Why Don't You Love Me (Beyoncé Knowles song)
Encyclopedia
"Why Don't You Love Me" is a song by American R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...

 singer Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...

 taken from her third studio album, I Am… Sasha Fierce. It later released as a bonus track on a digital EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

 titled I Am... Sasha Fierce - The Bonus Tracks. Composed by Knowles, Angela Beyince, Solange Knowles
Solange Knowles
Solange Piaget Knowles , who performs under the mononym Solange, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, model, dancer, and DJ. Knowles was born and raised in Houston, Texas along with her older sister singer Beyoncé, a former member of R&B group Destiny's Child...

 and The Bama Boyz
Bama Boyz
The Bama Boyz are a Grammy-nominated, Dove Award Winning, American record production, songwriting, and artist trio, consisting of Eddie “E-Trez” Smith III, Jesse J. Rankins, Jonathan D. Wells...

, the song makes use of a retro
Retro
Retro is a culturally outdated or aged style, trend, mode, or fashion, from the overall postmodern past, that has since that time become functionally or superficially the norm once again. The use of "retro" style iconography and imagery interjected into post-modern art, advertising, mass media, etc...

 style and has a dance beat
Beat (music)
The beat is the basic unit of time in music, the pulse of the mensural level . In popular use, the beat can refer to a variety of related concepts including: tempo, meter, rhythm and groove...

. In the song, Knowles questions her love interest about the reason for which he does not value her fabulousness. "Why Don't You Love Me" charted at number one on the US Billboard
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...

Hot Dance Club Songs chart for one week in February, 2010, more than one year after the album's original release.

The inspiration for writing the song came from the time The Bama Boyz spent in London at the end of Knowles' B'Day Tour
The Beyoncé Experience
The Beyoncé Experience was the second worldwide concert tour by American singer-songwriter Beyoncé in support to her second solo album B'Day. According to Vibe, the tour grossed over $18.1 million.-Background:...

. "Why Don't You Love Me" is an R&B-dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...

 song featuring a retro style. The "50s-styled" music video for the song was directed by Melina Matsoukas
Melina Matsoukas
Melina Matsoukas is an American music video director.-Life and career:Matsoukas is of Greek, Jewish, Jamaican and Cuban descent. Both her name and surname are Greek: Μελίνα Ματσούκα. She is a graduate of the American Film Institute and New York University...

 as well as Knowles under the alias, "Bee-Z", and it stars the latter as "B.B. Homemaker". Knowles paid homage to Bettie Page
Bettie Page
Bettie Mae Page was an American model who became famous in the 1950s for her fetish modeling and pin-up photos. She has often been called the "Queen of Pinups"...

 in the video, just like she did in the music videos for "Telephone
Telephone (song)
"Telephone" is a song written and performed by Lady Gaga. It was released from her third extended play and second major release The Fame Monster . The song, featuring American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles, was written by Gaga and Rodney Jerkins...

" and "Video Phone" where she collaborated with Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...

. Critics universally praised the video for its 1950's style sets and costumes, and described the acting skills of Knowles as hot, adorable, charming and funny.

On August 27, 2010, "Why Don't You Love Me" was released as a promotional single
Promotional recording
A promotional recording, or promo, is an audio or video recording distributed for free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available...

 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 where two remixes
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....

 of the song were made available. It eventually charted at number 51 on the UK Singles Chart and at number 14 on its R&B Singles Chart in September 2010. Although not being officially released, the song also garnered some attention in Australia where it charted at number 73, bubbled under the main charts of Belgium and reached number 44 on Slovakia Airplay Chart. In the United States, it ultimately emerged as the nineteenth most played track in dance clubs in 2010. Knowles performed "Why Don't You Love Me" live during the 2011 Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival 2011
The 2011 Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts was held from 22–26 June 2011. Tickets for the festival went on sale from 9 am on Sunday 3 October 2010, over 37 weeks before the festival was set to begin, with a deposit of £50 being paid, while the whole cost of a ticket is £195...

.

