Jump to content

Best Thing I Never Had

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by ZéroBot (talk | contribs) at 21:11, 15 June 2011 (r2.7.1) (robot Adding: fr:Best Thing I Never Had). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

"Best Thing I Never Had"
Song

"Best Thing I Never Had" is a song recorded by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles for her fourth studio album, 4 (2011). It was released on June 1, 2011, through Columbia Records as the second single off the album. "Best Thing I Never Had" was written by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and Patrick "J. Que" Smith, while production was handled by Symbolyc One. An R&B-pop ballad, "Best Thing I Never Had" has lyrics about revenge and karma. Not wanting to end up broken-hearted, the female protagonist relates that she feels happy to have parted from her love interest who did not recognize the potential of leading a happy life besides her.

Critical response towards "Best Thing I Never Had" was generally positive with several music critics noting that its theme as well as its musical style bear resemblance to Knowles' own 2006 hit single, "Irreplaceable". Knowles' vocals and the lyrical content of the song were also complimented.

Background and recording

"Best Thing I Never Had" was written by Knowles with Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds[1] and Patrick "J. Que" Smith,[2] and was produced by Symbolyc One.[3] A private listening party for Knowles' fourth studio album was held on May 12, 2011. Knowles offered a select group of fans a preview of five songs from her fourth studio album as well as the official video for the lead single "Run the World (Girls)". On that occasion, "Best Thing I Never Had" was one among the five songs previewed.[4] On May 1, 2011, a song titled "End of Time" leaked as a demo[5] while the full demo of the song, featuring Knowles professing her everlasting love to her love interest, leaked online on May 20, 2011, watermarked with the tag "internal use only".[6][7] Several websites, including MTV News started reporting that it might serve as a potential follow up to the lead single, "Run the World".[8] However, these speculations were soon overshadowed by the release of an exclusive US promotional single, "1+1" on May 25, 2011.[9] In early June 2011, Columbia Records reported that "1+1" would however not be sent for airplay, with "Best Thing I Never Had" favored as the second single from 4, following "Run the World".[10]

Smith revealed that he was initially intimidated at the prospect of working with Knowles. However, he came out of the recording experience, moved and told Gyant of Black Entertainment Television about how the session went. Concerning the conception of "Best Thing I Never Had", Smith told that he was in Los Angeles when he got a call from Tony Dixon, for whom he has been writing for years, telling him that they were going to do some work with Knowles.[2] He set for the studio in Los Angeles where the remaining team was. During his journey to his destination, Smith wrote part of the song, and once in the studio, Edmonds joined the writing session to add his input to the song.[2] After a day or so, Dixon and Smith really completed the writing session for "Best Thing I Never Had". However, Edmonds came along afterwards, and made some modifications after hearing the record, as said by Smith: "You know—a word here, a word there, a melody here, and all of a sudden the record had a completely new life. He [Babyface] is absolutely masterful at what he does. And I’m super honored to be working with dude."[2] After the Los Angeles studio session with Dixon and Edmonds, Smith was invited to an exclusive recording session with Knowles.[2] Smith further elaborated about the recording of the song as well as his meeting with Knowles, whom he described as "extremely humble":

We went to NYC and did a weekly recording. We wrote six records and recorded five. When she [Beyoncé] heard 'Best Thing I Never Had' she really dug it. She had a couple of things she wanted to tweak. But she was jumping up and down, literally. I was amped and absolutely floored at how beautiful she was in person. I was not ready for that. Her work ethic is nuts. I remember the night she came in and recorded 'The Best Thing I Never Had' she got to the studio at maybe 9PM. She came off of the plane, and walked into the studio. We played the record. She loved it! She jumped in the studio and knocked out three records that night. And she did not get started until 10pm. So her ability to really push like that and stay hungry and focused absolutely blows my mind. She was incredibly grateful that we came out. She’s super cordial. She’s still a Southern girl. And my favorite thing though, easily, was how much she turned into a fan when Babyface came into the room. She became a fan. She was the one sitting down excited to hear the stories and what Kenny was talking about. It’s always cool when you get to see people that you look at in that spotlight and you see them actually become the fan. That was great.[2]

Release

On May 27, 2011, Pittsburgh radio ration 96.1 Kiss FM reportedly received an email from Knowles' management, informing them about the follow-up to the lead single, "Run the World (Girls)" from 4, will be "Best Thing I Never Had" and that it would premiere on radio on Wednesday June 1, 2011. As reported, the single debuted on US radio stations on the announced date at morning at 8 (EST).[11] It was digitally released in the United States on June 1, 2011.[12]

The single's cover artwork shows Knowles posing in a bathroom in front of a mirror. Knowles is holding a tube of red lipstick, which was used to write "King B" on the mirror.[1]

