Rather Die Young
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"Rather Die Young" is a song recorded by American singer
Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...
for her fourth studio album, '' 4'' (2011). Composed by Beyoncé,
Jeff Bhasker Jeffrey Nath Bhasker (born March 4, 1974) is an American record producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles. He won the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year in 2016 and was nominated for the award in 2013. Bhasker cam ...
, Luke Steele, the song's development was motivated by the fact that Beyoncé wanted a song that would help people through both their painful and happy moments. "Rather Die Young" is an R&B and
Philadelphia soul Philadelphia soul, sometimes called Philly soul, the Philadelphia sound, Phillysound, or The Sound of Philadelphia (TSOP), is a genre of late 1960s–1970s soul music characterized by funk influences and lush string and horn arrangements. The ...
power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner. Balla ...
that is instrumentally complete with
synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...
s, a
piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...
, a
strum In music, strumming is a way of playing a stringed instrument such as a guitar, ukulele, or mandolin. A strum or stroke is a sweeping action where a finger or plectrum brushes over several strings to generate sound. On most stringed instrume ...
my
guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
, and heavy
drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a ...
s, which were inspired by the work of the American band
Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (abbreviated as EW&F or EWF) is an American band formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1969. Their music spans multiple genres, including jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, Latin and Afro-pop. They are among the best-selling ba ...
. Lyrically, the song talks about the inability to fight what the heart wants. The female protagonist sings to an indifferent
love interest (; ) were stock characters within the theatre style known as commedia dell'arte, who appeared in 16th-century Italy. In the plays, everything revolved around the lovers in some regard. These dramatic and posh characters were present within pl ...
, whom she likens to American actor
James Dean James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He became one of the most influential figures in Hollywood in the 1950s, despite a career that lasted only five years. His impact on cinema and popular culture was p ...
and tells him that she prefers to die rather than live without him. "Rather Die Young" was generally well received by contemporary
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...
who described it as a dark, yet enchanting ballad. They highlighted Beyoncé's vocal power and the song's melody. Critics also noted that the ballad was heavily influenced by the 1980s R&B and soul music. However, some of them commented that it was barely distinguishable among the other songs on ''4'', criticizing its chorus which, according to them, forms the major part of the song. Following the release of ''4'', "Rather Die Young" charted at number 37 on the South Korea Gaon International Singles Chart, based on downloads alone. The song was part of Beyoncé's
set list A set list, or setlist, is typically a handwritten or printed document created as an ordered list of songs, jokes, stories and other elements an artist intends to present during a specific performance. A setlist can be made of nearly any materi ...
for her '' 4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé'' shows, held at the
Roseland Ballroom The Roseland Ballroom was a multipurpose hall, in a converted ice skating rink, with a colorful ballroom dancing pedigree, in New York City's Theater District, New York, theater district, on 52nd Street (Manhattan), West 52nd Street in Manhattan ...
in New York City.


Background and recording

"Rather Die Young" was written and produced by
Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...
,
Jeff Bhasker Jeffrey Nath Bhasker (born March 4, 1974) is an American record producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles. He won the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year in 2016 and was nominated for the award in 2013. Bhasker cam ...
, and Luke Steele at Enormous Studios, in Los Angeles, in 2011. Cole Kamen-Green, Alex Asher and Josiah Woodson played the
trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...
s while Nick Videen and Drew Sayers were on the
tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...
and
alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgians, Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in the key of E♭ ( ...
s. The
horn Horn may refer to: Common uses * Horn (acoustic), a tapered sound guide ** Horn antenna ** Horn loudspeaker ** Vehicle horn ** Train horn *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various animals * Horn (instrument), a family ...
were arranged by Shea Taylor. Jordan Young then recorded Beyoncé's vocals at the
MSR Studios Sound on Sound Studios, formerly known as MSR Studios (Manhattan Sound Recordings), is a photography and movie producing company recording facility in Montclair, New Jersey. Its forebear, MSR Studios, was located in Manhattan, just outside Times ...
and KMA Studios, in New York City; Steele and Billy Kraven served as background vocalists.
Tony Maserati Tony Maserati is an American record producer and audio engineer specializing in mixing. He was involved in the development of the New York R&B and hip-hop scene in the 1990s, working with Mary J. Blige, Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy, and Queen ...
mixed the track, while Pete Wolford, Ryan Kelly, Serge Nudel, Justin Hergett and Jon Castelli all assisted in the
audio engineering Audio most commonly refers to sound, as it is transmitted in signal form. It may also refer to: Sound *Audio signal, an electrical representation of sound * Audio frequency, a frequency in the audio spectrum *Digital audio, representation of soun ...
of "Rather Die Young"; both tasks were executed at the RMC Studio, in Los Angeles. Speaking about what motivated her to record a song in the vein of "Rather Die Young", Beyoncé said: "I really want people to think when they listen to my music. I want it to help them through their painful memories, their painful moments, and their most happy moments. I want it to be a conversation."