Development and production

Jonathan Wells of the The Bama Boyz said that they decided to try something different from what they usually do, by mixing several genres. The song's inspiration came from the time they spent in London at the end of Beyoncé's B'Day Tour
The Beyoncé Experience
The Beyoncé Experience was the second worldwide concert tour by American singer-songwriter Beyoncé in support to her second solo album B'Day. According to Vibe, the tour grossed over $18.1 million.-Background:...

. The writing and production of the song began in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 and was finished stateside in early 2008. They admitted that the song's structure was unusual, however they were happy that it ended up in the Knowles' hands. The Bama Boyz had recently produced two tracks on Solange Knowles
Solange Knowles
Solange Piaget Knowles , who performs under the mononym Solange, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, model, dancer, and DJ. Knowles was born and raised in Houston, Texas along with her older sister singer Beyoncé, a former member of R&B group Destiny's Child...

's second studio album, Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams
Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams
Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams is the second studio album by American R&B singer Solange Knowles, released August 18, 2008, on Polydor Records and Music World...

when she asked them to put instrumentals together for her to write for her sister Beyoncé.

The Bama Boyz almost intentionally left the instrumental for "Why Don’t You Love Me" out, since they thought that the song did not sound like the tracks Beyoncé was recording for her upcoming album, at that particular time. However, Jesse Rankins explained that they later decided to put the instrumental for "Why Don't You Love Me" in the email
Email
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...

 because they knew that Solange likes weird records, but, they made sure to send it last. Out of all the mainstream-inspired
Mainstream
Mainstream is, generally, the common current thought of the majority. However, the mainstream is far from cohesive; rather the concept is often considered a cultural construct....

 attempts The Bama Boyz sent to Solange, she eventually chose that last and most unexpected track and penned "Why Don’t You Love Me". Jonathan Wells commented: "When they heard Solange’s demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...

, we were excited because that track was more our true sound than any of the others [sent], but we still kinda didn’t believe Beyoncé would cut it...but we hoped!"

Beyoncé came to Houston’s Music World Studios for a recording session a few months after Solange had cut the demo. Knowles invited The Bama Boyz into her session at the Houston's Music World Studios to listen to the early versions of I Am... Sasha Fierce. Unexpectedly, after Beyoncé played "Halo
Halo (Beyoncé Knowles song)
"Halo" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles for her third studio album I Am... Sasha Fierce . Columbia Records released the song as the fourth single of the album, to mainstream radio in the United States on January 20, 2009. It was composed by Ryan Tedder, Evan Bogart, and...

", "Why Don’t You Love Me" came blasting through the speakers with Knowles singing the song. The Bama Boyz were thrilled that she recorded it and loved the song. According to "Anti-Music", the song was nearly discarded twice; the first time was when EMI Music
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...

 prepared a demo of the song to send to other artists without knowing that Knowles had already recorded the song, and the second came during the track selection of I Am... Sasha Fierces tracklisting, where executives felt that the song did not fit in with the other records.

Composition

"Why Don't You Love Me" is different from Knowles' previous dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...

 songs because it makes use of a retro style. Written by Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...

, her sister Solange Knowles
Solange Knowles
Solange Piaget Knowles , who performs under the mononym Solange, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, model, dancer, and DJ. Knowles was born and raised in Houston, Texas along with her older sister singer Beyoncé, a former member of R&B group Destiny's Child...

, her cousin Angie Beyince and produced as well as co-written by The Bama Boyz
Bama Boyz
The Bama Boyz are a Grammy-nominated, Dove Award Winning, American record production, songwriting, and artist trio, consisting of Eddie “E-Trez” Smith III, Jesse J. Rankins, Jonathan D. Wells...

, "Why Don't You Love Me" is an upbeat
Beat (music)
The beat is the basic unit of time in music, the pulse of the mensural level . In popular use, the beat can refer to a variety of related concepts including: tempo, meter, rhythm and groove...

 track that draws from the genre of R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...

