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Our Top 10 Beyoncé Songs list takes a look at the career so far of one of the most popular artists of the 21st Century. Beyonce Giselle Knowles on September 4, 1981. She is a triple threat because she is a singer, actress and entrepreneur. She began her career by singing and dancing in competitions as a child. She became a household name in 1990s when she was the lead singer for the group Destiny’s Child. Destiny’s Child was arguably one of the best girl groups of all time. A modern day Supremes or Ronettes. When Destiny’s Child started out, they were a four-member group. The group consisted of Beyonce, Kelly Rowland, LaToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson. Through the years, they became a trio. The group released their self-titled debut album Destiny’s Child in 1998. The album features the hit single “No, No, No.” The album had moderate success. It received different awards and nominations.
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They didn’t let any grass grow under their feet and went back to recording their next CD. The Writings on the Wall was released in 1999. This project became a bigger smash than their debut one. This CD contains the hit songs “Bills, Bills, Bills,” “Jumpin Jumpin” and “Say My Name.” “Say My Name” is one of the group’s biggest hit songs. This song won a Grammy Award. It was also during this time when the group went through roster changes. Luckett and Roberson were replaced with Farrah Franklin and Michelle Williams. Beyonce went through a lot of bad publicity when Luckett and Roberson were
fired from the group. Franklin didn’t last long in the group. After Franklin’s departure, the group became a trio. They released their third album Survivor in 2001. The album debuted at number one. It sold almost 700,000 copies in its first week. The album features the number one hits “Bootylicious” and “Survivor”. Their final CD was titled Destiny Fulfilled. It was released in 2004. It contains the hit songs “Lose My Breath” and “Soldier.” It debuted at number two.
Beyonce released her first solo album Dangerously In Love in 2003. It sold over 300,000 copies in its first week. The CD debuted at number one on the charts. It reached diamond status worldwide. The album features the hit singles “Crazy In Love,” “Baby Boy,” “Me, Myself and I” and “Naughty Girl.” She won five Grammy Awards for this album. She released her second album B’Day in 2006. The album debuted at number one. It was the second time her album debuted at number one. It features the hit singles “Déjà Vu,” “Irreplaceable,” “Ring The Alarm,” “Get Me Bodied” and “Green Light.” Beyonce won a Grammy for this album.
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Beyonce released her third album I Am…Sasha Fierce in 2008. This CD received mixed reviews from the critics, but it still reached number one. The singles are “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).” “If I Were a Boy” and “Halo.” “Halo” is the longest running single of her career. In 2011, she released her fourth album 4. It debuted at number one. It features the singles “Run the World (Girls),” “Best Thing I Never Had,” “Party,” “Countdown,” “I Care” and “End Of Time.” She shocked the world when she released her fifth self-titled album Beyonce. It was released without any promotion. The album debuted at number one. It features the hit single “Drunk in Love.” She released her sixth album Lemonade in 2016. This is another project she released without any promotion. It debuted at number one. All of the singles on this album were on the charts. She is the first female artist to have 12 or more songs on the charts simultaneously. It was the third highest-selling album in 2016.
Beyonce has also acted in numerous movies. She made her debut in acting with the movie Carmen: A Hip Hopera in 2001. It was a movie that was on MTV. Her next starring role was in Austin Powers in Goldmember in 2002. She had a starring role in the gospel movie The Fighting Temptations in 2003. One of her most famous roles was in the musical Dreamgirls in 2006. She also played Etta James in the movie Cadillac Records in 2008. She is a voice in the movie The Lion King which came out in 2019. She has also starred in other movies throughout her career. In addition to singing and acting, Beyonce created a fashion line with her mother called House of Dereon. She has a fragrance line. She also created the fashion line Ivy Park. It is named after her daughter and her favorite number.
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Beyoncé has numerous hit songs throughout her career. She had a lot of hit singles with her former group Destiny’s Child. Once she became a solo artist, she became a megastar. There are only a handful of female artists that have had the same power and stardom that Beyoncé has achieved in pop music. We are talking Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin type of stardom. These are all legendary big time singers with golden voices and stars on Hollywood Walk Of Fame . This top 10 list will feature her solo hits and our favorite Beyoncé songs.
# 10 – Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
We open up our top 10 Beyoncé songs list with the second single from I Am…Sasha Fierce. This amazing song is a mix of dance, r&b and pop. This song is about men not being willing to commit in a relationship. This is the perfect anthem for women who want their men to commit to a relationship. According to one of the co-writers of the song, it is about her marriage to Jay-Z. This song was designed to make you get up and dance with its disco and bouncy beats. She sings this song in her normal range of soprano. She incorporates a growl in the bridge. She sings with a lot of passion. She combines singing and rapping with the verses. The chorus is simple and easy to remember. She is a little hard to understand, but it doesn’t hurt the song.
# 9 – Baby Boy ft. Sean Paul
This is the second single off of Dangerously In Love. This midtempo song is a mix of contemporary r&b, dance hall and reggae music. It is a blend of South Asian music. This song is about a man she fantasizes about all of the time. This music will hook you and have you moving around in your seat. It is a perfect song for dancing. Beyonce and Sean Paul basically battle each other as if they are a couple. They go toe-to-toe with each other. It was a perfect fit for the artists. Her voice is melodic and smooth with the music. She manages to belt in the bridge. Sean Paul is in his element with this kind of song, but he is extremely hard to understand. Beyonce is also a little hard to understand, but it easier to get what she is saying. This is a different song for her, but she manages to pull it off.
