Writing and Production
Beyoncé Knowles wrote "Broken-Hearted Girl" alongside the Norwegian production team Stargate, who comprise Tor Erik Hermansen and Mikkel Storleer Eriksen. The duo initially composed "Broken-Hearted Girl" as a traditional rhythm-and-blues song but co-writer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds changed one chord and added falsetto vocals. His recording a demo version preceded a rewrite of the backing track chords and the addition of a four-on-the-floor piano; the result was a "grand-piano ballad". According to the sheet music published by EMI, "Broken-Hearted Girl" was composed at a tempo of 84 beats per minute using common time in the key of D minor. Eriksen explained, "I suppose many of our songs are in minor keys. We probably lean towards more a moody, melodic expression. It's what comes most natural for us."
Stargate and Knowles produced "Broken-Hearted Girl" in 2008 at Roc the Mic Studios in New York City. Knowles arranged the vocals, which Jim Caruana recorded. Eriksen arranged the music with Hermansen and assisted in recording it. Mark "Spike" Stent and Matt Green then mixed the track. "Broken-Hearted Girl" is included on the double album I Am... Sasha Fierce as part of the I Am... disc, which features ballads that describe Knowles' insecurities about love and depict the person she is "underneath all the makeup, underneath the lights and underneath all the exciting star drama". Knowles said she likes to sing ballads because "the music and the emotion in the story is told so much better. It's a better connection because you can hear it and it's not all these other distractions. I really wanted people to hear my voice and hear what I had to say."
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