. The song also contains elements of disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...

 and funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...

 music. It consists of energetic tribal beats
Beat (music)
The beat is the basic unit of time in music, the pulse of the mensural level . In popular use, the beat can refer to a variety of related concepts including: tempo, meter, rhythm and groove...

, a drum loop
Music loop
In electroacoustic music, a loop is a repeating section of sound material. Short sections of material can be repeated to create ostinato patterns...

, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...

y guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

s and a bassline
Bassline
A bassline is the term used in many styles of popular music, such as jazz, blues, funk, dub and electronic music for the low-pitched instrumental part or line played by a rhythm section instrument such as the electric bass, double bass, tuba or keyboard...

, designed to make it a groovy as well as a danceable song. In the song, Knowles questions her love interest about the reason for which he does not value her fabulousness, shown in the lyrics:"Why don’t you love me..when I make me so damn easy to love?... I got beauty... I got class... I got style and I got ass...".

Release and reception

Originally released as a pre-order bonus track on the deluxe edition of I Am... Sasha Fierce, the song was later released as a new song on the platinum edition of the album, and finally as a bonus track along with "Poison" and a remixed version of "Video Phone" featuring pop singer Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...

 on a digital EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

 titled I Am... Sasha Fierce - The Bonus Tracks. On July 2, 2010, "Why Don't You Love Me" was digitally released in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 as a digital single while its music video was made available on a digital EP. Two remixes of the song were later made available for download in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 on August 29, 2009.

All Noise gave the song a positive review, complimenting the lyrics as well as the feminism
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...

 of the song. It was also stated that the song is suitable for "keep[ing] the dance-floors interested" and that it is "inventive and brave" songs like "Why Don't You Love Me" which would keep Knowles at the top in the world of pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...

. Another review from the website "Unreality Shout" praised the beats and funk influences displayed in "Why Don't You Love Me", and called it an interesting song because it attacks the concept of being ignored by a lover "from a different angle, rather than complain[g] miserably and sing[ing] along to a piano-lead ballad." Chris Ryan of the website MTV Buzzworthy called "Wht Don't You Love Me" a "dirty, disco-funk track."

Chart performance

Although "Why Don't You Love Me" was not released as a single, it managed to top the Billboard
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...

 Hot Dance Club Play chart for the week of February 13, 2010. It became Knowles' twelfth number-one hit on that chart and it was also the fifth consecutive song from I Am... Sasha Fierce to reach number one on the same chart. On June 11, 2010, "Why Don't You Love Me" debuted at number 73 on the Australian Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...

. However by the next week, the song fell down to the position number 91, before dropping out of the chart the following week. "Why Don't You Love Me" stayed under the main charts in Belgium
Ultratop 50
Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995...

, reaching number 10 on the Flemish Ultratip chart.

On August 14, 2010, "Why Don't You Love Me" debuted at number 142 on the UK Singles chart, and it moved from number seventy-one to number 40 on its R&B chart. After the digital release of remixes, the song rose to number 71 on the UK Singles chart, becoming the ninth consecutive single off I Am... Sasha Fierce to peak within the top 75. It also moved from number 44 to number 25 on its R&B chart on September 11, 2010. The following week, on September 18, 2010, "Why Don't You Love Me" moved up twenty places on the UK Singles to land at number 51 and ascended to number 14 on its R&B chart.

Filming and concept

The music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

 for the song was directed by long-time collaborator Melina Matsoukas
Melina Matsoukas
Melina Matsoukas is an American music video director.-Life and career:Matsoukas is of Greek, Jewish, Jamaican and Cuban descent. Both her name and surname are Greek: Μελίνα Ματσούκα. She is a graduate of the American Film Institute and New York University...

 and Knowles under the alias "Bee-Z". The video took two-three weeks of preparation and one day to film in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

 on Mount Olympus. The main set of the video was a house owned by a wealthy 95-year-old man who allowed Knowles and Matsoukas to use his house and collectible cars for the video shoot. During an interview with USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...

