Halo (Beyoncé song)

"Halo" was initially composed by Ryan Tedder, lead vocalist of OneRepublic, together with Evan "Kidd" Bogart. In 2009, the original demo leaked on the Internet, and its production was similar to the published recording, for which Beyoncé received a writing credit. Tedder explained that she vocally edited the song's bridge and consequently earned the credit. According to Simon Cowell, owner of the music production company Syco Entertainment, Bogart and Tedder intended "Halo" for his client, singer Leona Lewis, who was unable to record it due to scheduling conflicts. He commented: There was this huge scandal that originally "Halo" was meant to go to Leona. That was never the case ... That song was written for Beyoncé. What happened was that Beyoncé waited long enough to record that song ... I thought this would be a brilliant first single for Leona, which it would have ... What I did was foolishly say to Leona's camp, "I have it on hold for another artist and I'm pretty sure they'll take it, but if they don't, I just want to know if you like it enough to consider it". I sent it to them and they flipped on it. They loved it and instantly said they wanted to do it. I was like, "Wait, wait, wait, no, it's not free yet!" During the production, Beyoncé edited and composed a new bridge for the song. Tedder did the musical arrangements and played the instruments, while Christian Baker assisted in recording the music. Mark "Spike" Stent mixed the track with assistance from Matt Green, and Jim Caruana recorded Beyoncé's vocals; both tasks were done at Roc the Mic Studios. "Halo" is present on the I Am... disc of the double album I Am... Sasha Fierce, as it is a ballad that shows Beyoncé's insecurities about love, and the person she is "underneath all the makeup, underneath the lights and underneath all the exciting star drama". ==Composition and lyrical interpretation==

"Halo" is a contemporary downtempo R&B power ballad a keyboard, a synthesizer, is accompanied by percussive beats that alternate between handclaps and foot stomps. "Halo" was composed using common time in the key of A major, with a tempo of 84 beats per minute. Beyoncé's vocals span from C3 to the head voice note of G5, and are supported by backing vocals. In "Halo", Beyoncé professes her fondness to her lover with open-hearted emotion. ==Release==

"Halo" and "Ego" were initially planned for simultaneous release in the US, following the 2008 dual lead singles "If I Were a Boy" and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)". "Halo" was placed on a different disc of I Am... Sasha Fierce to "Diva"; the intention was to demonstrate the concept that Beyoncé has conflicting personalities—the central theme of the album. while "Diva" was targeted to rhythmic contemporary and urban contemporary radio playlists. A digital extended play (EP) containing a radio edit and four remixes of "Halo" was later released on April 14, 2009. On February 20, 2009, "Halo" was released as a two-track digital download, including a remix of "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" in Australia and New Zealand. In France, it was released as a stand-alone digital download on March 20, 2009. On the same date, "Halo" was serviced digitally alongside the album version of "Diva" in mainland Europe, including Germany, where it was also made available as a CD single on April 3 and a vinyl single on April 12, 2009. In the United Kingdom, a digital EP containing the album version and three remixes of "Halo" was released on April 13, 2009. The following day, the song was made available on a digital EP, as a maxi single and a vinyl single in Canada. Controversy Soon after composing "Halo", Tedder worked with Kelly Clarkson on her fourth studio album, All I Ever Wanted (2009), for which they wrote "Already Gone" together. She then alleged Tedder used the same arrangement on both "Already Gone" and "Halo", and complained that people would, incorrectly, assume she was stealing it from Beyoncé. Clarkson tried to prevent "Already Gone" from being included on All I Ever Wanted, but it was impossible to make last-minute changes, as her album was already being printed when I Am... Sasha Fierce was released. Clarkson also tried to stop her label, RCA, from releasing "Already Gone" as a single because she wanted to respect Beyoncé, but they went against her will and released it. Clarkson later told James Montgomery of MTV News that it was unfortunate "Already Gone" and "Halo" sound so similar, but noted that the vocal melodies differ. ==Critical reception==

