"Irreplaceable" was generally well-received by music critics, some of them even called it the most memorable track on the album, and added that it manages to recapture Beyoncé's debut single "Crazy in Love"'s "near-perfection". In 2009, Pitchfork Media and Rolling Stone ranked it on their respective lists of Best Songs of the 2000s decade. "Irreplaceable" won at the 2007 Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Single, and the 2007 Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Award for Favorite Song. It was also nominated for Record of the Year in the 2008 Grammy Awards, and for Song of the Year at the VH1 Soul Vibe awards show.
"Irreplaceable" was a worldwide commercial success. It became Beyoncé's second best-selling single in her solo career after "Crazy in Love" and B'Day's most successful release. The single remained at the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for ten consecutive weeks. Certified multi-platinum, "Irreplaceable" emerged as the best-selling single in 2007 and the twenty-fifth most successful song of the 2000s decade in the United States. The single also passed the 200 million audience impressions mark towards the end of 2006, while another single of Beyoncé, "Check on It" (2005), also surpassed the same mark earlier that year. Eventually, Beyoncé became the second female singer to achieve this in the United States, after Mariah Carey. "Irreplaceable" peaked at number one in Australia, at number four in the United Kingdom, and generally inside the top twenty across European music markets.
The single's accompanying music video was directed by Anthony Mandler and it features the debut performance of Beyoncé's all-female band, Suga Mama. The video was included on the 2007 B'Day Anthology Video Album and a video edit was produced for "Irreemplazable", the Spanish version of the song. The video earned Beyoncé a Video of the Year award at the 2007 Black Entertainment Television (BET) Awards, and it was nominated for Video of the Year during the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards. The song was promoted by Beyoncé with live performances, including the The Ellen DeGeneres Show and the American Music Awards of 2007. The song was also a part of her set list on The Beyoncé Experience in Los Angeles and her world tour I Am... Tour. The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) recognized the song as one of the most performed songs of 2008 at the ASCAP Pop Music Awards.
Irreplaceable
Beyonce Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To the left, to the left
To the left, to the left
Everything you own in the box to the left
In the closet that's my stuff, yes
If I bought it, nigga, please don't touch (don't touch)
But could you walk and talk at the same time?
And it's my mine name that is on that tag
So remove your bags let me call you a cab
Standing in the front yard telling me
How I'm such a fool, talking 'bout
How I'll never ever find a man like you
You got me twisted
You must not know 'bout me
You must not know 'bout me
I could have another you in a minute
Matter fact he'll be here in a minute, baby
You must not know 'bout me
You must not know 'bout me
I can have another you by tomorrow
So don't you ever for a second get
To thinking you're irreplaceable
So go ahead and get gone
Call up that chick and see if she's home
Oops, I bet ya thought that I didn't know
What did you think I was putting you out for?
Because you was untrue
Rolling her around in the car that I bought you
Baby, drop them keys
Hurry up before your taxi leaves
Standing in the front yard telling me
How I'm such a fool, talking 'bout
How I'll never ever find a man like you
Got me twisted
You must not know 'bout me
You must not know 'bout me
I can have another you in a minute
Matter fact he'll be here in a minute, baby
You must not know 'bout me
You must not know 'bout me
I'll have another you by tomorrow
So don't you ever for a second
Get to thinking you're irreplaceable (irreplaceable)
So since I'm not your everything (irreplaceable)
How about I'll be nothing, nothing at all to you (nothing)
Baby I won't shed a tear for you (I won't shed a tear)
I won't lose a wink of sleep
'Cause the truth of the matter
Is replacing you is so easy, hey
To the left, to the left
To the left, to the left, mm
To the left, to the left
Everything you own in the box to the left
To the left, to the left
Don't you ever for a second get
To thinking you're irreplaceable
You must not know 'bout me
You must not know 'bout me
I can have another you in a minute
Matter fact he'll be here in a minute, baby
You must not know 'bout me
You must not know 'bout me
I can have another you by tomorrow
So don't you ever for a second
Get to thinking, baby
You must not know 'bout me
You must not know 'bout me
I can have another you in a minute
Matter fact he'll be here in a minute
You could pack all your things, we're finished
(You must not know 'bout me)
'Cause you made your bed, now lay in it
(You must not know 'bout me)
I can have another you by tomorrow
Don't you ever for a second
Get to thinking you're irreplaceable
In Beyoncé's song Irreplaceable, the lyrics boast about the woman's independence and self-worth in a relationship. The entire song is a strong message to her unfaithful partner that she has come to the end of her patience with his treachery. The song's main refrain "to the left, to the left" signifies that she is done with him and wants him out of her life. She commands him to leave, and after packing his things, she leaves them in a box to the left. She reminds him that everything in the box is hers, including the clothes he is wearing.