on January 28, 2010, Knowles announced that she would be taking a break from her music career saying "to live life, to be inspired by things again". She was then inspired to shoot a music video for the bonus track. In an interview with People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...

magazine in August 2010, Knowles explained: "I came up with the concept for that video because lately I decided to take a break, and I’ve been home, being a wife. I figured it could be nice to give a little wink toward the things that I’ve been doing, so that’s why I’m a housewife in the video." However, she explained that the video is "an exaggerated, over-the-top version" of what she was doing right then, just living her life, being a woman at home, relaxing and trying to enjoy her life other than performing and creating music. For instance, dusting off her Grammys or getting under the hood of a car while wearing six-inch heels is not a regular occurrence for Knowles.

Release

"Why Don't You Love Me" is the ninth video to be lifted from Knowles' album I Am... Sasha Fierce era. On May 1, 2010, a forty-second clip starring Knowles as B.B. Homemaker, was posted on Vimeo
Vimeo
Vimeo is a video-sharing website on which users can upload, share, and view videos. It was founded by Zach Klein and Jake Lodwick in November 2004...

. In the sneak peek, she is seen wearing an unbuttoned blue shirt with a pair of short denim shorts and a red handkerchief on her headwears while trying to fix a broken-car. The complete video premiered on May 4, 2010, and it is nearly five minutes long. The music video was officially released to iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...

s in the United States on May 18, 2010, two weeks after its original premiere. In May 2010, the media reported that Knowles' decision to release one more video from her album I Am... Sasha Fierce just before Kelly Rowland
Kelly Rowland
Kelendria Trene "Kelly" Rowland is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, and television personality. She rose to fame as one of the founding members of the American girl group Destiny's Child...

 released "Commander
Commander (song)
"Commander" is a song performed by American recording artist Kelly Rowland from her third studio album, Here I Am . It serves as the project's international lead single and her debut release with Universal Motown...

" was unfair on Rowland. These claims would be denied by Rowland who said that despite the clip for "Why Don't You Love Me" airing several days before "Commander", the media was "making too much of a big deal of release schedules and trying to create a feud where it doesn't exist." She also told Hip Hop Hollywood:


"We all came out at the same time and it really doesn't matter ... I think there's room for everybody ... There's B[eyoncé], there's Ciara putting something out and [Lady] GaGa putting something out, but, because we started out together, people are going to say things like that. But I really don't care, I love her [un]til our dying days and that's all that counts.

Synopsis and analysis

The video begins with a tribute and sample of the opening credits of Leave It to Beaver
Leave It to Beaver
Leave It to Beaver is an American television situation comedy about an inquisitive but often naïve boy named Theodore "The Beaver" Cleaver and his adventures at home, in school, and around his suburban neighborhood...

which is overdubbed to introduce Knowles as "B.B. Homemaker" in a Daisy Dukes style outfit. The song begins once she goes inside a house and brings along a board saying "Why Don't You Love Me". Throughout the video, Knowles is seen crying, with mascara running down her cheeks while talking on the phone to her love interest, drinking a dry martini
Martini (cocktail)
The martini is a cocktail made with gin and vermouth, and garnished with an olive or a lemon twist. Over the years, the martini has become one of the best-known mixed alcoholic beverages. H. L. Mencken called the martini "the only American invention as perfect as the sonnet" and E. B...

 and smoking a cigarette. This projects an image of Beyoncé paying homage to Bettie Page
Bettie Page
Bettie Mae Page was an American model who became famous in the 1950s for her fetish modeling and pin-up photos. She has often been called the "Queen of Pinups"...

 just as she did in the music videos for "Telephone
Telephone (song)
"Telephone" is a song written and performed by Lady Gaga. It was released from her third extended play and second major release The Fame Monster . The song, featuring American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles, was written by Gaga and Rodney Jerkins...

