Here in MTV’s Newsroom, we love Beyonce. Perhaps a little too unconditionally for our own good, but that’s not the point. So it’s with a heavy heart that we report the first two singles from her much-anticipated album 4 have underperformed on the charts.
Fan reaction to the lead single, the Major Lazer-sampling “Run the World (Girls),” has been mixed (the song makes more sense in the context of the album, trust us), leading it to peak at No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100. After just eight weeks on the chart, it has already fallen to No. 64. The follow-up ballad, “Best Thing I Never Had,” isn’t fairing any better: Two weeks into its chart run, it has crept to only No. 75 after making its debut at 84.
But as those who have listened to the full record can attest, she has more than a few up-tempo jams up her sleeve to turn things around. The best has to be “Countdown,” an upbeat, horn-heavy track that is impossible to resist. It’s Beyonce at her best, and it needs to be her next single.
We’d love to embed it for your listening pleasure, but since the album hasn’t been released yet – it hits stores June 28; do what you must to prepare – there is no official source. The album leaked online earlier this month, though, so you shouldn’t have trouble finding it if you poke around the interwebs. So go find it, listen (we'll wait...) and then read on for why we think it would tear up the charts.
(Ed. Note: We do not condone the illegal downloading of music. The above link is to an MTV News article reporting on the album leak and not a downloading site. We streamed the song online, we did not download it, and our words were meant to reflect that. Perhaps they were not as clear as they should have been. Our apologies. And for the record, as mega-fans of B, we intend to buy the deluxe edition of the album so we can get not only the additional songs but the gorgeous album art as well.)
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