"6 Inch"
Song by Beyoncé featuring the Weeknd
from the album Lemonade
ReleasedApril 23, 2016
Recorded2014
StudioRecord Plant Studios, Los Angeles
GenreAlternative R&B
Length4:20
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

"6 Inch" is a song by American singer Beyoncé featuring Canadian singer the Weeknd from the former's sixth studio album Lemonade (2016). The song's original portions were written by the artists alongside DannyBoyStyles, Ben Billions, The-Dream, Belly, and Boots. Also credited as songwriters are Burt Bacharach and Hal David (for the sample of American soul musician Isaac Hayes' 1969 version of "Walk On By") and Avey Tare, Panda Bear, and Geologist of neo-psychedelic band Animal Collective (for an interpolation of their 2009 song "My Girls"). The song's music video is part of a one-hour film with the same title as its parent album, originally aired on HBO.

Background and recording

Music producer Ben "Billions" Diehl talked to Billboard about his work with great artists and mentioned that Beyoncé had already known of a song named "6 Inch" since 2013. According to Diehl, he, rapper Belly and producer DannyBoyStyles met in October of the same year to work on music. "Originally a Belly song with participation from French Montana," Diehl said. "We got a response that Beyoncé had liked and then we decided: we should continue working together, I think they get somewhere. It turns out you do not know when that day will come." When she released her surprise visual album in December 2013, Diehl was quick to check out the track listing of songs, but "6 Inch" was not there. "Everything went well," Diehl concludes. After three years, in 2016, the song finally came out on Beyoncé's sixth album, Lemonade, with a guest appearance from the Weeknd.[1]

Critical reception

The Guardian writer Alexis Petridis described the song as a "weird, affecting mixture of defiance and vulnerability" on which Beyoncé "slurs and snarls about being rich and hard-working" in "ominous electronics" sounds.[2] Larry Bartleet NME defined the song the "personal track" of the album and the "Beyoncé’s ode to hard-working women".[3]

Emily J. Lordi of The Fader wrote that the song sound "aggressive and lively", believing that it "exploits Hayes' great orchestral work to tell the story of one woman", considering the latter to be "the cleverness" thing as the song "inserts the stories of multiple women into the image of a singular figure".[4]

Commercial performance

After the release of Lemonade, "6 Inch" debuted on Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 18, becoming Beyoncé's twenty-sixth top 20 on the chart.[5] "6 Inch" also entered on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart at number ten, becoming Beyoncé's twenty-seventh top-ten single on the chart.[5] In overseas charts, the song entered in digital charts in top five, including Greece and Sweden. As of June 2016, the song has sold 265,607 downloads in US.[6]

Live performance

"6 Inch" was included on the set list of The Formation World Tour on the last show, on October 7, 2016, at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium with the singer performing the song while suspended upside down.[7]

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[23] Gold 35,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[24] Gold 30,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[25] Gold 40,000‡
United States (RIAA)[26] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Leight, Elias (2017-01-17). "Producer Ben Billions on Making Hits for The Weeknd, Belly & Beyoncé: 'If The Artist Loves It, I Love It'". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
  2. ^ Petridis, Alexis (April 25, 2016). "'Beyoncé is not a woman to be messed with' – Lemonade review". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  3. ^ Bartleet, Larry (25 April 2016). "Beyonce – 'Lemonade' Review". NME. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  4. ^ Emily J., Lordi (6 May 2016). "Beyoncé's Other Women: Considering The Soul Muses Of Lemonade". The Fader. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  5. ^ a b "All 12 of Beyonce's 'Lemonade' Tracks Debut on Hot 100". Billboard.biz. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  6. ^ "Chart: Digital Songs" (PDF). Nielsen Soundscan. June 23, 2016. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  7. ^ Kreps, Daniel (October 8, 2016). "Watch Beyonce Bring Out Kendrick Lamar, Jay Z at Formation Tour Finale". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 18, 2018. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  8. ^ "ARIA Australian Top 40 Urban Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
  9. ^ "ultratop.be - Beyoncé feat. The Weeknd - 6 Inch". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  10. ^ "Beyonce Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  11. ^ "Beyonce Chart History (Euro Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  12. ^ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Singles Téléchargés". SNEP. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  13. ^ "Beyoncé feat. the Weeknd – 6 Inch" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  14. ^ "Greece Digital Songs". Billboard. May 2, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  15. ^ "HBeyonce Chart History". RÚV. 30 March 2016. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
  16. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  17. ^ "Sweden Digital Songs". Billboard. May 2, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  18. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  19. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  20. ^ "Desiigner Holds Off Drake Atop Hot 100, Prince & Beyonce Hit Top 10". Billboard. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  21. ^ "Beyonce Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
  22. ^ "Hot R&B Singles: Year-End 2016". Billboard. Billboard.com. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  23. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  24. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Beyoncé – 6 Inch" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  25. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Beyoncé – 6 Inch". Music Canada. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  26. ^ "American single certifications – Beyonce – 6 Inch (feat. The Weeknd)". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
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