" and "Video Phone" where she collaborated with Lady Gaga. In this scene, Knowles impersonates Betty Draper. According to Melanie Bertoldi of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

magazine, Knowles contends to her deadbeat lover while sipping a cocktail and French-inhaling a cigarette in the music video. The fantasy-laden imagery hardly ends there though, as it is followed by shots of sequences of Beyoncé gardening, washing dishes, scrubbing floors, and baking cookies. Rap-Up
Rap-Up
Rap-Up is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on the hip hop and R&B aspect of the music industry, and...

commented on what happens in the video, saying that she is also reading during some scenes, in which she sings "Keep my head in them books, I'm sharp..." In the middle of the video, Knowles dusts off her mantlepiece, which is covered by her 16 Grammy awards she earned when she was with Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...

 and after the debut of her solo career. The video closes on her falling to the floor after hanging up the phone and finishing her martini, and says the final word "...dumb!" in a scene in which she is dressed in a dominatrix-type outfit while holding a whip.

Reception

The music video received positive feedback from critics. Brad Wete of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...

described Knowles as "one hot housewife in the [Why Don't You Love Me] video". This was echoed by Tray Hova of Vibe magazine who stated that "Beyoncé makes a mighty fine housewife". Jayson Rodriguez of MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...

 said that she did her best impersonation of Betty Draper
Betty Draper
Elizabeth "Betty" Francis is a fictional character on AMC's television series Mad Men, portrayed by January Jones...

. The Music Network complimented the production of the video while simultaneously making reference to Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...

 and criticising the latter for her new video for her single Not Myself Tonight
Not Myself Tonight
"Not Myself Tonight" is a song recorded by American pop singer Christina Aguilera. The song was written by Jamal Jones, Ester Dean, Jason Perry, and Greg Curtis, and produced by Polow da Don for Aguilera's sixth studio album, Bionic. The song was released on April 13, 2010 as the lead single from...

, writing: "...housework has never looked so good ... Proving you don't have to wear bondage gear and a ball-gag to be sexy (hello Christina!), the [19]50s-style video sees the R&B queen [Knowles] getting dirty in a different way: dusting her Grammys, watering the plants and scrubbing the shower in vintage lingerie... She can come over to our house anytime." Bill Lamb of About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....

 briefly stated that "Period 50's and 60's style sets and costumes combine effectively with grainy home movie visual style." Melanie Bertoldi of Billboard magazine commented on Knowles' "dominatrix costume" at the end to Rihanna's Rated R
Rated R (Rihanna album)
Rated R is the fourth studio album by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, first released November 20, 2009, on Def Jam Recordings. The album is a musical distance from her previous effort Good Girl Gone Bad , which contained up-tempo and ballad-oriented songs, and it heavily incorporated pop and...

era. She finally complimented the music video by saying that "Beyoncé's shamelessly campy performance—complete with boatloads of running mascara—is generously refreshing." Chris Ryan of MTV Buzzworthy noted that the video was "kind of a tour de force" and compared it with the one for "Telephone" (2010). He also noted that it showed "Beyoncé on the edge of a nervous breakdown."

Amy Odell of New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...

magazine praised the video and noted that "the crazy twitchy behavior she exhibited in 'Telephone' returns to much delight, but with a wardrobe that's pure housewife instead of cold-blooded drag-queen murderer." Odell also praised the playsuits in the video, which according to here were "a classier, more mature version of 'tards." In another review, Odell concluded "It would be easy to credit the look of Beyoncé's new video to Lady Gaga's influence." Becky Bain of Idolator
Idolator (website)
Idolator is a music blog. Created by the blog network Gawker Media in August 2006, Idolator was later sold to rival blog network Buzz Media, which also owns music blog Stereogum. From the 2007 departure of original head writer Brian Raftery until November 2009, the blog's head writer was Maura...

 described Beyoncé as "adorable and funny" in the nostalgic, 60s-inspired video for "Why Don’t You Love Me". She also said that Beyoncé's retro-style is "supercute" and charming. On August 3, 2010, Bain claimed that "Why Don’t You Love Me" is one of the videos that should have been nominated for "Video of the Year
MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year
The MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year is the main award handed out at the yearly MTV Video Music Awards. It was first awarded in , when The Cars won it, and has been given out since. Eminem has been the most nominated solo artist, male solo artist, and act in this category, having been...