Composition and lyrical interpretation

"Rather Die Young" is an R&B-
soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...
power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner. Balla ...
, which is heavily influenced by the 1990s R&B music and the 1970s soul music. Alexis Petridis of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' commented that it refracts "a dramatic
Philadelphia soul Philadelphia soul, sometimes called Philly soul, the Philadelphia sound, Phillysound, or The Sound of Philadelphia (TSOP), is a genre of late 1960s–1970s soul music characterized by funk influences and lush string and horn arrangements. The ...
ballad through gauzy modern production". "Rather Die Young" also contains elements of
retro Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from the past, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. It has been argued that there is a nostalgia cycle in popular culture. Definition The term ...
pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Street, eds, ''iarchive:cambridgecompani00frit, The Cambridge Companion to Pop ...
. The song is built on a heavy laid-back programmed drum
beat Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of inte ...
, which according to of the ''
Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...
'', was inspired by the material of American band
Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (abbreviated as EW&F or EWF) is an American band formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1969. Their music spans multiple genres, including jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, Latin and Afro-pop. They are among the best-selling ba ...
. Additional
instrumentation Instrumentation is a collective term for measuring instruments, used for indicating, measuring, and recording physical quantities. It is also a field of study about the art and science about making measurement instruments, involving the related ...
includes a horn section, a weave of
synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...
s, a
piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...
, a
keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Mus ...
, and a
strum In music, strumming is a way of playing a stringed instrument such as a guitar, ukulele, or mandolin. A strum or stroke is a sweeping action where a finger or plectrum brushes over several strings to generate sound. On most stringed instrume ...
my
guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
. Priya Elan of ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' noted that "Rather Die Young" gets close to the "smoky soul styling" of
Anita Baker Anita Denise Baker (born January 26, 1958) is an American jazz and soul singer. She is known for her soulful ballads, particularly from the height of the quiet storm period in the 1980s. Starting her career in the late 1970s with the funk ban ...
, before adding that its
chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...
bears similarities to
Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End theatre, West End and on Broadway theatre, Broad ...
's previous work and jazz hands. Jim Farber of ''The Daily News'' wrote that "'Rather Die Young' has a choir of Beyoncés" that recalls the harmonies of all-female singing group
The Emotions The Emotions are an American soul/ R&B vocal group from Chicago. The group started out in gospel music but transitioned into R&B and disco music. The Emotions were named by VH1 as one of the 18 most influential girl groups of all time. Hist ...
. Simon Goddard of '' Q'' magazine compared the song with
Massive Attack Massive Attack are an English trip hop collective formed in 1988 in Bristol, England, by Robert Del Naja, Robert "3D" Del Naja, Daddy G, Grant "Daddy G" Marshall, Tricky (musician), Adrian "Tricky" Thaws and Andrew Vowles, Andrew "Mushroom" ...
's "
Protection Protection is any measure taken to guard something against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although ...
" (1995) and also noted similarities with
The Shangri-Las The Shangri-Las were an American girl group of the 1960s, consisting of Mary Weiss, her sister Elizabeth "Betty" Weiss and twin sisters Marguerite "Marge" Ganser and Mary Ann Ganser. Between 1964 and 1966 several hit pop songs of theirs docu ...
' songs. Lyrically, "Rather Die Young" talks about the inability to fight what the heart wants, even if it is wrong. Beyoncé prostrates herself at the mercy of an indifferent love interest, telling him that she would rather die young than to live her life without him. Beyoncé also sings about leaving a legacy as she shows her "epic" neediness to her love interest, as stated by Genevieve Koski of ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...
''. The music stays soft in the first verse, where Beyoncé likens her romantic interest to American actor
James Dean James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He became one of the most influential figures in Hollywood in the 1950s, despite a career that lasted only five years. His impact on cinema and popular culture was p ...
, "You're my James Dean / you make me feel like I'm seventeen". She also relates about how good girls often fall for bad boys; she affirms that "bad boy" she loves, "drive too fast" and "smoke too much". During the chorus, Beyoncé projects the image of a woman, who wants to love and be loved regardless of what others may say, "I'd rather die young / Than live my life without you / Rather not live at all". As the song progresses, Beyoncé references "some deeper emotional fires burning" as she sings, "Nobody understands what we've been through".


