"Before I Let Go" is a song performed by American R&B band Maze, issued as the second single from the band's fifth album and first live album '' Live in New Orleans''. Although ''Live in New Orleans'' is a live album, "Before I Let Go" appears on the album as a studio recording. Written and produced by lead singer

Frankie Beverly Frankie Beverly (born Howard Beverly, December 6, 1946) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, and producer, known primarily for his recordings with the soul and funk band Maze. Beverly formed Maze, originally called Raw Soul, in his ho ...

, the song peaked at #13 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' R&B chart in 1981. Beyoncé covered the song for her 2019 film ''

Homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia. ...

'', and it's the focus of a 2021 episode of Jenna Wortham and

Wesley Morris Wesley Morris (born 1975) is an American film critic and podcast host. He is currently critic-at-large for ''The New York Times'', as well as co-host, with Jenna Wortham, of the ''New York Times'' podcast ''Still Processing.'' Previously, Morr ...

's ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' podcast, '' Still Processing''.

Chart positions

Beyoncé version

Beyoncé covered the song for her 2019 film ''

'', and included the cover on the accompanying live album. It also includes a sample of New Orleans bounce artist, DJ Jubilee, one of the pioneers of bounce music, recorded on

Take Fo' Records Take Fo' Records is an independent record label from New Orleans and the first to specialize in bounce music. The label is a subsidiary of Positive Black Talk, Inc., was founded in 1992 and operated by creative duo Earl J. Mackie and Henry F. Holden ...

. An interpolation of "

Candy Candy, also called sweets (British English) or lollies ( Australian English, New Zealand English), is a confection that features sugar as a principal ingredient. The category, called '' sugar confectionery'', encompasses any sweet confection, ...

" by Cameo also runs throughout the song. Beverly told ''Billboard'' that the cover was "one of the high points of (his) life... in a class of its own" and made him "feel bigger than ever! I feel like I have a huge smash out there."

Chart positions

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

* * 1981 singles Capitol Records singles Maze (band) songs Song recordings produced by Frankie Beverly Songs written by Frankie Beverly 1981 songs {{1980s-R&B-song-stub