Green Light (Beyoncé song) explained

Green Light
Cover:Beyonce - Green Light (single).png
Alt:A brunette woman walks along a path. She wears a leotard compound of a white blouse with long sleeves and black boots. She holds a bicycle with her right hand, and above it, the word "Beyoncé" is written in white, while "Gre", "Enl", and "Ight" are written in green, yellow and red capital letters, respectively.
Border:yes
Type:single
Artist:Beyoncé
Album:B'Day
Recorded:April 2006
Studio:Sony Music Studios (New York City, New York)
Length:3:29
Label:Columbia
Prev Title:Get Me Bodied
Prev Year:2007
Next Title:Until the End of Time
Next Year:2007

"Green Light" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé. The song was written by Beyoncé, Sean Garrett, and Pharrell for Beyoncé's second solo studio album, B'Day (2006). Produced by the Neptunes, it was released as the fourth UK and sixth overall single on July 27, 2007 through Columbia Records. "Green Light" is an R&B-funk song with lyrics detailing a break-up song in which the female protagonist gives her love interest the permission to move out. The song also finds Beyoncé using fairly aggressive tone. A remix of the song features American rapper Young Buck, and was produced by Swizz Beatz.

"Green Light" was well received by music critics who universally praised the beat, bass, groove, and angry tone used by Beyoncé in the song. The single performed moderately on charts, peaking at number twelve on the UK Singles Chart and at number 46 in Ireland. The Freemasons remix of the track peaked at number eighteen on the Dutch Top 40 chart. The single's accompanying music video was directed by Melina Matsoukas and co-directed by Beyoncé. It is inspired by Robert Palmer's 1985 music video "Addicted to Love". Beyoncé considered the video, which is her second to feature her all-female tour band called the Suga Mama, her toughest shoot. The song was a part of the set list on her world tour the Beyoncé Experience (2007).

Background and release

After filming Dreamgirls in which Beyoncé landed a major role, she went on a month-long vacation. On the break she went to the studio to start working on her second solo album, B'Day.[1] She was inspired by her role and she "had so many things bottled up, so many emotions, so many ideas".[1] Beyoncé contacted American singer-songwriter Sean Garrett, who had worked with her in Destiny's Child and on her 2006 single "Check on It".[2] Together with Pharrell, who had also previously collaborated with Beyoncé, Garrett was booked to Sony Music Studios in New York City, each had studio to work in.[2] The track was co-produced by Beyoncé and The Neptunes, along with "Kitty Kat", and was recorded by Jim Caruana and mixed by Jason Goldstein at the same studio.

In June 2006, Beyoncé invited Tamara Coniff of Billboard magazine to a New York recording studio. There she premiered several songs from the album including "Ring the Alarm" (2006) and "Freakum Dress" (2006), which both were cited as possible second singles, to be released in the United States only.[3] At the same time, she revealed that "Green Light" and "Get Me Bodied" (2007), were planned to be released as the next two international/third US singles from B'Day, following the release of the lead single "Déjà Vu" (2006). However, she ultimately opted for "Ring the Alarm" (2006) as the second single to be released in the United States only while "Irreplaceable" (2006) was officially serviced as the album's second international/third US single.[4] "Green Light" was released later in the United Kingdom on July 30, 2007 as the seventh overall single, following the international release "Beautiful Liar" (2007).[5] Along with the release of the single, a digital EP featuring remixes from the English production team Freemasons, was made available on July 27, 2007 as an online digital download.

Music and lyrics

"Green Light" is an R&B-funk song performed with "vivace" tempo. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by EMI Music Publishing, the song is written in the key of A minor with a moderate groove of 132 beats per minute. The chord follows the Fm-G♭ key series with an occasional shift to additional B♭m7. Beyoncé's vocals range from the note of C4 to F5.[6] The song is built on a ripping bassline and features "a more organic" beat.[7] Green Light" features "uh-huh huh huh" vocals and uses brassy stabs which a reviewer from Guardian Unlimited found to be a "direct echo to 'Crazy in Love'."[8] According to The London Paper, the "uh-oh-oh-oh-oh" vocals in "Green Light" is an "imitation of Amerie's performance" in her 2005 single "1 Thing".[9] "Green Light" also displays Latin percussion as well as sampled soul horns, and uses a fairly aggressive tone.[10] Conforming to Jon Pareles of The New York Times, "Green Light" is a break-up song in which the female protagonist gives her love interest the permission to move out. This is shown in the lines of the hook: "Go! Go!"[11] The lyrics are constructed in the traditional verse-chorus form. The song starts with an intro in which Beyoncé sings, "Give it to mama".[6] Jaime Gill of Yahoo! Music commented that "Green Light" seems to be all "slink and minimalism before a surging come-on of a chorus."[12] It follows the verse-chorus-verse-verse-chorus pattern giving way to the bridge.[6] Beyoncé repeats the chorus, ending the song.[6]

