Virgo's Groove

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"Virgo's Groove"
Cover art for "Virgo's Groove": Beyoncé seated on a red corner sofa, holding a glass of alcohol and wearing black sunglasses, black high heels, and a black dress
Taken from Renaissance album booklet
Single by Beyoncé
from the album Renaissance
ReleasedJune 2, 2023 (2023-06-02)
Studio
  • Los Angeles, California (The Juicy Juicy, Kings Landing West, Nightbird Recording, Parkwood West)
Genre
Length
  • 6:08
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Beyoncé singles chronology
"America Has a Problem"
(2023) 		"Virgo's Groove"
(2023) 		"Delresto (Echoes)"
(2023)
Lyric Video
"Virgo's Groove" on YouTube

"Virgo's Groove" is a song by American singer Beyoncé, taken from her seventh studio album, Renaissance (2022), which was released on July 29, 2022, through Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records as an album track. The song was sent to Italian radio as the album's fourth and final single on June 2, 2023.[1] "Virgo's Groove" was nominated for Best R&B Performance at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.[2]

Background and composition[edit]

When we all work together, we kind of come in with this fantasy of house, funk, R&B and jazz being fused together. The background vocals and the bassline is something that for me is like a signature. With "Virgo's Groove", you can hear us in the harmonies and in the bassline. The process over there is very specific. B does a really crazy job of just making sure everyone is focused on the right things.

— Leven Kali on "Virgo's Groove"[3]

"Virgo's Groove", aptly named after Beyoncé’s astrological sign, is a disco-funk song with a running time of six minutes and eight seconds, making it the longest song on the album.[4] In an early 2023 interview with Billboard, songwriter Jocelyn Donald revealed the song began as a "Houston R&B"-influenced demo she had co-written with Baltimore rapper Tate Kobang almost four years prior, titled "Right Here, Right Now", before being modified from "a great song into a masterpiece.”[5][6] In an interview with Variety, songwriter Leven Kali recalled that the process for "Virgo's Groove" took "two-to three years" with an “incredibly collaborative process" to relate the song to the whole project. Kali also explains that the sound and the attitude of the song were helped by Beyoncé's, who was "thinking about a certain type of energy, a certain sound and we were also thinking in that direction so it was super organic" and flowed into themes and sounds "North Star, funk, positivity, love, dance, and groovy music".[3]

Critical reception[edit]

"Virgo's Groove" was critically acclaimed by music critics, with many of them calling it the best song on the album, especially appreciating Beyoncé's modulation of her voice.

Upon the release of the song's parent album, Eric Torres of Pitchfork gave the song its own review and applauded it, giving it the title of "Best New Track". In the review, he called the song the "apex" of the album, praising the song's production while also giving praise to Beyoncé for letting loose on the track and showcasing her voice.[7] Billboard ranked "Virgo's Groove" as the third best song on the album, writing that in it "you get all the nuances of Beyoncé's voice in one colossus" and that the singer's ability to manipulate her voice "truly impresses."[8]

Wesley Morris of The New York Times claimed it was the "most luscious" sounding song that Beyoncé has ever recorded.[9] Craig Jenkins of Vulture said that the song was a "muscular update" on post-disco.[10]

Select year-end rankings of Virgo's Groove
Publication List Rank Ref.
The Guardian The 20 Best Songs of 2022
7
[11]
i-D The 100 Best Songs of 2022
3
[12]
Spin The 50 Best Songs of the Year
5
[13]
The Line of Best Fit The 50 Best Songs of the Year
31
[14]

Commercial performance[edit]

After the release of Renaissance, "Virgo's Groove" debuted and peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 43.[15] It also debuted and peaked on the Hot R&B Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts at number 11 and 17 respectively. In Canada, the song debuted at number 65 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart.

Live performance[edit]

Beyoncé performing "Virgo's Groove" on the Renaissance World Tour in 2023

Beyoncé first performed "Virgo's Groove" on the Renaissance World Tour (2023), with the opening night taking place in Stockholm, Sweden.[16] The performance followed a choir-led interlude leading up to Beyoncé being revealed inside a clam shell and wearing a shimmery, gold Loewe bodysuit, both referencing The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli.[17][18][19] On certain dates of the tour, she wore a silver variation of the outfit, as well as a red variation of it.[20][21][22] Mid-way through the performance, Beyoncé switches to "Naughty Girl" and is walked down the shell to perform choreography before returning to "Virgo's Groove". Towards the end of the song, she sings some of her R&B songs in her catalogue, such as "Say My Name", "Dance for You", and "Cater 2 U"

Personnel[edit]

Credits adapted from Beyoncé's website.[23]

