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Energy (Beyoncé song)

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"Energy"
Song by Beyoncé featuring Beam
from the album Renaissance
ReleasedJuly 29, 2022 (2022-07-29)
StudioKings Landing West, The Juicy Juicy and Parkwood West, Los Angeles
Genre
Length1:56
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Lyric video
"Energy" on YouTube

"Energy" is a song by American singer Beyoncé featuring Jamaican rapper Beam. It is the fifth track on the former's seventh studio album Renaissance (2022), which was released on July 29, 2022, through Parkwood and Columbia. The song serves as an interlude between "Cuff It" and "Break My Soul".

Controversy

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American singer and songwriter Kelis, whose 2003 single "Milkshake" was interpolated on "Energy", criticized Beyoncé for not notifying her in advance, calling its use a "theft" and saying that she felt "disrespect and utter ignorance" were displayed both by Beyoncé and by Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo of the Neptunes. Both Williams and Hugo were credited on "Energy" for writing and producing "Milkshake".[1] The interpolation of "Milkshake" was later removed from the song on streaming services following Kelis' unhappiness about not being notified about the use of "Milkshake" in "Energy".[2][3] Kelis subsequently stated that she was "actually [happy]" with that outcome.[4] Other artists who were sampled on the album thanked Beyoncé for referencing their contributions, particularly emphasizing the album's role in honoring Black queer and trans culture. They include Ts Madison, whose viral video clip "Bitch, I'm Black" is sampled on "Cozy";[5] Robin S., whose 1990 house hit "Show Me Love" is credited on lead single "Break My Soul";[6] Kevin Aviance, whose song "Cunty" is sampled on "Pure/Honey";[7] and ballroom commentator Kevin Jz Prodigy, whose chants are borrowed from the 2009 DJ MikeQ track "Feels Like" on "Pure/Honey".[8]

Critical reception

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Pitchfork critic Julianne Escobedo Shepherd wrote that lyrically the song is "minimal and onomatopoeic" and the words are "in service to the vibe, a melodic extension of percussion".[9] Kyle Denis of Billboard found that it is "a support beam for neighboring songs, and still a grand ole time in its own right" thanks to "one of the most talked-about lyrics on the album" for the phrase "Cause them Karens just turned into terrorists".[10] The Guardian writer Tara Joshi selected "Energy" as the example of the "flow as a continuous mix" of the album.[11]

Commercial performance

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After the release of Renaissance, "Energy" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 27 and on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number 12.[12]

Live performance

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Beyoncé performing "Energy" on the Renaissance World Tour in 2023

Beyoncé first performed "Energy" on the Renaissance World Tour (2023), with the opening night taking place in Stockholm, Sweden.[13] The song was performed during the "Motherboard" act of the tour, following "Cuff It". The "Wetter" remix of "Cuff It" served as a transition between the two songs, with it being sung over the instrumental of "Energy", which included elements of "End of Time" and "Love You Down". Beyoncé's dancers are seen walking down in poses, before strutting down the catwalk towards the secondary stage. Before the chorus, when Beyoncé sings the lyric "look around, everybody on mute", the music goes silent for a couple seconds, leading fans to make a challenge to see which tour date's audiences could stay "on mute" the longest. This would be referred as the "mute challenge".[14][15] At the end of the performance, the original interpolations of "Milkshake" are heard before the song seamlessly transitions into "Break My Soul" like it does on the album.

