Get Me Bodied
"Get Me Bodied" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé for her second solo studio album B'Day. The song was written by Beyoncé, Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean, Sean Garrett, Makeba Riddick, Angela Beyincé, and Solange Knowles, with production handled by Dean, Beyoncé and Garrett. Inspired by her sister Solange and former Destiny's Child groupmates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, Beyonce co-wrote the song as a tribute to their shared experiences. Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment released "Get Me Bodied" as the album's fifth single in the United States on July 10, 2007.
The song blends R&B and bounce with influences from dancehall and reggae. Its lyrics portray a confident woman preparing for a night out, dressed to impress and commanding attention on the dance floor. "Get Me Bodied" received positive reviews from music critics, who praised its energetic production and Beyonce's dynamic vocals. The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers named it as the best R&B and hip-hop song of 2007. Initially peaking at number 68 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 2007, the song saw a resurgence in 2013, climbing to number 46 due to a viral video.
The music video, co-directed by Beyoncé and Anthony Mandler, draws inspiration from the The Frug, a dance sequence in Bob Fosse's film adaptation of the Broadway musical Sweet Charity. The video features cameo appearances from Solange, Rowland, and Williams and was nominated for video of the Year at the 2007 VH1 Soul Vibe Awards. Beyonce promoted "Get Me Bodied" with performances on her world tours and at the 2007 BET Awards. In April 2011, Beyoncé re-recorded the song as "Move Your Body" for former First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! Flash Workout campaign. An instructional video featuring the new version was distributed to schools as part of the initiative.
Background and development
Following the completion of filming for Dreamgirls, Beyoncé began working on her second solo studio album, B'Day. Reflecting on that period, she stated, " I had so many things bottled up, so many emotions, so many ideas".To bring this ideas to life, Beyoncé reached out to American songwriter and producer Sean Garrett, and booked a session at Sony Music Studios in New York City, New York, where "Get Me Bodied" was recorded. She also enlisted American hip hop producer and rapper Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean, her sister Solange, her cousin Angela Beyince, and songwriter Makeba Riddick.
Beyoncé drew inspiration from Solange, who contributed to the songwriting process, as well as former Destiny's Child bandmates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. The lyric "three best friends" was a direct reference to Rowland and Williams, capturing the bond they shared. While Beyonce focused on the song's lyrical content, Swizz Beatz and the production team crafted it's energetic beat.
Release
"Get Me Bodied" and "Green Light" were initially planned as the next two singles from B'Day, following the lead single "Déjà Vu". Beyoncé originally targeted these tracks for the international markets but ultimately chose "Ring the Alarm" as the second single, which peaked at number eleven on the US Billboard Hot 100.However, Irreplaceable" was officially released as the album's second international and third US single. Instead of being released earlier "Get Me Bodied" was ultimately issued as the sixth and final US single from B'Day, following the release of the deluxe edition's lead single, "Beautiful Liar".
A two-track CD single, featuring the radio edit and extended mix of "Get Me Bodied" was released in the United States on July 10, 2007. Additionally, a ringle version of the song was released on October 23, 2007.
Music and lyrics
"Get Me Bodied" is a moderate R&B and bounce song, which displays influences of dance-pop, dancehall, and funk music. Jim DeRogatis of Chicago Sun-Times wrote that it is a musical mixture of double Dutch rhyming and reggae-rap. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by EMI Music Publishing, the song is written in the key of G minor, and is set in common time at a moderate groove of 100 beats per minute. Although the published sheet music states that the song is written in the key of G Minor, the song is actually written in B♭ minor Beyoncé's vocals range from the note of Bb3 to F5. "Get Me Bodied" progresses on a lurching and turgid beat. Its instrumentation includes drum patterns, surging horns, and synthesizers. The song also utilizes handclaps and syncopated interlocked clicks, which are interspersed with background chants, vocal exclamations, vocal gymnastics, and Texas twang. Sasha Frere-Jones of The New Yorker commented that some notes which begin as "legato exhalations" constrict into shouts. Mike Joseph of PopMatters noted that "Get Me Bodied" is "the glorified version" of Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl".According to Bill Lamb of About.com, the song "crackle with the spirit and power of a woman who carries her sexuality and spirit with authority." "Get Me Bodied" features Beyoncé as the female protagonist going out an evening; she is suitably dressed to make a lasting impression and get what she is looking for. She is determined to steam up any dance floor she steps onto and make sure that no one resists her call to "get bodied". The lyrics are constructed in the traditional verse-chorus form. "Get Me Bodied" begins with Beyoncé telling her birthdate "9-4-8-1", followed by a group of male voices singing "hey's" and "jump's" for four bars; the first verse then begins. The verses are written like a list where she sings her missions before going to party. It is followed with the chorus and the hook, where Beyoncé sings: "Can you get me bodied? I want to be myself tonight." The second verse follows, the chorus repeats giving way to the bridge, and Beyoncé sings the chorus again, ending the song with "hey!".
