XO (song)
"XO" is a power ballad recorded by American singer Beyoncé from her self-titled fifth studio album in 2013.[1] Columbia Records released the song as the lead contemporary hit radio single from the album in the US and Italy on December 16, 2013. Ryan Tedder self-wrote, composed and co-produced "XO" with Terius "The-Dream" Nash and Beyoncé, with additional production handled by Chauncey "Hit-Boy" Hollis and HazeBanga Music. A pure midtempo Pop love song with electronic influences, "XO" is complete with electronic musical instrumentation, synthesizers and drums. Musically, it was compared to Beyoncé's own song "Halo" and was noted for having several music hooks including its call and response chorus.
For other songs titled "XO", see XO § Songs."XO"
December 16, 2013
2013
Trackdown Studios (Sydney); Tritonus Studios (Berlin); Jungle City Studios (New York City); Oven Studios (New York City)
3:36
Ryan Tedder
The usage of an audio sample from Space Shuttle Challenger disaster at the beginning of the song was criticized by the families of the lost crew, NASA, and some media. Beyoncé released a statement saying that the song was intended to help people who have lost loved people in their lives and that the sample was included as a tribute to the Challenger crew. "XO" managed to appear on many music charts across Europe and Oceania and it peaked at number 45 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
A music video for the song directed by Terry Richardson was filmed in Coney Island in late August 2013. It was made available on iTunes with the release of the album on December 13, 2013 and was released online three days later. Beyoncé performed the song during the last stops of the North American leg of The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour in December 2013 and later during the tour's second European leg in early 2014. To further promote "XO", she performed it at the 2014 BRIT Awards and later at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards. Haim and John Mayer covered the song in 2014, with the latter releasing it as a single.
Chart performance[edit]
"XO" debuted at number 66 on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending January 4, 2014.[64] The song gradually ascended the chart and in its fifth week, on the chart issue dated February 1, 2014, it peaked at number 45.[65] It spent five additional weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, being placed at number 83 in its last week before falling out of the chart.[65] On the Mainstream Top 40 airplay chart it debuted at number 32 for the week ending January 11, 2014.[66] The next week, "XO" moved to number 24 on that chart and it eventually peaked at number 18 spending a total of eight weeks on the Mainstream Top 40.[67][68] On the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, the single reached number 12 in its total of eighteen weeks spent on the chart.[69] As of June 6, 2014, "XO" has sold 356,000 downloads in the US.[70] In Canada, "XO" has peaked at number 36 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart and was certified gold by Music Canada for sales of 40,000 copies in that country.[71]
In the UK, "XO" debuted at number 23 on the UK R&B Chart on December 28, 2013 and number 84 on the UK Singles Chart on January 11, 2014.[72][73] Following Beyoncé's performance of "XO" at the 2014 BRIT Awards in February 2014, sales of the song in the country increased by 96% within the first two hours,[74] and were up by 252% the following day.[75] Following the performance, the song moved ten positions up on the UK R&B Chart at number 5 the next week, and on March 8, 2014 it moved to a peak position of 4.[76] It also peaked at number 22 on the singles chart on the same date and spent 13 weeks in total.[77][78] On October 17, 2014, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) certified it silver for sales of 200,000 copies.[79] On the Irish Singles Chart, "XO" debuted at 70 for the week ending December 26, 2013.[80] It set a peak of 15 on the chart for the week ending January 30, 2014 and further remained on the chart until April 3.[81]
For the week ending December 21, 2013, "XO" debuted at number five on the South Korea Gaon International Chart with digital sales of 13,731 copies and later peaked at number four.[82] For the week of December 30, 2013, "XO" debuted at number 44 on the Australian Singles Chart and number 5 on the Australian Urban Singles Chart.[83][84] On January 26, 2014, it set a peak of number 16 on the singles chart and was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipment of 35,000 copies.[85] On the New Zealand Singles Chart, "XO" debuted at number at number 38 on January 6, 2014 and it moved to 19 the following week. It peaked at number 10 on the chart issue dated January 20, 2014 and gradually descended the chart before falling off on March 17, 2014 after last being seen at 33.[86]
Live performances[edit]
