| "Soldier" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byDestiny's Child featuringT.I. andLil Wayne | ||||
| from the albumDestiny Fulfilled | ||||
| B-side | ||||
| Released | November 8, 2004 (2004-11-08) | |||
| Recorded | 2004 | |||
| Studio | Sony (New York City) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 5:25 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producers |
| |||
| Destiny's Child singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| T.I. singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Lil Wayne singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Soldier" onYouTube | ||||
"Soldier" is a song recorded by American groupDestiny's Child, featuring American rappersT.I. andLil Wayne, for the group's final studio albumDestiny Fulfilled (2004). The artists wrote the song withSean Garrett andRich Harrison who produced it with the latter co-produced it withBeyoncé. ASouthern hip hop mid-tempo song, it lyrically describes each member's favorite type of male love interest. The song was released as the second single fromDestiny Fulfilled on November 8, 2004, byColumbia Records andSony Urban Music.
"Soldier" received mostly positive reviews frommusic critics, who praised its composition and the trio's vocal performances, but criticized the lyrical content. The song received a nomination in the category forBest Rap/Sung Collaboration at the48th Annual Grammy Awards and wonBest R&B/Soul Single by a Group, Band or Duo at the2005 Soul Train Music Awards. A commercial success, "Soldier" peaked within the top five in six European countries and in Australia, being certified gold in the latter region. In the United States, it peaked at number three on theBillboard Hot 100 and topped theDance Club Songs chart, receiving aplatinum certification from theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Theblack-and-whitemusic video directed byRay Kay featured cameo appearances by several rappers and singers. It was nominated at the2005 MTV Video Music Awards in the category ofBest Group Video. The band performed "Soldier" on several televised appearances in 2004 and 2005 and included it on theset list of their final tourDestiny Fulfilled... And Lovin' It (2005). Both Beyoncé andKelly Rowland performed the song during their solo tours after Destiny's Child's disbandment. The song was sampled in many songs by different artists, most notably byNelly,Paul Wall andAli & Gipp on their single "Grillz" (2005).
Sean Garrett andRich Harrison assisted the artists in writing the song "Soldier", with Harrison handling production alongside Destiny's Child memberBeyoncé Knowles.[1] It is the only song on the album to feature any guest performers.[2] "Soldier" was recorded by Jim Caruana atSony Music Studios in New York City in 2004, withmixing by Dexter Simmons andmastering byTom Coyne.[1] Garrett initially wrote "Soldier" in a taxi while going to the studio where the band worked onDestiny Fulfilled; he sang thehook to the members afterwards and they liked it. Garrett further revealed about his collaboration with the group, "I loved how Destiny's Child evolved and became this really incrediblepop group but I wanted to introduce them to the hood from the perspective of having the world look at them in a different way... What was great about that was they all liked guys from the streets. Each verse was a representation of the guy they were actually into."[3]
During an interview withMTV News, Rowland said that with "Soldier" each member wanted to talk about their preference for a man during their solo verses, the place where he lives and his physical appearance. Beyoncé stated that as the song had a "Southern feel" and beat, they wanted to collaborate withLil Wayne andT.I. who according to her added "rawness, realness and edge to the song".[4][5] During an interview in 2014, Lil Wayne discussed his contribution in the song, "That set me off. Them little eight bars right there, that got me there boy. If you ask me why, it was Beyoncé. That shit was big."[6] "Soldier" was included on the group'scompilation albums#1's (2005) andPlaylist: The Very Best of Destiny's Child (2012).[7][8]