" at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards
2010 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2010 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 12, 2010 at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, honoring the best music videos from the previous year...

, and she later said on September 8, 2010, that the clip for "Why Don’t You Love Me" should have been nominated instead that of Video Phone (Extended remix featuring Lady Gaga), in the category for "Best Female Video
MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video
The MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video is one of the original general awards that has been handed out every year since the first annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1984. In 2007, however, the award was briefly renamed Female Artist of the Year, and it awarded the artist's whole body of work...

" at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. "Why Don't You Love Me" also made number nine in Rap-Up
Rap-Up
Rap-Up is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on the hip hop and R&B aspect of the music industry, and...

s Best Videos of 2010. In January 2010, the video garnered a nomination in the category of Outstanding Music Video
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Music Video
The NAACP Image Award winners for Outstanding Music Video:-Stats:As of the 2010 ceremony, Alicia Keys has the most wins with 3. Whitney Houston, R. Kelly & Will Smith have 2 wins.*Most Nominations**1. Alicia Keys - 8 nominations...

 at the 42nd NAACP Image Award
NAACP Image Award
An NAACP Image Award is an accolade presented by the American National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to honor outstanding people of color in film, television, music, and literature....

.

Lawsuit

Philip Markowitz, a neighbor of the man on whose property the video was filmed, filed a lawsuit on May 28, 2010, in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

 seeking $25,000. He sued Knowles, the companies "Klener & Company" and "Bags and Boards", and Dina Ciccotello, for the video shoot for "Why Don't You Love Me". Markowitz complained that during the morning, every time he tried leaving his house, the crew was blocking his driveway. Markowitz claims that he "missed several business calls while arguing calmly in his driveway". According to him: "[He] demanded compensation for the trespass on his property and the inconvenience and delay he had already suffered." The case was later dismissed by a superior court judge in September.

Use in visual media and Grace Potter's cover

In her second commercial for HDTV manufacturer Vizio
Vizio
Vizio is a privately held producer of consumer electronics, based in Irvine, California, USA. It was founded in October 2002 as V Inc. Vizio's major partner in the consumer electronics arena is AmTran Technology, a Taiwan-based OEM/ODM that manufactures more than half of the televisions sold...

, Knowles is shown battling herself for a guy's attention. The mini video was set to "Why Don’t You Love Me". It was directed by Jake Nava
Jake Nava
Jake Nava was born on 17 August and grew up in northern London. He currently lives in eastern London.He graduated from the University of WestministerJake Nava is an English-born music video and film director.-Filmography:MUSIC VIDEOS...

, who previously directed music videos for Knowles' "Crazy in Love" (2003) and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
"Single Ladies " is a song by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles from her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce. It was released by Columbia Records on October 12, 2008 as the album's lead single, and appeared with "If I Were a Boy" as a double A-side single, demonstrating the...

" (2008) amongst others. Knowles explained the concept of the commercial to Rap-Up
Rap-Up
Rap-Up is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on the hip hop and R&B aspect of the music industry, and...

, "The concept today is basically someone’s watching the television and I’ve decided to step in their living room and perform especially for them. The TV looks so wonderful, they’re ignoring me so I’m stepping it up and I’m trying to perform harder and it doesn’t matter, the TV is better." The spot premiered on Thanksgiving Day (November 24, 2010). Rap-Up commented that Knowles "[brought] her alter ego
Alter ego
An alter ego is a second self, which is believe to be distinct from a person's normal or original personality. The term was coined in the early nineteenth century when dissociative identity disorder was first described by psychologists...

 Sasha Fierce back from the dead", and that she faces her "toughest competition yet—herself."

