text: haunted ( beyoncé song ) " haunted " is a song by american recording artist beyoncé from her fifth studio album , beyoncé ( 2013 ) . it was written and produced by beyoncé herself and boots . conceived by the latter following an infuriating meeting with a record label , the song was presented to beyoncé who decided to record it following similar experiences in the music industry . the song was inspired by the works of english musician aphex twin and contains a stream of consciousness rap . musically , it consists of two parts titled " ghost " and " haunted " . a predominantly r & b , dance - pop , dubstep and hip hop song , it contains a minimalistic sound with keyboards , bass and percussion . beyoncé raps the spoken word segment of " ghost " with robotic and reverbed vocals . lyrically , " haunted " contains sexually explicit and frank lyrics talking about desire . many music critics compared its sound with various artists and noted different influences and elements explored in its composition . upon its release , the song was met with positive reviews , with critics praising its sound and the minimalistic approach . two accompanying music videos were filmed for both parts of the song and placed separately on the visual album . the clip for " ghost " was directed by pierre debusschere while jonas åkerlund served as the director for the second part , " haunted " . the former visual shows various close - up shots of beyoncé lip - syncing the lyrics , while the latter features her walking in the corridor of a big mansion meeting various actors seen inside the rooms . critics compared the video of " haunted " and the singer 's look with works by madonna , most notably with her song " justify my love " ( 1990 ) . the song was performed live during the last european leg of the mrs. carter show world tour and at the on the run tour in 2014 . beyoncé also performed it at the 2014 mtv video music awards as part of a medley consisting of songs from her fifth studio album . background " haunted " was written and produced by beyoncé and new york - based musician boots , who was relatively unknown before the release of beyoncé ( 2013 ) . he was signed to roc nation , about six months prior to the album 's release and produced 85 % of beyoncé also having writing credits on four of its tracks . during an interview with pitchfork media , boots revealed that " haunted " was the first song written by him which beyoncé heard ; it was originally titled " i 'm onto you " at that time . beyoncé liked the song upon hearing it , leaving boots confused as he felt the song was only showcasing his sad vocals , with a piano recorded on his iphone as a voice memo . he also played her the rap of stream of consciousness of " ghost " during one of their early meetings inspired by an infuriating meeting with a record label . beyoncé could immediately connect to the topic as she had also experienced the same things in the record industry when people advised her about the sound of her music . for the music of " ghost " , boots created a beat from a " dreamlike , hypnotic place " working with guitars and building layers inspired by the work of musician aphex twin . boots said , " [ aphex twin 's ] works like that are more floaty , more without than within , but i made mine grounded in that thumping beat , so you can 't get out of that feeling . " he also elaborated about its concept , " it 's like that song is leading you by the hand , but you 're blindfolded and you don 't know where you 're going . you 're scared and you 're not sure what to expect from it , but as the album unfolds , we take the blindfold off and you realize it 's a surprise party for you . " beyoncé also explained the meaning of " haunted " on her itunes radio channel where she also revealed her admiration for boots , " the song is really about temptation in this music industry and being exposed to this crazy madness . " the vocal production of the song was handled by beyoncé and contains background vocals provided by boots and wyatt . " haunted " was recorded at jungle city studios and oven studios , both located in new york city under the guidance of boots and stuart white . it was later mixed by tony maserati and white at studios in north hollywood . the track was eventually mastered by tom coyne and aya merril in sterling sound in new york city . all instruments were provided by boots , with additional drum programming by hit - boy . composition " haunted " is a two - part song , consisting of " ghost " and " haunted " collectively running for a length of approximately six minutes . its composition was described as ranging from contemporary r & b to " straight up experimentalism " . mojo 's priya elan compared the song 's composition with works by english band the xx . the song features sexually explicit and frank