Beyoncé is one of one, and she's number one, as she boldly states in Alien Superstar, the third single of her new album, Renaissance. Anyone who has a problem with that can take it up with the Hive. Beyoncé has always been in the music scene, but she made her debut as a solo artist in the 90s. Ever since then, she rose effortlessly to peak stardom.
Her level of innovation, craftsmanship, electrifying stage presence and creative zest are part of the potpourri of qualities that make her Queen. Beyoncé has the highest awards for any singer in Grammy history and multiple billboard awards, making her one of the most successful singers of our generation.
Despite all these accomplishments, her superstardom transcends the music industry. Being a business mogul, an activist, and a feminist, Bey's spirited lyrics are rich with black pride. Also, she is known for inspiring social and gender empowerment, her music becoming a symbol of girl power.
She has churned many classics since her debut, including Renaissance, her latest album since 2017's Lemonade, where she flaunts her range and musical prowess. But here, we try to whittle it down to just fifteen.
1. XO
is a single off her fifth studio album. The album, titled after her, is true self-representation and portrays Bey in her rarest form—unapologetically bold and fierce while simultaneously gentle. XO is not just a song; it's an experience. It's time traveling to a more youthful, playful, indulging-to-silly-infatuations version of yourself, just as the singer does.
The song begins with a throbbing electro-pop rhythm before the soft-toned beating drums kick in, just as it draws closer to the hook. Then, the entire beat clashes into a well-blend fuse of mellow narcotic music.
The Crazy in Love star holds nothing back as she paints an adolescent love, oblivious to the world and its judgment. Before they turn the lights out is also a metaphor for how fleeting every moment or thing can be, but to live fully in it before it's gone—lights out.
With its profoundly soothing rhythm and playful lyrics, XO is the musical equivalent of a happy pill. One can almost see the fireworks exploding, two teens stealing a kiss.
2. All Night
I found the truth beneath your lies / And true love never has to hide, are the starting lines to this elegy. The words, conveyed by Beyoncé’s powerful mezzo-soprano, hit the listener with such magnitude that it makes it feel less like the beginning of a song. Instead, it puts one right in the center of the narrative: a broken woman accepting her fate and offering redemption to heal entirely from it.
All Night is a track of her very experimental and most vulnerable album, Lemonade. As any keen listener might have noted, Lemonade explores the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance through twelve tracks. All Night is such a brilliant, delicate body of work that it encapsulates all five.
It also pushes the narrative that we are only as perfect as we are human when she sings: Trade your broken wings for mine / I've seen your scars and kissed your crimes. She flaunts peak-level lyricism.
All Night is a resounding testament to the power of true love; it ends with a note that expresses total forgiveness.
3. Plastic Off The Sofa
In all her royal quintessence, the Queen is keen on the gospel of imperfections she once again preaches on her new album, Renaissance.
Plastic Off The Sofa is another song describing a love too strong to be swayed by the world's judgment or a stormy past. We don't need the world's acceptance / they're too hard on me, too hard on you, she croons in sultry falsetto.
Unlike most tracks in the album, it is not the usual dancehall. But with the jazz magically sprinkled over a groovy bass line, it's an absolute bop. Plastic Off The Sofa richly embodies almost every element that makes Beyoncé the alien superstar, on a different, higher plane from her peers.
From incredible vocals (her thick voice airy enough to float on the chords in amazing riffs) to her bold sensuality, only tapered by the authenticity of sweet tender love. In addition, the production on it is nothing but genius.
While this one may be too new to be one of her best hits, it is too good to pass on!
4. Daddy Lessons
They say not only can you hear, but you can taste, see, and feel pleasant music. Fortunately, Beyoncé is one of those artists who has perfected the art of breaching the five senses. She effortlessly does this in her anecdote and tribute to her western roots on her 2017 album, Lemonade. Critics have gone back and forth on this song, on whether it is country or not.
Still, since that would neither depreciate nor elevate its status, other factors qualify it to be on this list.
Daddy Lessons packs a lot of different stories into four minutes. War and mannerisms of the countryside, responsibility for self and family in a man-dominated world, the doting father-daughter relationship, and how her daddy liked his tea. Most significant is the last verse, resonating with the overall Lemonade theme.
It is the story of an angry woman reminiscing on her daddy's lessons on avoiding certain men. A woman who paid little heed to the one lesson that pulsated throughout the song: shoot in the sight of trouble.
The emotion in her voice is raw and unfiltered, and you can almost hear the coarseness cutting through you. It leans into the angry Bey featured on the earlier track, Don't Hurt Yourself. Despite the individuality of stories in the song, the master element is in how they are all vastly related.