Composition

"Best Thing I Never Had" is a midtempo pop and R&B ballad, with the lyrics addressing a former lover.[1] Its theme and musical style has been compared to Knowles' previous releases like "Irreplaceable" (2006) and "If I Were a Boy" (2008).[13] The song's instrumentation consists mostly of a piano melody intro and outro, with some layered female vocals providing background support to Knowles' singing.[14] As stated by Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly, "Best Thing I Never Had" seems to have partly borrowed form Celine Dion's "That’s The Way It Is" (1999), and from Bruce Hornsby's "The Way It Is" (1986).[15] Caryn Ganz of Yahoo! Music commented that the song bears resemblance to Vanessa Carlton's "A Thousand Miles" (2000) paired with Ryan Tedder's signature thump beat.[16] James Dinh of MTV News added that "Best Thing I Never Had" sounds like a song people will hear during a Broadway musical. He attributed this to the fact that Knowles collaborated with the band from Fela! for a couple of days to gain inspiration from the play's subject, Nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, Fela Kuti.[1]

Lyrically, "Best Thing I Never Had" is about the breakup between Knowles as the protagonist and her lover, the break-up suiting both parties.[17] In general, the lyrical content of the song revolves around revenge and karma, including the opening line: "what goes around comes back around", the lyrics "best thing I've ever had" and "best thing you've never had" as well as the closing line "sucks to be you right now".[14] Happy to have managed to avoid heartbreak,[18] Knowles continues to sing about her ex-love interest in the song, who did not recognize the potential of a happy companionship with her, until the breakup took place.[3][14] She admits that she no longer desires him after discovering his deceitful ways;[1] this being shown in the pre-chorus lines as well as the chorus lines: "When I think of the time that I almost loved you / You showed your ass and I saw the real you / Thank God you blew it, I thank God I dodged a bullet / I’m so over you, so baby good looking out / I wanted you bad / I’m so through with that / Because honestly / You turned out to be the best thing I never had / And will always be the best thing you never had."[14]

Critical reception

Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly noted the moderate chart performance of Knowles' previous single, "Run the World (Girls)", before adding: "'Best Thing I Never Had' feels like the kind of crossover hit that will help 4 join the rest of Beyoncé's discography in multiplatinum land." Still making reference to the former single, Anderson added that "Best Thing I Never Had" finds Knowles mining the same kind of "girl-power imagery as she did on 'Run the World (Girls)', but there is something more direct and honest about the lyrics on the new single (perhaps it's the instant greatness of the line, 'When I think of the time I almost loved you / You showed your ass and I saw the real you')."[1][15] Noting its similarities to Knowles previous singles, "Irreplaceable" and "If I Were a Boy", Gerrick D. Kennedy of The Los Angeles Times quipped that Knowles certainly knows "how to dump a man in style."[13] Both James Dinh of MTV News and Robbie Daw of Idolator felt that the song has a "radio-friendly appeal and catchy chorus."[19] Leah Collins of Canadian Dose Magazine wrote: "'Irreplaceable', 'Independent Women', 'If I Were a Boy', we could go on [...] Beyoncé had long since proven she could write a song for all the ladies. Songs that could deliver a shot of self-esteem. Beyoncé's newest single, 'Best Thing I Never Had' takes us back to those not-so-far-off days."[20]

Jessica Sinclair, writing for The Long Island Press commented that "Best Thing I Never Had" contrasts "Run the World (Girls)" and that it "shows a side of Beyoncé we rarely see."[21] Amos Barshad of The New York Magazine also found the song to be comparable to "Irreplaceable", writing: "Once again, our hero takes her time dismissing a former lover, this time in language ('Sucks to be you right now') agreeable to a nation of tweens and in a manner agreeable to anyone who likes yelping along in unison to ascendant pop choruses."[22] Similarly, Matthew Perpetua of Rolling Stone wrote that "Best Thing I Never Had" could be "Irreplaceable Part Two" basically. He complimented Knowles' vocal performance, writing that it "brings depth to a straightforward song about dumping a terrible suitor, conveying a compelling mix of wounded pride and genuine heartbreak."[23] Amy Sciarretto of Pop Crush gave the song a four stars rating out of five and praised Knowles vocals, writing that "The Queen B reigns supreme yet again with another excellent pop song from 4."[14] Nadine Cheung from AOL Radio praised Knowles' vocal ability and variation on "Best Thing I Never Had".[18]

Chart performance

"Best Thing I Never Had" debuted at number 84 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart issue dated June 18, 2011.[24] The same week, it also debuted at number 53 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, where it was the highest debut of that week.[25]

Charts

Chart (2011) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart[26] 29
Australian Urban Singles Chart[27] 9
Brazil (Billboard Hot 100 Airplay)[28] 94
Brazil (Billboard Hot Pop & Popular)[29] 87
US Billboard Hot 100[24] 84
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[25] 53

