Baby Boy (Beyoncé song)

"Baby Boy"
File:Baby Boy.jpg
Single by Beyoncé featuring Sean Paul
From the albums Dangerously in Love and Dutty Rock
Released	2003
Format	12" single
Genre	R&B
Length	4:04
Label	Columbia
Writers	Beyoncé Knowles Scott Storch Robert Waller Sean Paul Jay-Z
Producers	Beyoncé Knowles Scott Storch
Director	Jake Nava
Certification	Platinum
Chart positions	#1 U.S. #2 UK #4 AU #2 CAN #2 NZ
Beyoncé Single Chronology
"Crazy In Love" 2003	"Baby Boy" 2003	"Fighting Temptation" 2003

"Baby Boy" is the second single from Beyoncé's debut album Dangerously In Love. Released in 2003, the song (which features Sean Paul) reached number one in the USA, becoming Beyoncé's second number one single and Sean Paul's second; it also reached number two in the U.K.. It was also recognized at the ASCAP awards by the label companies receiving the Publisher of the Year from EMI and Most Performed Songs award in 2005.

Song information

The single was co-written by Beyoncé , Scott Storch, Robert Waller, Sean Paul, and Jay-Z, and produced by Beyoncé and Storch. Although he does not perform on the record, Beyoncé's boyfriend Jay-Z (who had worked with her on her previous single, "Crazy In Love") is given co-writing credit for lyrical contributions. In this Middle Eastern/reggae hybrid, Beyoncé becomes enraptured by the thought of a man who haunts her, yet turns her on, as she cries "Baby Boy, you stay on my mind, fulfill my fantasies...". An alternative version of the song, in which the song structure and Sean Paul's raps are left intact, while Beyoncé sings completely different lyrics, was leaked to the Internet in 2003.

Chart performance

Fresh of the heels of "Crazy In Love", her first single, "Baby Boy" quickly shot up the charts, and the song was in the top ten while "Crazy In Love" was still number one on the Hot 100. "Baby Boy" rose to number one after only a four week gap between it and "Crazy In Love". The song topped both the Hot 100 and the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks for several weeks. The song was also strong on all major radio airplay formats, also hitting number one on the Hot 100 Airplay, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, Top 40 Tracks, Top 40 Mainstream, and the Rhythmic Top 40 .

Due to the song's high level of airplay, it broke the record for the highest number of impressions in a week (as measured by BDS). Beyoncé held the record for the highest amount of audience impressions in a week for a female artist, until Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together" broke her record.

It managed to become a longer charting success, debuting at number 53 (one spot lower than her prevoius song) and quickly climbed to the top ten in 4 weeks (53-29-12-9). It spent 9 weeks at number one and 29 in the top 100.

Music video

Following the critical acclaim she had received for enlisting relative newcomer Jake Nava to direct her first single, "Crazy In Love", Beyoncé decided to repeat her success, and enlisted Nava to direct her second video. The video does not have a central plot, but is better known for its visual interpretation of Beyoncé's wild dreams and fantasies of her "Baby Boy". Beyoncé can be seen dancing seductively in dark exotic sets with wild flashing lights as Sean Paul sits on a throne and dictates his wishes to her. The video is most noted for its middle sequence, in which Beyoncé breaks into an impromptu belly dance.

Charts

Chart (2003)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Airplay	1
U.S. Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	1
U.S. Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay	1
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales	14
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	2
U.S. Billboard Dance Radio Airplay	1
U.S. Billboard Hot Digital Tracks	4
U.S. Billboard Rhythmic Top 40	1
The Official UK Singles Chart	2
Irish Singles Chart	6
Australian Singles Chart	3
Canadian Singles Chart	2
Dutch Singles Chart	8
New Zealand Singles Chart	2
German Singles Chart	4
French Singles Chart	8
Swedish Singles Chart	5
United World Tracks Chart	3
World Airplay Top 100	2
World Physical Sales Chart	1
Europe Official Singles Chart	4

Official remixes/versions

• "Baby Boy" (album version)
• "Baby Boy" (instrumental)
• "Baby Boy" (Junior's World Mixshow)
• "Baby Boy" (Junior Vazquez club-anthem remix)
• "Baby Boy" (Junior's Padapella)
• "Baby Boy" (Maurice Joshua full remix)