5. Dangerously In Love
You know Bey is in her feelings when she starts a song with those three magical words.
Dangerously In Love is titled after the album it features on, her debut album. It is one thing to profess love; it is another to do it without the usual clichés. Indeed, Ms. Knowles invents poetry with deep-reaching and affecting lines that bare the singer open, crooning her deepest affections.
All up in her feelings, she describes a purely divine love as almost dangerous. A love so powerfully overwhelming, burning with the fires of newness, and every single line is a testament to it.
One can quickly tell they are listening to the young Beyoncé by her lighter-pitched voice. Regardless, the passion in her singing is just as profound as she scores a number with this smooth and honest ballad.
6. Broken-Hearted Girl
Some girls love to break up and make up; they inspire conflict and heartache just for the thrill. Not Beyoncé, as she explicitly states on this record.
Broken-Hearted Girl is another sentimental ballad on her album, I Am… Sasha fierce. Beyoncé writes this emotional piece alongside Babyface in her ultimate pop diva era. The lyrics describe the complications of love, and maturing in it to become a free-spoken woman unafraid of her desires. She accepts her insecurities were mainly projections of her own shallowness. It's a woman growing to accept that nothing comes easy or perfect—least of all, love.
The song displays Bey's softer, more emotionally intense side, highly palpable through her flexible voice, flavored by her natural vibrato and the brief moments of breathlessness. Its music video, filmed in noir, follows the story of a woman reminiscing about her lover's good times.
Then, finally, she reaches some kind of epiphany, realizing that she must work to get past the thorns and smell the roses.
7. Party (Feat. André 3000)
It's a cool girl summer every season with Bey's Party, featuring Andre 3000 of hip hop duo, Outkast, and a short rhyme from Kanye West.
Party is a song about indulging your frivolities and having a good time, regardless of what comes next or what anyone thinks. The one thing Bey has always communicated through her music—and sees a need for the constant reminder—is how little she cares for the gossip and critics. ‘I don't care what they say / I don't care if they talking tomorrow / ‘Cause tonight's the night,’ she sings in the pre-hook.
Party is the fourth single on her album, 4—so it hits the sweet spot. It received a Grammy nomination for the best rap/song collaboration. What else would you expect from a song produced by Kanye West, sizzled with Beyoncé’s laid-back yet scintillating vocals and André 3000's sweet reminisce on the past. A perfect chill-out song!
8. Black Parade
The Grammy-winning Black Parade would fill any black person with a surge of pride. And with a surprise release on Juneteenth, the gift of a track celebrates her black heritage, southern roots, and the end of slavery. As always, Bey creates a powerful anthem that will have you marching to the hard percussive beats of the track.
Mrs. Carter displays she has the range to do whatever she pleases, rapping through the politically themed song. ‘Need another march, lemme call Tamika / Need peace and reparation for my people.'
She shows her support by donating the track's proceeds to small black-owned businesses. Black Parade expresses her pride in her skin color, as she sings ‘Melanin, melanin, my drip is skin deep', firmly embracing it.’
In a time rocked by racial tensions, police brutality, and several marches for justice, Black Parade is a truly a gift, serving as a theme for people all over. In an expertly written, powerful, and political song, Beyoncé uses brilliant lyricism to convey that the people stand firm despite years of racism and attempts to cancel out black culture. Black Lives Matter.
9. Love on Top
Love On Top oozes absolute ecstasy, giving a throwback 80s feel, with an upbeat tempo to nod along to. The song from her fourth studio album has her singing about someone she can always call and unwind with because they put her on top. And don't we all need someone like that in our lives?
After earning her BET and Teen Choice awards nominations, Love On Top eventually wins her 17th Grammy.
During a live MTV performance, Bey announces her pregnancy, contributing to the song soaring through the charts. But, besides the fantastic costume changes and the terrific dance routines, one thing that stuns the hearts of even the staunchest critics is her vocals on the song.
Her vocals start on a high note and get even higher, with four higher note changes towards the end of the song. Love On Top is a glorious fusion of dance and music, reminding everyone why Beyoncé is one of the greatest pop stars ever.
10. Drunk in Love
Yes, the Queen has been dangerously in love, crazy in love, and is now drunk in it. Opening with lush vocals that draw listeners in and inform them of an exotic female singer, the song draws on female sensuality. It depicts Bey's expensive tastes in all things. The song bags two Grammys at the 57th for Best RnB song and best RnB performance.
Beyoncé states that she had freestyled in verse and was just trying to have some fun after a party. In this, she explores her desire for a good time and apparent infatuation with her partner. While her husband raps on the song, locking on to the strong trap beats and unyielding synths, the song's crux lingers on nightlong, passionate lovemaking between herself and the mogul, Jay-Z.