at the O2 Arena, in London|alt=Beyoncé sings while she wears a short dark dress. In front of her a set of stairs are seen. "Halo" received universal acclaim. Christian Williams of Billboard magazine wrote that the pop sound of the song should take it to the top of the charts. Michael Slezak of Entertainment Weekly described "Halo" as "an absolutely glorious and perfectly produced track", which had the potential to be as commercially successful as "Crazy in Love" (2003) and "Irreplaceable" (2007). Joey Guerra of the Houston Chronicle wrote that it was an immediate standout on I Am... Sasha Fierce. Jennifer Cady of E! Online wrote that the song could be included on a romantic mixtape, Ryan Dombal of Pitchfork wrote that Beyoncé's vocal delivery was "strident and exposed", reminiscent of Céline Dion's style. In spite of what he called its "garden-variety lyrics", James Reed of The Boston Globe wrote that "Halo" was "the most evocative power ballad" recorded by Beyoncé, comparing it to the work done by American record producer and songwriter Phil Spector on his Wall of Sound mixing board. Critics highlighted the similarities of "Halo" to Rihanna's "Umbrella" (2007); Alexis Petridis of The Guardian noted that both have the same "icy synths, drivetime rock dynamic, and a similar repetitive chorus". This view was echoed by Jennifer Vineyard of MTV News and Brent DiCrescenzo of Time Out, who viewed "Halo" as a "Bette Midler–level hymn from ['Umbrella'], lift[ing its] savior theme". Nick Levine of Digital Spy described "Halo" as a "muscular hybrid" of "Umbrella" and Lewis' "Bleeding Love". David Balls of the same website wrote, "Halo' is a contemporary power ballad in the 'Bleeding Love' mould ... Could Lewis have pulled this off better? Well, that's a matter of opinion of course, but Mrs. Jay-Z doesn't leave much room for improvement." Accolades "Halo" was nominated for Best Single at the 2009 Urban Music Awards, and for Choice Love Song at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards. It won the Best Song award at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2009. The ballad was placed at number seven on Rap-Ups list of the 25 best songs of 2009. "Halo" was nominated at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards in the categories of Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, winning the latter. The live version of "Halo", featured on I Am... Yours: An Intimate Performance at Wynn Las Vegas (2009), was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards. On The Village Voices year-end Pazz & Jop singles list, "Halo" was ranked number 878 in 2008 and number 124 in 2009. The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) recognized "Halo" as one of the most performed songs of 2009 at the 27th ASCAP Pop Music Awards. It also won Best Foreign Song at the 2010 Croatian Porin Awards. On the occasion of Beyoncé's thirtieth birthday in 2011, Erika Ramirez and Jason Lipshutz of Billboard magazine placed the ballad at number 18 on their list of Beyoncé's 30 biggest Billboard hits. In 2017, Consequence of Sound named "Halo" the 23rd best song of 2009. ==Commercial performance==

"Halo" debuted at number 93 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart issue dated February 7, 2009. It peaked at number five on the chart issue dated May 23, 2009. The US success of "Halo" helped Beyoncé achieve more top 10 singles on the Hot 100 chart than any other female artist in the 2000s. After spending 30 weeks within the Hot 100's top 40, "Halo" last charted on the week ending August 29, 2009. It peaked at number two on the US Mainstream Top 40 chart, behind "Boom Boom Pow" by The Black Eyed Peas, at number one on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart, and at number 16 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. On January 5, 2010, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the single , denoting sales of two million copies. In August 2022, RIAA updated Beyoncé's sales, certifying "Halo" as having sold more than 9 million copies. later updating the certification to eleven-times platinum in 2024. The song remained 33 weeks on the chart, and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ), representing sales of 15,000 copies. In 2024, it was certified six-times platinum in 2024, for 180,000 equivalent units. The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) certified "Halo" thirteen-times platinum for selling 910,000 copies. over a period of seven weeks, it climbed to number four on March 29, 2009 (for the week ending April 4, 2009). As of June 2022, it had sold 2.1 million copies in the UK, including 158.7 million plays, and is her and most streamed single there. In October 2023, the song was certified by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), denoting 2,400,000 units sold and streamed in the UK. and peaked at number four for three consecutive weeks. On the Spanish Singles Chart, "Halo" debuted at number 45 on January 25, 2009, but it fell off the chart the following week. However, the song the chart four months later on May 3, 2009, at number 44, and peaked at number five on October 11, 2009. "Halo" topped the Brasil Billboard Hot 100 chart for more than 20 consecutive weeks in 2009. It emerged as the most listened to song on radio in Brazil during the same period as it registered 24,734 plays on radio stations throughout the country. "Halo" was also the most downloaded song in Brazil from November 2009 to November 2010, as highlighted by the first edition of the Brazilian Digital Music Awards. ==Music videos==

