“Drunk in Love” by Beyoncé (ft. Jay-Z)
In this song, Beyoncé recalls a passionate intimate experience with her lover which was literally influenced by some alcohol. She uses the term ‘drunk’ in its literal sense and as a euphemism for being consumed by love.
The singer begins by confessing how uncontrollable she gets when she consumes a lot of liquor. Her desires are mostly targeted at her lover and husband, Jay-Z who she claims cannot get his eyes of her big behind. Beyoncé explains that they got blacked out after taking so many drinks and found themselves lying in the kitchen. All they clearly remember from the previous night is their intimate encounter.
Beyoncé continues to tell her lover how she felt about their drunken love session and the fact that she wants more. Jay also raps about repeating the intimate encounter soon while he brags about his sensual prowess and whether she can handle him again. Beyoncé ends by admitting that she’ll never get tired of their love or the drinks that keeps them on edge.
Writing and Production of “Drunk in Love”
Beyoncé Knowles composed this hip-hop tune together with Jay-Z. The pair was assisted by numerous renowned writers, including the likes of the following:
- Detail
- Timbaland
- J-Roc
- Dre Moon
- Brian Soko
- Boots
- Rasool Diaz
“Drunk In Love” was produced jointly by Beyoncé, together with Detail. Additional production was done by J-Roc alongside Boots, Soko, and Timberland.
Court Case involving “Drunk in Love”
Hungarian musician, Mónika Juhász Miczura filed a lawsuit against Beyoncé, Timbaland, and Jay-Z for copyright infringement in 2014. The Hungarian singer claimed that samples of her 1995 song, “Bajba, Bajba Pelem” were used in “Drunk in Love” without her permission. However, the case was dismissed by the court in 2015.
Accolades
The song picked up two honors at the 2015 Grammy Awards. It was honored as the Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance at that year’s ceremony. The single, prior to winning a Grammy, had initially won an award for Best Collaboration at the BET Awards in 2014.
The Rolling Stone magazine selected “Drunk in Love” as the best track for 2014.
Remixes, Covers and Sampling
The official remix for this song was released by rapper, Kanye West on the 14th of February 2014. Several other remix versions have been released, including the ones performed by American rapper T.I. and Canadian singer/record producer, The Weeknd, which were both released in 2014.
The song’s popularity has led to various cover versions from a host of performing artists. A popular cover of this track was done by English singer, Ed Sheeran in 2014, where he performed an acoustic version live on the Elvis Duran and the Morning Show.
Several records have samples of “Drunk In Love” incorporated in them. They include the following:
- French Montana’s 2014 track, titled, “Don’t Panic”
- 2014’s “Good Morning” by Future
Rapper, Lil Wayne sampled this tune in his 2015 song that has the same title as this track. That song featured Christina Milian.
American singer-songwriter Solange interpolated portions of “Drunk in Love” in her 2019 track, named, “Sound of Rain”. The 2014 song, “G.O.M.D.” by J.Cole also contains very prominent interpolations of this track.
Chart Success
“Drunk In Love” experienced enormous success in the United States, ranking at No.2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song proved equally successful outside the U.S., peaking at No.9 on the UK Singles chart and chartering inside the top 20 in several European nations, including France.
Notable Live Performance of “Drunk in Love”
Beyoncé alongside Jay-Z performed this tune at the opening of the 2014 Grammy Awards. This marked the first ever live performance by the duo for this song.
Was this Beyoncé’s first collaboration with Jay-Z?
No. Prior to this hit song, Beyoncé had collaborated with rapper, Jay-Z on multiple projects. One of such great collabos between the two was the 2003 song titled, “Crazy in Love”.
When did “Drunk in Love” come out?
It came out on the 17th of December 2013. It was the lead single from Beyoncé’s self-titled album of 2013.
Where was the song’s video filmed?
The video was filmed in Florida and directed by famous video director, Hype Williams.
Another Notable Performance
Below is another iconic performance of this song by Beyonce and Ed Sheeran. The performance took place in 2015 at the Global Citizen Festival in New York’s famed Central Park.
