UPGRADE U

"'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 uprade u" has been used in Lil' Mama's "Lip Gloss" and Bow Wow's rap verse in the remix of Paula DeAnda's "Easy".

Contents

Music video

Song references

Chart performance

Charts

Credits and personnel

Formats and track listings

Notes and references

Music video

The video was directed by Melina Matsoukas, who also directed Ludacris' "Money Maker" and Ying Yang Twins' "Dangerous". The video was shot on January 25, 2007. The video 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 905 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.

Song references

★ Audemars Piguet, a Swiss watchmaker

★ Jacob the Jeweler, a celebrity jeweler

★ Cartier, a jeweler and watch manufacturer

★ Herm%C3%A8s, 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

Chart performance

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.;^[1] 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,"BEYONCE feat JAY Z - Upgrade U". Juno Records. Retrieved June 28 2007. after which it reached number fifty-nine on the Hot 100 and number eleven on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart."Beyoncé - Artist Chart History - Singles". ''Billboard''. Retrieved February 8 2007. "Upgrade U" remained on the Hot 100 for eighteen non-consecutive weeks.^[2] In addition, it charted for three weeks on the UK top 200 singles, peaking at number 176.

Charts

Chart (2006)	Peak position
U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100	59
U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs	11
UK Singles Chart	176

Credits and personnel

★ 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

Formats and track listings

;12" single I[3] # "Upgrade U" (album version) – 4:32 # "Upgrade U" (instrumental) - 4:32 # "Upgrade U" (album version - no rap) - 4:02 # "Upgrade U" (acapella) - 4:32

;12" single II[4] # "Upgrade U" (album version) – 4:32 # "Creole" - 3:53 # "Lost Yo Mind" – 3:47 # "Back Up" - 3:27

Notes and references

1. Caulfield, Keith. "Ask Billboard - Replacing Irreplaceable". ''Billboard''. December 29 2006. Retrieved February 8 2007.
2. "Beyoncé and Jay-Z - Upgrade U". aCharts.us. Retrieved June 28 2007.
3. "Vinyl I". 2FunkyRecords. Retrieved on February 14, 2007.
4. "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.