‘What if we gave Beyoncé some Michael Jackson-type stuff?’ Beyoncé’s producer on making ‘Deja Vu’

The track features on her second album B’Day and has been cited by many fans as Beyoncé’s best song

Rodney Jerkins has revealed the story behind the hit single “Deja Vu”, which features on Beyoncé’s second album, B’Day.

The R&B producer has worked with a huge list of names alongside Beyoncé, including Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson and Lady Gaga.

Explaining the beginnings of the song, Jerkins recalled how he was in the car with bassist “Jon-Jon” Webb a few days before recording with Beyonce, when he had an idea.

“What if we gave Beyoncé some Michael Jackson-type stuff?”  he told the Rolling Stone Music Now podcast. 

“She was probably the only female artist that was challenging herself in a way that Michael would”, he added on the idea’s inspiration.

Jerkins and Webb listened to Jackson’s Off the Wall album throughout the rest of the journey and on the way back, they went straight to the studio to start putting the song together.

Explaining the song’s formation, he said that he wanted to give “Deja Vu” a classic Michael Jackson “seven major chord change”, so that “the instrumental [would] take you on a journey”.

After first hearing the track, Beyoncé came up with the “James Brown type stuff” on the intro, in which she announces each instrument.

The track which was released in 2006 features live bass, horns and rapping from the singer’s husband, Jay-Z.

“Sometimes I go back and watch her and Jay-Z in the booth.” Jenkins admitted. “She attacked things so raw and in your face.

“She just goes at it with such intensity. I’m telling you, when I work with her, it reminds me so much of working with Michael,” he continued. “She has that same type of intensity in the booth.”

Reflecting on the success of the track Jerkins said: “When you’re in the moment of something, you know you’re making something magical, but the people have to decide what they like.”

The song has since been named as Beyoncé’s best song, with Jerkins explaining how the track is continuously referenced in conversations surrounding his new work.

This week, Beyoncé announced she will be removing an offensive term for disabled people from a new song on her record Renaissance, just weeks after rapper Lizzo also changed lyrics to remove the same word.

A spokeswoman for Beyoncé said in a statement provided to the New York Timesthat “the word, not used intentionally in a harmful way, will be replaced”.

Beyoncé’s new album Renaissance is out now.