Ring The Alarm

Background

Writing and recording

In 2006, Beyonc landed on a starring role for a Broadway musical adaptation Dreamgirls, that “heavily” inspired the content and music of the album. While having a vacation after six months of filming, she rushed to the studio to begin working on her second solo album B’Day. Beyonc revealed: “[When filming ended,] I had so many things bottled up, so many emotions, so many ideas”. She called up American songwriter and record producer Sean Garrett, who co-wrote her 2005 multi-platinum single “Check on It”, along with Rodney Jerkins and Rich Harrison. She also contacted American hip hop producer-rapper Kasseem “Swizz Beatz” Dean, who also co-produced “Check on It”. Beyonc rented Sony Music Studios and booked Garrett, along with other producers, each with one room to work in. He revealed: “I came to the studio and saw the zone…everybody in here is banging out. Rodney Jerkins had his session, Rich Harrison had his session going on…I started banging out some shit.” “Ring the Alarm” ended up co-written by Beyonc, Garrett and Swizz Beatz.

The album’s tracks were produced while writing on the lyrics. It was co-arranged by Beyonc and recorded in the same studio. “Ring the Alarm” was produced by Beyonc, Garrett and Swizz Beatz. The track was one of the four songs produced by Swizz Beatz. He stated: “That’s just one of the many presents I gave her for her B’Day. I have the most tracks on her album as a single producer”.

Artwork controversy

The artwork of B’Day, including the cover of “Ring the Alarm”, fueled controversy after Beyonc used alligators during the photo shoot. Beyonc revealed that using the animal and taping their mouths shut was her idea. PETA, an animal rights organization which had previous confronted her after she had used furs for her fashion line’s clothing design, contacted a biologist who later wrote a letter to Beyonc:

As a specialist in reptile biology and welfare, I’m concerned about your posing with a terrified baby alligator for your new album cover. Humans and alligators are not natural bedfellows, and the two should not mix at events such as photo shoots. In my view, doing so is arguably abusive to an animal.

Musical style and lyrics

“Ring the Alarm” is an R&B song performed in a moderately slow tempo. The song is composed in A minor and is set in common time. “Ring the Alarm”‘s instrumentation includes drums, other percussion instruments, and synthesizer. The track uses a blaring siren as its introductory sound, creating a more aggressive tone in the song. Beyonc’s strong vocals are enhanced with echo and shimmer, which overlap with one another to create a neo-warm vibe. She incorporates a mezzo-soprano growl for the track. Beyonc personally commented on the song: “It’s energetic, aggressive and filled with hard beats”. She also stated that the album was completed in three weeks, and that was the reason most of the record is aggressive.

In an interview, Beyonc stated: “I didn’t want to write some ‘angry’ song. Swizz’s track had that tough vibe, like the guy had cheated, and I wanted to write something honest. If you’re in a relationship, even if the man’s cheating and you end up not wanting him, the thought of another woman benefiting from the lessons you taught him.” The lyrical content of “Ring the Alarm” was rumored to be chronicling about pop star Rihanna’s relationship with rapper-mogul Jay-Z. The Roc-A-Fella Remix of the song, which is the official remix, featuring rapper Foxy Brown, contained a lyric by Brown referring to the Jay-Z- Rihanna situation. She rapped ” the streets is talkin/ niggas lovin the drama/ everybody wanna know is he fucking Rihanna/ No!”

Release and critical response

At the studio, Beyonc played “Ring the Alarm” and “Freakum Dress” for the prospect of the next two singles, following “Dj Vu”. She also chose for “Green Light” and “Get Me Bodied” to hit international markets but opted for “Ring the Alarm” to be released as the second single of the album. A two-track CD single was released in the United States on October 3, 2006, two months after the release of “Dj Vu”. A five-track remix CD was released on October 17, including the Karmatronic Remix, Migtight Remix, Tranzformas Remix, Pha Remix and Grizz Remix.

