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"Before I Let Go"
Single by Maze
from the album Live in New Orleans
B-side"Golden Time of the Day" [1]
Released1981 (1981)
Genre
Length3:42 (7" edit)
5:07 (album version)
Label Capitol
Songwriter(s) Frankie Beverly [2]
Producer(s)Frankie Beverly [3]
Maze singles chronology
"Running Away"
(1981) 		"Before I Let Go"
(1981) 		"We Need Love to Live"
(1982)

"Before I Let Go" is a song performed by American R&B band Maze, issued as the second single from the band's fifth album and first live album Live in New Orleans. Although Live in New Orleans is a live album, "Before I Let Go" appears on the album as a studio recording. [4] Written and produced by lead singer Frankie Beverly, [2] [3] the song peaked at #13 on the Billboard R&B chart in 1981. [5]

Beyoncé covered the song for her 2019 film Homecoming, and it's the focus of a 2021 episode of Jenna Wortham and Wesley Morris's New York Times podcast, Still Processing. [6]

Chart positions

Chart (1981–2016) [5] Peak
position
US R&B Singles ( Billboard) 13

Beyoncé version

"Before I Let Go"
Single by Beyoncé
from the album Homecoming
ReleasedApril 17, 2019 (2019-04-17)
Recorded2018–2019
Genre
Length4:00
Label Parkwood
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

Beyoncé covered the song for her 2019 film Homecoming, and included the cover on the accompanying live album. It also includes a sample of New Orleans bounce artist, DJ Jubilee, one of the pioneers of bounce music, recorded on Take Fo' Records. An interpolation of " Candy" by Cameo also runs throughout the song.

Beverly told Billboard that the cover was "one of the high points of (his) life... in a class of its own" and made him "feel bigger than ever! I feel like I have a huge smash out there." [7]

Live performances

In 2023, Beyoncé performed the song during her " Renaissance World Tour".

Chart positions

Weekly charts

Chart (2019) Peak
position
Belgium ( Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders) [8] 9
Ireland ( IRMA) [9] 71
Lithuania ( AGATA) [10] 47
Slovakia ( Singles Digitál Top 100) [11] 90
Sweden ( Sverigetopplistan) [12] 73
UK Singles ( OCC) [13] 77
US Billboard Hot 100 [14] 65
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs ( Billboard) [15] 24
US R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay ( Billboard) [16] 5

Year-end charts

Chart (2019) Position
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard) [17] 69

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Brazil ( Pro-Música Brasil) [18] Gold 20,000‡
United States ( RIAA) [19] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly – Before I Let Go / Golden Time Of The Day at Discogs". Discogs. Zink Media. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Before I Let Go – Frankie Beverly,Maze | Listen, Appearances, Song Review | AllMusic". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly – Before I Let Go / Golden Time Of The Day (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs. Zink Media. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  4. ^ Easlea, Daryl (2012). "BBC – Music – Review of Maze featuring Frankie Beverly – Live In New Orleans". BBC Music. BBC. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Maze | Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  6. ^ "Before I Let Go". The New York Times. May 20, 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  7. ^ "Frankie Beverly Responds to Beyonce Covering His Maze Hit 'Before I Let Go'". Billboard. 24 April 2019.
  8. ^ " Beyoncé – Before I Let Go" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  9. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Beyoncé". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  10. ^ "Savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. April 26, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  11. ^ " ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201917 into search. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  12. ^ " Beyoncé – Before I Let Go". Singles Top 100. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  13. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  14. ^ "Beyonce Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  15. ^ "Beyonce Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  16. ^ "Beyoncé Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  17. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  18. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Beyoncé – Before I Let Go" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  19. ^ "American single certifications – Beyonce – Before I Let Go (Homecoming Live)". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 8, 2022.

External links


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