"Irreplaceable " by Beyoncé
Reviewed by: Krystal Burns
Note: We focus on reviewing songs, and therefore cannot comment on the appropriateness of the album in its entirety. Please use your best judgment whenever purchasing or listening to music.
The Artist
Let’s face it. You’d probably have to move to a remote village in Africa to get away from Beyoncé. She’s everywhere these days -- music, movies, cosmetics. You name it; she’s got her hands in it. The Houston native, born Beyoncé Giselle Knowles, started performing at the age of seven. But it wasn’t until she debuted with Destiny’s Child in 1990 that her real career began. The female R&B group hit some highs and lows before peaking in 2000. The following year Beyoncé broke from the group to release her solo debut album “Dangerously in Love” (2003). Her movie credits include “Austin Powers in Goldmember,” “The Pink Panther,” and most recently, “Dreamgirls.”
The Album
“B’Day” was released September 5, 2006 and titled for the star’s 25th birthday. The songs have been at the top of the charts for so long it’s actually getting boring. “Déjà vu,” “Resentment,” and “Irreplaceable” are the top sellers. Most of the songs on the album contain some references to sexuality and are suggestive in nature.
The Song
At first glance you might think “Irreplaceable” is a nice song about a girl who loves a guy so much he’s irreplaceable. Actually, it’s just the opposite. This is more of a get-even song to a guy who makes the mistake of thinking he really is irreplaceable. He cheated on her, and now she’s replacing him.
So since I'm not your everything
How about I'll be nothing? Nothing at all to you
Baby I won't shed a tear for youI won't lose a wink of sleep
Cause the truth of the matter is
Replacing you is so easy
I suppose sometimes it would be nice to simply replace people who have hurt us or even those who we just don’t like. But the truth is that it’s not that easy. We’re human and we can’t just turn our emotions on and off whenever we want. When we’ve been hurt, it takes a while to heal. Pretending not to care actually makes the situation even harder to get over.
The kind of reaction “Irreplaceable” encourages isn’t healthy or even helpful in the long run. There will always be some people who are more difficult than others, but we still have an obligation to be Christ-like in the way we deal with them. Luke 6:28 says, “Bless those who curse you; pray for those who mistreat you.” Of course, that’s tough when the someone is special to us, but that’s also when it’s the most important to practice Jesus’ irreplaceable kind of love.
So What Do You Think?
1. Did you ever listen to Destiny’s Child?
2. What do you think of Beyoncé as an actress?
3. How would you describe Beyoncé’s style?
4. Since you can’t replace people in your life, how should you act towards them?