Their luxurious lifestyle is displayed throughout the lyrics, leaving the listeners fueled by the fiery anthem to passionate lovemaking.
11. If I Were a Boy
This song will surely pull on the heartstrings of anyone who listens and make them feel with every line. Indeed, double standards plague almost every relationship, and this song does justice to them. It focuses on the honest representation of one's feelings. Furthermore, it poses the existential question of what it would feel like to be the opposite gender.
‘If I were a boy, I think I could understand, How it feels to love a girl, I swear I'd be a better man.’ While the roles are reversed in the song, it is a powerful anthem for women—even men—to understand life in shoes of the opposite gender.
Again, its lyricism is not only genius but socially aware. It is a song any girl can relate to, especially one who has lived under the hoofs of sexism for too long.
12. Partition
Partition portrays even higher sexuality than most of her songs. Mrs. Carter creates this art without so much in terms of vulgarity. The music switches from pop to southern hip hop, with a heavy baseline and drumbeats.
With her husband as the drive for her daring lyrics, ‘Yoncé has the aura of an exotic housewife who holds complete mastery of the art of seduction. The alluring song ends with her asking the driver to roll up the partition of the limo—and whatever happens behind closed doors has nothing to do with us, right? Although, she hints at her dirty intentions throughout the song.
Partition was her twentieth song to hit number one on the US Hot Dance Club charts. She became the third artist, just behind Madonna and Rihanna, with the most number ones on the chart. ‘Yoncé, her naughty alter ego, gives a fearless, New York-y, dark aesthetic, and we love to see it.
13. Don't Hurt Yourself
The starting line to this song is one of the most iconic the music world would ever hear. Don't
Hurt Yourself features on her album, Lemonade, as an angry reaction to Jay-Z's cheating scandal. No woman deserves to be taken for granted or insulted in the name of love. Beyoncé has always expressed her support for women and channeled her feminine energy through her music.
In the song, she roars in fierce denial, refusing to share any of the hurt that accompanies unfaithfulness. Instead, she claims that by trying to hurt and lie to her, he is only doing so to himself. She is too grown to be heartbroken and too smart to fall for any deceit.
With Jack White as a co-vocalist, the sensational song debuted on the billboards at number 28, earning its place as a fire piece of art. The instrumentals on the track are also excellent, especially at the hook, where it reaches a climax. Don't Hurt Yourself is a true a empowerment song.
14. I Care
The southern songstress gives a riveting performance on I Care, a track from her fourth studio album. Writing alongside Chad Hugo and Jeff Bhasker, Beyoncé admits that she was close to tears while recording the song—which is obvious in the track. The song is about almost unrequited love for someone who doesn't care to see her in pain.
The teardrop-like sound in the first seconds of the track prepares the listeners for the heart-wrenching opening line: I told you how you hurt me, baby, but you don't care.
Beyoncé’s vocal range in the song is only mesmerizing, meeting the tune with riffs that match the percussion and synthesizers. Her coarse vocal texture, especially at the start, portrays a heartfelt vulnerability, deep enough for you to feel the singer's pain.
There is clarity, resonance, and control while maintaining the sentimentality of I care. The R&B ballad combines soul and rock music with a pulsating melody that showcases the beauty of honesty with oneself.
15. Formation
In a song that celebrates the feminine body, black lives, and culture, ‘Yoncé knows the inner workings of greatness through defiance and command. Working as Lemonade‘s lead single, Formation captures the heart of the R&B theme with trap and southern bounce influences all over. The minimalist beats and heavy bass offer a balance to the rhythm.
This is a carefree and playful track, informing listeners how she is black and proud, unafraid to hide her heritage or superhuman abilities. She sings, ‘Y'all haters corny with that Illuminati mess.' The line references the conspiracy theory about her connection to the Illuminati. It dismisses those who don't believe in her success and power as a black woman who has earned everything she has worked for.
Ranking number one on Billboard's top ten R&B songs of 2016, and also named the best international song of the same year by Rolling Stone. It stands as a showpiece of black resilience. She speaks of her mother's Louisiana birthplace and her father from Alabama, in a line she later describes as ‘Unapologetic Blackness.'
This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.
Boloere Seibidor, fondly called B.S. is a Nigerian based writer and poet. Her favorite topics to cover include music, especially Hip-Hop, film, lifestyle, and fashion. She's been published by Feral Journal, Fantasy Magazine, The Temz Review, and most notably, Wealth of Geeks. She enjoys romantic dinners, movie nights, and touring new sites. When she's not writing, she's delving back in time to the underground world of Hip-Hop, watching TikTok, or visiting the cinema.