# 8 – Déjà Vu ft. Jay-Z
This is the first single off of B’Day. This is midtempo song is a mix of r&b and hip hop. The music sounds similar to Michael Jackson’s song “I Can’t Help it.” This song is about a woman being constantly reminded about her ex. This song has a format of the verses, pre-chorus and chorus format. Jay-Z does two raps. She shows versatility by singing in two pitches. She sings in her normal register, but she also uses a double in the hook. She showcases her vibrato just before the song ends. It’s impressive to hear the way she belts both parts in the chorus. She doesn’t sound sharp when the tempo changes. She is right on point. Jay-Z does a good job with his rhymes, but he wasn’t needed. This song could have worked as a solo and not a duet. She was dating him at the time so she probably felt she had to find a way to include him in the song. She is clearly the best part of it.
# 7 – Naughty Girl
This is the fourth single off of Dangerously In Love. This song features a sample of Donna Summer’s “Love to Love You Baby.” It also contains elements of Vanity 6’s song “Nasty Girl.” It seems like an unlikely combination, but she made magic happen. This up-tempo song mixes dance hall and reggae. It also has a Middle Eastern and Arabic sound to it. This song is about her celebrating her sexual conquest. Her voice is layered because she uses different ranges. She sings in her normal range as well as falsetto. She sounds as if she is singing a duet with herself. Up to this point, Beyoncé hadn’t sung a song with an overtly sexual theme. She sang love songs, but never anything this sexual in nature. It was a different kind of song for her and set her a part from Destiny’s Child.
# 6 – Crazy In Love ft. Jay-Z
This is the first single off of Dangerously In Love. This uptempo song mixes pop, r&b, hip hop and funk music. This is a sample of the Chi-Lites’ song “Are You My Woman (Tell Me So). This is a song about being obsessed with the person you love. It has a hard hip hop beat that sells the song. The beat is very energetic. This song will get you out of your seat. She sounds spicy and sexy in the vocals. She manages to belt after the second chorus. She uses runs in the chorus and the fade out. Beyonce and Jay-Z do an amazing job together. Jay-Z’s rap verse fits perfectly with this song. His rap verses fit the theme of the song unlike in their other collaborations. He is hard to understand because he raps so fast, but it doesn’t take away anything from how good the song is.
# 5 – Best Thing I Never Had
This is the second single off of 4. This is a pop and r&b ballad. This song is about getting revenge on the person who hurt her. This song wasn’t supposed to be a ballad. It was supposed to be a hip hop song. The writers made the right choice to turn it into a ballad. The beautiful music is hypnotic. The piano takes the song to another level. She took a vocal risk by singing with grit in her voice. This choice could have made her sound sharp, but it didn’t. It works with the music. When the music rises, she projects her voice and belts. She also holds notes. She is singing this song with so much passion it’s as if she’s singing this song to someone in particular.
# 4 – Love on Top
This is the fourth single off of 4. This is an midtempo r&b song. This song is about a man in her life who is perfect in her eyes. This song is inspired by 80s r&b music. You can clearly tell that Beyonce and The Dream wanted to go for a retro sound with the music. They made a wise decision. The music is melodic and soothing. She uses different keys throughout the song. She sings the verses in her soft normal key. She uses a higher key in the pre-chorus. She comes alive and belts in the chorus. She also has grit in her voice. She harmonizes very well in the chorus. The only minor complaint about the song is the abrupt ending. It comes out of nowhere and leaves you hanging begging for more of the song.
# 3 – Halo
This is the fourth single off of I Am…Sasha Fierce. This ballad combines pop, gospel and soul music. This love song is about the person she loves who is in Heaven. This song was originally supposed to go to Leona Lewis, but Ryan Tedder wanted to give it to Beyonce. Leona Lewis’ vocals might have been too powerful for the soft music so Tedder made the right decision by having Beyonce sing the song instead. Beyonce does an amazing job vocally. She sings in two pitches. She starts off with an alto pitch and switches to soprano. She goes back and forth between the pitches throughout the song. She has such control over her voice that she can hold notes in falsetto without missing a beat. There’s a lot going on musically, but her vocals never get lost in the song.
# 2 – Irreplaceable
As we begin to wind down this Top 10 Beyoncé Songs list we turn to the third single from Beyonce’s B’Day album. This is an R&B ballad. This song is about her breaking up with her lover. This song was originally written for Chrisette Michele. The writers wanted the song to come from a man’s point of view at first. Ne-Yo wanted a woman to sing the song. It was also supposed to be a club anthem. Beyonce wanted the song to be a ballad. She made the right decision. The music is soft and melodic. It’s the perfect music for her voice. It compliments her voice very well. Her vocals are smooth and silky. When the beat changes, she belts in the song. She doesn’t hold too many notes, but she does hold a mini note. She does her famous vibrato towards the end of the song.
# 1 – Listen
We close out our Our Top 10 Beyoncé Songs list with what may be a surprise pick for some. At number one is the incredible songs “Listen.” This song was the lead single from the Dreamgirls soundtrack. This is a soul and r&b ballad. The song is about her wanting to be an independent woman. This song is the perfect companion to “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” from the same soundtrack. The music gives Beyonce’s voice a chance to rise to the climatic finale. She switches from singing softly to belting within the verses and chorus. Before she did this song, she never had the chance to showcase her power vocals. She would hold notes, but never the way she does in this song. She had to compete with Jennifer Hudson’s anthem and she hit a home run. This song is just as good as Hudson’s and deserved to get the attention it received. It also deserves the top spot on this list because it is impressive and flawless.
Beyonce Songs
Album Discography:
Destiny’s Child
Released in 1998
The Writings On The Wall
Released in 1999
Survivor
(Released in 2001)
Destiny Fulfilled
(Released in 2004)
Beyonce
Dangerously In Love
(Released in 2003)
B’Day
(Released in 2006)
I Am… Sasha Fierce
(Released in 2008)
4
(Released in 2011)
Beyonce
(Released in 2013)
Lemonade
(Released in 2016)
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