XO (song)

Ryan Tedder self-wrote, composed and co-produced "XO" with Terius "The-Dream" Nash and Beyoncé, with additional production handled by Chauncey "Hit-Boy" Hollis and HazeBanga Music.

The usage of an audio sample from Space Shuttle Challenger disaster at the beginning of the song was criticized by the families of the lost crew, NASA, and some media.

"XO" was written by Beyoncé, Terius "The-Dream" Nash and Ryan Tedder while the production was helmed by the aforementioned group as well as Chauncey "Hit-Boy" Hollis and HazeBanga.

[1][13] "XO" is a midtempo pop[14] love power ballad that strongly resembles Beyoncé's own 2008 song "Halo", also produced by Tedder,[2][15][16][17] and contains influences of the electronic rock and reggaeton genres.

[2] Chris Bosman from Consequence of Sound described the song as a blend of "cinematic reach of modern Top 40 pop with the patience and melancholy of post-808s & Heartbreaks [sic] hip-hop.

[2][36] The song begins with a six second-long sample of former NASA public affairs officer Steve Nesbitt, recorded moments after Space Shuttle Challenger disaster on January 28, 1986: "Flight controllers here looking very carefully at the situation.

[38] On December 30, 2013, NASA criticized the use of the sample, stating: "The Challenger accident is an important part of our history; a tragic reminder that space exploration is risky and should never be trivialized.

[39] Forrest Wickman of Slate magazine defended Beyoncé's choice to use the sample, and criticized the media reports for their "dismissive" interpretation of the song's "vague" lyrics as being about "a girl in a relationship".

"[33] A similar interpretation was voiced by Douglas Wolk of Wired, who challenged the notion of the sample being simply a "trivialization", instead describing it as "a swift, understated and brutal reminder that everything can go horribly wrong before anyone understands what's happening, and that the light could be extinguished at any moment".

"[33] Caitlin White from the website The 405 noted that there was a reason for the song being "couched in warnings" of malfunction and tragedy elaborating, "As far controversy, denying Beyonce the ability to embrace the intertextuality of incorporating a historical recording like the Challenger explosion is an attempt to relegate her art to a lower form of political discourse, one that's not 'worthy' of interacting with an event of cultural significance like this.

[42] Andrew Hampp and Erika Ramirez of Billboard magazine described "XO" as "magical" further calling it the most radio-friendly song on the entire album with its traditional pop structure.

Greg Kot from the Chicago Tribune described the song's production as "predictable" and opined that the audience sing-along chorus sounded like it was created specifically for being performed during an arena encore.

[25] Similarly, Nathan S. of the website DJ Booth wrote that the song was suitable for "ecstatic" fans to sing along without efforts during a stadium concert: "This is the kind of chorus that's going to be sung at full force in traffic jams for months to come, and while XO may be relatively more subdued, that call and response is destined to be a monster when performed live, right down to the way her voice shows a little wear, just like it would at the end of a show.

He praised the electronic flourishes, saying that they managed to "keep the music from veering into banal territory" and concluded that the song has a "quirky" sound previously unheard on other material by Beyoncé.

[26] Philip Sherburne of Spin found "zero-G bounce... which, purely in terms of sonics, makes the most compelling argument for space tourism I have yet to come across".

[85][86] On January 26, 2014, it set a peak of number 16 on the singles chart and was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipment of 35,000 copies.

[95] In order to prevent snippets of the song being leaked online, the singer wore earbuds during the filming of the video instead of playing the music loud and lip synced the lyrics.

She then continues playing carnival games and rides the Cyclone roller coaster with her stylist Ty Hunter while wearing a baseball cap emblazoned with Notorious B.I.G.

"[24] In another review, he also hailed it as "carefree, neon-drenched" and one of the best clips on the whole album adding that it looked more like a home movie than a music video which was "part of its immense appeal".

[101] Lindsay Zoladz from Pitchfork praised the appeal of the hand-movement choreography from the video, predicting "There will be a supercut of people all over the world lip-syncing and doing cute hand motions to 'XO'".

He described the tone as "appropriate" and different from the rest of the videos on the album and noted that its director used pink and blue colors in the scenes to capture the feel of "budding romance".

[54] Tyler Hanan from the website Under the Gun Review wrote that the video has "all lights on blast and all ages included" and added that it was complete with "smiles, joy, and good-natured silliness".

[36] Melinda Newman from the website HitFix described Beyoncé's look in the video as "sultry, slightly euphoric" and noted its main theme being about comparing love to a carnival.

[41] However, Whitney Phaneuf of the website HitFix gave a mixed review, comparing the video to Mariah Carey's "Fantasy" (1995) saying that the latter's clip made "the roller coaster look better".

[52] Stacey Anderson from Rolling Stone wrote that the song "was delivered with visible emotion, and seemingly with a spontaneity absent from the rest of the precise operation".

[114] Graeme Virtue of The Guardian reviewed the performances of "XO" and "Halo" positively, saying that she managed to transform "[the] monumental songs... into intimate miniatures through sheer force of will" while dancing and interacting with the crowd alone onstage.

Sam Lansky of Time magazine praised the simplicity of the performance as "classy and spare" and wrote that the singer "more than did it justice" with her "pretty much peerless" vocals.

[167] Spin's Marc Hogan noted that "XO" was a "perfect song for him" and described it as "a person-to-person romantic exchange, transferred over to acoustic instruments but no less stadium-sized – or pop – for it.

[181][182] The rendition was noted for containing elements of vintage soft rock and its stripped-down sound was praised highlighting the melody and lyricism of the original "with sincerety" as stated by Whitney Phanuef from HitFix.

[188] On April 8, 2014, remix versions of "XO" and "Blow" by French musician Monsieur Adi premiered on Out's official website along Beyoncé's appearance on the cover of the magazine.