The song was composed by Patrick "J. Que" Smith, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Symbolyc One, Caleb Sean McCampbell, Antonio Dixon, Beyoncé, and Shea Taylor.

Beyoncé and Patrick "J. Que" Smith wrote "Best Thing I Never Had" in collaboration with its producers Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Symbolyc One, Antonio Dixon, Shea Taylor, and Caleb Sean.

[1][2][3][4] According to Smith, "Best Thing I Never Had" is a ballad but was not originally written so; early demos sounded like late 1980s hip hop material.

[2] Beyoncé has stated that every man and woman can relate to the song's subject matter because at one point, almost everyone ends a relationship because of lack of commitment by his or her partner.

[15] It was photographed by Ellen von Unwerth[3] and shows Beyoncé posing in a bathroom in front of a mirror while wearing a tight-fitting dress designed by Lleah Rae.

[36] Priya Elan of NME noted that the ballad is reminiscent of Beyoncé's own 2008 songs "Halo" and "Scared Of Lonely", owing to its cascading piano work and drum beat.

[26] James Dinh of MTV News wrote that "Best Thing I Never Had" sounds like a song from a Broadway musical; he attributed the comparison to Beyoncé's collaboration with the band from Fela!

"[1][32] In the second verse, Beyoncé continues to dismiss her former lover as she sings, "So sad, you're hurt / boo hoo ...", over a tinkling piano riff and bass drums.

[19][42][43] Nadine Cheung of AOL Radio noted that though Beyoncé rips through the verses, she sings the chorus and bridge with restraint;[39] on the latter, she affirms that she has moved on in life.

[32] Matthew Perpetua of Rolling Stone wrote that "Best Thing I Never Had" could be "Irreplaceable Part Two" and noted that Beyoncé's vocal performance brings depth to the song.

[45] Consequence of Sound writer Chris Coplan commented that the ballad is a powerful moment of self-realization, which is enhanced by Beyoncé's vocal performance "as [a] wounded bird turned resilient lioness".

[31]Jessica Sinclair of Long Island Press noted that "Best Thing I Never Had" is different from "Run the World (Girls)" and that it shows a side of Beyoncé that listeners rarely see.

[47] Similarly, Joanne Dorken of MTV UK wrote that the song reveals "a more ferocious side to Beyoncé with its faster pace and aggressive piano backing".

[25] Chad Grischow of IGN wrote that "the lush backing music and [the] soaring vocals" on the song sound suitable for an updated take on the Waiting To Exhale soundtrack album as Beyoncé is ecstatic that she ended a poor relationship before it was too late.

[48] Jon Caramainca of The New York Times commented that the "Best Thing I Never Had" has "optimistic, coffee-commercial" pianos, which place Beyoncé directly in Lilith Fair territory.

[40] Ricky Schweitzer of One Thirty BPM commented that even though the ballad sounds like a place-filler on 4, it remains largely superior "to the majority of the trash being churned out by Beyoncé’s peers".

Amos Barshad of New York magazine wrote that the ballad borrows more heavily from Beyoncé's own 2006 single "Irreplaceable", and that "[this] can't be a bad thing".

[69] For the week ending September 24, 2011, the song reached number one on the Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems (BDS) urban airplay chart with 3765 spins, which were heard by 22.033 million listeners.

She is shown wearing a white gown and singing at sunset atop a grassy hill, followed by a scene of her walking down the aisle and exchanging vows.

[106] A Rolling Stone's critic commented Beyoncé was looking stunning in a bridal suite, adding that the most disarming thing about the clip is that she sings directly to the camera.

"[107] The Washington Post's Sarah Anne Hughes wrote Beyoncé is "extravagantly dressed" in the video adding that the only downside is that there is no dance in the tradition of "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (2008).

[105] Werner further praised Beyoncé' "gorgeous" dress and added that it "will likely land on a few style blogs soon, given its embroidered and jeweled details, not to mention the silk bows and ruching on the sides".

[111] Erika Ramirez of Billboard magazine praised the video, "What better way to show your ex they're the best thing you never had than with saying 'I Do' to someone bigger and better in a Baracci Beverly Hills wedding gown.

[114] Gordon Smart of Ashleigh Rainbird of the Daily Mirror found Beyoncé, "looking sexy in white lacy undies and garter – and later in a Big Fat Gypsy Wedding-style frock".

[115] Amos Barshad of New York magazine commented, "To just full-on hammer down the whole 'mature and settled down and happy' thing, Mrs. Hova saunters around with the most irrepressible smile you've ever seen, shimmying amazingly (note the moves at 3:30) as home footage of that jerk she threw away like a parking ticket cuts in and out.

[120] Wearing a pink fringe dress, Beyoncé performed "Best Thing I Never Had" live for the first time during her concert at Palais Nikaïa in Nice, France on June 20, 2011.

[citation needed] Dressed in a black gown, Beyoncé sang the ballad at Macy's 35th Annual July 4 Fireworks Spectacular to an audience, which included serving members of the armed forces.

[128] Brad Wete of Entertainment Weekly wrote that Beyoncé "flipped the track three ways—first" as she performed it in its piano-driven as heard on the album, then adopted a funky style to chant the second verse, before ending in jazzy fashion on the bridge.

[131] Maura Johnston of The Village Voice wrote that the fans who attended the show, "were able to watch her bask in their singing the supremely confident 'Irreplaceable' and 'Best Thing I Never Had' as fearlessly as they might at home.

"[132] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times wrote that the performance "hums beautifully but not powerfully", and added that Beyoncé was "practically in earth mother mode, a healer curing her minions".