lyrics in line with a prominent theme of the album about sexuality also present in other songs . its instrumentation consists of " murky " keyboards and a " creeping " , pulsating bassline . beyoncé sings over mournful piano stabs which are repeated along with drums and airy vocals along with a pounding club rhythm . " ghost " is an alt hip hop and dubstep song featuring beyoncé rapping with recessed and reverbed vocals . the song contains ambient beats , bass and percussion and a poetic spoken word vocal with high loop . it was created by using a minimal approach and a falsetto vocal was applied along with various " warped , ghost - ly " effects . " ghost " opens with an audio recording of the singer winning a sammy davis jr . award in 1989 in houston for a talent show . it continues with a person incorrectly pronouncing her name as " ' bee ' [ sic ] knowles " . according to spin columnist brandon soderberg , the song begins with a " random , frustrating indignity from her youth into a full - blown , racially loaded origin story " and also features expressions of her celebrity . lyrically , beyoncé makes a prediction about her album 's sales and offers commentary on record labels through a spoken word intro : " i don 't trust these record labels , i 'm ' " and later adds , " soul not for sale / probably won 't make no money off this / oh well . " speaking about the record industry , she sings about being bored with labels during the lines , " all the shit i do is boring / all these record labels ... boring " . the lyrics of the song also discuss the failure of taking risks in the music industry . she also expresses sadness for people having to work banal and monotonous jobs in the lines , " all these people on the planet / workin ' nine to five just to stay alive / how come ? " . soderberg felt that the fast conversational vocal style adopted by the singer was reminiscent of rapper kendrick lamar . anupa mistry of the same publication felt that she borrowed lamar 's " alien - robot cadence and sings in a pinched choral croon " which she further compared with bat for lashes . una mullally of the irish times wrote that the singer 's " monotone " rapping is accompanied by " the flatness of the tone reflecting the repetition of labour " . janice from hiphopdx compared the part where beyoncé sings the line " oh well " with kanye west 's " shrug [ s ] " . greg kot of the chicago tribune found the same line to be sarcastic . sal cinquemani from slant magazine described her vocals during the line as half - rapped and " half - shrug [ ed ] as if directly countering scheinman 's silver linings playbook " . rob sheffield from rolling stone felt that the singer confessed she got " bored " with the " popstar routine " in " ghost " . during the end , " ghost " quickly transitions into " haunted " which contains elements of hip hop and r & b music . kitty empire of the observer described it as a dance - pop track talking about " being haunted in love " . instrumentally , it consists of percussion and an off - kilter club beat which was compared with jacques greene and burial . its sound is operatic and the lyrics , with piano chords and various rhythmic effects , such as foot - tapping . lyrically , it talks about desire , with ryan dennehy from absolutepunk noting it was about " frank sexual desires " . the village voice 's brittany spanos felt the song was discussing lingering memories of the past . trent wolbe of the verge compared the sound of " haunted " with music by bands the knife , sade and boards of canada . andrew barker from variety found a trance genre similar to madonna 's bedtime stories . the song includes sexual lyrics that are reflected throughout the album , including , " the bedroom 's my runway / slap me ! / i 'm pinned to the doorway / kiss , bite , foreplay " and " my wicked tongue / where will it be ? " set to " sonorous ... and chilly charged beats " . critical reception " haunted " was well received by music critics . neil mccormick of the daily telegraph felt that the " modernist sonic approach is pushed to the fore " on " ghost " . spin 's brandon felt that the line " nine - to - five " just to stay alive " was repeated " way too many times " . anupa mistry of the same publication described the song as " multi - directional , mood - shifting " . cosmopolitan 's alex rees said the song is a " sharp critique of postmodern culture , except then all of a sudden there 's a bunch of nasty sex talk . " mesfin fekadu from the associated press described " haunted " as a " gloomy " song . writing for the website the 405 , editor white caitlin felt the singer offered part of her insecurities and flaws through the song and " sheds slut - shaming , the shackled role of uptight matriarch or calculated star " . fact 's chris kelly described its composition as " foreboding " and found a " seductive " and " haunting " hook ; he further described the first part as " smoky ethereality " . mojo 's priya elan felt that some of the lines were a " nihilistic streak " . in a review for the quietus , mof gimmers described " haunted " as a " perfect slice of vanguard - pop " . greg kot of the chicago tribune described it as a " two - part dream " . robert leedham of the website drowned in sound felt that the album 's " confessional moments are when you connect with it the most " , exemplifying the statement with lyrics from " haunted " . andrew hampp and erika ramirez of billboard magazine felt that " haunted " was one of the best songs on the album along with being " [ the ] most insightful [ one ] " . they concluded that while the song was " one of the album 's most staunchly non - commercial moments , but endlessly listenable just the same " . nick catucci from entertainment weekly chose " haunted " as one of the best songs from the album , describing it as a " moody , genre - melding epic " and noting , " [ it ] treat [ s ] relationships with the same raw instinct that suffuses her sex songs " . allmusic reviewer andy kellman also chose " haunted " as one of the highlights on beyoncé . una mullally of the irish times deemed " haunted " the best song on the album and an indicator of the prominent minimalism throughout the whole record . absolutepunk writer ryan dennehy remarked in his review that " ethereal echoes " of the singer 's voice " elevate it above just a post - weeknd , dark update to staid topics " . philip matusavage of musicomh described the sound of " ghost " as " sleek ambient " dubstep , adding that it sounded typical for the singer and served as a " beyoncé manifesto " . he concluded his review by stating that if the references to disagreements beyoncé talked about in the song were real , " the result proves to be the most sonically adventurous album of beyoncé 's career . " julia leconte writing for now praised beyoncé 's vocals as " perfect " . exclaim ! ' s ryan b. patrick felt that the song 's minimalistic sound allowed the singer to " ironically champion artistic integrity and proclaim her thoughts on the industry " . chris bosman from the website consequence of sound who felt that the song was the record 's " mood setter " and contained " ghostly vibes " , wrote that it " dabbles in r & burial , evian christ 's drag - influenced codeine hip - hop , and nothing was the same 's xanax club rap " . he felt that during the lines " slap me , i 'm pinned to the doorway / kiss , bite , foreplay " , beyoncé " slides " the last word , making the song sound " even less radio friendly " . bosman further stated that " haunted " along with " partition " and " mine " , " are confident enough to take one , two , three left turns while maintaining thematic cohesion . " the guardian journalist michael cragg compared the song with works by janelle monae and described its sound as " doom - laden " . ryan e.c. hamm from under the radar magazine felt that " it 's remarkable to hear a pop star at the height of her arena - tour powers taking chances like ' haunted , ' a dirge of a song that behaves more as spoken word until it 's ' vogue ' -y breakdown " . having described the track as " eerie " , jason newman from fuse added it was suitable for softcore pornography with the singer being " in her best coo " . he further described it as an erotic ballad and a " slow , creeping burn " , noting that it sounded like trent reznor remixing madonna 's " justify my love " . claire lobenfeld from complex magazine described it as beyoncé 's version of " justify my love " . joey guerra from the houston chronicle described the song as " ominous " . mike wass from idolator felt that the singer explored a new soundscape with " haunted " with " minimal beats hover [ ing ] like fog " . wass also praised boots ' production and noted that the singer declared her artistic integrity with the lyrics . in a review of the song , randall roberts of the los angeles times compared its break with madonna 's work during ray of light with a chopped and screwed sound characteristic for houston . melissa locker from time magazine stated that the lyrics of the song were one of the " best ever " while also noting that they hinted at the singer " dabbling in fiction " . usa today writer elysa gardner wrote that in " haunted " along with another song on the album , " jealous " , the singer " embodies success and privilege on the surface , but there is a sense that her contentment is fragile " . lopez of the same publication stated that she seemed " surprisingly in touch with the 9 - to - 5 grind , echoing her own career frustration " . mtv news writer james montgomery felt that beyoncé showcased a " newfound sense of self " on the " cold , coital " song . tim finney of