The accompanying music videos for "Halo" and "Diva" premiered simultaneously on the US iTunes Store on December 23, 2008. The video, which Beyoncé has considered intimate and romantic, begins as she stands against a wall, illuminated by light that passes through a window. In one scene, Beyoncé's character, dressed in a skin-tight leotard, performs a dance sequence while her love interest looks down at her from a balcony. According to Michael Slezak of Entertainment Weekly, the dance routines pay homage to the 1983 romantic drama film Flashdance. Lecturer Sadeka Sabrina Haque was critical of the music video, saying that the music videos from the I Am... side portray Beyoncé as defenseles and thereby contributing to "the stereotypical degradation of black people into childlike status". The video was ranked at number 74 on BET's Notarized: Top 100 Videos of 2009 countdown. By April 2020, the video had received over one billion views on YouTube, becoming Beyoncé's first to achieve it. An alternative video surfaced online in late May 2010, explaining why Beyoncé's character was remembering her love interest in the original version. It begins with a view of the night sky and many trees, as Beyoncé drives a car and Ealy's character is chased by the police through a forest. As the video progresses, she parks her car on the side of the road and scenes from the original version are shown. Police dogs eventually catch Ealy's character and attack him savagely. An open bag reveals stolen money, which is dispersed by the wind. At the end of the video, in the forest, Beyoncé finds Ealy lying lifelessly on the ground. ==Live performances and tributes==

in Montreal, Canada|alt=Beyoncé sings on a stage while she closes her eyes. She wears a metallic blouse, a belt and a short. Beyoncé's first live performance of "Halo" was at the NAACP Awards on February 12, 2009. She sang the ballad while archival footage from the Civil Rights Movement was shown in the background. and on Today the following day. "Halo" was later added to the set list of her I Am... Tour in , when it was performed during the concert's encore. It was included on her CD/DVD live albums I Am... Yours: An Intimate Performance at Wynn Las Vegas and I Am... World Tour (2010). Beyoncé performed "Halo" live as the closing song at her historic headlining Glastonbury Festival Performance on June 26, 2011. On February 3, 2013, Beyoncé performed the song during the Super Bowl XLVII halftime show. "Halo" was added to the set list of her The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour (2013–14) where it was preceded by a short a cappella performance of "I Will Always Love You". In 2014, during the On the Run Tour, Beyoncé's co-headlining venture with Jay-Z, the song was performed during the end of the concert along with "Young Forever". Throughout the performance, home videos of the pair and their daughter Blue Ivy were shown on the screen on the stage. A live rendition during a stop in Paris was broadcast on September 20, 2014 on HBO during a documentary special chronicling the tour. The following day, a video of the medley was released on Beyoncé's official YouTube channel. "Halo" was added to the set list of her The Formation World Tour (2016). Beyoncé has performed "Halo" for several tributes. On June 25, 2009, American singer Michael Jackson died. During some concerts, an image of Jackson was shown on the main screen and she changed the lyrics to "Michael I can see your halo / I pray your music won't fade away". On January 12, 2010, Haiti was struck by an earthquake. A charity telethon called Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief took place on January 22, 2010, in which many artists participated. Beyoncé performed an acoustic version of "Halo" with Coldplay's lead vocalist Chris Martin playing the acoustic guitar. To make the song match the night's purpose, She sang "Haiti, we can see your halo / You know you're my saving grace / You're everything I need and more, it's written all over your face / Haiti, we can see your halo / I pray you won't fade away". Following the death of Whitney Houston earlier that year, Beyoncé performed a tribute during her Live revue in May 2012, at the Revel resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Beyoncé began the performance of "Halo" singing the first verse of Houston's "I Will Always Love You". Ben Ratliff of The New York Times highlighted the performance. In January 2020, Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash. Beyoncé sang "Halo" during their memorial the following month. ==Cover versions and usage in media==