Personnel and credits

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Samples

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Recording locations

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  • The Juicy Juicy (Los Angeles, California)
  • Kings Landing West (Los Angeles, California)
  • Parkwood West (Los Angeles, California)

Personnel

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Performers

  • Vocals by Beyoncé and Beam
  • Additional vocals by Big Freedia
  • Beam – drums
  • Al Cres – drums
  • NovaWav – additional synths
  • Skrillex – drums

Technical credits

  • Beam – production
  • Beyoncé – production, vocal production
  • Matheus Braz – assistant engineering
  • Chi Coney – engineering
  • Al Cres – production
  • John Cranfield – engineering
  • Brandon Harding – engineering
  • NovaWav – additional production
  • Andrea Roberts – engineering
  • Skrillex – production
  • Stuart White – mixing, recording

Charts

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Weekly chart performance for "Energy"
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[16] 42
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[17] 46
France (SNEP)[18] 97
Global 200 (Billboard)[19] 23
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[20] 40
Portugal (AFP)[21] 54
South Africa (TOSAC)[22] 8
US Billboard Hot 100[23] 27
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[24] 12

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[25] 3× Platinum 120,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[26] Gold 40,000‡
United States (RIAA)[27] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Roundtree, Cheyenne (July 29, 2022). "Kelis Calls Out Beyoncé for 'Theft' Over Using 'Milkshake,' But Her Real Beef Lies in Years-Old Feud With Pharrell". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 4, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  2. ^ Robinson, Ellie (August 2, 2022). "Beyoncé updates 'Renaissance' to remove reportedly unauthorised Kelis sample". NME. Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Roundtree, Cheyenne (August 2, 2022). "Beyoncé Removes 'Milkshake' From 'Energy' After Kelis Called Her Out for 'Theft'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  4. ^ Griffin, Marc (August 9, 2022). "Kelis Responds To Beyonce Removing "Milkshake" Sample". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on August 11, 2022. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  5. ^ Street, Mikelle (Aug 19, 2022). "TS Madison Talks Being Sampled On 'Renaissance:' 'You Never Know How Things Line Up'". Essence. Archived from the original on August 19, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  6. ^ "Beyoncé's 'Break My Soul' Flooding Robin S. with Business Opportunities". TMZ. 23 June 2022. Archived from the original on June 24, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  7. ^ Frank, Jason P. (July 30, 2022). "Kevin Aviance Was 'Overwhelmed' When He Heard Beyoncé Had Sampled His Music". Vulture. Archived from the original on August 4, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  8. ^ Street, Mikelle (August 3, 2022). "Kevin JZ Prodigy on Bringing Beyoncé Into Ballroom With "Pure/Honey"". The Cut. Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  9. ^ Escobedo Shepherd, Julianne (August 1, 2022). "Beyoncé: Renaissance Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  10. ^ Denis, Kyle (2022-07-29). "Every Song Ranked on Beyonce's 'Renaissance': Critic's Picks". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  11. ^ Joshi, Tara (July 28, 2022). "Beyoncé: Renaissance review – joyous soundtrack to a hot girl summer". The Guardian. Archived from the original on July 29, 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  12. ^ "Beyoncé Sends All 16 Songs From 'Renaissance' Onto Billboard Hot 100". Billboard.biz. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  13. ^ Ruggieri, Melissa (May 10, 2023). "Beyoncé Renaissance tour set list: See all the songs on her nearly 3-hour show". USA Today. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  14. ^ Richardson, Randi (2023-09-07). "What is Beyoncé's 'mute' challenge? How 1 line became a concert phenomenon". TODAY. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  15. ^ Ocho, Alex. "Beyoncé Crowns Atlanta as New Winner of 'Everybody on Mute' War During Renaissance Tour". Complex. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  16. ^ "Beyoncé feat. Beam – Energy". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  17. ^ "Beyonce Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  18. ^ "Beyoncé feat. Beam – Energy" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  19. ^ "Beyonce Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  20. ^ "Beyoncé feat. Beam – Energy". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  21. ^ "Beyoncé feat. Beam – Energy". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  22. ^ "Local & International Streaming Chart Top 100 Week 31-2022". The Official South African Charts. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  23. ^ "Beyonce Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  24. ^ "Beyonce Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  25. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Beyoncé – Energy" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  26. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Beyoncé – Energy (ft. Beam)". Music Canada. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  27. ^ "American single certifications – Beyoncé – Energy". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
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