Beyoncé takes charge of the break-up by reminding him that it is her name on the tag of everything he has, and that she can have any man she wants. She doesn't shed a tear or lose a wink of sleep over him, as the truth of the matter is that it is so easy to replace him. Beyoncé's lyrics emphasize that her worth is not tied to her relationship and she doesn't need a man to validate her.
Overall, the song is a strong feminist anthem about self-worth, independence, and the power to leave a toxic relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
To the left, to the left
I want all of your belongings to the left, out of my sight
Everything you own in the box to the left
I want you to take everything that belongs to you and put it in a box to the left
In the closet that's my stuff, yes
Anything you see in the closet is mine, not yours
If I bought it, nigga, please don't touch (don't touch)
If I paid for it, don't even think about touching it
And keep talking that mess, that's fine
Don't stop talking nonsense, I don't care
But could you walk and talk at the same time?
Can you multitask and actually do something useful while you talk?
And it's my mine name that is on that tag
My name is on the tag, I own it
So remove your bags let me call you a cab
Get your stuff and leave, I'll call you a taxi
Standing in the front yard telling me
You're standing outside telling me
How I'm such a fool, talking 'bout
You're calling me a fool, saying
How I'll never ever find a man like you
I won't find another man like you, according to you
You got me twisted
You're confused, that's not true
You must not know 'bout me
You clearly don't understand who I am
I could have another you in a minute
I could easily find someone else like you
Matter fact he'll be here in a minute, baby
Actually, he's already on his way
So go ahead and get gone
Just leave already
Call up that chick and see if she's home
Call that other girl you've been talking to
Oops, I bet ya thought that I didn't know
You thought I didn't know about her, but I do
What did you think I was putting you out for?
Why do you think I want you to leave?
Because you was untrue
You were unfaithful to me
Rolling her around in the car that I bought you
You're driving her around in the car I paid for
Baby, drop them keys
Give me the keys to the car
Hurry up before your taxi leaves
Quickly, before your ride goes away
So since I'm not your everything (irreplaceable)
I'm not everything to you, as much as you thought I was
How about I'll be nothing, nothing at all to you (nothing)
In fact, I won't be anything to you
Baby I won't shed a tear for you (I won't shed a tear)
I won't even cry over you
I won't lose a wink of sleep
I won't lose any sleep over you either
Is replacing you is so easy, hey
Finding someone else to replace you is so easy
Don't you ever for a second get to thinking you're irreplaceable
Don't think for a second that you're irreplaceable
You could pack all your things, we're finished
You can pack up and leave, we're done
('Cause you made your bed, now lay in it)
This is your fault, deal with the consequences
I can have another you by tomorrow
I can easily replace you by tomorrow
Don't you ever for a second Get to thinking you're irreplaceable
Again, don't think you're irreplaceable
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Amund Bjorklund, Mikkel Eriksen, Tor Hermansen, Beyonce Knowles, Espen Lind, Shaffer Smith
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@cannymarie2124
He probably knew that him singing it, no matter how well he did, it would hit different with the audience of that time.
A guy telling his girl "you cheated, leave, I could have another chick in a DAY."
VS
A successful woman telling her man "You cheated, leave, I could have whatever man I wanted, whenever I want, I don't need to rely on you"
Again, not saying he would have done a bad job or that a woman singing it makes it objectively better. It's a vibe thing.
((That's not even getting into the fact that he probably gets songwriter royalties and Beyonce's star power and voice helped catapult this song to where the money keeps coming))
@winniegamhiwa729
Who is here in 2024😢
@estertawakevou1514
Meeeeee ! 🙌🙌😩🔥💓
@user-cf7zq9ol4t
Here we are sticked ❤
@jasminewilliams4940
Meeeeeeee!
@angiec3512
Me!!! 🙋♀️ Her music was soooo good back then! Not that her music isn't good now, I just like her songs from back then more.
@Tintarella-rh1hy
Meee
@quayamilyt
Do anybody else get tired of today's music and just go on an "old music rampage" ?
@Grace-cu2th
well really just a Beyoncé music rampage
@melissar5331
mehhh
@lisamarie3443
Yess all the time