Baby Boy
"Baby Boy" is the second single from Beyoncé's debut album Dangerously in Love. Released in 2003, the song (which features dancehall singer Sean Paul) reached number one in the U.S., becoming Beyoncé's second number-one single and Sean Paul's second; it also reached number two in the UK. It was also recognized at the ASCAP awards by the label companies receiving the Publisher of the Year from EMI and Most Performed Songs award in 2005.
Song information
The single was co-written by Beyoncé, Scott Storch, Robert Waller, Sean Paul, and Jay-Z, and produced by Beyoncé and Storch. Although he does not perform on the record, Beyoncé's boyfriend Jay-Z (who had worked with her on her previous single, "Crazy In Love") is given co-writing credit for lyrical contributions. In this Middle Eastern/reggae hybrid, Beyoncé becomes enraptured by the thought of a man who haunts her, yet turns her on, as she cries "Baby Boy, you stay on my mind, fulfill my fantasies...". An alternative version of the song, in which the song structure and Sean Paul's raps are left intact, while Beyoncé sings completely different lyrics, was leaked to the Internet in 2003.
Chart performance
Fresh off the heels of "Crazy in Love", her first single, "Baby Boy" quickly shot up the charts, and the song was in the top ten while "Crazy in Love" was still number one on the Hot 100. "Baby Boy" rose to number one after only a four week gap between it and "Crazy in Love". The song topped both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks for several weeks. The song was also strong on all major radio airplay formats, also hitting number one on the Hot 100 Airplay, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, Top 40 Tracks, Top 40 Mainstream, and the Rhythmic Top 40 .
Because of the song's high level of airplay, it broke the record for the highest number of impressions in a week (as measured by BDS). Beyoncé held the record for the highest amount of audience impressions in a week for a female artist, until Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together" broke her record.
It managed to become a longer charting success, debuting at number 57, and quickly rose to the top ten in four weeks. The song stayed on the Hot 100 for twenty-nine weeks, two more weeks than "Crazy in Love".
Music video
Following the critical acclaim she had received for enlisting relative newcomer Jake Nava to direct her first single, "Crazy In Love", Beyoncé decided to repeat her success, and enlisted Nava to direct her second video. The video does not have a central plot, but is better-known for its visual interpretation of Beyoncé's wild dreams and fantasies of her "Baby Boy". Beyoncé can be seen dancing seductively in dark exotic sets with wild flashing lights as Sean Paul sits on a throne and dictates his wishes to her. The video is most noted for its end sequence, in which Beyoncé breaks into an impromptu belly dance.
Charts
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Official remixes/versions
- "Baby Boy" (album version)
- "Baby Boy" (instrumental)
- "Baby Boy" (acapella)
- "Baby Boy" (Junior's World Mixshow)
- "Baby Boy" (Junior Vazquez club-anthem remix)
- "Baby Boy" (Junior's Padapella)
- "Baby Boy" (Maurice Joshua full remix)
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