Mine (Beyoncé song)

"Mine" is a song by American recording artist Beyoncé featuring Canadian rapper Drake. The song was written by Noah "40" Shebib, Drake, Beyoncé, Majid Jordan, Sidney "Omen" Brown and Key Wane, with production by Shebib, Jordan, Brown and Beyoncé for the latter's self-titled fifth studio album Beyoncé (2013). "Mine" is a futuristic R&B song, that contains trap elements, African beats with muted modern hip hop. Lyrically, Beyoncé reveals her everyday doubts regarding marriage and motherhood.

"Mine"
Song by Beyoncé featuring Drake
from the album Beyoncé
Recorded2013; Jungle City Studios (New York City)
Oven Studios (New York City)
Genre
Length6:18
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Beyoncé track listing

"Mine" received acclaim from music critics, who praised the song's production, Beyoncé's vocal performance and the song's breakdown. However, Drake's contributions were generally panned by critics. Following the release of the album, "Mine" charted in multiple regions, making appearances on the US Billboard Hot 100 and UK charts.

Background and composition

In September 2013, Drake revealed that he was working with Beyoncé on her new project.[1] During an interview with Vibe, he talked about his collaboration with Beyoncé on "Mine", stating, "I had fun with it. I always wanted to write for her. She never really sings that minimal... We'll see where that goes."[2] "Mine" was written by Beyoncé, Noah Shebib, Aubrey Graham, Jordan Ullman, Sidney Brown and Dwane Weir while the production was helmed by Noah "40" Shebib, Majid Jordan, Brown and Beyoncé. Brown also handled additional drum programming and Beyoncé served as the song's vocal producer. Ramon Rivas engineered the song, and Beyoncé's vocals were recorded by Noah "40" Shebib, while Key Wane provided intro keys and intro programming. The song was finally mixed and mastered by Noel "Gadget" Campbell, Tom Coyne and Aya Merrill. "Mine" was recorded in two studios: Jungle City Studios and Oven Studios, both in New York City.[3]

"Mine" is a futuristic R&B song[4] with a relaxed, jazzy flow,[5] "combining African beats with muted modern hip-hop".[6] Lyrically, Beyoncé reveals her everyday doubts regarding marriage and motherhood, present in the lines, "I'm not feeling like myself since the baby, are we even going to make it? If we are, we're taking this a little too far".[7] She also confesses about going through rough times with a husband after the birth of their daughter, asking the question: "Are we gonna even make it?" in the lines.[8] Many critics opined that the lines were sung about the singer's real-life husband Jay-Z and their daughter Blue Ivy.[8] However, her collaborator Drake manages "to turn the darkness into hope."[7]

Reception

Critical reception

The song features vocals by Canadian rapper Drake (pictured), whose contributions were met with negative reviews from critics.

"Mine" was met with positive reviews by critics, who described it as one of the highlights on the entire album,[6][9] described as "excellent"[4] and "utterly thrilling" despite "largely chorus-free",[10] being mostly praised for how it reflected Beyoncé's determination to keep pushing creatively[11][12] — a trait Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times described as "rare among superstars".[11]

However, Drake's contributions were universally panned by critics, with Ludovic Hunter-Tilney of Financial Times criticizing Drake's vocals as "monotonous" and "grat[ing] against Beyoncé's more expressive singing", making the song "the album's least singalong moment",[13] and Philip Cosores of Paste describing Drake's appearance as "detract[ing] from the multitude of things that Beyoncé does right."[14] Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune was similarly unimpressed, writing that Drake "hijacks" the song with his closing rap verses, "turn[ing] it into a six-minute slog"; slating it as a "high profile cameo" that "fall[s] short".[5] Kitty Empire of The Guardian attributed this to a lack of "chemistry that fires in Drake and Rihanna's collaborations".[15]

