered positive reviews from critics, most of which complemented the 60's/70's funk tone for the song. While reviewing the movies soundtrack, Josh Tyrangiel of Entertainment Weekly gave the song a negative review stating that it was "all shimmy and innuendo."[12] However, while reviewing the single, Craig Seymour, also of Entertainment Weekly, gave the song a grade of an A-, calling the track a "funky debut solo tune."[2] Mark Anthony Neal of PopMatters recognized the success of Destiny's Child and credited it to Knowles stating, "Ms. B, first stepped out on the solo trip in support of her role as Foxxy Cleopatra in Austin Powers: Gold Member. 'Work It Out' was a nice slice of chunk-funk that gave some inkling that Beyoncé was ready to shed the 'but I'm still not yet a woman' vibe that's earned Destiny's Child multi-platinum status."[13] NME gave the song a mixed review, praising the song on it's faultless take on classic JBs & Lynne Anderson super-heavy funk, but disregarding it as "just more pastiche."[6] Spin included the song on two separate lists of admiration. The first was a playlist of songs that "you need to know," where "Work It Out" came in at number five for songs to download.[8] The other included the song on a list of must-have Beyoncé Knowles songs.[7] The song was considered a "good moment" of the Goldmember sountrack by AllMusic writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine.[14] Additionally comparing it to anything Destiny's Child has done, Erlewine stated "Knowles' opening 'Work It Out' is an excellent post-disco single, better than anything on Survivor."[14]

Awards and nominations

Following the songs release in 2002, the song was included during many award ceremonies following the year of 2003. During the Black Reel Awards of 2003, the song was nominated under the category "Best Original or Adapted Song."[15] However, the song lost to Erykah Badu's & Common's "Love of My Life (Ode to Hip-Hop)" from Brown Sugar.[15] During the same year, the song was nominated in the MTV Video Music Awards Japan 2003 for it's accompanying music video in the category "Best Video from a Film."[16] The song later lost to Eminem's "Lose Yourself" from the movie 8 Mile.[16]

Music Video

Background

A music video for the song was directed by Matthew Rolston in New York in early June.[11] On June 7, 2002, Knowles released a "Making the video" which included a behind the scenes look into shooting the music video.[17] In the music video, Jeremiah Alexis takes the role of the bass player in the background while Knowles sings up-front.[17] The video is inspired by 70's glamor and the introduction of pop and funk.[17] Knowles commented on the concept of the video stating, "I wanted it to look different from what we've done. I wanted it to be raw. The look of it is like an old 1970's show."[17] Rolston stated that the video is inspired by shows such as Sonny & Cher, The Midnight Special with James Brown that take place around the era of the beginning of disco and the end of hippy.[17]

File:Beyonce-WorkItOutVideoStill.JPG
Knowles performing on a colorful stage with her band in the background.

Synopsis and reception

The video begins with Knowles as Foxxy Cleopatra, sitting with Austin Powers in a movie theater, crediting to the ending of Austin Powers in Goldmember.[18] As the "movie" starts, Knowles is seen on stage performing with a band playing live instruments to the song. After performing simple choreography, Knowles begins her verse by singing into a microphone that is bedazzled with her name in sparkles. The scenery of the shot is set to be a stage with colorful backgrounds, as Knowles and her band members continue to groove to the song. Scenes from Goldmember are randomly pieced into the music video through the song. Scenes of Knowles performing in a cube are shown with disco-scenery being shown on all walls and ceilings of the cube. As Knowles performs in the cubed-room, scenery from the backgrounds are also projected onto Knowles. Scenes that feature inverted color and Knowles playing with hula hoops while wearing "Virgo" bedazzled jeans are also shown throughout the video. As the video ends, Knowles is seen back on the beginning stage performing a dance-routine with three backup dancers only. The video ends with the movie theater cheering the songs video and Foxxy and Austin smiling at each other.

Cynthia Fuchs of PopMatters reviewed the songs accompanying music video, stating "The video offers up a standard-seeming series of body parts -- eye, navel, huge hair -- but at the same time emphasizes Beyoncé's frankly awesome power, recalling Aretha and especially Tina Turner as she snuggles up to the mic stand, her ferocious thighs revealed beneath a sequined miniskirt. In her first solo effort, Beyoncé declares herself a singular personality, a body, and a performer. Not to mention a sensation with a hula-hoop."[10] Fuchs added to her comment about Knowles' hoola-hooping skills, referring to them as "sensational" and stated that it gave the video "a giddy, gorgeous turn."[19] Tamar Anitai of MTV Buzzworthy negatively reviewed Knowles' choice in hair-style as "two-tone, too-tight curls."[20]