"Soldier" is amid-tempo Southern hip hop song;[2][9] Alex MacPherson ofStylus Magazine further found elements ofCrunk&B music[10] whileKelefa Sanneh ofThe New York Times notedelectropop elements in its composition.[11] Discussing the song musically,Kitty Empire fromThe Observer classified it as a "ghetto anthem-in-waiting that echoes the Southern bent of much contemporaryhip hop".[12] According to the sheet music published on the website Musicnotes.com bySony/ATV Music Publishing, "Soldier" was composed usingcommon time in the key ofC minor with a pulsing hip hop tempo of 75beats per minute. The vocal elements span from the low note ofG3 to the high note ofF5.[13] The song is instrumentally complete with tickingstaccatosynths, fractured,syncopatedkeyboard instruments,organ stabs, and off-kilter kickdrums.[14][15]Pitchfork Media's Tom Breihan felt that its beat was similar to materials byDr. Dre.[15] Dimitri Ehrlich fromVibe found major influence ofJay-Z in "Soldier" further saying that "T.I. and Lil Wayne... seem like stand-ins for Hova".[14]
Lyrically, "Soldier" is a continuation of the previous song onDestiny Fulfilled, "Lose My Breath". As the singers feel that their man does not fulfill them in the way they want, they tell him "I need a soldier", further "upping their standards".[2][10] They request their man to be a "thug", proclaiming their love for "country boys";[15][16] their preference include a "soldier" who is "street" and "hood".[12] MacPherson further felt that the trio cruised theghetto for suitable men with "Soldier", an "ode to gangsta love".[10][17] Corey Moss ofMTV felt that the song was one of the most personal moments onDestiny Fulfilled in the sense that Beyoncé's then-relatively secret relationship with rapper Jay-Z was acknowledged "on record for the first time".[2] Moss further elaborated, "Albeit minor, her [Beyoncé's] verse (about falling for a guy from the BK, as in Jay'sBrooklyn stomping grounds) offers a rare moment of commentary on the couple, which has thus far only been chronicled by tabloid photographers."[2] The song opens with T.I. rhyming lines and glorifying the profound love "between a thug and a thugette".[17] As the song progresses, each member of Destiny's Child describes their own favorite type of man, later harmonizing together for thechorus.[17][18] Midway through the song, Lil Wayne's verse contains a reference to rapperB.G.[19]Michelle Williams is the last artist to sing her solo lines, which were described as "the sexiest" by Rashod Ollisong ofThe Baltimore Sun.[18]
Stephen Thomas Erlewine from the websiteAllMusic described "Soldier" as one of the "hard-drivingdance cuts" ofDestiny Fulfilled further choosing it as a highlight.[20] Similarly, Alex MacPherson ofStylus Magazine wrote in his review that "[The album] shoots its load quickly, although just as effectively: 'Lose My Breath' and 'Soldier' are stunning, both displaying the Beyoncé trademark of creepily submissive lyrics matched withdominatrix vocals and arrangements to superb effect."[10] MacPherson continued praising the song's slow "contemptuous grind" and the singers' vocal delivery further concluding that T.I. and Wayne "get comprehensively owned".[10]The New York Times writer Kelefa Sanneh described the track as part of the album's "lovable" material and went on saying, "[it] takes a ludicrous premise... and turns it into sharp, coldblooded electro-pop".[11] Andy Battaglia writing forThe A.V. Club felt that the song and "Cater 2 U" "make sassy end-runs around notions of womanly subservience, but their best musical moments hide in tiny melismatic twirls instead of hooks".[21]The Guardian writer Caroline Sullivan described the track as "juddering"[22] whileBBC's Nick Reynolds called it "good fun".[23] In a review of the song, Tom Breihan, an editor ofPitchfork Media, wrote that "Soldier" would have been a "perfectly acceptable album track" onThe Writing's on the Wall (1999), but noted that its sound was different from the songs played on mainstream pop radio.[15] Praising the trio for their vocal performances, he continued:
"'Soldier' might not carry with it the shock of the new, but it's still a nice little single... The women of Destiny's Child don't sound the slightest bit convincing singing about how they need thug boyfriends, but they wind their voices around a gorgeous hook exactly as well as they always have. T.I. and Lil Wayne stop by, not saying anything but sounding cool and tough and unflappable doing it. It's pretty good, but don't expect it to set your world on fire."[15]