Critical reception
"Get Me Bodied" received universal acclaim from music critics who praised its party sound and Beyoncé's vocals. Chris Richards of The Washington Post referred to the track a "club-hungry come-ons" with a "dexterous melody". He further stated that the "skeletal" track "keeps Beyoncé tethered to the ground". Jody Rosen of Entertainment Weekly commented that "a piddly home hi-fi can hardly capture the thunderous grandeur of 'Get Me Bodied,' which sets Beyoncé's harmonies above a pummeling track overseen by rap producer Swiss Beatz". Tim Finney of Pitchfork Media called the track a "percussive, Diwali-esque jam". Us Weekly described "Get Me Bodied" a "snappy dance number." Sasha Frere-Jones of The New Yorker noted that the song sounds "anxious." Mike Joseph of PopMatters noted that the song is very similar to Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" and expressed further praise about "Get Me Bodied", writing: " Beyonce’s glorified version of a 'Hollaback Girl'-type song. But listen to way she wails and shouts throughout the song! Gwen Stefani certainly isn’t capable of vocal gymnastics like this. When she sings you can visualize beads of perspiration coming off of her as she shakes to this song."Spence D. of IGN Music added that Beyoncé's "crisp voice" seems at odds with the beats featured in the song. However, he continued saying that it "when it gets muted and overlapped on the chorus, it sounds purely hypnotical." Jaime Gill of Yahoo! Music described the track as a "driving" and "strutting" one. Jon Pareles of The New York Times stated: " rhythm-driven songs, especially 'Get Me Bodied', could be high-tech upgrades of an old African-American form, the ring shout ". Darryl Sterdan, writing for the Canadian website Jam!, said that the song manages dancing into a contact sport with the help of cheerleader hand-claps. Dave de Sylvia of Sputnikmusic considered "Get Me Bodied" as one of the three production triumphs on B'Day. Richard Cromelin of Los Angeles Times wrote that "Get Me Bodied" sounds "like fun" for Beyoncé, connecting her with deep, vital cultural roots. He also went on saying that "the playful chant" suggests both children's street game and traditional work song, and the whiff of Louisiana in the beat taps her own Creole heritage.
In 2007, Shaheem Reid, Jayson Rodriguez and Rahman Dukes of MTV News placed the song at number five on his year-end list of 27 Essential R&B Songs of 2007. Beyoncé earned the R&B and Hip-Hop Song accolade for "Get Me Bodied" at the 2008 American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Awards. In 2013, John Boone and Jennifer Cady of E! Online placed the extended remix of the song at number four on their list of ten best Beyoncé's songs. The same year, the writers of Complex magazine put "Get Me Bodied" at number 9 on their list of 25 best Beyoncé's songs. Heather Haynes writing for the magazine, concluded that the song was a proof that Beyoncé could "kill any and every dance song" further adding, "There's no way you don't start dancing or slow-winding when 'Get Me Bodied' comes on".
Commercial performance
Prior to the official release as a single, "Get Me Bodied" debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 on May 26, 2007, at number ninety-eight while "Beautiful Liar" and "Irreplaceable" were still on the chart. It was lurking below top fifty approaching its physical release. On August 4, 2007, "Get Me Bodied" peaked at number sixty-eight, and spent a total of eighteen weeks on the Hot 100. "Get Me Bodied" fared better on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, peaking at number ten. It reached number eighty-eight on the US Pop 100. The song also received heavy rotation from the urban contemporary radio stations in the United States. "Get Me Bodied" was ranked at number twenty-six on the US Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs year-end chart in 2007.In 2013, a video of a woman named Deborah Cohan and her doctors breaking out dancing to the song before she underwent a double mastectomy was posted on YouTube and went viral. Due to Billboards then-new streaming rules, the song became eligible to chart on the Hot 100, giving it a new peak of number forty-six for the week of November 23, 2013.