BC Jean - If I were a boy (demo)
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Among several first-time award recipients was BC Jean Carlson, the San Diego writer of Beyoncé’s hit “If I Were a Boy.” Asked how her song, which she had recorded on her own, found its way to the pop and R&B diva, Carlson said: “You know, I’m not even sure. I think Tony [Gad], the song’s other writer, got it to her.” When I complimented her for choosing the correct verb tense for her song -- unlike Chad Kroeger’s “If Today Was Your Last Day,” another of the songs honored Tuesday -- Carlson’s face lighted up: “We went around and around about that!” she said. “He thought it should be 'was.' But I won. I always do,” she added with a giggle. It’s hard to argue with her: The attention the song has brought the whiskyvoiced singer and songwriter has landed her a recording contract with J Records, where she’s now at work with producer Clive Davis on an album that just might make her name as well-known as her breakthrough song. -- Randy Lewis
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2010/05/bmi-2010-awards-john-fogerty-taylor-swift-redone.html
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“Toby (Gad) and I were walking around Times Square,” she says, “and there was an amazing smell coming from this pizzeria. I was doing the diet thing and was like, ‘Mmm, you smell that? If I were a boy, I would totally eat that.’ And he said, ‘What did you say?’ And I said, ‘I wish I were a boy so I could eat pizza and popcorn and wear baggy clothes.’ He asked me what else I would do and I said, ‘I’d be a better man than my ex-boyfriend,’ and he was like, ‘How would you sing it, BC’? We went back to the studio, I came up with the lyrics and melody, and it was just one of those honest, emotional songs that came out quickly, in less than 30 minutes. It’s such a simple song, but it’s very honest and I think that’s why it works. The new single ‘Just A Guy’ is sort of the sequel to it, learning to just accept the guy for who he is, even if I wish he were different. The sad bitter song followed by the ‘oh well, he’s just a guy, whatever. I look at it this way. Every song I write about a guy who disappoints me brings me closer to the one I’m going to marry!”
Gad, whose was working on songs with Jean the two hoped would score her a record deal, felt it was the gold-star smash that would be her first single. He was wrong, but in the most exciting way possible. “When I got the call that Beyonce wanted to record it,” Jean says, “I was like, haha, sure, why would she want to sing a song about me and my ex. But as it turned out, the song that was my therapy for the day, something I had to get off my chest, turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me. At first I was petrified and not sure I wanted to give away my baby, but later when I heard Beyonce’s recording, I knew it would open a lot of doors for me and reach more people than it ever could have had I been the one to record it first.”
While Jean had already been in talks with several labels about signing a recording deal the success of “If I Were A Boy” sparked a fierce bidding war for her services
http://www.songwriteruniverse.com/bcjean123.htm
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Young Hollywood Interview
I sent the producer that I working with, the if i were a boy, he thought it's intersting.
then I was just working, writing with producers,writers and work my ways up to toby gad who gonna wrote if i were a boy with. the moment I ever wrote that song, it's pretty much a song that change my life.
we shopping it to lables, then next minute beyonce want sing it. now rebeca want sing it, clive davids wwants sign me.
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TWIST: So you also wrote a song ["If I Were a Boy"] for Beyoncé. What was that like?
BC Jean: Well, actually, it was a song that I wrote for myself. ... I had been through my first break up ever ... He really broke my heart, and I was in New York and talking about wishing I were a boy because I wanted to eat unhealthy food, I want to eat pizza and not worry about fitting into my skinny jeans, and next thing I know, I was talking about how I would be a better man than my ex and then the song was like a therapy session, really.
http://www.twistmagazine.com/2011/05/twist-talks-with-bc-jean.html
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"It was surreal to know that Beyoncé was interested in a song that started off as a therapy writing session, as I like to call it,"
http://www.j-14.com/2010/11/j-14-hot-music-alert-bc-jean.html
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she wrote Beyonce’s 2008 hit If I Were A Boy. “It was gonna be for me,” says of the million-selling song. “It’s from a true experience, personal story of true heartbreak. And then Beyonce heard it and wanted to sing it.” The success of that song has not only put BC (those are her initials, and we’ll get to that later) in a position of being an in-demand songwriter, but also now has her in the position she’s always wanted: about to launch a career as a singer.