Barbara Ellen ofThe Observer said the song was "of the exemplary standard" of the band's previous albums,Survivor (2001) andThe Writing's on the Wall.[24] Describing it as an "overt bid for street cred",Entertainment Weekly's Tom Sinclair felt that T.I and Lil Wayne "bring little to the party" with their contribution to the song.[16] Erika Ramirez and Jason Lipshutz writing forBillboard magazine felt that the group "cemented their street and chart credibility" with the song.[25] Another reviewer from the same magazine felt that the band's "personal transition from teen-dom to womanhood" was most evident on "Soldier" and two other songs from the album.[26]Jenny Eliscu fromRolling Stone wrote in her review, "It's a hot track, even if the message feels affected coming from these church girls."[17] For the same reason,Vibe writer Dimitri Ehrlich described it as aBroadway show tune about thug life.[14] Gil Kaufman from MTV News described the song as a "bouncy homage to thug love that featured the signature DC mix of urban grit and slick production".[27] Rashod Ollisong writing forThe Baltimore Sun gave a more mixed review for the song, writing "It is catchy, but the beat is trite, and the lyrical message is downright trifling" before adding that it glorifies a "warped" image of blackmasculinity which he heavily criticized. He further argued that the group "should put more thought into their lyrics" due to the background and image each member created throughout their career.[18]
"Soldier" won in the category forBest R&B/Soul Single by a Group, Band or Duo during the2005 Soul Train Music Awards.[28] At the48th Annual Grammy Awards, the song received a nomination forBest Rap/Sung Collaboration but lost to "Numb/Encore" (2004) by Jay-Z andLinkin Park.[29] At the 23rd AnnualASCAP Pop Music Awards, "Soldier" was recognized as one of the Most Performed Songs in 2005 along with the group's other song "Lose My Breath".[30] The following year it was one of the Award Winning R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at the 2006 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards.[31]
In 2013, Lindsey Weber fromVulture put "Soldier" at number nine on her list of the top 25 songs by Destiny's Child.[32]Houston Chronicle's Joey Guerra also included the song in his 2013 list of the band's best songs.[33] The same year it was ranked at number 64 on a list compiled by Andrew Noz fromComplex magazine of Lil Wayne's 100 best songs.[19] Similarly, Emily Exton fromVH1 listed "Soldier" at the 19th position of T.I.'s 20 best songs praising his "hot intro verse".[34] On the occasion of Beyoncé's 32nd birthday, Erika Ramirez and Jason Lipshutz fromBillboard included "Soldier" at number 15 on the list of "Beyonce's 30 BiggestBillboard Hits".[25]
After debuting on the chart for the week ending November 20, 2004, "Soldier" moved to number 41 on the USBillboard Hot 100 the following week.[35] For the week ending December 10, the single moved from number 14 to number ten, becoming the group's tenth and last top-ten single on the chart.[36][37] It peaked at number three on theBillboard Hot 100 for the week ending February 12, 2005, becoming the second single fromDestiny Fulfilled to peak at that position and was group last top-ten single on theBillboard Hot 100.[25][37] It fell from the top ten of the chart for the issue dated March 5, 2005, after its position of number eight the previous week, thus spending a total of nine weeks within the top ten.[38][39] Having spent a total of 23 weeks on the chart, "Soldier" was last seen at number 32.[37] The single was also successful on several otherBillboard charts; on theDance Club Songs, it debuted at number 51 on the issue dated January 15, 2005, and managed to peak at number one in its sixth week for the issue dated February 26, 2005.[40][41] "Soldier" further peaked at numbers three and four on the USHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs andMainstream Top 40 charts dated January 1, 2005, and February 12, 2005, respectively.[42][43] On May 18, 2005, theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the single gold for selling 500,000 digital copies in the United States. Its ringtone was further certified platinum on June 14, 2006 for shipments of one million copies.[44]
