Video Phone (song)
"Video Phone" | ||||
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Crunk | ||||
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Label | Columbia | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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Beyoncé singles chronology | ||||
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Lady Gaga singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Video Phone" on YouTube |
"Video Phone" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé for her third studio album I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008). It was written and produced by Beyoncé, Shondrae Crawford and Sean Garrett. A crunk song, it consists of simple lyrics and hidden innuendos. The lyrics refer to putting up a sexy display to be recorded on a video phone. The song was released as the eighth single from I Am... Sasha Fierce on September 22, 2009, with its remix featuring Lady Gaga being released on November 17.
"Video Phone" received generally mixed reviews from music critics. Some noted that Gaga's featured appearance on the song's remix failed to add anything to the tune. The original version charted in the lower regions of charts in Australia, Spain, the United Kingdom, while the remix peaked at number 65 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and atop the US Dance Club Songs.
An accompanying music video for "Video Phone" was filmed for the remix. It portrayed Beyoncé and Gaga in a number of costumes, brandishing colorful guns towards men and paying homage to the film Reservoir Dogs (1992) and pin-up legend Bettie Page. It received mixed feedback from critics, who called it uninteresting and felt that it did not present anything new. However, they complimented the costumes and the cinematic homage of the video. The video went on to win the BET Award for Video of the Year.
Background and composition
"Video Phone" was written by Beyoncé Knowles,
Musically, "Video Phone" is a
The female protagonist sings how she will dance for a man, while he is filming her with his
Critical reception
The song received mixed reviews.
For the collaboration, Fraser McAlpine from BBC Radio 1 reviewed the song negatively, writing: "So anyway, this brings me to 'Video Phone' – and what exactly is the point of Gaga featuring in this song? I know Beyoncé fans won't like me saying this, but I can't help but think that in this instance it's a case of 'if you can't beat em, join em' [...] For someone as naturally brilliant as Beyoncé (and a better singer than Gaga and Rihanna put together), perhaps she should actually stop trying so hard and do what she does best - singing proper songs."[10] Chris Willman from Yahoo! compared the song to Gaga's "Telephone", where Knowles appears as a featured artist, and wrote that "Maybe it's because the lack of a video for Gaga's 'Telephone' leaves more to the imagination, but if this were a contest, I'd have to say her tune trumps Beyoncé's. [...] [Her] greatest promises of unbridled exhibitionism can't quite make the genre feel fresh."[11] The New York Times' Jon Caramanica commented that "Video Phone" and "Telephone", "promised a new direction, but all Beyoncé did was show up to prove she could out-Gaga Gaga, then return to her comfort zone."[24] Kyle Anderson of MTV, felt that "Gaga got a bit lost in the mix" of "Video Phone".[25] David Balls of the website Digital Spy gave a negative review for the remix version, grading it two out of five stars. He further commented,
"Needless to say, the pair work their superstar pulling power for all it's worth. Over sparse and eerie beats, they deliver innuendo-laced lyrics, groan near-orgasmically and generally tease us with the prospect of doing all sorts of naughty things on, well, your video phone. While the promo clip offers some of the intended thrill, the track itself - single number eight from I Am... - lacks the sparkle of previous offerings. It may provide a brief rush of excitement to the loins, but ultimately leaves you feeling fluffed rather than fully-serviced by the twosome."[26]
On The Village Voice's 2009 Pazz & Jop singles list, "Video Phone" was ranked at number 307.[27]
Chart performance
Upon release as a single in 2009, "Video Phone" debuted at number 70 on the
In Australia, the original version of the song debuted at 89 and peaked at 66 on the
Music video
Background and concept
A music video for the extended remix of "Video Phone" was directed by Hype Williams, along with producer Cisco Newman and art director Lenny Tso. On October 15, 2009, a spokesperson for Williams confirmed to MTV, that reports of Gaga and Beyoncé working on the music video together were true.[40] It was shot at Brooklyn's Greenpoint neighborhood, under tight security. The artists were reported to be wearing fashionable dresses, with Knowles in "a feathered dress" and Gaga sporting "something wild".[40] In an interview with New York's Z100 radio station, Gaga further commented on her collaboration with Knowles, for the music video. She said, "When I was doing her video with her, she called me and she said, 'What do you want to do?' [...] And I'm like, 'I don't want to show up in some frickin' hair bow and be fashion Gaga in your video.' I said, 'I want to do you.' [...] I want to do my version of Beyoncé. So the whole time I was learning the choreography they were calling me Gee-yoncé."[39] Later, during an interview with MTV News, she explained:
