"Listen" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé. The song was written by Beyoncé, Henry Krieger, Scott Cutler, and Anne Preven, and produced by The Underdogs, Matt Sullivan and Randy Spendlove for the 2006 musical film Dreamgirls, in which Beyoncé's character Deena Jones sings the song in an expression of independence from her controlling husband. Columbia Records released "Listen" as the lead single from the Dreamgirls: Music from the Motion Picture soundtrack album on December 5, 2006. It additionally appeared as a hidden track on international editions, and on the deluxe edition of Beyoncé's second solo studio album, B'Day. The Spanish version of the song, "Oye", was released on the EP, Irreemplazable, and the Spanish deluxe edition of B'Day.
One of four new songs written for the feature version of Dreamgirls (originally a 1981 Broadway musical), "Listen" is a soul-R&B song; its lyrics make reference to tenacity, love, the refusal to defer dreams and finally rise towards fame. Its instrumentation includes bass, drums, guitars, keyboards, percussion, and violins, among others. Contemporary music critics complimented the strong and emotional vocals of Beyoncé, and added that the lyrics perfectly elaborate on Deena Jones's life. "Listen" won Best Original Song at the 2007 Critics' Choice Awards. It was nominated in the same category at the 2006 International Press Academy Satellite Award, at the 2007 Golden Globe Awards for all songwriters, and at the 2007 Academy Awards, for songwriters Krieger, Cutler and Preven.
"Listen" peaked at number 61 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and generally peaked inside the top 20 positions in European countries. It fared better in the United Kingdom where it reached number eight thanks to a live duet performance of Beyoncé and Alexandra Burke at The X Factor, where Burke emerged as the winner after singing "Listen" during the finale. The song was also covered by Jake Zyrus during the second-season premiere of Glee and Melanie Amaro during the finale of the first season of The X Factor in the U.S., where she emerged as the winner. Two accompanying music videos were filmed for "Listen"; the performance version was directed by Diane Martel, and the second one, being Vogue Shoot Version, was directed by Matthew Rolston. "Listen" was also a part of her set list on The Beyoncé Experience (2007) and the I Am... Tour (2009–10).
Last Updated: May 28, 2017