"Soldier" was commercially successful in countries across Europe, peaking within the top ten in six countries. On theDanish Singles Chart, it debuted and peaked at number five on March 4, 2005. Having spent a total of ten weeks on the chart, of which four were in the top ten, it fell off on May 13.[45] In Finland, the song debuted and peaked at number seven.[46] In Switzerland, "Soldier" debuted at number 15 on February 20, 2004, and peaked at number ten after two weeks. It spent an additional week at that position and fell off the chart after 12 weeks.[47] In the United Kingdom, the single debuted at number four on theUK Singles Chart on the issue dated February 19, 2005.[48] It gradually descended the chart, spending a total of seven weeks.[49] On theIrish Singles Chart, the single debuted and peaked at number six on February 10, 2005.[50] It also peaked at numbers 12 and 28 in Spain and France, respectively.[51][52]
In Australia, "Soldier" debuted and peaked at number three on theARIA Singles Chart on February 20, 2005. It fell to numbers seven and eight, respectively, in the following two weeks and descended the chart for ten additional weeks before falling off on May 15, 2005.[53] TheAustralian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) awarded the single with a gold certification in 2005 for shipments of 35,000 copies in the country.[54] "Soldier" had similar success on theNew Zealand Singles Chart, where it peaked at number four on February 21, 2005, and remained at that position for the following three weeks. It further spent the following four weeks within the top ten and fell off on May 23, 2005.[55] In 2005, theRecording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) certified it gold for selling 5,000 copies in the country.[56]
Themusic video for "Soldier" was filmed by Norwegian directorRay Kay and was shot inblack-and-white, becoming the band's first clip using that technique. It marked the first time the group worked with Kay. During an interview, they praised him for shooting the scenes in a fast and convenient way, further describing the experience as "wonderful".[5] The video features cameo appearances by seven singers and rappers: Beyoncé's sisterSolange Knowles,Luke James,Lloyd,Bow Wow,Ginuwine,Ice Cube,WC andYoung Jeezy.[5][32]
The video opens with Destiny's Child walking between two rows of males intertwined with close-up shots of each member's face. T.I. appears rapping his part wearing a hat, sunglasses and chains. As the song progresses, the members are seen dancing along with the males in the background who also pose for the camera. During the middle of the video, the girls are seen walking with leashed dogs in their hands and Lil Wayne appears rapping his part afterwards. The camera focuses on each member during their solo part in the song as they perform a dance choreography and lip-sync the lyrics. During the end of the video, as the group sings the lines "known to carry big things", they rub the belly of Solange Knowles, who was pregnant at the time of shooting.[5] The clip ends with the girls holding the previously seen dogs in their hands. Throughout the visual, shots of three cars with differentregistrations are shown – aCadillac from Georgia with the words "Da Durty", another car from New York City with the words "BK Style" and a third car from California with the word "Crenshaw".
The music video was released on MTV on November 8, 2004.[57] It is also featured on theDualDisc editions of the albums#1's andDestiny Fulfilled as well as on the bonus DVD of theDestiny Fulfilled Tour edition.[58][59][60] VH1 aired the video during the programPop-Up Video on November 11, 2011 along withtrivial commentary.[61] In 2013 it was included on the albumVideo Anthology which contained nearly every music video the group had filmed during their career.[62]Vulture's Lindsay Weber described the clip as "camouflage-heavy".[32] The video was nominated at the2005 MTV Video Music Awards under the category ofBest Group Video but lost toGreen Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" (2004).[63]
In late 2004, the group performed "Soldier" with T.I. during MTV'sTotal Request Live (TRL).[64] AtBET's106 & Park Destiny's Child performed "Soldier" on November 15, 2004. At the beginning of the performance, Michelle Williams fell onstage during the group's entrance.[65] Williams addressed the incident during an interview in 2014, saying, "I had no choice but to get up and act like it didn't happen. Because ofYouTube – 10 years later, at least once a week, somebody brings it to my attention."[66] She added that it would be the last time she discussed the incident and acknowledged that although "it lives on forever" a lot of "great things" have happened to her since then.[67] On November 16, 2004, another performance of the song was during the television showGood Morning America.[68] Destiny's Child appeared onCBS'The Early Show on December 8, 2004, and sang "Soldier".[69] The group performed the song again in early February 2005 at the British showTop of the Pops.[70] At the2005 NBA All-Star Game on February 20, 2005, they sang "Soldier" and "Lose My Breath".[71] Destiny's Child also performed "Soldier" during the concertRockin' the Corps in April 2005 with the performance being featured on a DVD.[72]