complex magazine considered " ghost " " a collision of opposites ... less a song than a transfixing eye - hole glimpse into another , entirely separate world the singer could inhabit if she chose " . deeming the song a " [ c ] mood piece " , jody rosen of vulture noted a lack of a music hook . in the annual pazz and jop mass critics poll of the year 's best in music in 2013 , " haunted " was ranked at number 228 . music videos music videos for both " ghost " and " haunted " were released on december 13 , 2013 through the itunes store on beyoncé itself along with a clip for every other track on the album . todd tourso served as the creative director for both of the visuals as well as the rest of the album 's videos . on november 24 , 2014 the videos for " ghost " and " haunted " were uploaded to the singer 's vevo account . " ghost " the music video for " ghost " was directed by belgian director pierre debusschere . beyoncé is seen wearing a swimsuit by with a nude mesh midsection and her look is also complete with red lips . while creating the video for " pretty hurts " , she sent a note to director melina matsoukas requesting from her to include footage from her childhood as the clip was meant to connect to the next one on the album , " ghost " . the video with a close - up shot of beyoncé 's face lip - syncing the song 's lyrics . various shots of the singer with different outfits and placed at different sets are featured . other scenes show a dancer with his whole body covered in a white clothing . writing for mtv , john walker wrote that beyoncé " serves multiple levels of martha graham realness " in the video for " ghost " . lindsey weber from the website vulture compared the dancer seen in the video with a " " one from yeezus . neil mccormick of the daily telegraph felt that the singer looked " perfect " in a bikini in the song 's music video . insanul ahmed of complex praised her look as " sexy " . a writer from the new york times described the singer 's look in the video as " minimalist " . brent dicrescenzo of the magazine time out called the video a " cover girl ad with full - body condoms " . whitney phaneuf of the website hitfix compared it with comme des garçons and found a " deadpan expression of a model " . michelle collins from vanity fair wrote in her review that the video was " jarring as it is soul - crushing " . jody rosen from vulture felt that the clip " has its moments , mostly involving billowing fabric " . michael zelenko from the fader praised the director 's work on the video and remarked it included " stark portraits of a blase beyonce , slithering , perching and dancing against black and white backgrounds " . while reviewing the album , emily mackay of nme talked about the video for " ghost " , " some joyous shagging songs , though , are paltry excitement beside that of seeing an artist of such fame , long held as iconic without enough genuinely exciting music to back it up , reach her full throttle of awesomeness . the video for ' ghost ' sums it up best , beyonce glaring and writhing defiantly as she speak - sings ' i 'm climbing up the wall ’ cause all the shit i hear is boring / all the shit i do is boring / all these record labels boring ' . let 's hope beyonce keeps finding new ways to amuse herself – there could be some very interesting times ahead . " " haunted " background the music video for " haunted " was directed by swedish film and music video director jonas åkerlund and styled by yen and b. åkerlend . it was shot using four cameras and in a period of two days . on november 15 , 2013 , popjustice reported that one of the actors who was featured in the video , j - hustle , shared a picture on his twitter account while being on a five - day set for the filming . he added that a song with " a slow vibe " was played in the background during the shooting and that its potential name was " ghost haunted " . beyoncé first discussed about the video with åkerlend during a concert she had in stockholm in 2013 . having invited him for the performance , the singer played several songs for the director afterwards and the pair went on to exchange several ideas about its concept . during an interview with vulture , åkerlend talked about the process , " it was not like a solid plan of ' this is what i think we should do . ' it was a pretty long process . and she was traveling and touring , so we had time to bounce ideas back and forth , figure out what the best vision was . and meanwhile , she was shooting all these other videos and i wasn 't really involved in what those other ideas were . " he noted that several ideas of the video which were initially conceived were similar with " other videos that people were working on " . beyoncé conceived some of the initial ideas behind the looks and the scenarios for many of the rooms which were