“Ring the Alarm” was received by the public with polarized responses. Eb Haynes of Allhiphop referred the track as “emotionally high-powered” which “rose speculations so arresting, while insignificant”. The Boston Globe’s Sarah Rodman noted that the song “exposes rage and vulnerability” that “with its dread-filling siren blare, distorted vocals, and slapping backbeat, ‘Ring the Alarm’ finds Beyonce in full hell-hath-no-fury mode…she sings with grit and urgency that feel genuine.” Jonah Weiner of Blender wrote that “‘Ring the Alarm,’ a storm of clattering percussion and sirens, tackles a Beyonc evergreen: the inseparability of romance and finance.” Chris Richards of The Washington Post defined her character in the song as a “jealousy-crazed ex…Riveting stuff, but without a knockout refrain, she doesn’t sound particularly invested in the role.” Tom Breihan of Pitchfork Media states, “‘Cry Me a River’ dazzled on the strength of its symphonic complexity, while ‘Ring the Alarm’ is an engine of simplistic fury.”

Andy Kellman of Allmusic described it “an angered, atonal, and out-of-character song”. Norman Mayers of Prefixmag found the track with an “aggressive shouting and rock edge”. Jody Rosen of Entertainment Weekly referred “Ring the Alarm” a “torrid” track where it “finds Beyonc shouting the refrain through a thick fog of distortion…she sounds positively horrified by the prospect of relinquishing the luxury goodies her boyfriend has bought her’chinchilla coats,’ ‘the house on the coast’o another woman.” On his review of the album, Tim Finney of Pitchfork Media quoted that the track is a “siren-assisted caterwaul” and “sounds genuinely (and marvelously) incoherent” and that Beyonc’s voice is “thrillingly sharp with anxiety and paranoia.” Brian Hiatt of Rolling Stone stated that “Beyonce sings with enough frantic, quavering intensity to make you believe she really is crazy in love.” Spence D. of IGN Music was positive, stating that Beyonc’s “best examples of her vocal stylings meshing with the grooves” come from “Ring the Alarm”.

Bill Lamb of About.com commented: “Surprisingly, the first two singles released from B’Day, “Dj Vu” and “Ring the Alarm,” are among the weakest songs here.” Bernard Zuel of The Sydney Morning Herald referred to it a “posturing and eventually annoying” track which “highlights another problem with the album.”

Beyonc performed the song at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards. “Ring the Alarm” was nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 49th Grammy Awards but lost out to Mary J. Blige’s rendition of her 2005 single “Be Without You”.

Chart performance

“Ring the Alarm” was released as the second North American single from B’Day, with “Irreplaceable” as the second elsewhere. On September 23, 2006, the song debuted at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, the highest U.S. debut of the week and Beyonc’s career. The single peaked at number 11 on September 30, becoming Beyonc’s lowest peaking single until “Get Me Bodied” which peaked at number 68. Several weeks after falling off the Hot 100, the single charted again, on January 13, 2007, at number 81, appearing on the chart for 14 weeks.

The single was more successful on Billboard’s component charts. “Ring the Alarm” reached the top spot on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales and Hot 100 Singles Sales, number three on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and number seven on the Hot Digital Songs. It appeared on the Rhythmic Top 40 at number 21.

Elsewhere, “Ring the Alarm” had poor reception. In Sweden, the single debuted at number 57 on January 15, 2007, a week after it re-entered the Hot 100. It topped at number 31 and spent four weeks on the chart. In Japan, the single peaked at 16. The single reached 120 on the UK Singles Chart, following high download sales from B’Day.

Music video

The music video for “Ring the Alarm” was the second Beyonc video directed by Sophie Muller after the director worked on “Dj Vu”. The video was shot inside a cavernous hangar on the Brooklyn waterfront, New York City. Beyonc went back to the studio to continue working on B’Day after the shoot ended for three days. “Ring the Alarm” remakes a scene from the 1992 film Basic Instinct, referred by Natalie More of In These Times an infamous scene. Beyonc wears a white skirt and turtleneck, emulating Sharon Stone. The video premiered at Yahoo! Music on August 16, 2006 and debuted on MTV’s Total Request Live at number 10 on August 22. The video reached number one and remained on the show for 35 days until it was replaced by “Irreplaceable”. The video was posted on MTV Overdrive on August 25, 2006. The video also pays homage to Lauryn Hills video for Ex-Factor in the living room scenes.

