Throwback Thursday: Beyoncé – “Work It Out”
This week in 2002, Austin Powers in Goldmember — the third installment of the Austin Powers franchise — was released. The movie co-starred a then-20-year-old Beyoncé, who was making her big screen debut. Prior to this movie, she had only appeared in Carmen: A Hip Hopera, which went straight to television.
The Goldmember soundtrack gave Beyoncé another first: It’s lead single, “Work It Out,” would become her very first single as a solo artist. Co-written by The Neptunes and the singer, the track is a bouncy funk tune that aims to give you the ‘70s feel of its parent movie. As a matter of fact, Beyoncé appears to be performing the song as Foxxy Cleopatra, her character in the movie.
(Random, not-so-fun fact: While practicing tricks on the set of this video shoot, Beyoncé got hit in the face by the microphone stand, leading to a chipped tooth.)
“Work It Out” isn’t a terrible song, but it just doesn’t quite curl all the way over. Though it was a top 10 hit in the UK, the song completely missed the charts in the US. At the time, it looked like the former leader of Destiny’s Child couldn’t make it happen on her own. We would soon know better.
As we begin a new era tonight, let’s take a look back at where it all began for Beyoncé the solo artist.
No Comments