"What I was excited about is with B[eyoncé], I had no ego. Neither of us had an ego. It wasn't about competition. It was about, like, 'Man let's give the world what they want. Let's do a real girl-power collaboration where we support one another.' I said, 'I want to do you in your video, and I want to tribute you. I want to dress up like you'. And Hype Williams ... was so excited. He was like, 'Gaga I want no makeup on your face.' It was really stripped down — real Beyoncé hair, and we wore the same outfit in the video, and I [paid tribute to] her. [...] I wanted to [work with her] because this was an era for her in her career where she defined herself aesthetically. And that should be applauded that a woman did that. She's so great at what she does."[41]
The video was initially set to premiere on November 5, 2009[5][42] but did not actually premiere until November 17, 2009.[43] Two previews of the video were posted online one day before its official release, on November 16, 2009.[6][44]
Synopsis
The video begins with Knowles walking down an alley, accompanied by several men in suits, an homage to
Reception
"Now, because Gaga is just a guest in B[eyoncé]'s world, she has to tone down the crazy, which gives us a glimpse at what she would look like if she were just a normal pop star: No over-the-top costumes, silly makeup or razor sunglasses—just a good old wind machine, long perfect blond weave and leotard. Pretty underwhelming. But this is really Beyoncé's music video, so let's not forget about her. While the song is not 'Single Ladies' catchy, that doesn't stop B[eyoncé] from bringing the fierce, even when it means ripping off Rihanna's style at the beginning or Bettie Page in the middle. And she does look cute all '40s pinup style, so no complaints here."
—Jennifer Cady of
James Montgomery from MTV commented that "it's a little surprising that the just-released clip for Beyoncé's 'Video Phone' has nary a flame or fish-eye shot (there are, of course, plenty of outlandish costumes). However, don't make the mistake of thinking this video is by any means straightforward — it's plenty WTF! [...] It's definitely not the Gaga we're used to seeing, but her appearance isn't exactly run-of-the-mill, either. And neither is this video, for that matter. Especially not when you're watching Beyoncé snap her gum and shake her hips and grope an
Achievements
The music video ranked at ninety-nine on BET: Notarized Top 100 Videos of 2009 countdown.[55] In 2010, the music video of "Video Phone" received a nomination at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards Japan, in the category of "Best Collaboration Video".[56] The video received two nominations at the BET Awards 2010 for "Video of the Year" and for "Best Collaboration", winning the former category on April 27, 2010.[57][58] On August 3, 2010, the video received five nominations at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, in the categories of Best Choreography, Best Collaboration, Best Pop Video, Best Female Video and Best Art Direction.[59]
Track listing and formats
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Credits and personnel
Credits are taken from I Am... Sasha Fierce liner notes.[1]
- Beyoncé – Primary artist, producer
- Lady Gaga – Featured artist, extended remix
- Tom Coyne – Mastering
- Mark "Spike" Stent- Mixing Engineer
- Jim Caruana – Vocal Engineer
- Eddy Schreyer – Mastering, extended remix
- William "Vybe Chyle" Burke – Mixing Engineer, extended remix
- Mathew Knowles – Executive producer
- Miles Walker – Engineer
- Bangladesh – Producer
- Phlex – choreographer
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end chart
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Certifications and sales
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA)[78] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[79] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Release history
Region | Date | Version(s) | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
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United States | September 22, 2009 | Original | Urban contemporary radio
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[2] | |
November 17, 2009 | CD | [80] | |||
France | November 20, 2009 |
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Digital download (EP) | Sony Music | [81] |
Italy | Remix | Radio airplay
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[82] | ||
United Kingdom | December 21, 2009 | Remixes | Digital download (EP) | RCA | [65] |
References
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External links
- "Video Phone" (music video) on YouTube