The video starts with Beyonc lying on a table, lit with a flashing bright red light. While the siren is blaring, she half-stands and sings while dancing on the table. She then proceeds to an interrogation room set in an environment similar to the one in the film Basic Instinct. Beyonc sings the first verse in a house with a seashore backdrop. She wants to escape and struggles with masked and uniformed guards in a hallway. She is then brought back to the interrogation room. In between cuts, she sings in a corner of a room, screaming in a mirror and amongst reporters. She cries while singing towards the end of the song. The video ends, with a close-up view, of Beyonce putting on red lipstick. The scene shows only Beyonce’s lips.

The video gained mixed responses from critics. Kellman stated that the video “invited all kinds of perplexed analysis”. Jose Antonio Vargas of the The Washington Post characterized Beyonc in the video a “ranting, angry woman”. Elizabeth Goodman of Rolling Stone speculated that the use of guards in riot gear is a reference to Alias. Tom Breihan of The Village Voice called it “quick-and-dirty” video and a “fast montage of disconnected and disconnecting images”. Roger Friedman of Fox News found it a “bizarre video depicting a wildly angry and unappealing Beyonce telling off someone (maybe Jay-Z?) for cheating as if she were an enraged guest on Maury Povich.”

Formats and track listing

US Dance Mixes EP

“Ring the Alarm” (Freemasons Club Mix) – 8:33

“Ring the Alarm” (Karmatronic Remix) – 3:19

“Ring the Alarm” (Migtight Remix) – 3:19

US Urban Mixes EP

“Ring the Alarm” (Tranzformas Remix) (feat. Collie Buddz) – 4:12

“Ring the Alarm” (Jazze Pha Remix) – 3:47

“Ring the Alarm” (Grizz Remix) – 3:32

Official Versions

Album Version – 3:23

Promo Only Clean Radio Edit – 3:16 (Released on the Promo Only compilation in October 2006).

Karmatronic Remix – 3:19

Migtight Remix – 3:19

Tranzformas Remix feat. Collie Buddz – 4:12

Jazze Pha Remix – 3:47

Grizz Remix – 3:32

Freemasons Club Mix – 8:33

Freemasons Radio Edit – 3:28

Credits and personnel

Recorded by: Jim Caruana

Assisted by: Rob Kinelski

Mixed by: Jason Goldstein and Swizz Beatz

Assisted by Steve Tolle

Charts

Chart (2006)

Peak

position

Swedish Singles Chart

UK Singles Chart

120

U.S. Hot 100

U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play

U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs

U.S. Billboard Pop 100

In popular culture

“Ring the Alarm” has featured in the third series premiere of popular UK teen drama Skins.

References

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^ B’Day deluxe edition – CD liner notes, Sony Music BMG Entertainment, 2007

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v d e

Beyonc singles

Dangerously in Love

“Crazy in Love” “Baby Boy” “Me, Myself and I” “Naughty Girl”

B’Day

“Dj Vu” “Ring the Alarm” “Irreplaceable” “Beautiful Liar” “Get Me Bodied” “Green Light”

I Am… Sasha Fierce

“If I Were a Boy” “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” “Diva” “Halo” “Ego” “Sweet Dreams” “Broken-Hearted Girl” “Video Phone”

Featured singles

“I Got That” “’03 Bonnie & Clyde” “What More Can I Give” “Hollywood” “Amor Gitano” “Until the End of Time” “Love in This Club, Pt. II” “Just Stand Up!” “Telephone” “Put It in a Love Song”

Soundtrack

“Work It Out” “Fighting Temptation” “Summertime” “A Woman like Me” “One Night Only” “Listen” “At Last”

Other songs

“Dangerously in Love 2″ “Check on It” “Upgrade U” “Still In Love (Kissing You)” “Radio”

Beyonc Knowles portal

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