The 70 Greatest Beyoncé Songs

According to Beyoncé’s longtime collaborator The-Dream, she had recorded an entire Fela Kuti-inspired album after spending time with the band from the Broadway musical Fela!, which her husband, Jay-Z, co-produced. The project was never released, but listeners can hear wisps of the sonic direction she was experimenting with on “End of Time,” a showstopper of a song built on triumphant, syncopating percussion and blaring horns that blur Afrobeat and modern pop together. Beyoncé’s voice sprawls over the music, making for one of her most ecstatic tracks ever. —J.L.

Boss behavior has been the Bey and Jay brand since the start. But the power couple has never been so mighty as they are on “Apeshit” — the lead single of their one-and-only album performing as the Carters. Beyoncé and her S.O. toggle between bars about boardroom bully ball and mosh-pit dominance. Somehow, the demands to “pay me in equity” and watch Bey “jumpin’ off the stage, hoe” feel part of the same engraved platinum whole. Even when the ad-libs teeter on the edge of silly — little roars on the chorus, the high-pitched “scoot, scoot, scoot” after the lyric about the Lambo — they somehow cement the track instead of throwing it off. Power couples balance each other out like that. —N.S.

Though similar to songs like “Say My Name,” “Bills, Bills, Bills,” and several other songs Beyoncé released with Destiny’s Child about a trifling partner, “Freakum Dress” takes the theme even further with a funkier and more assertive feel. Beyoncé addresses an almost universally shared experience: that one outfit that has you looking and feeling dangerously sexy — just as much as the song itself does. Among Beyoncé’s many girls-night-out anthems and confidence-inspiring songs, “Freakum Dress” stands out as one of the best. —D.V.

Torch-passing moments in pop rarely feel this impactful, but when Beyoncé teamed up with fellow Houston native Megan Thee Stallion on this classy, bougie, ratchet remix of Megan’s “Savage,” it was a hot girl summit for the ages. Megan was already establishing herself as an A-list microphone melter, but when Beyoncé swooped in to elegantly kick liquid wordplay like “Hips tick-tock when I dance/On that Demon Time, she might start an OnlyFans/Big B and that B stands for bands,” she took the track to a whole different level, reminding us that “world-class rapper” was also one of the many tools in her enormous kit. —J.D.

“Grown Woman” is Beyoncé’s best one-off, relegated to the background of the self-titled era, first as the soundtrack to her buzzy Pepsi commercial, months before Beyoncé dropped, then tacked to the visual album as a bonus video. In fact, plain audio of “Grown Woman” isn’t even available on streaming, though its striking and retrospective music video remains on Bey’s official YouTube channel and on TIDAL. The Timbaland-produced track is hype and percussive, one of her first forays into Afropop, with vocals from Guinean musician and dancer Ismael Kouyate setting off its vibrant polyrhythms. —M.C. 

The first glimpse the public had of Beyoncé’s masterpiece I Am … Sasha Fierce took place in March 2008, eight months before the album landed, when an early version of “Sweet Dreams” somehow leaked just a day after she laid down her vocal. It turned out to be a very unexpected blessing, since the reaction to the synthesizer-heavy electro-pop song was extremely positive, building up huge anticipation for the unveiling of Ms. Fierce later that year. The song is about a man so perfect that you cannot tell whether he’s even real. The surreal video, directed by Tom Petty’s daughter Adria Petty, shows Beyoncé levitating above her bed and descending into a dream world where she dances in a golden robot suit. It’s Beyoncé at her most awesomely bizarre.  —A.G.

Without a doubt, Bey teaming up with Frank Ocean is what dreams are made of. But it’s the context of the doo-wop-tinged “Superpower” that made it so powerful, despite it being a bit understated. The track, from Bey’s self-titled fifth studio album, holds a double meaning as both an ode to Bey’s pride as a Black woman and the strength of her bond with her husband. ”And just like you, I can’t be scared/And just like you, I hope I’m spared/But it’s tough love,” Bey sings candidly. Paired with her smoldering vocals, she conveys her message well. —I.K.

Can shaking your ass in the club make for a transcendent experience? It’s a question Beyoncé answers on this New Orleans bounce-flavored Renaissance track. “Nobody can judge me, but me/I was born free,” she trills in that mezzo-soprano voice of hers. Then she sparks a call-and-response, commanding us to “drop it like a thottie.” “Put your lighters in the sky, get this motherfucker litty/She gon’ shake that ass and her pretty tig old bitties,” she sings just as The Showboys’ classic “Drag Rap (Triggerman)” loop kicks in. Throughout, an altered vocal sample from the Clark Sisters’ “Center of Thy Will” blends with interpolations of DJ Jimi’s “Where They At” and Lyn Collins’ “Think (About It).” It’s a mix of the sacred and profane…except there’s nothing profane about it.–M.R.

