Beyoncé 'B'Day' 20th anniversary: the story behind "Irreplaceable"

Leave it to Queen Bey to surprise fans on the eve of her 45th birthday with a remastered drop of her 2006 album “B’Day.” The new digital edition of Beyoncé’s second studio album features 31 tracks. New additions include several unreleased songs, including “Can I Watch You” featuring Pharrell Williams, “Lost Yo Mind,” “Creole,” “My First Time,” “Back Up,” and several Spanish-language songs.

We did a deep dive into the album’s biggest hit, “Irreplaceable,” thanks to “Beyoncé: All the Songs – The Stories Behind Every Track.” Benoît Clerc’s epic 528-page coffee-table book surveys her entire catalog through Cowboy Carter. And as a celebration of Beyoncé’s birthday, we’re giving away a copy to one lucky winner!

Inside “Irreplaceable”

Having just wrapped Dreamgirls, Beyoncé hadn’t been in the recording studio for her own original work in over six months. After filming wrapped, she and Jay-Z went on vacation, but she cut the trip short, eager to get back to Sony Music Studios in New York City.

She invited three renowned music producers: Rodney Jerkins, Sean Garrett, and Rich Harrison. Each was stationed in his own studio simultaneously to work at high velocity. “I never saw an artist have so much of her own vision,” said hitmaker Mekeba Riddick, who was also invited into the mix. The entire album was completed in two weeks.

Written by Norwegians Tor Erik Hermansen and Mikkel S. Eriksen of the duo Stargate, a sample ended up in Ne-Yo’s hands, who eventually contributed that famous “To the left, to the left…” and intended to record it. Music executive Larry Jackson thought it’d fit better on a female voice. When Beyoncé heard the demo, there was no turning back.

From the onset, Beyoncé wanted more hip-hop. They achieved this with a Roland TR-808 drum machine, along with other tricks to capture the centerpiece acoustic guitar and a slight delay on her vocal track.

Thanks to their typically Scandinavian know-how,” writes Clerc, “the two members of Stargate gave Beyoncé one of the greatest hits of her career.