I Was Here (song)
"I Was Here" | |
---|---|
Song by Beyoncé | |
from the album 4 | |
Recorded | May 2011 |
Studio | Patriot Studios (Denver; Colorado) Boston Harbor Hotel (Boston, Massachusetts) Lear 60/G2 Studios |
Genre | R&B |
Length | 3:57 |
Label | Columbia |
Songwriter(s) | Diane Warren |
Producer(s) |
|
"I Was Here" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé from her fourth studio album, 4 (2011). It was written by Diane Warren, while production was handled by OneRepublic members Ryan Tedder and Brent Kutzle, alongside Kuk Harrell; while Beyoncé is credited on the vocal production. "I Was Here" is a reflective R&B ballad, in which Beyoncé vulnerably reviews her past, wanting to leave an impact on the world before her life comes to an end. Described as a "career song" by Warren, its development was motivated by the September 11 attacks in the United States.
Following the release of 4, "I Was Here" charted at number 131 on the
A
In late July, the song was included on the
Development and recording
"I Was Here" was written by Diane Warren and was produced by Ryan Tedder, Brent Kutzle, Beyoncé and Kuk Harrell.[1] "I Was Here" is the only song on the record that was not co-written by Beyoncé.[2] The development of "I Was Here" was motivated by the September 11 attacks.[3] "I thought that the one artist who would be my dream to sing ['I Was Here'] would be Beyoncé," said Warren. "This is one of those magical stories where what is meant to be actually happens."[4]
"I knew ['I Was Here'] was going to be a very special song. It just fit[s] where I was in my life and expressed something I believed and wanted to share. As an artist, you want your music to mean something or to help someone get through something, and when a song has a great message and meaning, it is what you strive for."
—
In May 2011,[3] Warren played the song on a guitar over the phone to Beyoncé's husband Jay-Z, who then called her.[5][6] Upon hearing "I Was Here", Beyoncé immediately made up her mind, "Oh my god, I have to have this song."[5][3] September 2011 was going to mark the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks and Beyoncé thought that the song would perfectly complete her album,[3] which had nearly reached completion.[5] The mastering of 4 was delayed to allow Beyoncé to record the song.[6] Warren was present at the recording sessions, which took place two days following her conversation with Beyoncé and Jay-Z on the phone.[6] She said, "There's nothing better than to hear the song that you came up with [sung back]. It's like your heart found another heart",[5] before adding:
I've never had chills through my entire body like I had from hearing Beyoncé sing this song. 'I Was Here' came from my soul and became the song that was coming from hers. In all my life, I have never heard anything as amazing as this. Hearing her sing 'I Was Here' will forever be one of the best moments of my life, and I know that this song will touch many other lives as well.[4]
Composition
"I Was Here" is a
8 time signature and has a tempo of 37 beats per minute. The song follows a chord progression of Em–C–D–Dsus–Em–C–Em–C, and Beyoncé's vocals span two octaves from E3 to E5.[14]
James Reed of
"I Was Here" begins with quivering reverb[16] and a plaintively plucked guitar setting a somber mood for about fifteen seconds before the beats begin alongside Beyoncé's voice.[9] Her vocals set a hushed and morbid tone on the song as she bring doses of edge and grit, singing: "I wanna leave my footprints on the sands of time / Know there was something that meant something that I left behind / When I leave this world, I'll leave no regrets / I'll leave something to remember, So they won't forget".[16][17] She further sings throughout the song, "The hearts I have touched will be the proof that I leaved that I made a difference".[18] Watery synths shimmer in the background before Beyoncé adopts an authoritative tone to chant the chorus lines: "I was here / I lived, I loved / I was here / I did, I've done / Everything that I wanted / And it was more than I thought it would be / I will leave my mark so everyone will know / I was here".[17][19]
Critical reception
"But then there's Beyoncé, at the center of the mix, intoning in an uncommonly hushed tone, 'I wanna leave my footprints in the sands of time.' Instead of gnashing my teeth, I listen closer, wanting to hear this shockingly affecting elegy directed for once not at one specific lover, but the world that allowed her to express that love in the first place. Oddly enough, the song reminds me of Lars von Trier's best works, which provoke actual emotional reactions while being, on paper, contrived pieces of shit. 'I Was Here', and 4 in general, is that kind of a work, objectively middling, subjectively magnificent."