From the 2019 soundtrack The Lion King: The Gift, which Bey produced and curated, “Bigger” is a restrained but sweeping statement of empowerment — both a tribute to her children and a more existential piece of her catalog. “Bigger, you’re part of something way bigger/Bigger than you, bigger than we/Bigger than the picture they framed us to see,” she sings with wonder. While it wasn’t exactly a radio hit, it is irrefutably affecting and has the perfect cinematic spark for the breathtaking film Black Is King. —I.K.

The only way to begin an album about the collapse of a holy union is with your own death. There are very few opening tracks that so clearly evoke the paranoia, loss, and loneliness of knowing you are living in a lie than the first song on Lemonade. Written by Beyoncé, James Blake, and Kevin Garrett, the haunting downtempo track sets the tone for what would be one of Beyoncé’’s sharpest albums lyrically, as she walks us through the valley of her undoing. The production also showcases how insidious the rupture of trust can feel with its disquieting bass and reverberating vocals. —C.B.

“Ego” already had the playful confidence that has made Beyoncé so alluring. “It’s too big (big)/It’s too wide (wide)/It’s too strong (strong)/It won’t fit (fit),” she teases on the sensual I Am … Sasha Fierce track. With the remix, she enlisted someone who truly encompassed the ethos of the song: Kanye West. And you couldn’t debate the fact that the rapper delivered some clever verses: “Now I’m standing next to Jay, who’s standing next to B/Could have been anywhere in the world, but you’re here with me/That’s good for my ego … my ego is my imaginary friend.” —i.K.

With its gospel choir, rousing organ, and steady drumbeat march, “Freedom” is a 21st-century hymn, a prayer for strength, and a powerful call for revolution, both in the world and within yourself. “I break chains all by myself/Won’t let my freedom rot in hell/Hey! I’ma keep running/’Cause a winner don’t quit on themselves.” Amen. —L.T.

The rather unexpected duo of Beyoncé and Miley Cyrus are perfect partners in rhyme on “II Most Wanted.” The Cowboy Carter song’s composition is blissfully reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide,” but rather than stewing in a relationship’s uncertainty, it revels in commitment. “’ll be your shotgun rider ‘til the day I die,” they sing together, a harmonious merging of two of modern music’s most unique voices. “II Most Wanted” is especially liberating in its romance and devotion that could be perfectly platonic, a reminder that friendships are love stories, too. M.C.

“Resentment” was originally penned for former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham and set to be included on her 2004 LP, Come Together (Beckham’s version is floating around the internet, although it was never officially released except on a documentary DVD about the Beckhams). That album ended up shelved, and the song found its way to Jazmine Sullivan, who recorded a version for an album that also got shelved. In 2006, Beyoncé recorded her own version and included it on her second album, B’Day, injecting all of the raw emotions needed to convey the heartfelt message behind the song. —M.M.

Even though this track is sometimes overlooked in the discussion of Beyoncé’s best dance records, it remains one of the clearest points of contact to her longtime love of disco. Mixed by DJ Swivel — who has declared it one of the favorites of his career — the song combines punctuating horn blasts, full-bodied guitars, and Bey’s dynamic belting for a powerful anthem of self-discovery. Beyoncé’s performance of “Schoolin’ Life” during her residency at Revel: Atlantic City also marked a critical point in her work as a live creative director. —C.B.

Originally featured as a ballad on 2008’s I Am … Sacha Fierce, “If I Were a Boy,” is one of the rare songs in Bey’s catalog without a writing credit by Queen Bey herself. She makes the song all her own with her raw and expansive vocals. Seven months after Sasha Fierce’s release, Beyoncé released a special album of videos and remixes, Above and Beyonce Dance Mixes, that included a version of the song that also came with an instantly recognizable black-and-white video where Beyonce cosplays as a member of the NYPD and a new remix. With the help of producer Maurice Joshua, Beyoncé reimagines this song again, changing it from a sad ballad to a dance anthem. —A.W.

With co-production by British dancehall musician Cadenza and songwriting contributions from Drake, “Heated” has a propulsive, effervescent riddim. Beyoncé backs herself up with her own rhythmic chants as she unfurls a litany of thoughts. “Only a real one can tame it,” she sings. “I see you testing my patience.” It’s as if she’s drifting in her own head while she’s moving on the dance floor. Unfortunately, the excellent “Heated” was briefly overshadowed by a controversy surrounding one of her chants, which disabled activists criticized as “ableist.” Four days after the release of Renaissance, Beyoncé removed the lyric on the album’s streaming version.–M.R.

