User:JennKR/4

4 is the fourth studio album by American singer and songwriter Beyoncé Knowles, released in June 2011. Following a career hiatus that she claimed reiginited her creativity, 4 marks Knowles' exploration of 1970s R&B, 1990s rock and roll, and hip hop, while lyrically concerns the enjoyments and struggles in monogamous relationships. Knowles co-wrote and produced the entire project, with significant contributions from The-Dream, Tricky, Shea Taylor and Jeff Bhasker.

Knowles was influenced by her fans to name the album 4 for its prevalence in her life and career; particularly as her and husband Jay-Z's birthday and wedding anniversary. She began recording during her hiatus in 2010, mostly in New York City, although over 10 studios were used during the course of recording. In May 2011, Knowles submitted 72 songs to Columbia Records for consideration, with the finalised album leaking weeks later.

4 was well received by music critics, who saw it as a surprising and pleasant departure from Knowles' previous style, with many publications including it on year-end lists. It was Knowles' fourth consecutive album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, also reaching the position in Austria, France, Ireland, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. 4 has spawned the international singles "Run the World (Girls)", "Best Thing I Never Had", "Countdown" and "Love on Top", which won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance.

Development and inspiration
Following the release of her third album I Am... Sasha Fierce and an extensive world tour, Knowles decided to take a career hiatus in 2010 "to live life, to be inspired by things again". During which, Knowles killed Sasha Fierce, the alter-ego of her previous album, as she felt she could now merge her two personalities. She also severed professional ties with father and manager Mathew Knowles, who had guided Knowles' career since the 1990s with Destiny's Child.

Although much of 4's inspiration came from "touring, traveling, watching rock bands, and attending festivals", musically Knowles said musicians Fela Kuti, The Stylistics, Lauryn Hill, Stevie Wonder, and Michael Jackson had greatly influenced the project. Knowles cited additional influences in New Edition, The Jackson 5, Adele, Florence and the Machine, and Prince Knowles added that with certain influences she added her character of hip-hop for a more broad sound. She also looked to bring soul singing back stating, "I used a lot of the brassiness and grittiness in my voice that people hear in my live performances, but not necessarily on my records." Feeling that she "earned the right to make artistic music", Knowles' main objective was to bring back "the emotion and live instruments and just soul missing out of the music industry."

Composition and recording
Most of 4 was recorded at MSR Studios, New York City; other New York City recording studios used were Jungle City Studios, Germano Studios, Roc the Mic and KMA Music. Recording also took place at Conway Recording Studios, Enormous Studios and Record Plant in Los Angeles, The Studio in Las Vegas, Patriot Studios in Denver, Boston Harbor Hotel in Boston, Conway Recording Studios in Hollywood, Triangle Sound Studios in Atlanta, Lear 60/G2 Studios, and Avex Honolulu Studios, Honolulu. Outside of the United States, Real World Studios in Box, Metropolis Group in London, and a studio in a Sydney mansion built specifically for the album. Knowles' husband Jay-Z was working with Kanye West on Watch the Throne in the Sydney studio at the same time; it was created in the mansion's attic with a microphone and Pro Tools software platform. Knowles' vocals for 4 were recorded through an Avalon Design 737 preamp, and compressed in an 1176 Peak Limiter with a 4:1 ratio.

In May 2010, DJ Swivel started working with Knowles at Rock The Mic, initially recording "Party" to see what kind of a working relationship might form. Knowles was pleased with his work ethic, and he would become involved with the rest of the album. Several weeks later, they moved into a larger space in KMA Studios for a week and a half. The project then moved to MSR Studios, where most of the work was accomplished, although a total of over ten studios were used over the course of the album. Knowles served as 4's executive producer, With DJ Swivel, Knowles began to experiment with horns, drums, guitars, and percussion instruments. In February 2011, the project was nearing completion. Nearly three months later, Knowles submitted 72 songs to Columbia Records in preparation for the album’s release; they were reportedly overwhelmed with the "sheer volume of material she presented to them."

