"Beyond" is a song by American singer-songwriter Leon Bridges from his 2018 album Good Thing. The song was released as a single on April 20 of the same year. An R&B and country love song with musical elements inspired by Ginuwine and Van Morrison, "Beyond" features Bridges singing about the possibility of the woman he loves being his soulmate over an acoustic guitar, percussion, and a bass-driven beat. On May 31, 2018, Bridges released the music video, which centered on a romance between Bridges and a woman in El Paso, Texas. Critics received the track positively, and it was later ranked number 38 on PopMatters' 60 Best Songs of 2018.
In June 2018, Bridges performed the song with country singer Luke Combs on CMT Crossroads; Bridges would officially release a version of the song featuring Combs in September of the same year. Other versions consist of an acoustic version and a remix, which Bridges released a month earlier. In October 2025, Dua Lipa brought out Bridges at the Dallas stop of her Radical Optimism Tour where they performed the song together.
Background and composition
After Bridges explored 1960s soul music in his debut album Coming Home, he ventured to other retro musical styles with the first two singles to his 2018 follow-up, Good Thing, such as the jazz with a "hip-hop pulse" heard in "Bad Bad News". Bridges intended with the album to take his sound into a "more modern R&B direction." With "Beyond", Bridges aimed to infuse R&B with a "country twang", the type of genre fusion which Bridges stated he loves incorporating to make a song as "fresh" as he can. Accompanied by an acoustic guitar inspired by Van Morrison, "throwback percussion", and a modern "bass-heavy beat", Bridges sings a contemplation of "romantic destiny" in an R&B melody that draws from Ginuwine. The song's lyrics represent a conversation Bridges has with his mother. Bridges talks about the possibility of his partner being his soulmate with "all the exhilaration and terror that proposition entails", but despite the signs pointing to its likelihood, Bridges still hesitates to state it. The song "gradually crescendoes", leading to a climax of "falsetto swoops and layered backing vocals."
When writing lyrics, Bridges stated he aims to respect the female subject of the song rather than objectify her, further stating to Relix:
Bridges wrote "Beyond" after being inspired by a woman he was in a casual relationship with who had told him she loved him, when no other woman had told him the same.
Critical reception Critics received the song positively. Chris DeVille of Stereogum stated "Beyond" was a "dreamy tune", with drum programming "so organic-sounding you might not notice it's drum programming." He further described it as "gentle and pretty", writing that it sounded like a classic without completely venturing to a retro style. Adreon Patterson of Paste called the track's production "heartwarming", which he stated Bridges' "soulful vocals" fit suitably "as he glides over the track, hitting every peak and valley with his layered background vocals." Zachary Hoskins of Slant Magazine stated that "Beyond" is an effortless integration of country and soul. Olivia Horn of Pitchfork called it a "standout single".
PopMatters ranked the song number 38 on their list of the 60 Best Songs of 2018. They stated that Bridges "brought to life the agony and the ecstasy of falling in love", and that with the modern arrangement that resembles Motown sound, "these tribulations have never sounded better."
Music video Bridges released a music video for "Beyond" on May 31, 2018. The video is set in El Paso, Texas, and depicts a "retro romance" where Bridges and a woman gradually become closer as they laugh over dinner, walk through markets, and dance at a diner, with the video showing "picturesque footage" of the two in various El Paso locations.
Live performances On June 28, 2018, Bridges performed "Beyond" with country singer Luke Combs in an episode of CMT Crossroads. Six months later on December 6, Bridges performed the song on the Late Late Show with James Corden.
Seven years later, on October 1, 2025, Dua Lipa brought out Bridges at the Dallas stop of her Radical Optimism Tour, where they performed "Beyond" together.
Other versions In August 2018, Bridges released an acoustic version of "Beyond" featuring a live band, and a remix dubbed the "Vibe Tape Mix". A month later in September, Bridges officially released a live version of "Beyond" with Combs.
Credits and personnel Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Good Thing. The song was recorded at Elysian Park (Los Angeles, California) and House Of The Setting Sun (Twentynine Palms, California).
Todd Bridges, Eric Frederic, Nate Mercereau, Justin Tranter, Austin Michael Jenkins, and Joshua Block songwriting Ricky Reed and Nate Mercereau production Nate Mercereau and Ethan Shumaker engineering Nate Mercereau drums, bass, guitar, organ, Wurlitzer, percussion
Charts Weekly charts Chart (2018)Peakposition
Certifications
References