http://www.beatweek.com/music/musicianinterviews/7014-bc-jean-interview-if-i-were-a-boy-just-a-guy/
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The controversy about "If I Were A Boy"- I met BC Jean via MySpace, and when I saw her talent, I invited her over to NYC to write a few songs together. Ten songs later, I tried to get her connected to managers, publishers and record labels in order to get her a record deal. Many months and rejections later we said "look, we tried everything but we could not get a record deal, let's at least try to shop those songs we wrote to other artists and get one of the songs to become a hit first, this way the songs will live and it can even open doors for BC." So I began playing the songs to other artists. On a session I had with Beyonce, I played her the song and she immediately wanted to record it. After BC heard that recording, she changed her mind. I don't want to elaborate on what happened after but we resolved it amicably and I am happy that as a result of the success of the single, BC got signed to J-records
http://monicamania.blogdrive.com/archive/4409.html
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we wrote tne songs and I wanted to shop around for a record deal. one of those songs was If I were a boy. she was angry with her boyfriend and said 'if i were a boy I wouldn't do that, I thought, hold on, that sounds like a title. I tried to find her a record deal but nobody wanted to put the money on the table. so I pitched the songs to other artists.
a few months later I was in studio with beyonce and plated her the song, she jumped up and said toby, I want to sing this song right now' back then it sounded more like a rock song. but a few hours later it sounded amaing. beyonce really added another dimension to the song.
http://www.tobygad.com/images_2010/xmag.png
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Toby Gad Radio Interview
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lyric's change
first verse
Beyonce - Drink beer with the guys
I'd kick it with who I wanted
and I'd never get confronted for it
BC Jean - I Drink beer with the guys
I make out with who I wanted
and never get bursted for it
Chrous
Beyonce - I think I could understand
Bc Jean - I think that I understand
Second verse
Beyonce - I would turn off my phone
Tell everyone it's broken
So they'd think that I was sleepin' alone
BC Jean - I could just turn off my phone
and tell her that is borken
So she'd think that I was sleepin' alone
final chorus
Beyonce - Cuz you've taken her for granted
BC Jean - Cuz he've taken you for granted
+ Beyonce version has different vocal arrangement, production.
also finger snap sound on second verse.
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DK: "If I Were A Boy" was a #1 hit for Beyonce. How did you write and place this song with her?
Gad: I wrote this song with BC Jean. I originally had found her via MySpace, and I invited her to come to New York where I was living at the time. We wrote and recorded 10 songs and "If I Were A Boy" was the last of the 10 songs. We were out getting a pizza and she was a little mad at a boy. She said "If I were a boy I'd kick his ass" (laughter). And then I said, "Stop wait a minute, that sounds like a song title." So we went back to the studio, I got the guitar out and we started writing. I asked her, "If you were a boy what would you do?" So we just went line by line--the song came together really quickly.
DK: Did you think at first that it could be a hit?
Gad: Yes, while we wrote it I already felt it could be a hit. It was one of the songs I had a strong feeling about. Then two months later, (A&R exec) Max Gousse put me in a room with Beyonce--I had two days to write with her. Before we started writing, I played her a few songs including "If I Were A Boy." When Beyonce heard it, she jumped up and said "I want to record this song right now--I love it." So that day we recorded the song. This was at Jay-Z's studio in New York. We were moved to tears--it felt so good when she sang it. While she sang it she was dancing to it. And she was very fast recording her vocal takes--she knew exactly what she wanted.
A couple months passed, and then I heard rumors that "If I Were A Boy" would be the first single (from Beyonce's new album) and that they'd already shot the video. It became a big hit, and later on Reba McEntire also recorded it and it became a single on Country Radio.