In 2005, "Soldier" was added to theset list of Destiny's Child's final tourDestiny Fulfilled... and Lovin' It. The group performed it against a backdrop of theAmerican flag dressed in leather clothes taken from Beyoncé's clothing lineHouse of Deréon.[73][74] The live rendition contained a sample from the song "Shout It Out" byToo Short andBun B from the soundtrack of the 2002 filmDrumline.[75] Denise Sheppard writing forRolling Stone felt that the drumline-affected version performed during the concert was "for the delighted, largely female crowd".[76] While reviewing a concert in the UK, Adenike Adenitire of MTV News praised the group's surprising look inspired byMad Max noting that they proved "that you don't need baggy jeans and a bandanna to be street".[74] Similarly, Barbara Ellen fromThe Observer felt that the look was emulating "all theMad Max movies at once".[24] The song was included on the track listing of the group'slive albumLive in Atlanta (2006) chronicling a concert from the tour in that city for which T.I. and Wayne joined the band onstage performing their parts.[77] It was also sung during Beyoncé'sCoachella 2018 performance.
Following the group's disbandment, both Beyoncé and Rowland included "Soldier" in the set list of their respective solo tours. The former performed it with her male background dancers during a Destiny's Child medley atThe Beyoncé Experience (2007) along with a snippet ofSoulja Boy's "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" (2007). It was subsequently included on the singer's liveDVDThe Beyoncé Experience Live (2007) dubbed as "Soldier Boy Crank Mix".[78] Rowland performed "Soldier" during her headlining concert tourMs. Kelly Tour (2007), on several dates duringChris Brown'sF.A.M.E. Tour (2011) where she appeared as a supporting act and during the co-headliningLights Out Tour (2013) withThe-Dream.[79][80][81] She also performed "Soldier" on August 26, 2010 during a promotional concert in New York City and at the AustralianSupafest festival in April 2012 backed by male dancers.[82][83]
In 2005, American rapperNelly sampled "Soldier" for his song "Grillz" (2005) featuringPaul Wall, andAli & Gipp from the albumSweatsuit (2005).[84] Mike Schiller fromPopMatters wrote thatJermaine Dupri's production on the song was "uncharacteristically fantastic, finding a down 'n' dirty groove in the unlikely source material of Destiny's Child's 'Soldier'".[85] The following year, "Only God" fromJME's instrumentalmixtapeBoy Better Know – Edition 4: Tropical (2006) sampled the song.[86] Hip hop artistDJ Drama used a sample of the song in "Grillz Gleamin'", featuringLil' Scrappy, Bohagon,Diamond and Princess, from his albumGangsta Grillz: The Album (2007).[87] "Soldier" was also sampled for "Body Marked Up" (2009) byWilly Northpole, the first single from his debut albumTha Connect.[88]
|
|
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of the albumDestiny Fulfilled.[1]
Weekly charts[edit] | Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[54] | Gold | 35,000^ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[56] | Platinum | 30,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[137] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[138] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[139] Mastertone | Platinum | 1,000,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | November 8, 2004 | Contemporary hit radio | Columbia | |
| December 7, 2004 | Digital download(EP)[a] | |||
| Australia | February 4, 2005 | Maxi CD | Sony BMG | |
| Germany | February 7, 2005 | |||
| United Kingdom |
| Columbia | [144] | |
| United States | February 8, 2005 |
|
| |
| Denmark | February 21, 2005 | Maxi CD | Sony BMG | |
| France | March 7, 2005 | CD | Columbia | |
| United States | March 8, 2005 | Digital download(EP) |
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite book}}:|work= ignored (help){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)