Halo (Beyoncé song)
February 20, 2009 ( Europe)
Halo is a song by American R & B singer Beyoncé Knowles. The song was produced by Knowles, Evan Bogart and Ryan Tedder for her third studio album I Am ... Sasha Fierce. Halo was Am ... Sasha Fierce in the U.S. and on 20 February 2009 released as the fourth single from the album I as the third single in Europe on 20 January 2009.
Halo is a R & B and pop ballad with use of piano, strings, synths, drums and percussions. The song won both the category Best Female Vocal Performance -. Pop at the Grammy Awards in 2010 as well as the category Best Song of the MTV Europe Music Awards 2009 Knowles achieved with halo topped the charts in Brazil, Norway and Slovakia, and was among others in Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States reach the top five on the singles chart.
Background
Halo was composed and written by Ryan Tedder, lead singer of the band One Republic, Knowles and Evan Bogart. To the Arrangement occurred because Tedder tore the Achilles tendon and therefore the planned tour of One Republic had to be canceled. Back in Los Angeles he met Bogart and they wrote the song within 3 hours. According to Simon Cowell, owner of the music production company Syco Entertainment, Bogart and Tedder shall have the song for his client, the singer Leona Lewis wrote, which, however, due to their tight schedule could not accommodate him. Tedder has denied this statement and stated that they had the song tentatively offered to other artists, as Knowles long waited until they recorded the song. Halo is Am ... Sasha Fierce I Am ... included on the CD of the album I, since it's a ballad, which Knowles " under make -up and away from the limelight " shows as a person.
Musical and content
Halo is a modern down-tempo pop and R & B ballad with gospel and soul influences. The song was written in A- flat major and has a tempo of 84 beats per minute. It is based on the chord progression A- Bm -F ♯ m- D and is written in the usual verse-chorus form. Knowles voice ranges from C ♯ 3 to the falsetto F ♯ 5, includes melismas and is supported by backing singers. Accompanied by a piano, clapping and stomping, which creates a special atmosphere, Knowles opens the song with the lines " Remember Those walls I built? Well, baby, they're tumbling down " (English: " Do you remember those walls I built Well, baby, she fell "? ). She sings the opening in a lower register, and the power of her voice takes the song to run away. The chorus it starts with " Everywhere I'm looking now, I'm surrounded by your embrace, Baby I can see your halo, you know you're my saving grace, you're everything I need and more, it's written all over your face, baby, I can feel your halo, pray it will not fade away " before several times the word" repeated Halo " with the choir.
Publication
In the U.S., it was planned to Halo along with ego, another song by Knowles album I Am ... Sasha Fierce, publish together. This has been similarly practiced in previous singles, as If I Were a Boy and Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It ) were published together. The record company decided ultimately, Halo along with the song Diva on 20 February 2009 to publish. The two songs are of the two different CDs of the double album and should show as Knowles different personalities, which is, among other central theme of the album, in which the ballads and uptempo songs on 2 different CDs are .. In Europe, Halo was on March 20, 2009 published as stand-alone download. The CD single was released on 3 April 2009 in Germany. The song Diva did not appear in Europe as a single.
Criticism
Halo was rated by critics overwhelmingly positive. Michael Slezak of Entertainment Weekly described as a halo absolutely gorgeous and perfectly produced song, which would have the potential to be as successful as Crazy in Love and Irreplaceable. According to James Montgomery of MTV News, Knowles shows, through her tearful force in her voice, pages of which you previously did not know. Ryan Dombel of Pitchfork Media compared Knowles ' shrill and abandoned " voice of Celine Dion and thinks that the listener in the fight vs. Beyoncé. Sasha Fierce loses. In spite of what he called the " forest and meadow text " Halo described James Reed of The Boston Globe the song as " Knowles impressive power ballad ".
Was particularly critical of the similarities to Rihanna's song Umbrella. So Alexis Petridis of The Guardian stated that Halo " has the same icy synths, the same rock dynamics and a similar repetitive refrain". Nick Levine of Digital Spy Halo described as a " muscular combination" of Umbrella and Leona Lewis Bleeding Love.
Commercial success
Halo rose 7 February 2009 at # 93 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was 23 May 2009 No. 5, the highest placement of reach for the song. Knowles reached between 2001-2010 more Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 than any other female artist. Overall, the song held 31 weeks on the charts and has been recognized for over two million CDs sold double platinum. In the United Kingdom Halo could penetrate up to # 4, held a total of 47 weeks in the charts and was certified gold. In Germany, the song debuted at # 5 penetrate. He could hold eight weeks in the top 10 and 46 weeks in the Top 100 and was also certified gold. In Austria, the song reached number 6 in Switzerland Halo can be the best placement show number 4 and was certified gold.
Halo was nominated for Best Single of the Urban Music Awards in 2009 and as Best Love Song at the Teen Choice Awards 2009. In addition, he was nominated in the category Best Song of the MTV Europe Music Awards 2009 and won this. Halo was nominated award in the categories of Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 52nd Grammy and won latter. However, the live version of Halo sung by Knowles in Las Vegas as part of her I Am ... Tour, was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance category of the 53rd Grammy Awards, this award could not win.