"Best Thing I Never Had" is a song by American singer Beyoncé from her fourth studio album, 4 (2011). It was released by Columbia Records on June 1, 2011, as the second single from the album. The song was composed by Patrick "J. Que" Smith, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Symbolyc One, Caleb Sean McCampbell, Antonio Dixon, Beyoncé, and Shea Taylor. The song was originally not written as a ballad, but was inspired by the drumming on Doug E. Fresh's 1985 single "The Show". Beyoncé said that both men and women should be able to relate to the song.
A pop and R&B ballad, the subjects of "Best Thing I Never Had" are revenge and karma. Not wanting to feel broken-hearted, the female protagonist sings that she feels happy to have left her lover, who did not recognize the potential for a happy life with her. Some critics viewed it as a sequel to Beyoncé's 2006 single "Irreplaceable" as the two songs are thematically similar. However, some lyrics, including "showed your ass" and "sucks to be you right now", were criticized. The ballad was also likened to Vanessa Carlton's single "A Thousand Miles" (2002).
"Best Thing I Never Had" peaked at number 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and at number four on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It rose to number three on the UK Singles Chart and number two on the Irish Singles Chart among others. The song reached number one in Croatia as well as the South Korea Gaon International Chart, the UK R&B Chart, and the US Hot Dance Club Play chart. It was certified quadruple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
The accompanying music video for "Best Thing I Never Had" was directed by Diane Martel. It shows Beyoncé getting ready for her wedding while she recalls her ex-lover, who never gave her the attention she deserved. "Best Thing I Never Had" was promoted with several live performances by Beyoncé, notably at the 2011 Glastonbury Festival and on the televised ABC show The View. The song was also included on the set list for her concert 4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé and other shows.
Writing and recording 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. 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. The main inspiration for the song was the drumming of Doug E. Fresh's song "The Show" (1985). Smith told Gyant of Black Entertainment Television (BET) that he was initially intimidated at the prospect of working with Beyoncé. He was in Los Angeles when Tony Dixon telephoned him to say he and Edmonds were going to write some songs with Beyoncé. Smith was asked to join them in the studio and the trio wrote part of "Best Thing I Never Had". After a few days, Dixon and Smith went to the studio again and completed the writing. The song was modified by Edmonds after hearing a demo; he tweaked the lyrics and added a few more melodies.
Beyoncé's vocals were recorded at the KMA Studio in New York City. When the trio played Beyoncé the demo of "Best Thing I Never Had", she immediately approved it after making slight modifications. Smith says that Beyoncé was literally jumping up and down after hearing the demo. One hour later Beyoncé recorded "Best Thing I Never Had" and two other songs. Smith recalled that Beyoncé focused solely on the recording, ignoring hunger as she worked into the night. 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.
Artwork and release A private listening party for Beyoncé's fourth studio album, 4, was held on May 12, 2011. Beyoncé offered a select group of fans a preview of five songs from 4, including "Best Thing I Never Had". On May 20, 2011, a song called "End of Time", featuring Beyoncé professing everlasting love, was leaked online, watermarked with the tag "internal use only". Several websites, including MTV News reported that it might be released as the second single from 4. However, these speculations were soon overshadowed by the release of "1+1" on May 25, 2011, a promotional single in the United States exclusively. Nevertheless, Columbia Records reported that "1+1" would not be released for airplay and that "Best Thing I Never Had" was favored as the second single from 4, following "Run the World (Girls)".
On May 27, 2011, Pittsburgh radio station 96.1 Kiss FM received an email from Beyoncé's management, informing them that "Best Thing I Never Had" would premiere on radio on June 1, 2011. The single debuted on US radio at 8 a.m. (EST) that day. Its cover artwork was also unveiled on June 1, 2011, on Beyoncé's official website. It was photographed by Ellen von Unwerth and shows Beyoncé posing in a bathroom in front of a mirror while wearing a tight-fitting dress designed by Lleah Rae. She holds a tube of red lipstick, which has been used to write "King B" on the mirror. The song was digitally released in the United States on June 1, and in Europe on June 9. "Best Thing I Never Had" was released as a digital download in the UK on July 3, 2011, and as a CD single in Germany on July 29. A digital EP containing four remixes of the song was released in Australia and the United Kingdom on September 2.