Live performances

Knowles performed the song on multiple occasions, including the song as part of her set list on the Dangerously in Love Tour, where the performance of the song was recorded and distributed at the Wembley Arena in London, United Kingdom for the Beyoncé: Live at Wembley DVD/CD.[21] The song was additionally added to the set list of The Beyoncé Experience[22] in Los Angeles. The song was also performed live at the Wynn Theatre, in Las Vegas on August 2, 2009 during a stint of her worldwide I Am… Tour.[23][24][25] The performance was later recorded and distributed in a DVD/CD package titled "I Am... Yours: An Intimate Performance at Wynn Las Vegas" on November 23, 2009.[26] During the I Am… Tour, the song was performed as a medley to "Crazy in Love" which additionally contained "I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)", "Let Me Clear My Throat" and "Pass the Peas".[27]

Knowles additionally performed the song on many televised appearances. The first televised performance of the song was on New Year's Eve at Nikki Beach, St. Barth.[28] Other televised performances included Rove, 2003's Party in the Park, and Top of the Pops.[29][30] Vibe reviewed Knowles' performances, stating "When it comes time to perform 'Work It Out,' it's as if she's possessed. Tossing her head around, jerking her body, twirling the microphone stand, she's a new-millennium version of Tina Turner. As human and humble as she is off stage, watching her perform is a quick reminder of why she's a star. She's magnetic."[31]

Cultural impact

The song has been performed to by many reality television shows, which later led to the group or person winning that current challenge. On the fifth season of American Idol, contestant Paris Ana'is Bennett performed the song on March 28 2006, in which the theme was to perform songs from the past six years.[32] The song later allowed Bennett to pass through to the next round with Jackson stating it was the best of the night; Abdul calling the performance awesome; and Cowell naming the performance overly precocious. During the second week of the fourth season of America's Best Dance Crew, the Massive Monkees were asked to perform the song with the challenge to "dance with hula hoops without accidentally dropping them."[33] The performance later allowed the group to move on to the next round.[33] While searching for an all-female band to accompany her on The Beyoncé Experience, Knowles had the candidates perform the single "Work It Out" as a test.[34]

Formats and track listings

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from Dangerously in Love liner notes.[45]

  • Vocals: B. Knowles
  • Writing: Chad Hugo, Beyoncé Knowles, Pharrell Williams
  • Composers: Chad Hugo, Beyoncé Knowles, Pharrell Williams
  • Producing: The Neptunes

Charts and certification

Release history

Purchasable release

Release dates, record label and format details
Country Date Format Label
United States[50] February 14, 2002 CD Single Columbia Records
Japan[51] June 26, 2002 CD Single
Germany[52] July 1, 2002 CD Single
United Kingdom[53] July 15, 2002 CD Single
Europe/Thailand[54] August 12, 2002 CD Single