Five years after “Irreplaceable,” Beyoncé twisted the knife into an unworthy ex even harder with “Best Thing I Never Had,” a single and standout track from 4. “When I think that there was a time that I almost loved you,” she sings, “You showed your ass, and baby, yes, I saw the real you.” The list of songwriters behind the brash R&B ballad is long, but it includes Beyoncé, Patrick “J. Que” Smith, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, and Shea Taylor. “Best Thing I Never Had” eaked at Number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. The Diane Martel-directed video shows Beyoncé prepping for her wedding and looking back at an unhappy prom night with her ex. “I never went to my prom,” she said, “so now I get to have a prom, but my prom sucks.” —A.G.

For the follow-up to her breakthrough “Crazy in Love,” Beyoncé enlisted the hitmaker Sean Paul, who flew to Miami to record his vocals after Beyoncé sent him a demo track of the song’s reggae-raga rhythm. Knowles, Jay-Z, and Paul all received writing credits on the song, which interpolated “Here Comes the Hot Stepper,” by Jamaican reggae singer Ini Kamoze, and became Beyoncé’s second Number One. “It was a great experience to meet her, but I was very surprised she picked me,” Paul said later that year. “It shows dancehall music’s getting bigger.” —J.B.

On her alt-R&B track “Mine,” Beyoncé casts doubt over her marriage and explores her painful journey to motherhood. The lyrical honesty here is rare for a pre-Lemonade Bey song, foreshadowing the confessional ballads to come three years later. A meeting of two of the biggest Black artists of the time, “Mine” featured Drake, and brought in production heavy-hitters Noah “40” Shebib and Majid Jordan to push the boundaries of R&B. —E.E.

The rendition of “I Care” performed during 2018’s “Beychella” shows the Queen at her most stripped-down — and arguably her best. Reminiscent of her 2015 Grammy tribute to Stevie Wonder with Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga, and Gary Clark Jr., this live performance showcases vocal runs only she could pull off while working harmoniously with other musicians to make onstage magic. Just as important as her vocals is the track’s placement in the set, after the Lemonade track “Don’t Hurt Yourself.” Introduced with a string quartet and a transitional monologue from Malcolm X, Bey flawlessly blends the angst of that Jack White collab into the emotional depth of her fan-favorite power ballad. In tandem, the two-track run signals that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. —E.E. 

Here, Beyoncé and Jay-Z explore the idea of a power couple as they trade rhymes about a life of luxury and the perks of being with each other. They name-drop Cartier and Jacob the Jeweler over a Swizz Beatz-produced track that samples a 1969 song by soul singer Betty Wright. “I see your hustle with my hustle, I can keep you,” Bey offers. What shines brightest is their hard-hitting chemistry, with the duo offering a palpable sense of how they complement one another in real life. —R.M.

Only Bey could sample Andy Williams and interpolate Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Soulja Boy in a single song about jealousy and infidelity, while asking Father John Misty — who recently wrote an entire album about a happy marriage — to lend a hand with lyrics. (Misty would later recall his shock over his contribution making the cut: “I went crazy.”) “Hold Up” is just the second track off Lemonade, so Bey is only getting started on her rage. In the video, she takes a bat and smashes windows and fire hydrants in a stunning mustard-colored gown — savage and graceful all at once. —A.M.

With Dolly Parton’s enthusiastic blessing, Beyoncé flipped one of the country star’s most iconic songs. Hare, she’s not begging “Jolene” not to leave her man alone, she’s warning the “bird” not to even try him – or her. Of course, every time Beyoncé sings the titular woman’s name with her own spin on Parton’s signature drama, her darker, heavier take reverberates – she’s turned the song into a new jungle gym for her vocal acrobatics. Yet, it’s her brand new story that resonates most, detailed and theatrically reminiscent of the real infidelity and reunification that colored her then-opus, Lemonade. “Me and my man crossed those valleys,” she sings with pride and certainty. “I sleep good – happy – ’cause you can’t dig up our planted seeds.”–M.C.

Today, Beyoncé’s status as one of the world’s best balladeers is unquestionable, and this is in part thanks to “Halo.” The ballad, co-written by Ryan Tedder, sees Beyoncé exploring an almost wistful type of fondness she has for her lover while showing off significant vocal power — and, just as important, vocal restraint with melismatic runs that bring to mind Whitney Houston. All of these come together with the song’s icy synth and cascading piano notes to create one of the more intense and timeless power ballads of the 2000s and further establish Beyoncé’s position as a vocal powerhouse. —D.V.