Composition and lyrical interpretation
"Best Thing I Never Had" is a midtempo pop and R&B power ballad, which incorporates elements of gospel music. The song is set in common time with a moderate tempo of 100 beats per minute, and is written in the key of G major. The introduction follows the chord progression of G–C–Em–D, while the verses follow Gsus4–G–Em–D6–Gsus4–G. Beyoncé's voice spans from the low note of E♭3 to the high note of G♭5. Layered female vocals provide a backing to Beyoncé's occasionally aggressive vocals. The instrumentation includes a piano, stadium-sized bass drums, and strings. "Best Thing I Never Had" is thematically a kiss-off song; it is in this respect similar to Beyoncé's own songs "Irreplaceable" (2006) and "If I Were a Boy" (2008).
Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly wrote that elements of the ballad have emanated from Celine Dion's "That’s The Way It Is" (1999), and Bruce Hornsby's "The Way It Is" (1986). Caryn Ganz of Yahoo! Music wrote that "Best Thing I Never Had" resembles Vanessa Carlton's 2002 song "A Thousand Miles" paired with Ryan Tedder's thumping beat. Ryan Dombal of Pitchfork Media also noted that the song wouldn't sound "out-of-place" on a Vanessa Carlton album. 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. 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! to gain inspiration from the play's subject, Nigerian musician and composer Fela Kuti.
The song's lyrics are about the breakdown of a relationship between Beyoncé and her lover, a situation that suits both of them. They also touch on revenge and karma, particularly the opening line, "What goes around comes back around", the lines "Best thing I never had", "Best thing you never had", and the closing line, "Sucks to be you right now". Happy to have avoided heartbreak, Beyoncé continues to sing about her ex-lover, who did not recognize the possibility of a happy relationship with Beyoncé until the relationship broke down. Beyoncé no longer desires her lover after discovering his deceit; as shown in the pre-chorus and chorus lines, "When I think of the time that I almost loved you / You showed your ass and I saw the real you / Thank God you blew it, I thank God I dodged a bullet / I’m so over you, so baby good looking out / I wanted you bad / I’m so through with that / Because honestly / You turned out to be the best thing I never had / And will always be the best thing you never had."
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. She then chants the ascendant chorus, which this time features soaring strings and an uplifting aggressive piano accompaniment. Nadine Cheung of AOL Radio noted that though Beyoncé rips through the verses, she sings the chorus and bridge with restraint; on the latter, she affirms that she has moved on in life. The song ends as Beyoncé repeatedly sings, "What goes around comes back around / I bet it sucks to be you right now".
Critical reception "Best Thing I Never Had" received average to favorable reviews from music critics. Gerrick D. Kennedy of the Los Angeles Times noted similarities between "Best Thing I Never Had" and Beyoncé's previous singles including "Irreplaceable" and "If I Were a Boy", and concluded that Beyoncé "certainly knows how to dump a man in style". 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. Rich Juzwiak of The Village Voice wrote that the song is not as iconic as its reference point "Irreplaceable", but "nor is it as shady". He commended the optimism in the song's lyrics. 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". Choosing "Best Thing I Never Had" as the highlight of 4, Andy Kellman of Allmusic described it as "a bombastic kiss-off saved by Beyoncé's ability to plow through it". Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly noted the moderate chart performance of "Run the World (Girls)", and wrote: "Best Thing I Never Had" finds Beyoncé mining the same kind of girl-power imagery as she did on 'Run the World (Girls)'. But there is something more direct and honest about the lyrics on the new single (perhaps it's the instant greatness of the line, 'When I think of the time I almost loved you / You showed your ass and I saw the real you'). 'Best Thing I Never Had' feels like the kind of crossover hit that will help 4 join the rest of Beyoncé's discography in multiplatinum land.