Critical reception

"Green Light" received highly positive reception from critics. Eb Haynes of AllHipHop referred to "Green Light" as a "classic Pharrell-Neptunes groove".[13] Andy Kellman of Allmusic described the track as an "ambitious, fleet-footed number that continually switches tempos and sounds".[14] Spence D. of IGN music stated, "'Green Light' brings things back down to pseudo earthiness; both with the slightly more organic sounding Neptunes beat."[7] He felt that the "rippling bassline sounds really familiar, like it's been used in other Neptunes' produced tracks before"....[7] Jaime Gill of Yahoo! Music said that "Green Light" is "the best thing Pharrell and co have done in a long, long while."[12] Roger Friedman of Fox News Channel considered "Green Light" as his second choice as the song having the greatest potential to become a massive hit after "Irreplaceable" (2006).[15] Thomas Inskeep of Stylus Magazine gave a mixed review for the song commenting that it's one of the "tired random-percussion tracks [...] that goes nowhere."[16]

Commercial performance

With the album version of the song being available digitally as soon as the album was released, "Green Light" debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number 152 after the video aired in early July 2007,[17] and then rose to number seventy-eight on July 28, 2007.[18] Because of heavy radio airplay of the Freemasons remix, as soon as it was available, the song climbed sixty places from number seventy-seven to number seventeen on August 11, 2007,[19] and then to number twelve, giving Beyoncé her eleventh top twenty hit in the United Kingdom.[20] "Green Light" became Beyoncé's highest charting single on downloads alone on the UK Singles Chart without a prominent featured artist. The UK commercial CD single was cancelled at the last minute, which means it did not receive a physical release. This explains why the single failed to reach a higher position.[21] "Green Light" stayed on the chart for nine weeks.[22] In Ireland, the single debuted at number forty-six on August 23, 2007, and dropped off the chart a week later.[23] The Freemasons remix of the track debuted at number thirty on the Dutch Top 40 chart on September 8, 2007.[24] It propelled to number nineteen, and peaked at number eighteen on September 29, 2007.[25] It remained on the chart for six weeks.[26] On the other hand, the album version of "Green Light" peaked at number twenty on the Dutch Mega Single Top 100 on September 22, 2007.[27]

Music video

The music video for "Green Light" was directed by Melina Matsoukas and co-directed by Beyoncé. Filmed in early 2007, it was one of the videos shot in two weeks for the B'Day Anthology Video Album (2007) and was one out of eight previously unseen clips.[28] "Green Light" was the third video shot during the sessions.[29] The clip was inspired mainly by Robert Palmer's 1985 music video "Addicted to Love" with its "stone-faced models pretending to play guitars".[30] "Green Light" was considered by Beyoncé as a modern version of the video because they used the instruments as props, where she pretended as a rock star.[30]

Beyoncé also revealed that the scenes reminded her of Vanity 6.[30] A short "Kitty Kat" clip opens the "Green Light" video. Beyoncé considered "Green Light" the "toughest video" to shoot.[30] Besides from dressing in latex rubber clothing, she and her back-up dancers had to wear ballet-pointe heels.[30] The shoes blistered her feet and gave muscle spasms due to the 18-hour session.[30] Beyoncé invited her all-female tour band, Suga Mama, to make their second appearance in a video after their debut performance on the music video for "Irreplaceable" (2006).[31] [30] The video was posted on the MTV Overdrive on March 28, 2007.[32]

Live performances

On September 6, 2006, Beyoncé promoted the album B'Day with a performance of "Green Light" on Good Morning America.[33] On April 2, 2007 she also appeared on the Today Show, to promote the deluxe edition of B'Day, which was released the following day.[34] Beyoncé sang the Spanglish version of "Irreplaceable" and "Green Light".[34] The song was included as a part of her set list on The Beyoncé Experience.[35] [36] On August 5, 2007, Beyoncé performed the song at the Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, wearing a sparkly silver dress with a long train.[10] [37] For the performance, Beyoncé also brought out her squad of six female dancers.[37] According to Shaheem Reid of MTV News, all the women moved with the precision "of a Navy Seal strike force", slaying the crowd with their synchronized dances.[37] Jon Pareles of The New York Times praised the performance, stating: "Beyoncé needs no distractions from her singing, which can be airy or brassy, tearful or vicious, rapid-fire with staccato syllables or sustained in curlicued melismas. But she was in constant motion, strutting in costumes [...]".[10] According to Tonya Turner of The Courier-Mail, the performance of "Green Light", "moved fans to screams of endearment."[38] In Los Angeles, Beyoncé gave a full-length performance of the song, dressed in a sparkly silver dress with a long train. It was executed with several female backup dancers, and live instrumentation.[39] "Green Light" was included as on her live album The Beyoncé Experience Live (2007).[40] [41]

