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Upgrade U
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Upgrade U" | |||||
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| Single by Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z from the album B'Day |
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| Released | November 27, 2006 (U.S.)[1] | ||||
| Format | 12" promo single, digital download | ||||
| Recorded | Sony Music Studios (New York City, New York) |
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| Genre | R&B, hip hop | ||||
| Length | 4:32 | ||||
| Label | Columbia | ||||
| Writer | Beyoncé Knowles, MK, Makeba, Sean Garrett, Angela Beyincé, Shawn Carter, Willie Clarke, Clarence Reid, Solange Knowles | ||||
| Producer | Swizz Beatz | ||||
| Beyoncé singles chronology | |||||
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| Jay-Z singles chronology | |||||
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"Upgrade U" is an R&B/hip hop song written by Beyoncé Knowles, MK, Makeba, Sean Garrett, Angela Beyincé, Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Willie Clarke, Clarence Reid, and Solange Knowles for Knowles' second solo album, B’Day (2006). It is her fifth collaboration with Jay-Z, who is featured on the song. The song samples Betty Wright's "Girls Can't Do What the Guys Do", and was originally going to have featured T.I.. The song is about a relationship between a female and a male; Beyoncé sings that she can upgrade her man and introduce him to new things, improving his life style and reputation. The phrase "let me upgrade u" has been used in Lil' Mama's "Lip Gloss", Kanye West's first verse in the freestyle of Rich Boy's "Throw Some D's", and Bow Wow's rap verse in the remix of Paula DeAnda's "Easy". Lil' Wayne did a freestyle over this beat on his mixtape Da Drought 3.
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The video, directed by Melina and Beyoncé, was shot on January 25, 2007. It premiered on February 28 on 106 & Park, the same day as the video for Beyoncé's other single release, "Beautiful Liar" featuring Shakira, on TRL. As of March 7, the "Upgrade U" music video had peaked at number six on BET's 106 & Park; in the UK the music video had peaked at number one on MTV Base's Base Chart Show as of May 16.
In the beginning, Beyoncé is seen mouthing the words of Jay-Z's lyrics, dressed in masculine, hip-hop style clothing. She is later seen wearing vintage Cazal 907 sunglasses and singing in the backseat of a Rolls Royce. During the choruses she dances in a gold minidress in front of a group of male back-up dancers. She continues the Jay-Z imitation through his rapped verse, and halfway through it Jay-Z appears to finish the rap himself. Beyoncé is seen amidst gold watches and jewelry, continuing the motif of luxury that is alluded to in the song.
The song/music video is currently being used as a commercial advertising High Definition Satellite Television from DirecTV. Portions of the video have been re-shot for her announcement.
- Audemars Piguet, a Swiss watchmaker
- Jacob the Jeweler, a celebrity jeweler
- Cartier, a jeweler and watch manufacturer
- Hermès, a luxury goods company
- Lorraine Schwartz, a celebrity jeweler
- Ralph Lauren Purple Label, a higher-end division of the legendary designer's clothing line
- Natura Bisse Diamond Cream, diamond dust mixed with cream that costs $235 for only 1.7 ounces
- 6 star pent suites, only a handful exist in the world such as Crown Macau in China and Dreams Los Cabos near San Jose del Cabo in Mexico
- The Amalfi Coast, located in southern Italy. It's an easy trek to the islands of Capri, the Bay of Naples' Ischia and Procida
- Fendi, a luxury goods company
- The Bloomberg Luxury Accommodation Group, which is located in South Africa and caters to Hollywood-millionaire types
After the release of B'Day, and before its release as a single, the song gained popularity on R&B and hip hop radio stations in the U.S.;[2] consequently, it entered the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and later the Billboard Hot 100 at number ninety-two on November 9, 2006. The song was released as a twelve-inch promotional single on November 27,[1] after which it reached number fifty-nine on the Hot 100 and number eleven on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[3] "Upgrade U" remained on the Hot 100 for eighteen non-consecutive weeks.[4] Although not officially released, it charted for three weeks on the UK top 200 singles, peaking at number 176.
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 176 |
| Romanian Airplay Chart [5] | 21 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[3] | 59 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[3] | 11 |
| The Fave 5 (MTV Philippines' daily countdown) | 1 |
- Lead vocals: Beyoncé Knowles, Jay-Z
- Mixed by Jason Goldstein
- Mixing assistance: Steve Tolle
- Recorded by Jim Caruana at Sony Music Studios, New York City
- Assisted by Rob Kinelski
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- ^ a b "BEYONCE feat JAY Z - Upgrade U". Juno Records. Retrieved June 28, 2007.
- ^ Caulfield, Keith. "Ask Billboard - Replacing Irreplaceable". Billboard. December 29, 2006. Retrieved February 8, 2007.
- ^ a b c "Beyoncé - Artist Chart History - Singles". Billboard. Retrieved February 8, 2007.
- ^ "Beyoncé and Jay-Z - Upgrade U". aCharts.us. Retrieved June 28, 2007.
- ^ Romania Singles Chart
- ^ "Vinyl I". 2FunkyRecords. Retrieved on February 14, 2007.
- ^ "Vinyl II". 2FunkyRecords. Retrieved on February 14, 2007.
- Reid, Shaheem and Cobbin-Wooten, Raslyn. "Luxury Ties, Fancy Suites: A Guide To Beyoncé And Jay-Z's 'Upgrade U'". MTV News. December 20, 2006.
- Lithuania Charts Company "Lithuania Airplay Chart". MTV Baltics News. February 16, 2007.
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| Studio albums | Dangerously in Love · B'Day |
| EPs | True Star: A Private Performance · Green Light: Freemasons EP · Irreemplazable |
| DVDs | Live at Wembley · B'Day Anthology Video Album · The Beyoncé Experience Live! |
| Singles | "I Got That" · "Work It Out" · "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" · "Crazy in Love" · "What's It Gonna Be" · "Baby Boy" · "Fighting Temptation" · "Me, Myself and I" · "Summertime" · "Naughty Girl" · "Dangerously in Love 2" · "Check on It" · "Déjà Vu" · "One Night Only" · "Ring the Alarm" · "Upgrade U" · "Irreplaceable" · "Listen" · "Hollywood" · "Beautiful Liar" · "Suga Mama" · "Get Me Bodied" · "Amor Gitano" · "Green Light" · "Until the End of Time" |
| Filmography | Carmen: A Hip Hopera · Austin Powers in Goldmember · The Fighting Temptations · Fade to Black · The Pink Panther · Dreamgirls |
| Tours | Dangerously in Love World Tour · Verizon Ladies First Tour' · The Beyoncé Experience |
| Related articles | Discography · Awards and nomination · Destiny's Child · Jay-Z · Solange Knowles |