Irreemplazable Explained

Irreemplazable
Type:EP
Artist:Beyoncé
Cover:Beyonce - Irreemplazable.png
Border:yes
Released:August 27, 2007
Length:31:04
Prev Title:B'Day
Prev Year:2006
Next Title:The Beyoncé Experience Live
Next Year:2007

Irreemplazable (English: Irreplaceable) is the first extended play (EP) by American singer-songwriter Beyoncé. It was released on August 27, 2007, by Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment. Comprising Spanish re-recordings and remixes of songs from her second studio album B'Day (2006), it was initially featured as a bonus disc for the North American deluxe edition of B'Day in April 2007. The EP was produced by Cuban-American musician Rudy Pérez, who also helped with writing the songs in Spanish.

Irreemplazable received mixed reviews from music critics, who criticized its lack of content and the fact that it was released several months after the deluxe edition of B'Day. The EP peaked at number 105 on the US Billboard 200, and has sold 57,000 copies in the United States. "Bello Embustero", the Spanish version of "Beautiful Liar", was nominated for Record of the Year at the 8th Annual Latin Grammy Awards (2007).

Background

Growing up in Houston, Texas, Beyoncé was surrounded by the Spanish language, and learned some Spanish as a child, which she later forgot. When re-recording songs for Irreemplazable, Beyoncé's vocal coach provided the Spanish lyrics phonetically, and each line was recorded up to four times for the EP. Beyoncé has stated that she intends to take up Spanish lessons in the future.[1] She said of the EP's recording, "This is such an honor for me to be able to connect with all my fans. I had so much fun singing in Spanish. It reminded me of growing up in Houston".[2] The Denver Post John Wenzel interpreted the release of Irreemplazable as "an effort to meet the exploding market for Spanish language music".

Release and promotion

Irreemplazable was released as the bonus disc on the deluxe edition of B'Day in the United States on April 3, 2007,[3] before being released separately through Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment on August 28, 2007.[4] iTunes Store began selling the EP on August 27, 2007.[5] [6] However, a remix of "Get Me Bodied" was available only on the individual release of Irreemplazable. Beyoncé appeared on Tr3s' television show Mi TRL on August 2, 2007 and showed a behind-the-scenes special, "Making of the Spanish EP".[4] An exclusive DVD accompanied the EP in Walmart stores, containing behind-the-scenes footage and taped performances from The Beyoncé Experience and Beyoncé's appearance on The Early Show, as well as a documentary named "La Evolución Latina de Beyoncé" ("The Latin Evolution of Beyoncé").[7] [8]

Music and lyrics

Irreemplazable is primarily an R&B and Latin pop album. The Spanish-language songs from the EP were written by Cuban American composer Rudy Pérez and he wrote the lyrics phonetically to help Beyoncé perform the songs in Spanish. "We spent hours and hours working on it. She wanted to make it perfect. She worked hard. That's why people are saying it sounds like she's fluent in Spanish", Perez added.[9] Pérez changed some of the words in Spanish as he felt it they "didn't fit the music" and "doesn't make sense". He assisted with Beyoncé on pronouncing her r's in Spanish.[10] Irreemplazable opens with "Amor Gitano", a duet with Alejandro Fernández originally from Fernández' fifteenth studio album, Viento a Favor. "Listen", a theme song from Dreamgirls, in which Beyoncé appears, was re-recorded under the title "Oye". The EP's title track is a Spanish version of "Irreplaceable", a song that was highly successful in its English recording.[11] [12] Three recordings of "Beautiful Liar" appear on Irreemplazable: a Spanish version (titled "Bello Embustero"), a remixed English version and a Spanglish version. A norteña remix of "Irreemplazable" is the EP's seventh track, while Timbaland's remix of "Get Me Bodied", which features vocals from Voltio, closes Irreemplazable.

Critical reception

Giving it two and a half stars, Andy Kellman of AllMusic said that "there's not that much to the disc," and alleged that it was unnecessary, concluding "if you're a die-hard Beyoncé fan, you'll probably feel jerked around a bit — especially if you bought B'Day when it came out in September 2006 and bought the deluxe edition seven months later, only to find out that the bonus material would later come out on its own (with a track not on the second disc of the deluxe edition!)." Kellman selected "Amor Gitano", "Irreemplazable" and the "Get Me Bodied" remix as the highlights of the EP. The EP led to Beyoncé receiving a nomination for Pop New Artist of the Year at the 2008 Lo Nuestro Awards,[13] and "Bello Embustero" was nominated for Record of the Year at the 8th Annual Latin Grammy Awards.[14]

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryResult
2007Latin Grammy AwardRecord of the Year ("Bello Embustero")
2008Lo Nuestro AwardPop New Artist of the Year

Commercial performance

Irreemplazable debuted on the US Billboard 200 at number one-hundred-and-five on the chart dated September 15, 2007,[15] selling over 6,000 copies that week.[16] It remained on the chart for three weeks.[17] On the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, the EP made its entry at number forty-one the same week,[18] and spent five weeks on the chart.[17] Irreemplazable performed better on the Latin charts, debuting at number three on the Top Latin Albums[19] and number two on the Latin Pop Albums.[20] The EP stayed on the charts for twelve and thirteen weeks, respectively.[17] As of October 6, 2010, Irreemplazable had sold 57,000 copies in the United States.[21]

The EP entered the German singles chart in the week of 10 September 2007 at its peak position of 78. It stayed on the chart for 3 weeks.