(pictured) performed a mash-up cover of "Halo" and "Walking on Sunshine".|alt=A group of female singers perform live on a stage. "Halo" was blended with the Katrina and the Waves' 1985 song "Walking on Sunshine", in the "Vitamin D" episode (2009) of the Fox Broadcasting Company television show Glee. Released as a single, their version peaked at number 4 on the Irish Singles Chart, number 8 on the UK Official Download Chart, number 9 on the UK Singles Chart, number 10 on the ARIA Singles Chart, number 28 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart, and number 40 on the Hot 100 chart. It was certified gold by ARIA, denoting shipment of 35,000 copies. The mash-up was included on the set list of the group's debut concert Glee Live! In Concert! (2010–11). In 2009, "Halo" was covered by Florence and the Machine on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge. Elementary school group PS22 Chorus covered "Halo" and "Single Ladies" during the 2009 Billboard Women in Music luncheon held at The Pierre in New York City. At the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards, American singer Katy Perry performed a mash-up of "Halo" and the other Best Song nominees. American singer Mike Posner also covered the ballad with different lyrics, and included it on his 2009 mixtape A Matter of Time. According to an MTV writer, Posner's rendition was "a refreshing take on the original". On February 5, 2012, the team on the Australian talent show, Young Talent Time, sang "Halo" as the closing song of that night. On April 17, 2013, Angie Miller, a contestant on the 12th season of American Idol covered the song during an episode of the show. Melissa Locker of Rolling Stone magazine commented that she was "at her best" and "managed to tap into that power sans piano". ceo, Harper Blynn, Chris Sebastian and the Kingdom Choir. Simon of Entertainment Weekly commented that their version "stays fairly close to the original, except with Elephant Man growling instead of Beyoncé belting the verses". A 2012 cover by singer-songwriter LP was described by MTV as "[finding] the perfect balance between making it her own and preserving the integrity of the original melody". In 2013, "Halo" was covered by the Icelandic band Hjaltalín, with their version of "Halo" appearing as the of their single "Crack in a Stone". A version of the song was recorded by Jahméne and was released on his album Love Never Fails (2013). Indian singer Sunidhi Chauhan covered the ballad during a concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London in late September 2013. A writer of The Times of India included the performance of the song as one of the highlights of the concert. In 2013 Ane Brun, accompanied by Linnea Olsson on cello and backing vocals, released a "personal and " version of "Halo" on her album Rarities. This cover is included on the soundtrack of the 2014 movie If I Stay. "Halo" was included on the international soundtrack of Caminho das Índias, an Emmy Award-winning Brazilian soap opera. "Halo" is featured on the British compilation album Now! 73. In 2021, Xbox made a reference to the song via Twitter. This gesture also mentioned Master Chief, the main protagonist of the series which shares the same name as the song. ==Formats and track listings==

• Australia single • "Halo" (Album Version) – 4:22 • "Diva" (Album Version) – 3:21 • "Halo" (Dave Audé Remix – Radio Edit) – 4:10 • "Halo" (Enhanced Video) – 3:44 • France single • "Halo" – 4:21 • UK single EP • "Halo" (Olli Collins & Fred Portelli Remix) – 6:58 • "Halo" (The New Devices Remix) – 5:49 • "Halo" (My Digital Enemy Remix) – 6:33 • "Halo" – 4:21 • Canada and US single and remixes – EP • "Halo" (Radio Edit) – 3:44 • "Halo" (Dave Audé Club Remix) – 8:54 • "Halo" (Gomi Club Remix) – 8:57 • "Halo" (Karmatronic Club Remix) – 7:13 • "Halo" (Lost Daze Club Remix) – 8:02 ==Charts==

Weekly charts Monthly charts Year-end charts Decade-end charts ==Certifications==