"Me, Myself and I" is a song by American singer Beyoncé from her debut solo album Dangerously in Love (2003). It was written by Beyoncé, Scott Storch and Robert Waller and produced by Storch with guitar played by Aaron Fishbein. Beyoncé decided that she wanted a deeper and more personal song as the third single; the song was sent by Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment to contemporary hit radio in the United States on October 19, 2003. "Me, Myself and I" is an R&B song about dealing with a philandering partner and learning from the consequences.
"Me, Myself and I" peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Beyoncé's fourth consecutive top-five single in the United States. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The single reached the top twenty in Australia, the Netherlands, Scotland and the United Kingdom. The live performance of the song from The Beyoncé Experience Live was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards in 2009, and the original version earned Beyoncé, Storch and Waller an ASCAP Pop Music Award.
Directed by Johan Renck, the accompanying music video premiered on the 10th of December, 2003, and follows the plot of the song's theme and the events in the video are played in reverse. It would later be nominated in the Best R&B Video at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards. "Me, Myself and I" was part of Beyoncé's set lists on the Dangerously in Love Tour (2003), Verizon Ladies First Tour (2004), The Beyoncé Experience (2007), the I Am... World Tour (2009–10) and The Formation World Tour (2016).
Background and release
After the release of her former group Destiny's Child's third studio album Survivor (2001), Beyoncé worked on her debut solo studio album, Dangerously in Love. She stated that it was more personal than her previous records because she only had to write for herself. She contacted various musical collaborators, including Scott Storch and Robert Waller. Following the release of the song, Beyoncé told Corey Moss of MTV News: "['Me, Myself and I'] is really powerful. It talks about women basically listening to their inner voice and knowing that they will never disappoint themselves."
"Me, Myself and I" was the third single released from Dangerously in Love, which followed "Crazy in Love" featuring Jay-Z and "Baby Boy" featuring Sean Paul. It was sent to rhythmic contemporary and urban contemporary radio on October 19, 2003. A CD single was released on October 21, 2003, in the United States, which contained Junior Vasquez's dance radio mix of "Krazy in Luv" as its B-side. It officially impacted contemporary hit radio in the United States on November 12, 2003. On December 16, 2003, a 12-inch single was released in the United States. The single was released in selected European countries in January 2004, including Austria, Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland.
"Me, Myself and I" was released in the United Kingdom as a maxi single on January 12, 2004, as two CD singles and a 12-inch vinyl single; the first disc included a radio edit of the song and "Dangerously in Love 2" (2003), and the second one contained two remixes of "Me, Myself and I"; one of the remixes, the "J'Ty" remix, features a sample of Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz' "Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)", which itself was based on an uncleared sample of Steely Dan's "Black Cow". In 2004, the single was also released in the United Kingdom on an enhanced CD that included videos of live performances of "Naughty Girl" (2003) and "Work It Out" (2002). In Canada, a CD single was released on December 30, 2003, featuring the album version and two remixes of the track. A CD single was released in Australia on January 16, 2004, which included the radio edit and three remixes of the track. The song was also released as a maxi single on January 19, 2004, and later as a three-track single in Germany.
Composition
According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Alfred Music Publishing, "Me, Myself and I" is an R&B song performed in a moderately slow manner. and the song has a string arrangement. According to Ryan Schreiber of Pitchfork Media, the song's instrumentation consists of a blending of funk keyboards, a slippery bass and minimal, programmed R&B percussion instruments.
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According to Neil Drumming of Entertainment Weekly, "Me, Myself and I" is similar to the Destiny's Child song "Say My Name" (2000), in terms of " ... its specificity and earnestness ... " and the way Beyoncé defends " ... her chastity [a]gainst some greedy boy ... ." This was echoed by James Poletti of Yahoo! Music who wrote that the song hints at what is to come as the warbling begins to move into overdrive on " ... a faintly sickly, if admirably slick, ode to that old Destiny's Child staple ... ", independence and self-belief in the face of a cheating man.
Critical reception
Mark Anthony Neal of PopMatters said: "Beyoncé sounds assured" in her singing of the song and " ... lacking any of the 'shrill overboard' that describes some of the 'melisma fits' ... that marked earlier vocal efforts." Ryan Schreiber of Pitchfork Media noted the song as the "most notable 80s throwback" of the album, as its "augmented chords" call to mind Patti Austin and James Ingram's 1983 single "Baby, Come to Me" and Michael Jackson's 1983 single "Human Nature", or a decelerated version of "Baby Be Mine", from Jackson's 1982 album, Thriller. Neil Drumming of Entertainment Weekly said: Me, Myself, and I rides Storch's signature gangsta guitar, mellowed for Beyoncé's lovesick lament ... Spence D., writing for IGN Music considered "Me, Myself and I" as a typical sounding R&B ballad with a familiar theme, and in which Beyoncé sings with passion.
Awards and nominations
At the 2005 American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers Pop Music Awards, Beyoncé received the Songwriter of the Year award, sharing it with Storch and Waller. It was recognized as Most Performed Song in 2005, alongside Beyoncé's "Baby Boy" and "Naughty Girl". Beyoncé's live version of "Me, Myself and I" from The Beyoncé Experience Live gained a nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards in 2009.
Commercial performance
"Me, Myself and I" failed to equal the chart-topping performances of "Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy". However, like "Baby Boy" and "Naughty Girl", "Me, Myself and I" attained more immediate and commercial success than its predecessors. After its release, the album ascended the US Billboard 200 chart and was certified as multi-platinum. On November 16, 2003, the single debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 96, while "Baby Boy" was still at number one. 14 weeks after its debut, the single peaked at number 4 for two weeks, becoming the third consecutive top five release from Dangerously in Love and Beyoncé's fourth consecutive top five hit. "Me, Myself and I" remained on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 24 weeks. On January 30, 2009, the single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). By October 6, 2010, "Me, Myself and I" had sold 119,000 CD copies in the US.
The single was less successful internationally, peaking below the top 10. It reached number 11 in Australia and the UK, and the top 20 in the New Zealand and the Netherlands.
Music video
Following her first two videos with Jake Nava, Beyoncé hired Johan Renck to direct the music video for "Me, Myself and I". While premiering the video MTVs Total Request Live on December 10, 2003, Beyoncé described the video's conception,
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| November 12, 2003
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| rowspan="2"| January 12, 2004
| Digital download
| Sony Music
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| Columbia
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| rowspan="2"| Maxi CD
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