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Summary
“Listen” is a song written for the musical film “Dreamgirls”. It is a product of the joint efforts of Anne Preven, Henry Krieger, Scott Cutler, and Beyonce. If you are a pianist who also regards “Listen” as a fascinating song, check out the comprehensive video tutorial and learn all essential details necessary for your flawless performance.
Piano Performance
Syntesia Video Tutorial
About the song
In “Dreamgirls”, Beyonce’s character Deena Jones feels oppressed by her controlling husband and the song is an expression of her demand for independence.
Shortly after its release, “Listen” achieved an overwhelming success. Music critics unanimously defined it as a blockbuster and spoke highly of Beyonce’s strong and emotional vocals. They also complemented the song on being a true reflection of Deena Jones’ life.
Back in 2007, the song won the Critics’ Choice Award, the Golden Globe Award, as well as the 2007 Academy Award. A year earlier, it was nominated for the International Press Academy Satellite Award. The “Dreamgirls” scooped four awards at the 12th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards in 2007, including the “Best Original Song” award.
Was Beyonce one of the honorees? - someone would ask. Surprising or not, her name was not included in the list. There is a pretty good reason for that, though. Academy Rule 16 allows up to three of the major song contributors to be eligible for an award. As the Committee considered Beyonce's contribution the smallest, she was not among the nominees. Although her fans were taken aback by this announcement, rules are to be followed.
The song itself falls under the category of the soul – R&B songs. It is Deena Jones’ commitment to unconditional love and refusal to give up on her dreams. Beyonce was defined as a female protagonist whose song reflects Deena Jones’ rejection to put up with the rules, set by her dominating husband. The instrumentation is mainly comprised of guitars, percussion, bass, drums, keyboards, violins. If you are planning to perform the song on a digital piano, you have to make sure your instrument features all these sounds.
The ballad is written in the key of B major. It is set at a relatively slow groove of 62 beats per minute. As for Beyonce’s vocals, they are in the range between F#3 to G5. One of the most successful cover versions of listen is the “Glee TV show” version, covered by Charice in 2010. “Listen” also has its Spanish version named “Oye”.
Lyrics
Listen to the song here in my heart
A melody I start but can’t complete
Listen, to the sound from deep within
It’s only beginning
To find release
Oh, the time has come
For my dreams to be heard
They will not be pushed aside and turned
Into your own
All cause you won’t
Listen
[Chorus:]
Listen, I am alone at a crossroads
I’m not at home, in my own home
And I’ve tried and tried
To say what’s on my mind
You should have known
Oh, now I’m done believing you
You don’t know what I’m feeling
I’m more than what you made of me
I followed the voice you gave to me
But now I gotta find my own
You should have listened
There is someone here inside
Someone I’d thought had died
So long ago
Oh, I’m screaming out, and my dreams will be heard
They will not be pushed aside or worse
Into your own
All cause you won’t
Listen
[Chorus:]
Listen, I am alone at a crossroads
I’m not at home, in my own home
And I’ve tried and tried
To say what’s on my mind
You should have known
Oh, now I’m done believing you
You don’t know what I’m feeling
I’m more than what you made of me
I followed the voice you gave to me
But now I gotta find my own
I don’t know where I belong
But I’ll be moving on
If you don’t
If you won’t
Listen to the song here in my heart
A melody I start
But I will complete
Oh, now I’m done believing you
You don’t know what I’m feeling
I’m more than what you’ve made of me
I followed the voice you think you gave to me
But now I gotta find my own
My own …