In late April 2011, Grace Potter
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals is an American rock band from Waitsfield, Vermont.-Career:Grace Potter and the Nocturnals' lead vocalist is multi-instrumentalist Grace Potter, who attended St. Lawrence University for two years before pursuing music professionally...

 form the American rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 band Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals is an American rock band from Waitsfield, Vermont.-Career:Grace Potter and the Nocturnals' lead vocalist is multi-instrumentalist Grace Potter, who attended St. Lawrence University for two years before pursuing music professionally...

 sang an rootsy acoustic rendition of "Why Don't You Love Me" along with strategic handclaps and drummer Matthew Burr's backbeat. Potter said that choosing to cover "Why Don't You Love Me" was easy because she is "big-voiced". She elaborated: "As I was watching the video, I was watching for the visual candy. Then I slowly began falling in love with the song." Jessica Letkemann of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

magazine complimented the cover, writing: "Vermont based Grace Potter and the Nocturnals may usually rock with a 60s feel while Texas-born Beyoncé is a queen of R&B, but one thing the two women undoubtedly have in common is an amazing set of pipes."

Live performance

Knowles performed "Why Don't You Love Me" live for the first time the 2011 Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival 2011
The 2011 Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts was held from 22–26 June 2011. Tickets for the festival went on sale from 9 am on Sunday 3 October 2010, over 37 weeks before the festival was set to begin, with a deposit of £50 being paid, while the whole cost of a ticket is £195...

 on June 26, 2011. During the performance she danced with her male backup dancers and the official video of the song was played on a screen behind them.

Formats and track listings

  • German Digital Single
  1. "Why Don't You Love Me" - 3:37
  2. "Why Don't You Love Me" (Jump Smokers Club Remix) - 3:57

  • German Digital EP
  1. "Why Don't You Love Me" - 3:37
  2. "Why Don't You Love Me" (Jump Smokers Club Remix) - 3:57
  3. "Why Don't You Love Me" (Video) - 4:50

  • UK Digital Remixes
  1. "Why Don't You Love Me" (MK Ultras Remix - Radio Edit) - 3:34
  2. "Why Don't You Love Me" (Starsmith Remix - Radio Edit) - 3:33

Personnel

  • Vocals
    Singing
    Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...

     - Beyoncé Knowles
  • Producers and recorded by - Bama Boyz
    Bama Boyz
    The Bama Boyz are a Grammy-nominated, Dove Award Winning, American record production, songwriting, and artist trio, consisting of Eddie “E-Trez” Smith III, Jesse J. Rankins, Jonathan D. Wells...

    , Beyoncé Knowles
  • Vocal production - Beyoncé Knowles
  • Writer
    Writer
    A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....

    s - Beyoncé Knowles, Solange Knowles, Angela Beyince, Eddie Smith III, Jesse Rankins and Jonathan Wells

Source:

Charts

> > > > > >
Chart (2010) Peak
position
Brazil (Billboard
Billboard Brasil
Billboard Brasil is a monthly Brazilian magazine launched on October 10, 2009, with a print-run of over 40,000 copies. It is distributed nationwide by Brazil's biggest distributor Dinap...

) Hot 100 Airplay
Brasil Hot 100 Airplay
Brasil Hot 100 Airplay is the official music singles charts in Brazil. It has been compiled by Crowley Broadcast Analysis and published monthly by Billboard Brasil since the release of the magazine, in October 2009....

21
Germany (Deutsche Black Charts
Deutsche Black Charts
Deutsche Black Charts DBC, also known by various names including Deutsche Urban Charts and Deutsche Hip Hop/R&B/Dancehall Singles is a chart released weekly by Deutsche Trend Charts in Germany....

)
4
Polish Dance Chart (ZPAV
Polish Music Charts
The Polish Music Charts are two official album charts and seven singles charts in Poland, provided by ZPAV, the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry . The first, the Top 100, is a monthly chart based on data received from the album companies...

)
48


End-of-year charts

Chart (2010) Position
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Songs 19


Release history

Release dates, record label and format details
Country Date Format Label
Germany July 2, 2010 Digital
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...

 single, Digital EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....

United Kingdom August 27, 2010 Digital Remix Single
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