Release history

Country Date Format
Australia[30] June 1, 2011 Digital download
Canada[31]
New Zealand[32]
United States[12]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Dinh, James (June 1, 2011). "Beyonce Premieres 'Best Thing I Never Had'". MTV News. MTV Networks. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Gyant (June 3, 2011). ""Best Thing I Never Had" Songwriter Inspired by Beyonce". BET News. BET Networks. Retrieved June 4, 2011.
  3. ^ a b "New Music: Beyoncé – 'Best Thing I Never Had'". Rap-Up. Devin Lazerine. June 1, 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  4. ^ MTV News Staff (May 12, 2011). "Beyonce Previews 4, 'Run The World (Girls)' Video". MTV News. MTV Networks. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  5. ^ "Listen To Snippets Of Beyonce's Supposed Next Single "End Of Time" | Music News, Reviews, and Gossip on". Idolator. Buzz Media. May 1, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  6. ^ "Beyonce Will Love You "Till The End Of Time" In New Single". Idolator. Gawker Media. May 20, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  7. ^ Buchanan, Kyle (May 21, 2011). "Listen to Beyoncé's Next Single, 'Till the End of Time' - Vulture". New York. New York Media Holdings. Retrieved May 24, 2011.
  8. ^ Dinh, James (June 1, 2011). "Beyonce's 'Till The End Of Time' Hits The Internet". MTV News. MTV Networks. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
  9. ^ Corne, Lewis (May 26, 2011). "Beyoncé releases new song '1+1'". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi Médias. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  10. ^ Trust, Gary (June 1, 2011). "'Idols' Scott McCreery & Laura Alaina Top Hot 100 Debuts, Adele Still No. 1". Billboard. New York: Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  11. ^ Lipshutz, Jason (May 31, 2011). "Beyonce to Release New Single on Wednesday". Billboard. New York: Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  12. ^ a b "Best Thing I Never Had - Single". iTunes Store US. Apple Inc. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  13. ^ a b Kennedy, Gerrick D. (June 1, 2011). "Beyoncé debuts new single, 'Best Thing I Never Had'". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  14. ^ a b c d e Sciarretto, Amy (June 1, 2011). "Beyonce 'Best Thing I Never Had' - Song Review". PopCrush. Retrieved June 2, 2011. Cite error: The named reference "popcrush" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  15. ^ a b Anderson, Kyle (June 1, 2011). "Beyonce's New Single 'Best I Never Had': Hear It Here". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  16. ^ Ganz, Caryn (June 1, 2011). "Sasha Meh? Beyonce Debuts Dull Ballad 'Best Thing I Never Had'". Yahoo! Music. Yahoo!. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  17. ^ Herrera, Monica (June 1, 2011). "Beyonce's 'Best Thing I Never Had' Single Premieres: Listen". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
  18. ^ a b Cheung, Nadine (June 1, 2011). "Beyonce, 'Best Thing I Never Had' -- New Song". AOL Radio. AOL Inc. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  19. ^ Daw, Robbie (June 1, 2011). "Review Revue: Critics React To Beyoncé's "Best Thing I Never Had"". Idolator. Buzz Media. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  20. ^ Collins, Leah (June 1, 2011). "Listen: Beyoncé Debuts 'Best Thing I Never Had'". Dose Magazine. Postmedia Network Inc. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |ccessdate= ignored (help)
  21. ^ Sinclair, Jessica (June 2, 2011). "Beyoncé: Best Thing I Never Had Video". Long Island Press. Jed Morey. Morey Publishing. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |ccessdate= ignored (help)
  22. ^ Barshad, Amos (June 1, 2011). "Hear Beyoncé: Still Irreplaceable!". New York Magazine. New York Media Holdings. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |ccessdate= ignored (help)
  23. ^ Perpetua, Matthew (June 8, 2011). "Beyoncé's '4': A Track-by-Track Breakdown". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |ccessdate= ignored (help)
  24. ^ a b Trust, Gary (June 8, 2011). "Adele's Still 'Deep' Atop Hot 100, Coldplay Makes a Splash". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  25. ^ a b "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: Week Ending June 18, 2011". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  26. ^ "Top 50 Singles Chart - 13/6/2011". Australian Recording Industry Association. June 13, 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2011.
  27. ^ "Top 40 Urban Albums & Singles Chart - 13/6/2011". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on June 12, 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2011.
  28. ^ "Brasil Hot 100 Airplay". Billboard Brasil (Brasil: bpp) (2): 100. June, 2011. ISSN 977-217605400-2
  29. ^ "Brasil Hot 100 Airplay". Billboard Brasil (Brasil: bpp) (2): 101. June, 2011. ISSN 977-217605400-2
  30. ^ "Best Thing I Never Had - Single". iTunes Store Australia. Apple Inc. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  31. ^ "Best Thing I Never Had - Single". iTunes Store Canada. Apple Inc. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  32. ^ "Best Thing I Never Had - Single". iTunes Store New Zealand. Apple Inc. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Best_Thing_I_Never_Had&oldid=434477618"