eventually shot . he also explained that the video contained many sexually explicit scenes and ideas when initially shot . however , he felt that the team managed to balance between the singer 's look , her performance and a strong idea along with several other things . åkerlund further noted that its concept remained largely unchanged as none of the big ideas were excluded . beyoncé 's look remained largely the same as the director pictured it before the filming of the video had started . on december 2 , 2014 , a behind - the - scenes video consisting of footage from the making of the video for " haunted " and " superpower " with commentary by jonas åkerlund was released online . in the clip , he explained how both videos were slightly different compared to the singer 's previous work as they contained less choreography . he went on saying the video for " haunted " had a " cinematic " and " surreal " tone inspired by its music , further comparing it with a score for a movie . he concluded that the team had " all the elements to create something special " synopsis the video opens with a three - second film countdown and proceeds with shots of several empty rooms and televisions in a big mansion . most of the scenes were shot at the villa de leon . beyoncé is seen driving a car and eventually arriving at the mansion while a song is played in the background . she enters inside the building with two embellished with the letter " b " and throws her coat on the ground while a servant is seen lighting a cigarette she had previously taken from her hair . he hands her a key and the singer is seen climbing up the stairs . as she arrives in the hallway on the second floor , the song starts playing in the background and beyoncé starts a journey , looking from room to room as she goes forward in the corridor . in the various rooms , she meets men wearing vest tops with their faces painted white with black eyes staring at her as she passes down the corridor . later she meets other people in leather and masks , before being surrounded by a troop of lace - clad dancers . one shot shows a man in colourful clothes and leopard print surrounded by bubbles in a bathtub . another room contains a family of four mannequins in a 1960s - styled kitchen , preparing for a plastic - looking meal . a bare african - american is seen dancing and painting herself with a large brush while being almost naked . she is also seen with her legs spread around a tv screen and beyoncé is seen on it , singing the song . during one scene , beyoncé performs a dance choreography on a couch along with several other female dancers . throughout the video , she is seen wearing a tuxedo with a tie , a white fur jacket and platform heels designed by saint laurent . the black - and - white jumpsuit she wears is designed by russian designer . her look is further complete with dark make - up around the eyes and red lipstick while her hair is marcelled and blonde . reception anupa mistry from spin wrote that the location where the video was filmed was filled with " freaks and weirdos " in order to channel madonna during the 1990s in a better way . lauren cochrane of the guardian wrote in her review of the video that it was a " homage " to madonna with the suit and wave beyoncé had . she added that anyone who watched the video for " justify my love " , " knows that a hotel corridor is an excellent place to film a video " and went on to praise beyoncé 's looks and outfits . kitty empire of the observer stated , " less originally , the high - concept haunted video finds beyoncé in a posh hotel populated by sexually motivated freaks , with many shades of madonna invoked . " bronwyn barnes of entertainment weekly found similarities with the singer 's look and madonna 's . whitney phaneuf writing for the website hitfix felt that the video was a fit for the song 's industrial sound and described the singer 's look as " goth - glam " . she concluded the scenes are quickly cut throughout the video , " never culminating in a linear narrative and forcing the viewer to fill in the blanks " . sharing what he perceived to be " key " moments in each of the seventeen music videos , walker of mtv identified one for " haunted " where beyoncé " begins to crack under the pressures of her iconic status " . jon dolan of rolling stone described the video for the song as the " [ c ] " on the album . a writer from the new york times focused on the singer 's look in the video , saying that she portrayed a fashionista . randal roberts of los angeles times also provided a positive review for her " stunning " look while smoking a cigarette . brent dicrescenzo of time out described the video as " stanley kubrick meets robert palmer " . michelle collins of vanity fair noted the scary atmosphere of the video and described the singer 's look as " straight - up 1920s glamour " with a hair styled similar to josephine baker . collins went on to compare it with the opening credits of american horror story and found " [ n ] images strung together in one very long , very creepy sequence of beyoncé looking for her hotel room " . andrew hampp and erika ramirez from billboard magazine compared the video with madonna 's work and american horror story , concluding " [ t ] he spine - glam ... video for this track is worth beyoncé 's case for making this a simultaneous visual - and - audio experience alone " . describing the video as " scary " , lindsay weber from vulture further called it the singer 's best impression of american horror story . jason newman from the website fuse described the video as " equally frightening [ as the song ] ; part korean horror film , part lynchian psychosexual fantasy . " the fader editor michael zelenko noted the clip presented a classic story where an " innocent guest [ is ] caught in ghost - infested hotel " . insanul ahmed of complex described the visual as " creepy " . abc news journalist michael rothman compared the video 's opening with horror movies and the ring in particular and went on to praise it overally as beyoncé 's " best yet " . trent wolbe of the verge criticized åkerlund 's work on the album , feeling that his contributions " feel like boring opulence porn " , something he found on " haunted " . live performances and usage in media " haunted " was performed as the opening song for beyoncé 's first concert of the last european leg of the mrs. carter show world tour in glasgow on february 20 , 2014 . the performance of the song featured backing dancers and strobing lights with the singer 's look being completed by a glittery gown . digital spy 's robert copsey felt that " haunted " worked as a " brilliantly spooky opener " . david pollock from the independent found a " thundering bass containing a heavy dubstep influence " during the performance of the song . mark savage from bbc news felt that the concert included various " unparalleled " vocal styles and ranges , including the " hushed and sultry " " haunted " . a professionally recorded live performance of the song from the tour aired on june 30 , 2014 , as the first episode of beyonce : x10 , an hbo series documenting renditions of the song performed during the mrs. carter show world tour . anna silman from vulture discussed the performance saying that it was full of " kaleidoscopic visuals and headache - inducing strobe lights and fog to make you grateful you weren 't there for the live performance ( almost ) " . the song was later also added to the set list of beyoncé 's co - headlining tour with jay - z , the on the run tour . during the performance , her look was complete with a drop - sleeve piece with black lace . while reviewing a concert of the show , erica k. landau of usa today compared beyoncé 's look to stevie nicks . she went on to deem the song a highlight of the performance praising her " creamy " vocals in contrast with the other songs on the set list . similarly , dan deluca writing for philadelphia media network considered the song to be a showcase of her vocals . leila cobo of the magazine billboard considered the song to be a highlight of the show , showcasing the singer 's " vocal prowess " and " her ability to connect as a singer and not just as a striking personality " . while reviewing another concert , mike wass of idolator considered the performance a religious experience . in another concert review , mikael wood of the los angeles times noted that the attention among the people in the crowd " drift [ ed ] noticeably during ' haunted ' " resulting in a mild reception of the song 's performance . at the 2014 mtv video music awards , beyoncé performed " haunted " along with a medley of songs from her fifth studio album . it served as the second song of the set and it featured the singer dressed in a jeweled bodysuit . after concluding with " mine " she announced " mtv , welcome to my world " and performed " haunted " surrounded by smoke on stage . as she sang the song , beyoncé was surrounded by dancers wearing bustiers , sleeves and face cages by fashion label . nadeska alexis of mtv news stated that the performance of the song was among the " most soul - baring of the night " . in march 2014 , " haunted " was used during the screening of the film fifty shades of grey at cinemacon . on november 13 , 2014 , the song was used in the film 's second trailer . personnel credits adopted from the album 's liner notes and the singer 's official website . song credits " ghost " video credits " haunted " video credits charts the song debuted at number 99 on the french singles chart on november 22 , 2014 . the following week , which also marked its last week on the chart , it fell to the position of 171 .