Beyoncé performed "XO" live for the first time on December 13, 2013, during a concert in Chicago as part of her The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour. Prior to the performance she revealed that the song was written for her fans and added, "This is the first time, something I'll never forget".[106] She then performed the song as a call and response with the crowd.[106][107] Molly Wardlaw of Fuse described the performance as "glorious" and a "heavenly thing to behold".[108] Later, Beyoncé also performed the song during the remaining stops of the North American leg of the tour as a part of the encore dedicating it to her fans.[109][110] While reviewing Beyoncé's performance in Washington, Lavanya Ramanthatan of The Washington Post noted that "XO" was one of the "most thrilling songs" of the concert.[50] Stacey Anderson from Rolling Stone wrote that the song "was delivered with visible emotion, and seemingly with a spontaneity absent from the rest of the precise operation".[111] "XO" was added to the set list and performed live during the second European leg of The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour in 2014 from February to March.[112] Graeme Virtue of The Guardian reviewed the performances of "XO" and "Halo" positively, saying that she managed to transform "[the] monumental songs... into intimate miniatures through sheer force of will" while dancing and interacting with the crowd alone onstage.[113]
The song's first televised performance was at the 2014 BRIT Awards on February 19, 2014, marking her first performance at the ceremony since the one held in 2004.[114][115] The performance was confirmed by James Corden on BBC Radio 2 several hours prior to the ceremony, following rumours that circulated for several weeks.[116][117] Beyoncé appeared on stage wearing a shimmering, floor-length sequin blue gown designed by Vrettos Vrettakos containing 140,000 blue zircon crystals and big earrings.[118] The singer performed in front of a simple set of flashing neon lights along with fireworks and lasers on a screen as well as smoke surrounding her dedicating the performance to her fans. Sam Lansky of Time magazine praised the simplicity of the performance as "classy and spare" and wrote that the singer "more than did it justice" with her "pretty much peerless" vocals.[119] MTV News' Emily Blake favorably reviewed the performance as more "subdued" in comparison with the other live shows by Beyoncé.[115] Daily News' Kirthana Ramisetti said that the singer managed to stun at the awards show with the impassioned performance only with the "power of her voice".[120] Vanity Fair writer Josh Duboff described the performance as "powerful and fairly straightforward, sedate even".[116] E! Online's Bruna Nessif wrote that the singer "absolutely stunned as she belted the sweet ballad, giving the audience a memorable show. There was no extra glitz or glamour (not really necessary with a dress like that) or backup dancers and crazy antics. The singer's main focus were her powerhouse vocals".[118] Mark Savage of BBC News opined, "[the] unbilled, stripped-back performance of XO was undoubtedly the night's most flawless vocal".[121] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian described her as "clearly the star of the show".[122] However, Mark Sutherland of the Rolling Stone gave a mixed review about the performance saying it was "a bit... dull".[123] At the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards on August 25, Beyoncé performed "XO" live during a medley consisting of songs from her self-titled album. She performed the song dressed in a bejeweled bodysuit and dedicated it to her fans as the closing track of her performance, stating "This one is for my incredible fans. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be on this stage".[124][125] Nadeska Alexis from MTV News felt that the singer kept the audience "lifted" with the performance of the song.[126]
Beyoncé also performed the song along with "Halo" during the memorial service for Kobe Bryant on February 24, 2020.[127] "XO" is reported to be Kobe's favorite song from Beyoncé.[128]
"XO"
Cover versions[edit]
The song was covered for the first time by the American band Haim on February 24, 2014 during a Live Lounge at BBC Radio 1.[177] Their cover version featured vocals by Este Haim and was musically similar to the original version complete with a slow beat, synthesizer flourishes, guitar rift, drum-kick and callback harmonies during the song's chorus.[178][179] The rendition was noted for containing elements of vintage soft rock and its stripped-down sound was praised highlighting the melody and lyricism of the original "with sincerety" as stated by Whitney Phanuef from HitFix.[180] Billboard writer Jason Lipshutz described their rendition as a "highly unique presentation".[178] Time magazine's Melisa Locker described the cover as "stellar" and "unsurprisingly awesome".[181] Stereogum's Chris DeVille hailed it as a "reverent take" noting that the band managed to "capture the grandeur" of the original by using less musical layers.[182] Slate's Aisha Harris commented that the vocals featured in the cover were not "quite so flawless" as in the original version but praised their version for being pleasant to listen to.[183] Later, the song was added to the band's set list as part of the encore during their tour in 2014.[184] They also performed it at the 2014 Glastonbury Festival with a writer from The Daily Telegraph describing their cover as "reflective".[185]
On April 8, 2014, remix versions of "XO" and "Blow" by French musician Monsieur Adi premiered on Out's official website along Beyoncé's appearance on the cover of the magazine.[186] The remix for "XO" was influenced by electro house music and it was noted for being transformed as a "club-friendly power pop ballad" by the editors of the magazine.[187] Complex magazine writer Lauren Nostro described the version as "fantastic".[186] The song was covered on the seventh season of the American The Voice by contestant Elyjuh Rene during the first episode which aired on September 22, 2014.[188]
On July 1, 2016, Anna Elizabeth Laube released a folk version as a single. It was then released as a part of her album, Tree, on September 9, 2016. No Depression writer Alan Harrison described the track as being "...worthy of Joni Mitchell circa Blue."[189]