Track listing

Notes

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic and Irreemplazables liner notes.[22]

Charts

Chart (2007)Peak
position
Italy (FIMI)[23] 3
Germany (Official German Singles Chart)[24] 78
scope="row"
scope="row"

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Beyoncé adds Spanish tracks to hit album . Gerald . Erichsen . . April 5, 2007 . April 14, 2011 . July 7, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110707075138/http://spanish.about.com/b/2007/04/05/beyonc-adds-spanish-tracks-to-hit-album.htm . dead .
  2. Beyoncé has a Special Gift for MTV Tr3s Fans . . August 1, 2007 . New York . April 28, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070829002716/http://www.hispanicprwire.com/news.php?l=in&id=9164 . August 29, 2007 .
  3. Web site: B'day [Deluxe Edition] . Amazon . April 14, 2011.
  4. Beyonce To Release 'Irreemplazable' As Wal-Mart Exclusive . Ayala . Ben-Yehuda . . . . July 31, 2007 . April 14, 2011.
  5. Web site: Irremplazable – EP by Beyoncé. 28 August 2007 . iTunes Store. (US) Apple Inc. March 16, 2012.
  6. Web site: Irremplazable – EP by Beyoncé. 28 August 2007 . iTunes Store. (Canada) Apple Inc. March 16, 2012.
  7. Web site: Marketing's child: Beyoncé . John . Wenzel . . . August 19, 2007 . April 14, 2011.
  8. Web site: Irreemplazable (with Exclusive Bonus DVD) . . April 14, 2011.
  9. Web site: du Lac. J. Freedom. Rudy Perez's two romance languages: Spanish, music. Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. August 31, 2007. August 12, 2015.
  10. Cobo. Leila. Leila Cobo. Translation Tricks Rudy Teaches Beyoncé Spanish. Billboard. January 20, 2007. 119. 3. 12. August 12, 2015. Prometheus Global Media. 0006-2510.
  11. [{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=beyoncé|chart=all}} Irreplaceable – Beyoncé ]. Billboard . Prometheus Global Media . April 14, 2011.
  12. Web site: Beyoncé – Irreplaceable . Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien . April 14, 2011.
  13. News: Nominees for Premio Lo Nuestro 2008 Announced. People. Time, Inc. December 13, 2007. September 27, 2013. October 13, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131013071837/http://m.peopleenespanol.com/article/nominees-premio-lo-nuestro-2008-announced. dead.
  14. News: Beyonce, Fergie Get Latin Grammy Nods. August 12, 2015. CBS News. CBS. August 29, 2007.
  15. The Billboard 200 . Billboard . Nielsen Business Media . 111 . September 15, 2007 . 119 . 37. 0006-2510.
  16. Web site: 'High School Musical 2': Head Of Billboard Class; Hustlenomics Fails Yung Joc . https://web.archive.org/web/20121107014757/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1568910/high-school-musical-2-tops-billboard-chart-third-week.jhtml . dead . November 7, 2012 . . Gil . Kaufman . September 5, 2007 . April 14, 2011.
  17. [{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=beyoncé|chart=all}} Irremplazable – Beyoncé ]. Billboard . . April 14, 2011.
  18. R&B/Hip-Hop Albums . September 15, 2007 . Billboard . Nielsen Business Media . April 14, 2011.
  19. Latin Albums . September 15, 2007 . Billboard . Nielsen Business Media . April 14, 2011.
  20. Latin Pop Albums . September 15, 2007 . Billboard . Nielsen Business Media . April 14, 2011.
  21. Web site: Week Ending Oct. 3, 2010: America's Most Popular Inmate . Paul . Grein . . October 6, 2010 . April 1, 2011.
  22. Irreemplazable. Beyoncé. 2007. EP. Columbia Records.
  23. Web site: BEYONCÉ - IRREEMPLAZABLE. italiancharts.com. 11 February 2024.
  24. Web site: Beyonce Single-Chartverfolgung. https://web.archive.org/web/20111205211732/http://musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/artist/Beyonce/?type=single. 5 December 2011. 7 November 2023. GfK Entertainment.