—Conrad Tao, Sputnikmusic[16]
"I Was Here" garnered mixed to positive reviews from critics, most of whom felt the song's message was too deep for an artist like Beyoncé to sing, and criticized its placement on the track list of 4.[20] Georgette Cline of The Boombox gave the song a positive review stating that, although the lyrics are a bit on the morbid side, it works in Beyoncé's favor, "proving she can tackle a myriad of subjects".[13] Matthew Horton of BBC criticized the song's order of placement on the track list of 4, stating that "'Run the World (Girls)' is tagged on like a bonus track following 'I Was Here', which sounds like the perfect ending for the album."[21] Matthew Perpetua of Rolling Stone also had the same view, saying it "disrupts the flow of up-tempo songs on the second half 4".[22] Perpetua however calls it a "showstopper" and added that it "work[s] well as a bittersweet emotional climax for the album".[22] Perpetua finished his review by saying that "'I Was Here' is the blustery ballad one would expect by a Beyoncé/Warren team-up, and stands off as flat and generic when compared to the rest of 4."[22] Another reviewer of the same magazine, Jody Rosen complimented Beyoncé's vocals stating that she sings with authority; however, he coined "I Was Here" as a low point on the album and added that it is "swamped in 'My Way'-style self-mythologizing."[19]
Steve Jones of
Rich Juzwiak of
Chart performance
Although "I Was Here" was never released as a single, it appeared on several charts across the world following the release of 4. Selling 14,173 digital downloads, the song opened at number 44 on the
After the release of the music video of the song it appeared again on several charts. On the
Music video
Background and release
"It says, 'I want to leave my footprints in the sands of time' and it basically is all of our dreams. And that’s leaving our mark on the world. I feel like we all want to know that our life meant something and that we did something for someone else and that we spread positivity, no matter how big or how small... We all have our purpose, and we all have our strengths…it feels so wonderful to do something for someone else. And I think for the U.N. to want to include the whole world was something important, and I feel like that’s what I represent."
—Knowles describing the connection between the song and the campaign.[48][49]
On July 25, 2012 Beyoncé left a message for
"The hope, first and foremost, was to put this on people’s radar. Apart from the UN and a few newsreaders who mention this every year, people don’t even know this day exists. It’s also to make people realize it’s not just about volunteering to go and live in the Congo for four years. It’s as much about working a soup kitchen as it is helping an elderly person. Contributing something positive doesn’t have to be a lifelong commitment; it can just be daily gestures. So, it was about giving the whole issue perspective... One video and a message aren't going to save everything. But when you say things together, maybe the message will be heard and hopefully will provoke action. Inherently people are good, and inherently people are distracted and somewhat lazy, so it comes down to how do you get people’s attention."[57]
Prior to the release of the video, Beyoncé said: "We all see the headlines and we think what can I really do to help?... World Humanitarian Day is an opportunity for all of us to work together to make a difference. This is our time to leave our mark on the world and show that we were here and we care."
Mapping and projection
The video was filmed in front of a live audience at the
Live performance and synopsis
On August 10, 2012, Beyoncé appeared at the Assembly for the rehearsals prior to the performance.
Beyoncé appeared on stage wearing a floor-length white gown with micro-sequins from designer Marc Bouwer's pre-fall collection[68][69] while her hair was pulled back in a sleek ponytail.[70] She performed on a high-rise stage with a big screen spanning from ceiling to floor behind her.[67] As she sang, the screen filled with images of U.N. aid workers on the scene in various wars, famines, and floods around the world.[69] Following the performance, she announced, "I'd like to ask everyone to make sure they're a part of August 19th... It's such a beautiful, beautiful day, and I'd like to honor the 22 people who lost their lives. God bless you all. Thank you so much for having me."[71] The music video for the song starts with Beyoncé singing the song with the U.N. audience seated in front of her, and images from recent disasters screening in panoramic view behind her. As the song progresses, scenes of globes and constellations turn up; laser lights and a small blue arrow, imprinted with the song's title, trace a path along the globe.[70] The performance footage is also mixed with images of global volunteer efforts; as the giant screen displays globe-reaching graphics they morph into pictures of humanitarian work. The music video ends with the question "What Will You Do?" and offers the official website for the World Humanitarian Day.[72]
Reception
Following Beyoncé's performance, American journalist
Leslie Gornstein of
The music video gained 98.69 million views with 847,000 likes on YouTube as of August 16, 2018.