Chart performance

In the United Kingdom, "Mine" debuted at number 89 on the UK Singles Chart and number eight on the UK R&B Chart on December 28, 2013.[16][17] The following week, it climbed to number 65 on the singles chart and number seven on the R&B chart which ultimately became its peak positions on those charts.[18][19] In the United States, "Mine" debuted at number 99 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number 32 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart on the chart issue dated January 4, 2014, and raised to numbers 82 and 25, respectively, the following week.[20][21] Elsewhere, it peaked at number 82 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart where it spent a total of two weeks.[22] In France, it debuted at number 157 on the French Singles Chart on December 28, 2013.[23] The following week, it moved to its peak position of 149 and fell off the chart after that.[24]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Mine" was shot by Belgian director Pierre Debusschere at Stockton Beach, Australia.[3][25] It was shot by Melbourne cinematographer Stefan Duscio. The visual was released on December 13, 2013 to iTunes Store on Beyoncé itself along with sixteen other music videos for every track on the album.[26] On November 24, 2014 it was also uploaded to the singer's Vevo account.[27] Debusschere, who also directed "Ghost" on the Beyoncé album and has previously worked with Kanye West on his musical short film Runaway (2010), said of his collaboration with Beyoncé: "I think Beyoncé came to me because she wanted something other than the usual clips. We shot two videos in a month in Australia. My closest friends knew, but other than that, I had to keep the secret until the end."[28][29] Picking up on the theme of isolation from the lyrics that begins the song, the video references two works of art: Michelangelo's sculpture "Pietà", and René Magritte's painting "The Lovers" (1928). During the first part of the video, Beyoncé is shown wearing a veil and a gown, sitting with a dancer covered in white paint resting their head on her lap, and with a mask on her hand, that she later put on, with the statue's peaceful expression. René Magritte's painting, like the video, shows a couple kissing with their heads enshrouded by white fabric. "The Lovers" was on display as part of a retrospective at New York's Museum of Modern Art at the time of the video's release.[30] In the case of the music video, the shirts are inscribed with the words "Yours" and "Mine".

Live performances

Beyoncé performed "Mine" at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards held on August 25, as part of a medley consisting of songs from her fifth studio album. She opened her 15-minute performance at the show with "Mine", surrounded by various dancers with white skin and the song's title displayed on a screen behind her in blue flame.[31][32] She wore a bejeweled bodysuit and stained-glassed window visuals were shown on the stage.[33] As she finished the performance of "Mine", she announced to the crowd, "MTV, welcome to my world", continuing with a performance of "Haunted".[33] Nadeska Alexis writing for MTV News felt that Beyoncé managed to open the show in an emotional way with the cameras focusing on her face at the beginning.[31] Hilary Hughes writing for Fuse praised the fact that the singer opened the show with "Mine", saying it was "enough to halt all conversation, silence all phones and pause the internet for a moment, as she got real right off the bat".[34] The song is part of The Formation World Tour setlist.[35]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Beyoncé's website.[3]

  • Beyoncé Knowles – vocals, vocal production
  • Drake – vocals
  • Sampha – additional vocals
  • Noah "40" Shebib – production, recording
  • Majid Jordan – additional production
  • Sidney "Omen" Brown – additional production, additional drum programming
  • Noel Cadastre – recording
  • Stuart White – recording
  • Ramon Rivas – second engineering
  • Key Wane – intro keys and intro programming
  • Noel "Gadget" Campbell – mixing
  • Tom Coyne – mastering
  • Aya Merrill – mastering

Charts

Chart (2013–2014) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[22] 82
France (SNEP)[36] 149
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[18] 65
UK R&B (OCC)[37] 7
US Billboard Hot 100[20] 82
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[38] 25