Track listings and formats

  1. "Green Light" – 3:29
  2. "Green Light" (Freemasons Remix) – 3:19
  3. "Green Light" (Remix featuring Young Buck) - 4:19
  1. "Green Light" (Freemasons Remix) – 3:19
  2. "Beautiful Liar" (Freemasons Club Remix) (featuring Shakira) – 7:31
  3. "Déjà Vu" (Freemasons Radio Mix) (featuring Jay-Z) – 3:15
  4. "Ring the Alarm" (Freemasons Club Mix Radio Edit) – 3:26

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from B'Days liner notes.[44]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2007)! scope="col"
Peak
position
scope="row"
scope="row"
scope="row"
Russia Airplay (TopHit)[45]
Freemasons remix		19

Year-end charts

Chart (2007)! scope="col"
Position
CIS (TopHit)[46] 55
Russia Airplay (TopHit)[47]
Freemasons remix		126
Chart (2008)! scope="col"
Position
CIS (TopHit)[48] 70
Russia Airplay (TopHit)[49]
Freemasons remix		63

Decade-end charts

Chart (2000–2009)! scope="col"
Position
Russia Airplay (TopHit)[50]
Freemasons remix		104

Release history

Region! scope="col"
DateFormat(s)Label(s)
AustraliaJuly 27, 2007Digital downloadSony BMG[51]
Spain
United States[52]
United KingdomJuly 30, 2007Digital downloadRCA

