THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

800-Beyonce featuring R Kelly-If I Were a Boy.

2008-This remixed version featuring R Kelly has never charted in the UK, but the original Beyonce solo recording peaked at Number 1.

Best Bit-At 1.26. Even in the battle of the sexes,’The grass is always greener.’

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter, (see also best songs 23) was born on September 4th, 1981, in Houston, Texas, United States, she is a singer, songwriter, and a businesswoman, who is known by the honorific title of ‘Queen Bey.’ As a solo artist Beyonce has sold in excess of 200 million records, making her one of the best selling artists of all time. She has also sold a further 60 million as part of the American ‘R&B/Pop’ girl group Destiny’s Child, having appeared on all five of their studio Albums between 1998-2004. The discography of Beyonce as a solo artist includes seven studio Albums released between 2003-2022, and 83 singles, as either the lead or featured artist, issued between 2000-2023, there are also three official compilation Albums, five live Albums, and one soundtrack Album available. In America on Billboard, all seven of her studio Albums have reached the Number 1 position, while she has charted on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on 40 occasions as the lead artist, and a further eight times as the featured artist. On Billboard she has had a total of eight solo Number 1 singles, while in the UK, she has achieved 31 top 40 hits as the lead artist, and a further four as the featured artist, with five of those tracks reaching Number 1.

If I Was a Boy was one of eight singles released from Beyonce’s third studio Album ‘I Am… Sasha Fierce,’ from November 2008. The Album is a ‘Double Album,’ with disc 1 being ballads, and disc 2 being all uptempo, in order to show off Beyonce’s full range. ‘If I Was a Boy,’ from disc 1, and ‘Single Ladies,’ from disc 2 were released simultaneously as the first two singles, to promote the Album. ‘If I Was a Boy’ was co-written by Brittany Jean Carlson, and Toby Gad, with the production being by Gadd, and Beyonce. Initially Carlson didn’t want Beyonce to record the song, as at that time she was an aspiring singer/songwriter, and felt that if she released ‘If I Was a Boy’ herself, it could help launch her own career, but eventually she came to an arrangement that was amicable to both parties. Most of the songs lyrics were written by Carlson who took her inspiration from the break-up of a romantic relationship. She concluded that if she was a boy, she would be a better more caring man than her past lover. Carlson has said,’Having someone like Beyoncé record your song about an ex-boyfriend, kinda makes it the best break-up ever. It started off as a simple therapeutic writing session, and it turned into the best thing that ever happened to me.’ Beyonce saw ‘If I Was a Boy’ as a new challenge, something up until that point that she had never done before, saying,’It’s broad. But I had to try it, because I remember Aretha Franklin (1942-2018) (see also best songs 644 and 366) said, a great singer can sing anything and make it her own.’ Beyoncé also added that she was influenced by her recent role playing Etta James (1938-2012) in the 2008 film ‘Cadillac Records.’ She said that she decided to follow the example of the ‘Blues’ and ‘R&B’ singer, and broaden her horizons. Beyonce said,’Etta expressed herself, she was bold. That inspired me to do a lot of things musically that no one else is doing.’

‘If I Was a Boy’ was co-produced by Toby Gad, who was born on March 28th, 1968, in Munich, West Germany, he is one of the most successful songwriters, and producers of the 21st Century. Gad got his big break in 1986 when he was recommended to the German music producer Frank Farian, who in the 1970’s had founded the Pop group ‘Boney M,’ and who at that time was working with his new act ‘Milli Vanilli.’ Under the supervision of Farian, Gad co-wrote three songs on ‘Milli Vanilli’s debut Album, which later went multi-platinum. Gad has written or produced dozens of songs, for a wide range of artists, which include two Billboard, and two UK Number 1 singles, for Fergie, (Big Girls Don’t Cry-Billboard 2007) John Legend, (All of Me-Billboard 2013) Beyonce, (If I Was a Boy-UK 2008) and Nicole Scherzinger (Don’t Hold Your Breath-UK 2011.)

I have chosen the far superior (in my opinion) remix of ‘If I Was a Boy,’ featuring the vocals of R Kelly (see also best songs 993.) Unfortunately I can find very little information about the track, but it appears to have been released unofficially by R Kelly, as a download only, I also have no idea who wrote the lyrics R Kelly sings. or who produced the track.

‘It’s a little too late for you to come back, say it’s just a mistake, think I’d forgive you like that. If you thought I would wait for you, you thought wrong. But you’re just a boy, you don’t understand.’