Critical reception

The song received generally positive reviews. Joanne Dorken of
MTV UK MTV is a British pay television channel focusing on reality TV and music programming operated by Paramount Networks UK & Australia. The channel launched as part of MTV Networks Europe localisation strategy in 1997. MTV UK (previously MTV UK & I ...
wrote that "Rather Die Young" is a "dark, yet enchanting... mesmerising" ballad, noting that as Beyoncé sings, she give listeners a sense of mystery. She also commended her "stunning vocals". Likewise, Chad Grischow of the website
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
wrote that the song gives Beyoncé's vocals room to shine with "some beautifully soft verses and belted hook". Alexis Petridis of ''The Guardian'' called "Rather Die Young" a fantastic and dramatic song. Similarly, ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
''s Matthew Perpetua wrote, "There's a great melodramatic kick to this song, which comes across like a quiet storm slow jam spiced up with modern drum programming. 'I'd rather not live at all than live my life without you' is an unusually self-pitying lyric for Beyoncé, but she sells it well regardless." Conrad Tao of Sputnikmusic showed high favoritism for the song, writing:
nowles'utterance of 'you're my James Dean / you make me feel like I'm seventeen' on 'Rather Die Young' is made tolerable by her honeyed vocal slides. Certainly, the 'bad boy' Beyoncé is in love with is more a physical representation of countless painfully banal fantasies about guys who 'drive too fast' and 'smoke too much' than an actual person, but at least it feels tangible. For once, the pop song trying to make a connection with its listener doesn't feel like a total fraud. Forget
Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...
's song about her relationship with her father or
Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...
' lullaby to her babies – here, I'm convinced, if only for a moment, that Beyoncé really would rather die young than to live her life without her lover, that she cares, even if you don't. This doesn't fully explain why 4 is as enjoyable as it is, but it does convey just how convincing Beyoncé can be when given the right tools – and it turns out that those tools consist of not much more than Beyoncé's voice itself.
''Prefix magazine''s Craig Jenkins found "retro-leaning flourishes and propulsive boom bap in equal measure" in "Rather Die Young". Likewise, Cameron Adams of the ''
Herald Sun The ''Herald Sun'' is a Conservatism, conservative daily tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia, published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of the American Rupert Murdoch, Murd ...
'' wrote that "Rather Die Young" is a "boundary-pushing backdrop of 1970s soul dragged into tomorrow", further describing it as bizarre but brilliant. Mikael Wood of ''
Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...
'' magazine described it as a slow-to-bloom song which is "preoccupied by love's pleasure". Ben Cardew of ''
Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...
'' described "Rather Die Young" as a drum-heavy and gloomy ballad accompanied by a lovely melody. Jocelyn Vena of MTV News described the ballad as having an old-school vibe and commended how "instead of going hard, she eyoncékeeps the music soft" Robert Copsey of the British entertainment and media news website
Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its initial launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television pro ...
noted similarities between "Rather Die Young" and Beyoncé's older material. A mixed review came from Adam Markovitz of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'', who compared Beyoncé's work on "Rather Die Young" to that of past idols such as
Luther Vandross Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American Soul music, soul and Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. Over his career, he achieved eleven consecutive RIAA certification, RIAA-certified ...
and
Diana Ross Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Known as the "Queen of Motown Records", she was the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown#Major divisions, Motown's most suc ...
, but felt the tone overshadowed her style, stating that "she gets lost in her idols' polyester-swathed shadows". Matthew Horton of
BBC Online BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and BBC Sport, Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, t ...
wrote that the ballad is less successful than the other songs on ''4'' because of its "overdone glitz". Similarly, ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
''s Hamish MacBain classified "Rather Die Young" as one of the "barely distinguishable slowies", and Priya Elan of the same publication wrote that the song is spoilt by "some rather drippy lyrics and tschorus", adding that there are several lyrical references that "instead of being explained further, are overturned in favour of some romantic mulch".
Greg Kot Greg Kot (born March 3, 1957) is an American music journalist and author. From 1990 until 2020, Kot was the rock music critic at the ''Chicago Tribune'', where he covered popular music and reported on music-related social, political and busines ...
of the ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
'' noted that the song was a little more than a chorus on repeat. Ryan Dombal of
Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music magazine founded in 1996 by Ryan Schreiber in Minneapolis. It originally covered Alternative rock, alternative and independent music, and expanded to cover genres includin ...
commented that "Rather Die Young" ruins its Philly soul vibe with "a theatrical Broadway glaze".


Live performances

Beyoncé performed "Rather Die Young" live for first time on August 14, 2011 during the '' 4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé''
revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatre, theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketch comedy, sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural pre ...
, which was held at the
Roseland Ballroom The Roseland Ballroom was a multipurpose hall, in a converted ice skating rink, with a colorful ballroom dancing pedigree, in New York City's Theater District, New York, theater district, on 52nd Street (Manhattan), West 52nd Street in Manhattan ...
, in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. She performed the ballad in front of 3,500 people; she was wearing a gold dress and was backed by her all-female band and her backing singers, called the Mamas. The performance was included on her 2011 video album '' Live at Roseland: Elements of 4''. The song was also included on a medley with " Love on Top" on the
Renaissance World Tour The Renaissance World Tour was the ninth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Beyoncé. Her highest-grossing tour to date, it was staged in support of her seventh studio album, ''Renaissance (Beyoncé album), Renaissance'' (2022). The to ...
(2023).


Chart performance

Selling 15,161 digital downloads, "Rather Die Young" opened at number 37 on the South Korea Gaon International Singles Chart for the week ending July 2, 2011.


References


External links


Beyoncé's Official Website
{{Beyoncé songs 2011 songs 2010s ballads Beyoncé songs Song recordings produced by Beyoncé Song recordings produced by Jeff Bhasker Songs written by Beyoncé Contemporary R&B ballads Soul ballads Songs about suicide Songs written by Jeff Bhasker