Readers of That Grape Juice know what avid music lovers we are – especially of hits past.
So, as our retrospective features ‘From the Vault’ and ‘TGJ Replay’ allow us the chance to re-spin the gems and jams of yesterday of one artist, our newest feature Chart Rewind – a variation of our current Retro Rewind assay – accedes salutes to an entire era of music history.
This week we’ll fly back to 2009 to revisit ‘Halo’ – the fourth single from Beyonce‘s multi-platinum tertiary solo release, ‘I Am…Sasha Fierce’ (2008). Join us inside:
After scoring a duo of top 5 hits with her third album’s first two singles, ‘If I Were a Boy’ and the chart-topping ‘Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)’ respectively, the set’s third single – ‘Diva’ – missed the top 10 entirely. Peaking at #19, the Bangladesh-birthed banger’s release was in some part cannibalized by Beyonce‘s then-promotion of her film, ‘Cadillac Records,’ on which she portrayed R&B legend Etta James. Once the promo season for the movie ended, Bey took the top of 2009 to return focus to her album. Tapping the Ryan Tedder-penned ‘Halo’ as the next single, the tune – billed a ‘Pop power ballad’ – was arguably the best demonstration of the diva’s intent to display her versatility, pander to Urban and Pop audiences simultaneously, and deviate from the uptempo Urban cuts of her first two albums, ‘Dangerously in Love’ and ‘BDay.’
Albeit greeted with controversy after Pop singer Kelly Clarkson alleged the song’s instrumentation was a ripoff of her hit song, ‘Already Gone,’ ‘Halo’ – officially released January 20, 2009 – powered forward with promotion courtesy of not one, but two music videos shot (with the more popular version seen above and featuring actor Michael Ealy as the Destiny’s Child alum’s romantic love interest). The cinematic clip not only helped hoist ‘Halo’ to top 5 heights on the Hot 100 (where it peaked this week that year), but it also reawakened interest in its parent project and pushed it past the triple platinum mark.
As it stands, ‘Halo’ hovers right above 2 million in sales in the United States and nabbed a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 2010 ceremony. Look below to see who joined the tune in the top 25 this week 10 years ago:
Hot 100 This Week in 2009
Hot 100 This Week in 2019
Click here to see this week’s full TGJ Chart Check: Hot 100 list.