The "Irreplaceable" Clones: Part 1

Back in 2006, "Irreplaceable" was the biggest song on the face of the earth. It stayed on the top of the US charts for 10 weeks, and was the biggest-selling single of 2007. The song was lauded by critics for its (at the time) innovative use of acoustic guitar in an R&B/pop song. The main producers, Stargate from Sweden, became the most sought-after production team in the country. What does that usually mean?

A lot of the same.

Boy, did we get that. Almost every major pop song of the last year was produced by Stargate and sounded like Beyonce's megahit. Today, we look at the "Irreplaceable" Clones, using the Irreplac-o-meter. The clones rank on a scale from 1 to 10.

So, let's begin!

Take A Bow by Rihanna - Rihanna scored her third chart-topper with this song, off the re-release of her "Good Girl Gone Bad". The percussion and piano-driven ballad has that distinctive Stargate sound, especially the handclaps in the background. However, its distinctive enough to not be deemed a complete Beyonce knock-off. Irreplac-o-meter Rating: 5

With You by Chris Brown - Ladies and gents, I present you with the first real clone. Really, all they did was change the words and the melody a bit, and plop Chris Brown in front of the microphone. Everything from the acoustic guitar to the claps is present in this song. It have the opposite sentiment of Bey's song, its very much a knock-off. It's like the male version of "Irreplaceable". Can you blame him, though? It went to #2 on the charts. Irreplac-o-meter Rating: 10

Tattoo by Jordin Sparks - Critics across the board called this an "Irreplaceable" copy, and I have to agree. Although it has a different melodic base, the Stargate staples are all there; the guitar and the handclaps. Those elements ultimately tie the song back to Beyonce's big hit. It wasn't a bad thing for Jordin though; after a disappointing chart showing with "This Is My Now", "Tattoo" scored Jordin her first top 10 single, peaking at #8. Irreplac-o-meter Rating: 7

Look out for Part 2 coming next!