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Find Your Way Back (Beyoncé song)

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"Find Your Way Back"
Song by Beyoncé
from the album The Lion King: The Gift
ReleasedJuly 19, 2019
Recorded2019
StudioParkwood West (Los Angeles, California)
Genre
Length2:42
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

"Find Your Way Back" is a song by American singer Beyoncé. It is the fourth track on The Lion King: The Gift (2019), Knowles' curated album released through Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records alongside her appearance in the 2019 live-action theatrical adaptation of 1994's The Lion King.[1] A remix by frequent collaborator MeLo-X was released on July 31, 2020 to coincide with the release of the deluxe album edition and film Black Is King.[2]

Upon release, the song debuted in the top 10 of the Billboard World Digital Songs chart alongside the rest of her album contributions, resulting in five top 10 hits.[3] The song remained on the chart for seven weeks.[4] Described by BBC as "light-footed", Rolling Stone lauded the song for "feel-good Afropop production" and Knowles' willingness to allow "the sounds of the continent [to] prevail over her star power."[5][6]

Background and composition

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“Find Your Way Back” was written by Knowles, Hazzard, Booi, Magwenzi, and Osaretin, and originated from a casual session between Booi and Magwenzi in Johannesburg during summer 2018 after the duo "knew they wanted to utilize the bass guitar in a cool way and make something that could 'groove and vibe'."[7] Further discussed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Booi sent the song and a few others to the Parkwood Entertainment team [through his Universal Music Publishing Group A&R rep Ari Gelaw] after a brief trip to New York, but didn’t hear back as the weeks went by.[7] He eventually returned to South Africa, assuming the opportunity was “dead in the water" before receiving a phone call from Parkwood.

“[Parkwood Entertainment A&R rep Mariel Gomerez] says to me, ‘Hey, I just wanted to tell you something. My boss likes your music,’...So I’m like, ‘Okay, cool. Who’s your boss?’ And she’s like, ‘I can’t legally say her name.’ So I’m like, ‘Oh, you mean the boss-boss.’ And now I’m freaking out on the inside.” Later, when Booi was visiting friends in Los Angeles and an hour away from boarding a plane, he got another call. “Don’t leave L.A.,” [A representative at] Parkwood told him. They invited him to a camp to focus solely on the project. “That was an incredible moment for me. I can’t even express how ridiculous it was,... It’s a week of meeting and interacting with the coolest people. And during that you create a bunch of things and it gets passed around, and you never really know what’s happening.”

—Bubele Booi in EW article "How emerging South African producer Bubele Booi ended up on Beyoncé's Lion King album" (2019)[8]

The song contains elements of 2017 song "Maradona", written by Sarz and performed by Niniola.[9] Nigerian producer and songwriter Bankulli was responsible for the subtle ode to Yoruba Fuji music, contributing vocals in the bridge.[10] Lyrically, the song alludes to the "Circle of Life" messaging of the film, and acts as a self-reflection about the navigation of one's life: "Find your way back / Big, big world, but you got it, baby / Find your way back, don't let this life drive you crazy / Find your way back, come back home with the street lights on / Find your way back, find your way back."[11] She also reminisces on the lessons taught by her father as a guiding light through life’s travails.[12] The Daily Texan went further, describing the song and fatherhood messaging as a "a spiritual sequel to “Daddy Lessons” from Knowles' 2016 album Lemonade.[13]

Reception

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The song was met with acclaim. Hannah Browne of publication The Line of Best Fit described it as "[a] hip-turning highlight", while Ed Power of The Irish Examiner noted "gusto" and "reverence."[14][15] Christobel Hastings of Stylist opined that the song "has the capacity to transport to another dimension" while "[unexpectedly] rival[ing] her love of [Knowles'] 00s R&B catalog."[16] In a more mixed review, NME mentioned that the "self-help trope" of the song "ramble[s] a bit" when combined with album opener "Bigger", however they also mentioned their singular "power as [standalone] pop tracks", "underpinned by rhythmic Afrobeat-esque production."[17]

