Energy

Album: Renaissance (2022)
Charted: 27
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Songfacts®:

  • Here, Beyoncé flexes about the big energy she creates when she walks into the room. Jamaican-American singer-rapper Beam contributes the hook around the same theme, giving it a dancehall feel.
  • Beam also lent additional vocals on the Renaissance tracks "Heated" and "Cuff It," but "Energy" is the only song where he's credited as an official featured vocalist.
  • Beyoncé interpolates Teena Marie's 1988 single "Ooo La La La" in the second verse. She used the same interpolation on the previous Renaissance track, "Cuff It."

    At the end, "Energy" also samples the "Yaka, yaka, yaka, yaka" from Big Freedia's 2014 song "Explode." It provides a smooth transition to the next track on Renaissance, the Big Freedia-sampling "Break My Soul."
  • "Energy" originally interpolated the "la la la la" refrain from Kelis' 2003 single "Milkshake." Though Kelis co-wrote the song with Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo of the Neptunes, Beyoncé only credited Williams and Hugo. Kelis reacted with a fiery Instagram where she criticized both Bey and the Neptunes for not contacting her about the sample. In response, Beyoncé removed the vocal interpolation of "Milkshake" from the song on streaming services.
  • Beyonce and Beam co-wrote "Energy" with The-Dream, Jordan Douglas, Tizita Makuria and the track's producers Skrillex, Al Cres and Nova Wav.

    "Energy" marks Beyoncé's first collaboration with Skrillex. The Los Angeles electronic producer enjoyed success in the early 2010s with his own releases such as "Bangarang" and "Where Are U Now" before producing hits for the likes of Justin Bieber ("Sorry") and The Weeknd ("Wasted Times").

    Songwriter Jordan Douglas is a frequent collaborator with both Skrillex (Skrillex and Justin Bieber's "Don't Go") and Beam (Justin Bieber and Beam's "Freedom").
  • At 1:56, "Energy" is part interlude, part song. It is the shortest track on Renaissance.

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