Music and lyrics
The tracks "1+1", "I Care" and "I Miss You" are R&B power ballads with pop and soul influences. "Best Thing I Never Had" is a midtempo pop and R&B ballad with "cascading piano work" which addresses the end of a relationship between Knowles and her lover, a situation that suits both of them. "Party" is a midtempo R&B song that exhibits elements of 80s soul. Its chorus harmonizes over the sample of the 1985 song "La Di Da Di" and featured vocalist, André 3000 makes philosophical remarks about his own career. "Rather Die Young" is an R&B and soul power ballad; Knowles, as the female protagonist, tells her indifferent love interest that she would rather die young than to live her life without him. "Start Over" is a midtempo R&B ballad that contains pop and soul elements. Knowles affirms her individuality and expresses her love for a man with whom she tries to start a relationship all over again. "Love on Top" is an uptempo R&B song with elements of retro-soul and 1980s pop. "Countdown" samples American group Boyz II Men's "Uhh Ahh" and explores a variety of genres. "End of Time" is an uptempo R&B-dance song that also contains elements of Afrobeat and Latin jazz. It finds Knowles professing her everlasting love with both ferocity and passion. "I Was Here" is a downtempo New Age and R&B ballad It features Knowles singing about the desire to make her mark in life. "Run the World (Girls)" is an R&B and pop song with dancehall influences in the tradition of Knowles 2007 song "Get Me Bodied". It is thematically about female empowerment, like several of her previous songs, including "Independent Women" (2000)—with Destiny's Child—and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (2008). It samples "Pon de Floor" by Major Lazer and Vybz Kartel.

"Schoolin' Life" is an uptempo R&B and funk song, which also contains elements of dance-pop and disco music. The song finds Knowles detailing her experiences as she was growing up. "Lay Up Under Me" is an upbeat but smooth R&B song, whereas "Dance for You" is a midtempo R&B track with a sensual vibe. Thematically, "Dance for You" is similar to Knowles' "Speechless" (2003) and Destiny's Child's "Cater 2 U" (2005) in its showing appreciation and gratitude.

Release and artwork
4's release date in the United States was confirmed on May 18, 2011. On June 7, the album leaked in full; Knowles' legal representatives issued warnings to infringing websites, and leaked tracks were soon removed from such sites. On June 9, Knowles responded to the leak through Facebook, commenting "My music was leaked and while this is not how I wanted to present my new songs, I appreciate the positive response from my fans. When I record music I always think about my fans singing every note and dancing to every beat. I make music to make people happy and I appreciate that everyone has been so anxious to hear my new songs." Following the leak, reports circulated that executive members at Columbia Records were looking to cover their assets in fear that the album may be a failure. Rumors had suggested that the label requested that Knowles make changes to the record in addition to reuniting Destiny's Child, both of which Columbia denied. The deluxe version was released simultaneously with the standard edition in several countries; in the United States, it was available exclusively through Target.

In an interview with Billboard, Knowles stated that despite having another concept for the album, she was ultimately influenced by her fans and named the album 4. She also described the number four as being "special" to her, as her and Jay-Z's birthday, several other family and friends' birthdays, and her wedding anniversary fall on the fourth day of the month. The cover of the standard edition was revealed on Knowles' website on May 18, 2011. Shot in Paris, Knowles is looking into the distance with her arms raised over her head, wearing smokey eye makeup, thick gold cuffs, and a fox-fur stole by the cult French designer Alexandre Vauthier embellished with Swarovski crystals by the Lesage embroidery house. The cover of the deluxe version was shown on June 16, where Knowles is dressed in a tight-fitting blue-purple dress the French designer Maxime Simoens holding her hands in her hair. For its artwork, she opted to for clothing made by lesser-known designers of the time;

Promotion
Knowles performed "Run the World (Girls)" live for the first time on May 17 on ''Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular'' at the United Center in Chicago. She performed the song at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards. On May 25, "1+1" was made available for download through the iTunes Store in the United States. The same day, Knowles performed "1+1" on the American Idol finale, introducing it as her "favorite" song. Knowles appeared on Entertainment Tonight on June 16 to preview the deluxe version's exclusive Target commercial; it began airing in the United States on June 24. For the rest of June, Knowles performed at the Palais Nikaia in Nice, Zénith in Lille, and the Galaxie in Amnéville. On June 26, Knowles flew to the United Kingdom to serve as the closing act at the 2011 Glastonbury Festival. She was the first solo female artist to headline the Pyramid stage at the Glastonbury Festival in over twenty years.