“Kitty Kat” is more than a flirtatious warning to a lover, it’s also a preamble to versions of Beyoncé that reveal themselves over her next several albums. Bey’s hyper-feminine alter ego is situated in the music video directed by Melina Matsoukas, and within lyrics where she alludes to her “sweet little nookie,” a side of the singer exposed on her self-titled project, and that iconic bridge signaled the official start of her rap-singing résumé. The Neptunes-produced track sets itself in the early 2000s with the duos’ signature four-count start, and it, like that four-count, has come to transcend time. —E.E.

With a military drumbeat, “Run the World (Girls)” is a little bit punk — driven by its intensity and jagged structure. At its center is a rallying cry for female empowerment, but the song really showcases the breadth of Bey’s talent. Plus, it’s brimming with delicious hooks that make the song a dance-floor banger. While the messaging might not have been too deep ​​(“Girls!/We run this mutha/Girls!/Who run the world”), it’s impossible to deny how Bey’s boundary-pushing sonic exploration on this song has carried influence in her work over the years. —I.K.

“Ya Ya” is a sonically adventurous and combustible peak of Cowboy Carter, applying the anything-goes spirit of late-Eighties hip-hop to her wide-open idea of American music. Over a stompin’, clappin’, snappin’ beat and a Nancy Sinatra sample, she evokes Tina Turner’s rock-soul sass, James Brown’s Black-and-proud testifying, garage-rock guitar scuzz, and, most directly, the Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations.” Her lyrics place her own family’s struggles against a backdrop of American economic, racial, and social hypocrisy, and wrap her anti-erasure gospel in a music that radiates freedom, resistance, and joy.–J.D.

Sonically, “XO” is one of Beyoncé’s most gorgeous songs, all lush longing and stadium-size romance. But there’s more than meets the ear at first: The lyrics keep referencing an always-encroaching darkness, and “XO” kicks off by sampling a radio transmission from the 1986 Challenger space-shuttle disaster. That latter move, presumably meant to underscore the theme of love that can vanish at any moment, led to protests and charges of insensitivity from the widow of a Challenger astronaut and others. Beyoncé — no stranger to space imagery, as one writer pointed out — explained in a statement: “The song ‘XO’ was recorded with the sincerest intention to help heal those who have lost loved ones and to remind us that unexpected things happen, so love and appreciate every minute that you have with those who mean the most to you.” —C.H.

In just under four minutes, Beyoncé unfurls a welter of inspirations on “Cuff It.” On the surface, it’s a disco-inflected rager made for radio, with production from herself, songwriting duo Nova Wav – who also worked on Everything Is Love, her album with husband Jay-Z as The Carters – Danish Europop producer Rissi, and R&B innovators The-Dream and Raphael Saadiq. But plenty lies underneath the surface, from her Texas-styled “drink in my cup” and “hit them ‘draulics” inflections to a bridge that sounds uncannily like a Rick James-like 80s funk jam, and a brief interpolation of the late Teena Marie’s “Ooh La La La.” Even when Beyoncé takes over the nightclub, she brings her talent for world-building concepts to the dance floor.–M.R.

“No Angel” is simple and sexy easy-listening from Beyoncé, which feels rare and special from a powerhouse vocalist like her. She quickly shows off that skill with some impressive ad-libs as the song winds down, but “No Angel” is composed of mostly calm and breathy singing about two lovers embracing their humanity. Caroline Polachek, who wrote the song’s original treatment, likened Bey’s approach to painting. “It sounds like the whole song melts,” said the singer-songwriter. “It’s amazing.” —M.C.

“Flawless” began as a loosie SoundCloud track that drew inspiration from fellow Houston native DJ Screw’s eponymous production style, and turned into a masterpiece of confidence and dominance. Featuring a series of samples from “We Should All Be Feminists,” a speech delivered by Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie at a TEDxEuston event, as well as the Star Search episode in which Bey’s then-girl group Girl’s Tyme appeared and lost, the song uses her life experiences as a message: “The reality is, sometimes you lose. And you’re never too good to lose, you’re never too big to lose … and you have to embrace those things.” In this case, her loss even included an infamous fight between her husband and sister that Nicki Minaj referenced on this song’s remix. Beyoncé’s performance exceeds expectations. More than being “flawless,” it’s fearless. —K.T.

Beyoncé’s 4 is a testament to her attention to detail. “Party,” which she helped produce with Kanye West, showcases her ability to combine every part of what makes her music unique. The opening synth chords are unforgettable earworms. Beyoncé stacked her signature harmonies, and André 3000 was tapped to deliver a delightful verse full of double-entendres. J. Cole also phoned in a feature for a remix, but André’s performance is significantly better because of the dexterity in his rhymes, thus culminating in a luxurious ode to a good time. —M.M.

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.

“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.

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.

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. 

“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.