Visual

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Knowles filmed the music video in the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes near Pismo Beach, California.[18] Directed by Knowles, she is featured alongside two dancers wearing masks inspired by the traditional face coverings worn by the Dogon peoples of Mali, as well as an ensemble of dancers covered in sparkling jewels.[19]

Personnel

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Charts

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Weekly chart performance for "Find Your Way Back"
Chart (2019) Peak
position
US Hot R&B Songs (Billboard)[20] 25
World Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[4] 5

Certifications

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Certifications for "Find Your Way Back"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[21] Gold 30,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

[edit]
"Standing on the Sun" release history
Region Date Format(s) Version Label(s) Ref.
Various July 19, 2019
original Version
[22]
July 31, 2020 MeLo-X Remix version [23]

References

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  1. ^ Jenkins, Craig (July 31, 2020). "Beyoncé's Lion King Soundtrack Puts the Focus Back Where It Belongs: Africa". Vulture. Archived from the original on July 24, 2023. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  2. ^ "Watch Beyoncé's "Already" Video and Stream Deluxe Edition of The Gift". July 31, 2020. Archived from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  3. ^ McIntyre, Hugh. "Beyoncé Completely Dominates The World Songs Chart With Her 'Lion King' Smashes". Forbes. Archived from the original on September 3, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Beyoncé: Chart History: World Digital Song Sales Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 24, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023 – via Billboard.com.
  5. ^ "Beyoncé's Lion King album is more about Beyoncé than The Lion King". July 19, 2019. Archived from the original on January 19, 2023. Retrieved December 28, 2023 – via www.bbc.com.
  6. ^ Stone, Rolling (July 26, 2022). "The 70 Greatest Beyoncé Songs". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 3, 2023. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  7. ^ a b "How emerging South African producer Bubele Booi ended up on Beyoncé's 'Lion King' album". EW.com. Archived from the original on December 27, 2023. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  8. ^ Yang, Rachel (2019). "How emerging South African producer Bubele Booi ended up on Beyoncé's Lion King album". Archived from the original on December 27, 2023. Retrieved December 27, 2023 – via ew.com/music.
  9. ^ Times, Jon Pareles The New York. "Beyonce's reimagined 'Lion King' goes global". The Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on December 27, 2023. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  10. ^ "Nigerian artist Bankulli speaks on writing songs for Beyonce - P.M. News". Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  11. ^ "All the Lyrics You Need to Know From Beyoncé's The Lion King: The Gift Album". E! Online. July 19, 2019. Archived from the original on December 27, 2023. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  12. ^ Rowley, Glenn (July 19, 2019). "Every Song Ranked on Beyonce's 'The Lion King: The Gift': Critic's Picks". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  13. ^ Garcia, Carlos. "Beyoncé curates perfect, African-influenced sound for 'The Lion King'". Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  14. ^ Power, Ed (August 3, 2019). "Album review: Beyoncé - The Lion King: Gift". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  15. ^ "Black is King is a mesmerising and powerful visual album straight from the mind of Beyoncé". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on December 27, 2023. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  16. ^ "The definitive list of Beyoncé's best songs, according to Team Stylist". www.stylist.co.uk. Archived from the original on December 27, 2023. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  17. ^ Balram, Dhruva (July 22, 2019). "Beyoncé – 'Lion King: The Gift' review". NME. Archived from the original on September 24, 2023. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  18. ^ "Visit These Beyonce "Black Is King" Locations". August 3, 2020. Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  19. ^ Yap, Angelique Jackson,Audrey Cleo; Jackson, Angelique; Yap, Audrey Cleo (August 4, 2020). "A Quick Cultural Guide to Beyoncé's 'Black Is King'". Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ "Beyoncé | Biography, Music & News". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 21, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  21. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Beyoncé – Find Your Way Back" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  22. ^ Soupamodel, D. J. (July 25, 2019). "Meet the African Artists Beyonce Collaborated With For 'The Lion King: The Gift'". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  23. ^ "Beyoncé drops new visual album Black Is King". The FADER. Archived from the original on December 27, 2023. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
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