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The 70 Greatest Beyoncé Songs

From hits that owned the radio to empowerment anthems that stopped the world, and much more

Best Beyoncé songs

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY TRACY ALLISON FOR ROLLING STONE; IMAGES USED IN ILLUSTRATION BY DAVID M. BENETT/DAVE BENETT/WIREIMAGE; THEO WARGO/GETTY IMAGES FOR TIDAL; KEVIN WINTER/GETTY IMAGES; SUNYIXUN/GETTY IMAGES

For at least the past decade, Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter has been the world’s greatest living entertainer. Who else can annihilate complex dance routines and maintain pristinely powerhouse vocals for packed stadiums the way she does? Who else can so thoroughly dominate news cycles with impeccable and innovative surprise albums? Who else has produced music films and video anthologies as compelling and imaginative? Her combination of showmanship, skill, creative vision, and influence is unmatched by her contemporary peers. 

And, of course, the foundation of Beyoncé’s incredible oeuvre is the music, and her uncanny ability to write, produce, curate, and perform it. Her songs are pop masterpieces, gorgeous and diverse, with several becoming cultural touchstones, from the unmistakable shimmy of “Crazy in Love” to the wiggling hand of “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).” To honor her historic run, we’ve compiled and ranked 70 of Beyoncé’s greatest tracks as a solo artist – including a few prominent features.

The list was originally published in 2022 to celebrate the release of Renaissance. We’ve updated it for the arrival of Cowboy Carter. Her vision keeps expanding, her history only gets richer and deeper. Bow down. 

From Rolling Stone US

25

‘Dance for You’ (2011)

Turning church organs into a tool for carnal worship, “Dance for You” is one of Bey’s most successful musical marriages of sensuality and love. With more than six minutes of searing guitar, buzzy synths, and unmitigated adulation, Beyoncé spreads the gospel of her desire to her lover alone, but the spirit of her confidence and passion could empower anyone to give the object of their affection a show. This is one of the best songs in Beyoncé’s discography to mimic her sexiest moves to. —M.C.

24

‘Virgo’s Groove’ (2022)

“Pursue me/ Kiss me where you bruise me/Ooh wee ooh wee,” lilts Beyoncé on “Virgo’s Groove.” “Taste me/The fleshy part/I scream so loud.” It’s one of the most explicitly sensuous numbers from her album Renaissance, evoking moments when love and nightlife inspire a wave of sexual passion. But she also makes clear that she’s dancing with her monogamous partner, not just freaking on the dance floor (though there’s plenty of that, too). “You are the love of my life,” she sings.–M.R.

23

‘Daddy Lessons,’ feat. the Chicks (2016)

When Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter, native of Texas, released her swaggering tribute to country music on Lemonade, some critics slammed her effort as not being “country enough.” The Chicks, quite familiar with unhinged criticism from the country-music establishment — they were banned from the radio because of their criticism of then-President George W. Bush — quickly voiced their support for the superstar’s song, literally, by covering it during their comeback tour. But while the artists’ individual versions of “Daddy Lessons” are great, this collaboration at the Country Music Awards is absolutely scorching and joyfully defiant. —L.T.

22

‘1+1’ (2011)

In 2011, Beyoncé’s promotional single “1+1,”  which peaked at Number 57 on the Billboard 100 chart, introduced a sensual and vulnerable side of the then almost-30-year-old. Originally named “Nothing But Love,” the song was supposed to be featured on The-Dream’s Love vs. Money album, which was released the preceding year. The ballad ribbons and perfectly laces together funk, rock, R&B, and soul, akin to Prince. The accompanying music video showcases a wondrous and hypnotic display of kaleidoscopic and Rorschach-ink-test images of Beyoncé herself. “Am I the same Beyoncé? Absolutely not,” she said. —D.J. 

21

‘Don’t Hurt Yourself’ (2016)

“Don’t Hurt Yourself” isn’t thrilling because Bey goes rock, it’s thrilling because she reclaims rock — and reminds us of the pivotal role Black women had in forming the genre. She samples Led Zeppelin’s “When the Levee Breaks,” originally written by Black Delta-blues singers Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie, and enlists Jack White, whose love of the blues influenced his entire career. “I just talked to her, and she said, ‘I wanna be in a band with you,’” White recalled with a laugh. “I said, ‘Really? Well, I’d love to do something.’ She took just sort of a sketch of a lyrical outline and turned [it] into the most bodacious, vicious, incredible song. … I’m so amazed at what she did with it.” If you need one more reason why this song rules: the line “You ain’t married to no average bitch, boy.” —A.M.