Performers

  • Vocals by Beyoncé
  • Background vocals by Leven Kali, Ashlee Wingate, Kye Young, Laylani Gesteedle-Diamant, and Anika Gesteedle-Diamant

Musicians

  • Beyoncé – sound FX
  • The-Dream – synthesizers, drum programming, sound FX

Technical credits

  • Beyoncé – production, vocal production
  • Leven Kali - production
  • The-Dream - additional production
  • Matheus Braz – assistant engineering
  • Andrea Roberts – engineering
  • John Cranfield – engineering
  • Stuart White – mixing, recording

Charts[edit]

Weekly chart performance for "Virgo's Groove"
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[24] 65
France (SNEP)[25] 176
Global 200 (Billboard)[26] 46
UK Audio Streaming (OCC)[27] 61
US Billboard Hot 100[28] 43
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[29] 17

Certifications[edit]

Certifications for "Virgo's Groove"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[30] Platinum 40,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history[edit]

"Virgo's Groove" release history
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Italy June 2, 2023 Radio airplay Sony [1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Sisti, Sara (May 26, 2023). "Beyoncé - VIRGO'S GROOVE (Radio Date: 02-06-2023)" (Press release) (in Italian). EarOne. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  2. ^ "Grammy Awards 2023: The Full List of Nominees". The New York Times. November 15, 2022. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on November 15, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Garcia, Thania (August 17, 2022). "Fine-Tuning Beyoncé's 'Virgo's Groove': How Three High-School Friends Ended Up Producing a Song on 'Renaissance'". Variety. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  4. ^ Empire, Kitty (August 6, 2022). "Beyoncé: Renaissance review – a breathtaking, maximalist tour de force". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  5. ^ Wicker, Jewel (March 22, 2023). "Jozzy's Love Songs: How the Acclaimed Songwriter Kickstarted Her Solo Career With Help From Diddy". Billboard.
  6. ^ "Diddy's Love Records Signee Jozzy Is Ready For Superstardom". BET.
  7. ^ Torres, Eric. "Beyoncé: "Virgo's Groove"". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  8. ^ Denis, Kyle (July 29, 2022). "Every Song Ranked on Beyonce's 'Renaissance': Critic's Picks". Billboard. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  9. ^ Morris, Wesley (July 30, 2022). "America Has a Problem and Beyoncé Ain't It". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  10. ^ Jenkins, Craig (August 1, 2022). "Beyoncé's Sequined Revolution". Vulture. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  11. ^ "The 20 Best Songs of 2022". The Guardian. December 5, 2022. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  12. ^ "The 100 best songs of 2022". i-D. December 22, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  13. ^ "The Best Songs of 2022 Ranked". Spin. December 19, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  14. ^ "The 20 best songs of 2022". The Line of Best Fit. December 16, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  15. ^ Zellner, Xander (August 8, 2022). "Beyoncé Sends All 16 Songs From 'Renaissance' Onto Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  16. ^ Ruggieri, Melissa (May 10, 2023). "Beyoncé Renaissance tour set list: See all the songs on her nearly 3-hour show". USA Today. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  17. ^ Holland, Oscar (May 11, 2023). "Look of the Week: Beyoncé kicks off 'Renaissance' tour in 'hands-on' bodysuit". CNN. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  18. ^ Militano, Hannah (May 11, 2023). "See Every Incredible Look from Beyoncé's 'Renaissance' World Tour". Grazia USA. Retrieved July 6, 2023. Beyoncé emerged from a gigantic silver scallop shell, like Botticelli's Birth of Venus, wearing a bedazzled custom Loewe bodysuit by creative director Jonathan Anderson.
  19. ^ Empire, Kitty (May 20, 2023). "Beyoncé review – a spangled supernova of joy". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  20. ^ Criales-Unzueta, José (August 1, 2023). "Beyoncé's Renaissance Tour Outfits From the Runway to the Stage—"It Should Cost a Billion to Look This Good"". Vogue. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  21. ^ Strater, Zizi (September 27, 2023). "Beyoncé's Extra-Long Chrome Manicure Has A Hidden Message". Byrdie. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  22. ^ Velasco, Matthew (October 2, 2023). "Fittingly, Beyoncé Shimmered Like a Disco Ball For Her 'Renaissance' Grand Finale". W Magazine. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  23. ^ "Beyoncé: Renaissance: Credits". Beyoncé. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  24. ^ "Beyonce Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  25. ^ "Beyoncé – Virgo's Groove" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  26. ^ "Beyonce Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  27. ^ "Official Audio Streaming Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  28. ^ "Beyonce Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  29. ^ "Beyonce Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  30. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Beyoncé – Virgo's Groove" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
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