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Reid . Shaheem . Be All You Can, B. . . February 2, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20060901053533/http://www.mtv.com/bands/b/beyonce/news_feature_081406/index2.jhtml . September 1, 2006 .
  2. Conniff . Tamara . Beyoncé Builds Buzz For 'B-Day' . . June 16, 2006 . February 2, 2011 . December 12, 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071212013526/http://billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002689847 . live .
  3. Beyonce's little secret. Billboard. 69. February 2, 2011. June 19, 2006. Tamara Coniff. January 16, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230116054241/https://books.google.com/books?id=QxYEAAAAMBAJ&q=Ring+the+alarm+beyonce&pg=PA23. live.
  4. News: Concepcion . Mariel . Beyoncé Rings The Alarm on Vibe.com . . August 16, 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070613052046/http://www.vibe.com/news/news_headlines/2006/08/beyonce_rings_the_alarm_on_vibe_com/. June 13, 2007. February 2, 2011.
  5. Web site: Green Light the next single . Sony BMG Music Entertainment (UK). July 27, 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090116021619/http://www.sonybmgmusic.co.uk/artists/Beyonce/6091/25/ . January 16, 2009.
  6. Web site: Green Light - Sheet Music (Digital Download). 23 November 2009. Musicnotes.com. EMI Music Publishing. 22 September 2020. 1 October 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201001201603/https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0075652. live.
  7. Web site: February 2, 2011. Beyonce – B'Day - Music Review. IGN. . September 5, 2006. Spence. D.. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110713004712/http://uk.music.ign.com/articles/730/730624p1.html. July 13, 2011.
  8. Web site: Robinson . Peter . Beyoncé, B'Day . . September 17, 2006 . February 2, 2011 . December 31, 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071231115253/http://observer.guardian.co.uk/omm/10bestcds/story/0,,1871710,00.html . live .
  9. Web site: Mackenzie . Malcolm . Interview: Amerie . . July 30, 2007 . February 2, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20071014222454/http://www.thelondonpaper.com/cs/Satellite/london/music/article/1157148421900?packedargs=suffix%3DArticleController . October 14, 2007. dead.
  10. Web site: Jon . Pareles . Romance as a Struggle That She Will Win . The New York Times . August 6, 2007 . February 2, 2011 . September 29, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130929120919/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/06/arts/music/06beyo.html?ex=1344052800&en=c1ef16024c49370c&ei=5088 . live .
  11. Web site: All That Success Is Hard on a Girl (or Sounds That Way). Jon. Pareles. The New York Times. September 4, 2006. February 2, 2011. January 16, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160116043657/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/04/arts/04choi.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&ref=music&pagewanted=all. live.
  12. Web site: Yahoo! Music Album Review: Beyonce – B'day . Gill . Jaime . . September 7, 2006 . February 2, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110718135601/http://uk.launch.yahoo.com/060907/33/20nfi.html . July 18, 2011 .
  13. Web site: Haynes . Eb . B'Day . AllHipHop. AHH Holdings LLC . September 20, 2006 . February 2, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081209023209/http://allhiphop.com/stories/reviews/archive/2006/09/20/18134780.aspx . December 9, 2008 .
  14. Web site: Kellman. Andy. [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r852067|pure_url=yes}} B'Day - Beyoncé ]. Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. January 9, 2011.
  15. Web site: February 2, 2011. First Look: Beyonce's New Album 'B'Day'. Fox News Channel. Fox Entertainment Group. August 17, 2006. Friedman. Roger. January 9, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080109160921/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C208884%2C00.html. live.
  16. Web site: Beyoncé - B'Day - Review . . Thomas . Inskeep . September 14, 2006 . December 9, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110604044908/http://stylusmagazine.com/reviews/beyonc/bday.htm . June 4, 2011 .
  17. Web site: Zywietz, Tobias. Chart Log UK: Alex K – Kyuss. Zobbel Archive (UK). February 2, 2011. March 12, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120312080813/http://www.zobbel.de/cluk/CLUK_K.HTM. live.
  18. Web site: UK Top 100 Singles Chart (July 28, 2007) . February 2, 2011 . . January 13, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150113053538/http://www.officialcharts.com/archive-chart/_/1/2011-10-15/ . live .
  19. Web site: UK Top 100 Singles Chart (August 11, 2007) . February 2, 2011 . ChartsPlus. The Official Charts Company . January 13, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150113053538/http://www.officialcharts.com/archive-chart/_/1/2011-10-15/ . live .
  20. Web site: Beyoncé Knowles Singles Peak Positions . February 2, 2011 . ChartsPlus. The Official Charts Company . May 8, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190508182655/https://www.officialcharts.com/artists/ . live .
  21. Web site: UK Top 100 Singles Chart (August 18, 2007) . February 2, 2011 . ChartsPlus. The Official Charts Company . January 13, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150113053538/http://www.officialcharts.com/archive-chart/_/1/2011-10-15/ . live .
  22. Web site: The Official Charts Company – Beyoncé – Green Light . February 2, 2011 . ChartsPlus. The Official Charts Company . April 3, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150403130105/http://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/GREEN%20LIGHT/ . live .
  23. Web site: Discography Beyoncé. Irish Singles Chart. Hung Medien. February 2, 2011. July 13, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110713055734/http://irish-charts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Beyonc%E9. live.
  24. Web site: Nederlandse Top 40 – September 8, 2007 Week 36 . nl . Top 40 Netherlands . September 8, 2007 . February 2, 2011 . September 24, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110924004649/http://top40.nl/index.aspx . dead .