A pre-taped performance of Knowles performing "Best Thing I Never Had" and "End of Time" at the Glastonbury Festival was broadcast during the 2011 BET Awards. The following day, Knowles' exclusive hour-long interview with Piers Morgan in London, was broadcast on Piers Morgan Tonight. Knowles performed "Run the World" on Le Grand Journal in France on June 28. She also appeared on the finale of France's The X Factor to perform "Run the World" and "Best Thing I Never Had". A MTV television special, Beyoncé: Year of 4, premiered on June 30, documenting Knowles during the album's production. On July 1, Knowles appeared on Good Morning America as part of the "Summer Concert Series" in New York City. Knowles then traveled to Scotland to perform at the T in the Park Festival on July 10, 2011. The next day, Knowles performed at the Oxegen Festival in Ireland. On July 28, 2011, Knowles performed "Best Thing I Never Had" and "1+1" on The View. From August 16–19, Knowles held the 4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé concerts at the Roseland Ballroom to a standing room only audience. The Live at Roseland: Elements of 4 DVD was released in November. Knowles performed "Love on Top" at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards on August 28.

Commercial performance
On its first day of sales, 4 sold around 32,000 in the United Kingdom, which according to The Official Charts Company data, were more than the combined sales of its three nearest challengers, being Adele's 19 (2008) and 21 (2011) and Lady Gaga's Born This Way (2011). After a complete week of sales, 4 debuted atop the UK Albums Chart on July 4, 2011, with first-week sales of 89,211, staying there for a second week with sales of 44,929 copies. For the week commencing July 4, 2011, 4 opened at number two on the Australian ARIA Albums chart, giving Knowles her highest ever chart debut there. 4 debuted at number three on the Canadian Albums Chart selling 8,700 copies in its first week, and at number one in France selling 12,393 copies in its first week. According to the Japanese music charting site Oricon, the album debuted at number ten, selling 18,984 copies for the week ending July 11, 2011.

In the United States, 4 debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 310,000 copies. This gave Knowles her fourth consecutive solo debut at the top of the chart and makes her the second female artist and third artist overall, to have her first four studio albums debut atop the Billboard 200. 4's first-week sales became Knowles' lowest sales start with a studio album to date. However, Keith Caulfield of Billboard magazine commented that the album was not released during the festive season and that Knowles was so far lacking a hit single, which could help explain the album's softer entry. It marks the third-largest sales week of the year, after the [number one] bows of Lady Gaga's Born This Way and Adele's 21." 4 became the ninth solely-numerical titles (including roman numerals) to have reigned since the chart launched as a weekly survey the week of March 24, 1956. In its second week, the album remained at number one on the Billboard 200, despite an 63% sales decrease, selling 115,000 copies. It hence became the first album by Knowles to top the Billboard 200 albums chart for more than one week. On August 1, 2011, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for shipments of one million copies to retail stores. As of July 2013, 4 has sold over 1.4 million copies in the United States and as of May 2013, 603,548 copies in the UK.

Critical reception
4 received positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 73, based on 36 reviews. Chris Coplan of Consequence of Sound found 4 to be a "mesmerizing ensemble of R&B ballads, club bangers, and throwback sensations, all filled to capacity with heaps of heart and straight-up soul." Ryan Dombal of Pitchfork found the album's retro-pop sensibility to be the highlight, especially on tracks "Party", "End of Time" and "Love on Top". Jim Caramanica of The New York Times considered 4 to be impressive and well-executed, evoking soul albums of the late 1970s and early 80s, adding that it was an album that other artists would be unable or unwilling to make. Caramanica's sentiments were echoed in Andy Kellman's review from Allmusic, who concluded that "no one but one of the most talented and accomplished singers – one with 16 Grammys, nothing left to prove, and every desired collaborator at her disposal – could have made this album." Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone found the album to be Knowles' strangest and most eccentric; particularly praising her idiosyncratic vocals and "fashionable production styles". Alexis Petridis of The Guardian also credited Knowles' vocals as "visceral", finding the album at its best when it retreats into its "R&B past". Mikael Wood of Spin called it an "often-gorgeous collection of ballads and mid-tempo cuts rich with echoes of late-'70s/early-'80s pop-soul."

In a less enthusiastic review, Hamish MacBain for NME found the album's ballads and and slow-tempo songs to be uninspired, although considered some of the mid-album to contain good music. Genevieve Koski of the The A.V. Club concluded that "Beyoncé’s artistic maturation on 4 features some growing pains, but the album’s polish and her poise go a long way toward masking those flaws". The critics of NME and The A.V. Club were in agreement that the track "I Was Here" was the weakest point of of the album, particularly for its song-writing.

Accolades
(*) designates unordered lists.