References

  1. ^ "Beyonce Knowles - Discography - Work It Out". Billboard.
  2. ^ a b c d Reviewed by Craig Seymour (2002-06-14). "''Work It Out'' | Music". EW.com. Retrieved 2011-02-01. {{cite web}}: Text "Jun 14, 2002" ignored (help)
  3. ^ a b "Work It Out digital sheet music (Digital Download)". MusicNotes.com Hal Leonard Corporation.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Beyoncé – Work It Out – swisscharts.com". SwissCharts.com. Retrieved 2008-07-07. Cite error: The named reference "SWI" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Alicia Keys, Ashanti, Beyonce ... - Google Books". Books.google.com. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  6. ^ a b "Beyonce : Dangerously In Love - Album Reviews". Nme.Com. 2003-07-02. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  7. ^ a b "SPIN - Google Books". Books.google.com. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  8. ^ a b "SPIN - Google Books". Books.google.com. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  9. ^ a b "2003: Year in Music | Music". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
  10. ^ a b "PopMatters Music Feature | You Gotta Work Your Jelly". Popmatters.com. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  11. ^ a b c Moss, Corey (2002-05-23). "Beyonce, Britney Serve Up First Singles From 'Goldmember' - MTV Movie News". MTV. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  12. ^ Reviewed by Josh Tyrangiel (2002-07-19). "Austin Powers in Goldmember | Music". EW.com. Retrieved 2011-02-04. {{cite web}}: Text "Jul 19, 2002" ignored (help)
  13. ^ "Beyoncé: Dangerously in Love - PopMatters Music Review". Popmatters.com. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  14. ^ a b Thomas, Stephen (2002-07-16). "Austin Powers in Goldmember [Soundtrack] - Original Soundtrack". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
  15. ^ a b "Black Reel Awards". Worldlingo.com. Retrieved 2011-02-02.
  16. ^ a b "VIDEOS 歴代VMAJアーカイブ 2003年│MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN 2007". Mtvjapan.com. Retrieved 2011-02-02.
  17. ^ a b c d e "Making the Video (TV series documentary 1999) Beyonce: Work It Out". Internet Movie Database. 2002-06-07. Retrieved 2011-02-02.
  18. ^ Posted 6/17/02 (2007-02-22). "Work It Out (From Austin Powers Soundtrack) | Beyoncé | Music Video". MTV. Retrieved 2011-02-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  19. ^ "Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002): Mike Myers, Beyoncé Knowles, Verne Troyer - PopMatters Film Review". Popmatters.com. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
  20. ^ "Video: Alicia Keys, 'No One' » MTV Buzzworthy Blog". Buzzworthy.mtv.com. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
  21. ^ Up for Discussion Jump to Forums (2004-05-15). "Live at Wembley - Beyoncé". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2011-02-02.
  22. ^ "The Beyoncé Experience (Live) [Audio Version]". Itunes Belgium (in Dutch). Apple Inc. November 19, 2007. Retrieved January 29, 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  23. ^ "Beyoncé and Encore Las Vegas". Encorelasvegas.com. Retrieved 2009-11-19.
  24. ^ "World Stage | Beyoncé | Single Ladies, live at Wynn Theatre, Las Vegas|BEYONCE| Music Video | MTV European". Mtv.tv. 2010-08-17. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  25. ^ "Beyoncé Work It Out". Wn.com. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  26. ^ "I Am...Yours. An Intimate Performance at Wynn Las Vegas(2CD/1DVD): Beyonce: Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
  27. ^ Ryan Love (2010-11-12). "Beyoncé tour DVD tracklisting confirmed". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi (UK) Ltd. Retrieved 2010-11-13.
  28. ^ "Beyoncé New Year's Eve: Performing For Gaddafi Family?". Mediaite. 2010-01-03. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  29. ^ "Beyonce Knowles - Work It Out (Live On Rove) | Beyonce Knowles | Hollywood Video". Hollywood-video.us. 1999-02-22. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  30. ^ Nuts.co.uk. "Search | Video". nuts.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
  31. ^ "Vibe - Google Books". Books.google.com. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  32. ^ Moss, Corey (2006-03-29). "'American Idol' Recap: Paris Works Beyonce Song, Chris Digs Up Old Creed - Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  33. ^ a b Posted 8/16/09. "America's Best Dance Crew (Season 4) | Ep. 2 | Beyoncé Challenge". MTV. Retrieved 2011-02-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  34. ^ Up for Discussion Jump to Forums. "Billboard Bits: Beyonce, NIN/Bauhaus, Sonic Youth". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
  35. ^ "Beyonce Knowles Work It Out Japan 5" CD SINGLE (214982)". Eil.com. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  36. ^ "Beyonce Knowles Work It Out UK 5" CD SINGLE (218265)". Eil.com. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  37. ^ "Beyonce Knowles Work It Out USA Promo 5" CD SINGLE (219999)". Eil.com. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  38. ^ "Beyonce Knowles Work It Out UK Promo 12" RECORD/MAXI SINGLE (217819)". Eil.com. 2002-06-20. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  39. ^ "Beyonce Knowles Work It Out UK Promo 12" RECORD/MAXI SINGLE (220256)". Eil.com. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  40. ^ "Beyonce Knowles Work It Out - The Remixes USA Promo 12" RECORD/MAXI SINGLE (225392)". Eil.com. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  41. ^ a b "Beyonce Knowles Work It Out Australia 5" CD SINGLE (218268)". Eil.com. 2002-06-27. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  42. ^ "Beyonce Knowles Work It Out UK 12" RECORD/MAXI SINGLE (219394)". Eil.com. 2002-07-12. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  43. ^ "Beyonce Knowles Work It Out USA Promo 12" RECORD/MAXI SINGLE (230078)". Eil.com. 2002-12-11. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  44. ^ "Work It Out: Beyonce: Amazon.de: Musik". Amazon.de. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  45. ^ Dangerously in Love (Media notes). Sony Music BMG Entertainment. 2003.
  46. ^ "Chart Track: Week 29, 2002". Irish Singles Chart.
  47. ^ "Beoyncé: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  48. ^ "Beyonce Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
  49. ^ "Gold disc certifications" (in Norwegian). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2010-05-06.
  50. ^ "Work It Out: Beyonce: Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
  51. ^ "Beyonce Knowles Work It Out Japan 5" CD SINGLE (214982)". Eil.com. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
  52. ^ "Work It Out: Beyonce: Amazon.de: Musik". Amazon.de. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
  53. ^ "Work It Out: Beyonce: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
  54. ^ "Work It Out: Beyonce: Amazon.de: Musik". Amazon.de. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
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