26 October 2006
Hot on the heels of “I’m bringing sexy back” we have another unlikely viral pop-cultural catchphrase of 2006. There’s a good chance you didn’t recognise Beyoncé’s ‘Irreplaceable’ by name but know it instead as the iconic “To the left! To the left!” The rest of the song? Not so memorable.
‘Irreplaceable’ feels like a US country ballad, and if Beyoncé singing country seems bizarre to us, we should remember that the US music industry’s great white whale is the crossover hit. Sure enough, it went to number one in the States for 10 weeks, sold truckloads, and Billboard rank ‘Irreplaceable’ as Beyoncé’s third-most successful single ever, behind only ‘Independent Women Part I’ and an Ed Sheeran duet. Conservative America certainly loves its country and country-adjacent music: to the right, to the right.
Not that Beyoncé doesn’t make a decent fist of it. She brings her customary R&B steel and is never less than compelling. There’s an impressive gear change to ramp up the drama for the key chorus line of “I could have another you in a minute” but the rest is a slightly rambling and shuffling excursion. It reminds me of Madonna’s 1987 singles like ‘La Isla Bonita’ and ‘Who’s That Girl’: perfectly serviceable in their way, a showcase of the star’s star power, but really just marking time between masterpieces. Still, that “To the left! To the left!” sticks the landing, so at least ‘Irreplaceable’ gives us an iconic moment for the Queen Bey catalogue. Otherwise, Irre-placeholder.