Track listing

 * Notes
 * undefined signifies a co-producer
 * undefined signifies an additional producer
 * undefined signifies a vocal producer
 * undefined signifies a remixer
 * The deluxe edition contains an exclusive version of the music video for "Run the World (Girls)".
 * "Party" samples "La Di Da Di" as performed by Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew featuring MC Ricky D., and written by Douglas Davis and Ricky Walters.
 * "Countdown" samples "Uhh Ahh" as performed by Boyz II Men, and written by Michael Bivins, Nathan Morris and Wanya Morris.
 * "Run the World (Girls)" samples "Pon de Floor" as performed by Major Lazer, and written by Afrojack, Adidja Palmer, Wesley Pentz and David Taylor.

Personnel
The following people are credited on the album:

Managerial


 * Naima Cochrane – marketing
 * Scott Greer – marketing
 * Beyoncé Knowles – executive producer


 * Meaghan Lyons – A&R operations
 * Ty Ty Smith – A&R
 * Teresa LaBarbera White – A&R

Performance credits


 * Beyoncé Knowles – vocals, background vocals
 * André 3000 – vocals, background vocals
 * Luke Steele – background vocals
 * Kanye West – background vocals


 * Consequence – background vocals
 * Ryan Tedder – background vocals
 * Billy Kraven – background vocals

Visuals and imagery


 * Tony Duran – photography
 * Neal Farinah – glam team
 * Greg Gex – photography
 * Ty Hunter – fashion director
 * Kimberly Kimble – glam team
 * Lisa Logan – glam team


 * Adam Larson – art director
 * Melina Matsoukas – creative consultant
 * Raquel Smith – stylist
 * Jenke Ahmed Taily – creative director
 * Francesca Tolot – glam team
 * Ellen Von Unwerth – photography

Instruments


 * Pete Wolford – guitar
 * Nikki Glaspie – drums
 * Lee Blaske – strings
 * Drew Sayers – baritone, tenor
 * Chad Hugo – rhythm guitar
 * Jeff Bhasker – keyboard, guitar solo, keyboards and drum programming
 * Rob Suchecki – guitar
 * Cole Kamen-Green – trumpet
 * Josiah Woodson – trumpet
 * Nick Videen – tenor, alto saxophone


 * Alex Asher – trombone
 * Morgan Price – baritone saxophone, tenor
 * Shea Taylor – alto saxophone, horns arrangement
 * Luke Steele – guitar
 * Robert "R.T." Taylor – guitar
 * Pat Thrall – guitar
 * Johnny Butler – tenor saxophone
 * Jack Daley – bass guitar
 * Ryan Tedder – drums, piano, additional programming
 * Brent Kutzle – cello, guitar, additional programming

Technical and production


 * Terius "The-Dream" Nash – production
 * Christopher "Tricky" Stewart – production
 * Beyoncé Knowles – production, vocal production
 * Jeff Bhasker – production
 * Shea Taylor – production
 * Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds – production
 * Antonio Dixon – production
 * Symbolyc "Larry Griffin, Jr." One – production
 * Caleb McCampbell – production
 * Kanye West – production
 * Luke Steele – production
 * Tom Coyne – mastering
 * David "Switch" Taylor – production
 * Ryan Tedder – production
 * Brent Kutzle – production
 * Kuk Harrell – vocal production, vocal recording
 * Wesley "Diplo" Pentz – production
 * Carlos "Los Da Mystro" McKinney – production
 * Kaskade – mix, additional production
 * Jens Bergmark – mix production
 * Julian Napolitano – mix production
 * Jordan "DJ Swivel" Young – recording, vocal recording, mixing


 * Mark Gray – engineering assistant
 * Jason Sherwood – engineering assistant
 * Steven Dennis – engineering assistant
 * Pete Wolford – engineering assistant
 * Scott Barnett – engineering assistant
 * Tony Maserati – mixing
 * Val Brathwaite – mixing assistant
 * Ryan Kelly – engineering assistant
 * Serge Nudel – mixing assistant, engineering assistant
 * Gloria Kaba – engineering assistant
 * Serban Ghenea – mixing
 * John Hanes – mixing engineer
 * Phil Seaford – mixing assistant
 * Gaylord Holomalia – engineering assistant
 * Christian Mochizuki – engineering assistant
 * Edwin Delahoz – engineering assistant
 * Justin Hergett – engineering assistant
 * Jon Castelli – engineering assistant
 * Ramon Rivas – engineering assistant
 * Chris Soper – engineering assistant
 * Smith Carlson – engineering assistant
 * Eric Aylands – engineering assistant
 * Jon Sher – engineering assistant