  25. Web site: Nederlandse Top 40 – September 29, 2007 Week 39 . nl . Top 40 Netherlands . September 29, 2007 . February 2, 2011 . September 24, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110924004649/http://top40.nl/index.aspx . dead .
  26. Web site: Nederlandse Top 40 – October 13, 2007 Week 41 . nl . Top 40 Netherlands . October 13, 2007 . February 2, 2011 . September 24, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110924004649/http://top40.nl/index.aspx . dead .
  27. Web site: Green Light. MegaCharts. Hung Medien. February 2, 2011. October 25, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121025011824/http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Beyonc%E9&titel=Greenlight&cat=s. live.
  28. Web site: February 2, 2011. Beyonce releases 'B'Day' video album. USA Today. April 25, 2007. June 28, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110628214645/http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2007-04-05-beyonce-video-album_N.htm. live.
  29. Web site: Vineyard . Jennifer . Beyoncé: Behind The B'Day Videos - Part 3 . MTV News. MTV Networks . 3 . February 2, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120619051652/http://www.mtv.com/bands/b/beyonce/videos_07/news_feature_040207/index3.jhtml . June 19, 2012 .
  30. Web site: Vineyard . Jennifer . Beyoncé: Behind The B'Day Videos - Part 3 . MTV News. MTV Networks . 1 . February 2, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120128050544/http://www.mtv.com/bands/b/beyonce/videos_07/news_feature_040207/index.jhtml . January 28, 2012 .
  31. News: Reid . Shaheem . Beyoncé's 'Irreplaceable' Guy Had A Tough Time Getting Dumped: VMA Lens Recap . MTV News. MTV Networks . September 6, 2011 . February 2, 2011 . August 10, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100810235901/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1568975/20070905/knowles_beyonce.jhtml . dead .
  32. Web site: Green Light – Beyoncé . MTV News. MTV Networks . February 2, 2011 . December 9, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121209170236/http://www.mtv.com/videos/beyonce/140292/green-light.jhtml . dead .
  33. Web site: Beyonce Knowles Performs On 'GMA' . Rnb Dirt . September 20, 2011 . April 1, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120401030040/http://rnbdirt.com/beyonce-knowles-performs-on-gma/11203/ . live .
  34. Web site: Beyonce Live On Today Show . That Grape Juice . September 20, 2011 . November 17, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111117152332/http://thatgrapejuice.net/2007/04/beyonce-live-on-today-show/ . live .
  35. Web site: Beyoncé - Green Light. Nuts. IPC Media. February 2, 2011. July 24, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110724121843/http://www.nuts.co.uk/video/search/all?term=Green+Light+by+beyonce&x=0&y=0. live.
  36. Web site: Fans 'experience' Beyonce spectacle. The Republican. Donnie. Moorhouse. August 4, 2007. December 9, 2011. January 13, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140113095642/http://www.masslive.com/news/republican/index.ssf?/base/living-2/1186213199204950.xml&coll=1. live.
  37. News: Shaheem Reid . Beyonce Puts On Flawless — And Fall-Less — NYC Show With Robin Thicke . MTV News. MTV Networks . August 7, 2007 . January 31, 2011 . June 29, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110629143205/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1566431/beyonce-puts-on-flawless-8212-fallless-8212-nyc-show.jhtml . dead .
  38. Web site: Beyonce heats it up. The Courier-Mail. News Limited. Tonya. Turner. April 23, 2007. December 9, 2011.
  39. Beyoncé Knowles. The Beyoncé Experience Live. 2007. Columbia Records.
  40. Web site: The Beyoncé Experience (Live) [Audio Version] |publisher=iTunes Store. (Belgium) Apple Inc |language=nl |date=November 19, 2007 |access-date=February 2, 2011 |archive-date=November 11, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111011518/https://itunes.apple.com/be/album/the-beyonce-experience-live/id268305666 |url-status=live ].
  41. Web site: The Beyoncé Experience: Live - Beyoncé. Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Mark. Deming. December 9, 2011.
  42. Web site: Beyoncé - Green Light MP3 downloads. 7digital. March 26, 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20111108173302/http://www.7digital.com/artists/beyonc%C3%A9/green-light/. November 8, 2011.
  43. Web site: iTunes Store - Beyoncé - Green Light - Freemasons EP. iTunes Store. (United Kingdom) Apple Inc. February 1, 2011.
  44. B'Day (Deluxe Edition) . B'Day . . 2007 . 1 . CD liner . Columbia Records.
  45. Web site: Top Radio Hits Russia Weekly Chart: Dec 20, 2007. TopHit. April 26, 2024.
  46. Web site: CIS Year-End Radio Hits (2007). Tophit. August 11, 2019. 2019-07-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20190703183004/https://tophit.ru/en/chart/airplay/yearly/2007-01-01/all/all. live.
  47. Web site: Top Radio Hits Russia Annual Chart: 2007. TopHit. April 26, 2024. April 26, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240426131857/https://tophit.com/chart/top/radio/hits/ru/annual/2007. live.
  48. Web site: CIS Year-End Radio Hits (2008). Tophit. June 17, 2021. 2019-07-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20190703183233/https://tophit.ru/en/chart/airplay/yearly/2008-01-01/all/all. live.
  49. Web site: Top Radio Hits Russia Annual Chart: 2008. TopHit. April 27, 2024. April 27, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240427112021/https://tophit.com/chart/top/radio/hits/ru/annual/2008. live.
  50. Web site: Top Radio Hits Russia Decade Chart: 00s. TopHit. May 1, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240421192151/https://tophit.com/ru/chart/top/radio/hits/ru/decade/2000. April 21, 2024.
  51. Web site: Green Light – Single. iTunes Store (AU). Apple Inc.. July 27, 2007. August 6, 2021. August 6, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210806205938/https://music.apple.com/au/album/green-light-single/324059900. live.
  52. Web site: Green Light Freemasons Remixes – EP. iTunes Store (US). Apple Inc.. July 27, 2007. August 6, 2021. August 6, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210806205936/https://music.apple.com/us/album/green-light-freemasons-ep/260422427?l=en. live.

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