|
"Haunted" is a song by American recording artist Beyoncé from her fifth studio album, ''Beyoncé'' (2013). It was written and produced by Beyoncé herself and Boots. Conceived by the latter following an infuriating meeting with a record label, the song was presented to Beyoncé who decided to record it following similar experiences in the music industry. The song was inspired by the works of English musician Aphex Twin and contains a stream of consciousness rap. Musically, it consists of two parts titled "Ghost" and "Haunted". A predominantly hip hop, R&B, dance-pop and dubstep song, it contains a minimalistic sound with keyboards, bass and percussion. Beyoncé raps the spoken word segment of "Ghost" with robotic and reverbed vocals. Lyrically, "Haunted" contains sexually explicit and frank lyrics talking about desire. Many music critics compared its sound with various artists and noted different influences and elements explored in its composition. Upon its release, the song was met with positive reviews, with critics praising its experimentalistic sound and the minimalistic approach. Two accompanying music videos were filmed for both parts of the song and placed separately on the visual album. The clip for "Ghost" was directed by Pierre Debusschere while Jonas Åkerlund served as the director for the second part, "Haunted". The former visual shows various close-up shots of Beyoncé lip-syncin the lyrics, while the latter features her walking in the corridor of a big mansion meeting various actors seen inside the rooms. Critics compared the video of "Haunted" and the singer's look with works by Madonna, most notably with her song "Justify My Love" (1990). The song was performed live during the last European leg of The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour and at the On the Run Tour in 2014. Beyoncé also performed it at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards as part of a medley consisting of songs from her fifth studio album. ==Background== "Haunted" was written and produced by Beyoncé and New York-based musician Boots, who was relatively unknown before the release of ''Beyoncé'' (2013). He was signed to Roc Nation, about six months prior to the album's release and produced 85% of ''Beyoncé'' also having writing credits on four of its tracks.〔 During an interview with Pitchfork Media, Boots revealed that "Haunted" was the first song written by him which Beyoncé heard; it was originally titled "I'm Onto You" at that time. Beyoncé liked the song upon hearing it, leaving Boots confused as he felt the song was only showcasing his sad vocals, with a piano recorded on his iPhone as a voice memo.〔 He also played her the rap of stream of consciousness of "Ghost" during one of their early meetings inspired by an infuriating meeting with a record label. Beyoncé could immediately connect to the topic as she had also experienced the same things in the record industry when people advised her about the sound of her music. For the music of "Ghost", Boots created a beat from a "dreamlike, hypnotic place" working with guitars and building layers inspired by the work of musician Aphex Twin. Boots said, "(Twin's ) works like that are more floaty, more without than within, but I made mine grounded in that thumping beat, so you can't get out of that feeling."〔 He also elaborated about its concept, "It's like that song is leading you by the hand, but you're blindfolded and you don't know where you're going. You're scared and you're not sure what to expect from it, but as the album unfolds, we take the blindfold off and you realize it's a surprise party for you."〔 Beyoncé also explained the meaning of "Haunted" on her iTunes Radio channel where she also revealed her admiration for Boots, "The song is really about temptation in this music industry and being exposed to this crazy madness." The vocal production of the song was handled by Beyoncé and contains background vocals provided by Boots and Kwane Wyatt. "Haunted" was recorded at Jungle City Studios and Oven Studios, both located in New York City under the guidance of Boots and Stuart White. It was later mixed by Tony Maserati and White at Mirrorball Studios in North Hollywood. The track was eventually mastered by Tom Coyne and Aya Merril in Sterling Sound in New York City. All instruments were provided by Boots, with additional drum programming by Hit-Boy.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Haunted (Beyoncé song)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|