References

  1. "Drake praises Beyoncé, Reveals Collaboration". Rap-Up. September 24, 2013. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  2. Kennedy, John (December 30, 2013). "Outtakes: Drake Talks Beyoncé, 'Trophies' And Next Album". Vibe. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  3. "Beyonce Album Credits". Beyonce.com. December 14, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  4. Sheffield, Rob (December 14, 2013). "'Beyonce' Album Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  5. Kot, Greg (December 14, 2013). "'Beyonce' album review: More than the delivery is a surprise". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  6. Farber, Jim (December 13, 2013). "'BEYONCE' album review: Pop's warrior shows new side on tracks like 'Blue,' 'Drunk in Love'". Daily News. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  7. Hampp, Andrew; Ramirez, Erika (December 13, 2013). "Beyonce, Beyonce: Track-By-Track Review". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  8. Copsey, Robert (December 16, 2013). "Beyoncé's new album reviewed: 'Refreshingly bold and modern'". Digital Spy. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  9. Arnold, Chuck (December 13, 2013). "Beyoncé Is Crazy in Lust on Steamy Surprise Album: Review". People. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  10. Matusavage, Philip (December 16, 2013). "Beyoncé – Beyoncé". musicOMH. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  11. Wood, Mikael (December 14, 2013). "Album review: 'Beyonce' is full of surprises". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  12. Kelly, Chris (December 17, 2013). "BEYONCE - BEYONCÉ". FACT. The Vinyl Factory. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  13. Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (December 13, 2013). "Beyoncé, 'Beyoncé' – album review". Financial Times. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  14. Cosores, Philip (December 18, 2013). "Beyoncé, Beyoncé". Paste. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  15. Empire, Kitty (December 13, 2013). "Beyoncé: Beyoncé – review". The Observer. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  16. "Official Singles Chart UK Top 100 - 28th December 2013". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on December 1, 2013. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
  17. "2013-12-28 Top 40 R&B Singles Archive". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
  18. "Official Singles Chart UK Top 100 - 4th January 2014". UK Singles Chart. Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  19. "Archive Chart: December 29, 2013". UK R&B Singles Chart. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  20. "Beyonce Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  21. "Beyoncé - Chart History - Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  22. "Beyonce Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  23. "Single Top 100". French Singles Chart. Hung Medien. December 28, 2013. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  24. "Single Top 100". French Singles Chart. Hung Medien. January 4, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  25. Makarechi, Kia (December 13, 2013). "Beyonce Surprises Fans With New Album Featuring Jay Z, Blue Ivy, Drake". The Huffington Post. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
  26. "BEYONCÉ Available Worldwide Now" (Press release). Parkwood Entertainment/Columbia Records via PR Newswire. December 13, 2013. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
  27. Lynch, Joe (November 24, 2014). "Beyonce's New 'Platinum Edition' Album Is Streaming on Spotify Now!". Billboard. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  28. "Le Bruxellois Pierre Debusschere clippe Beyonce en Pietà" (in French). l'avenir.net. December 20, 2013. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
  29. Clauss, Elisabeth (December 13, 2013). "Avant-première: Beyoncé par un réalisateur Belge". Elle (in French). Belgium. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
  30. Russeth, Andrew (December 20, 2013). "Really Liking This Magritte Quotation in Beyoncé's 'Mine' Video". galleristny.com. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
  31. Alexis, Nadeska (August 25, 2014). "Beyonce's 2014 VMA Performance: Fearless, Feminist, Flawless, Family Time". MTV News. MTV Networks. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  32. Ayers, Mike (August 25, 2014). "VMAs 2014: Beyonce Performs a Mesmerizing 'Beyonce' Medley". The Wall Street Journal. News Corp. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  33. Ng, Philiana; Lee, Ashley (August 24, 2014). "VMAs: Beyonce Shares Onstage Kiss With Jay Z After Performing Self-Titled Album Medley". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  34. Hughes, Hilary (August 25, 2014). "Blue Ivy Brings Beyonce To Tears During VMAs Performance". Fuse. The Madison Square Garden Company. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  35. Caldwell, Brandon (May 8, 2016). "Beginning to End, Beyoncé's NRG Stadium Homecoming Is a Triumph". Houston Press. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  36. "Beyoncé & Drake - Mine" (in French). Lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  37. "Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  38. "Beyonce Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
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