Live performances
Beyoncé performed "I Was Here" live for the first time on August 14, 2011 during her
[Knowles'] ability to bring new depth and texture to quality material is almost as impressive as her uncanny knack for connecting with the audience on an emotional level. Take, for instance, the final song — it was impossible not to be moved by [Knowles] as she fought tears while tackling the clearly personal lyrics of 'I Was Here'.[84]
Jody Rosen of
Live video
The live performance for "I Was Here" as part of 4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé, where it served as the closing song, was taped and premiered online on November 16, 2011. It was added on the DVD Live at Roseland: Elements of 4, which was released in late November 2011.[92][93] The video begins with Beyoncé onstage in a shimmery silver minidress, giving the crowd a bit of a windup about where "I Was Here" came from. She says: "It's taken a lot of hard work to get to where I am. I searched all around the world, and I found myself. You all are my inspiration. I want to sing this last song and dedicate it to all of you guys."[94] The video then turns into a career retrospective in the form of Beyoncé's home movies and her professional highlights. It splices poignant memories throughout Beyoncé's life, from her childhood, to partying and vacations with her family, to most of the locations she visited around the world, to her rise with Destiny's Child into solo stardom and her love story with Jay-Z.[93][95] Also containing footage from major performances and awards shows, the clip begins with a young Beyoncé thanking the judges in a talent show and later doing the snake in her living room, performing in her TLC-inspired neon overalls.[94][96]
The clip briefly returns to the center of the stage where Beyoncé starts to belt out the ballad over a montage of other home videos.
Music critics generally welcomed the video as for most of her time in the spotlight, Beyoncé has been a strictly private celebrity. Melissa Maerz of Entertainment Weekly wrote that it was pleasant to see Beyoncé unguarded as it is a rare occurrence. He added that though the clip is a more professional-looking than most people's home movies, it remains the closest thing that fans have seen so far to "Bey[oncé] just being Bey[oncé]".
Cover versions
A cover version of "I Was Here" performed by
On April 17, 2014, the song was performed live by Teodora Sava when she was 12 years old, as a special guest of the Romanian kids talent show Next Star.[115]
In September 2014,
Coach Delta Goodrem performed the song with her artist Judah Kelly on the grand finale of the sixth season of The Voice Australia.
Usage in media
On July 19, 2011, "I Was Here" provided the soundtrack for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup Final.[118] As reported by ABC News on September 11, 2011, Beyoncé paid tribute to the September 11 attacks with "I Was Here" on the commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the event.[119] On September 21, 2011, it was announced via PR Newswire that Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) would launch "a star-studded" new Public Service Advertising (PSA) campaign and that the soundtrack for the campaign would be "I Was Here".[120] Nationwide, Boys & Girls Clubs provide high-impact, affordable programs, and caring adult mentors, to keep kids on the path to great futures, emphasizing academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles.[120] The director, Ron Howard explained the reason behind choosing "I Was Here" as the soundtrack of their new PSA: "We wanted the most powerful piece of music possible, to underscore the dramatic message that what we do today to shape the future of our children is vitally important. We could not have picked a more moving track. Diane's words and Beyonce's delivery are over the top."[120] In November 2013, the song was included on the relief album Songs for the Philippines; the proceeds of it were donated to the Philippine Red Cross for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan.[121]
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from 4 liner notes.[1]
|
|
Charts
Chart (2011–12) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Singles Chart[122] | 85 |
Australian Urban Singles Chart[38] | 26 |
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[123] | 18 |
CIS (TopHit)[124] | 187 |
Hungarian Singles Chart[44]
|
6 |
Irish Singles Chart[39] | 88 |
Italy ( FIMI)[125]
|
93 |
Romania ( Airplay 100)[126]
|
100 |
South Korea International Singles Chart[34]
|
44 |
Swiss Singles Chart[36]
|
74 |
UK R&B Singles Chart[43]
|
37 |
UK Singles Chart[35]
|
131 |
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[47] | 13 |
Certifications and sales
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[127] | Platinum | 70,000‡ |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[128] | 3× Platinum | 180,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[129] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
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External links
- Official music video on YouTube
- Beyoncé - "I Was Here" (Live at Roseland) on YouTube