Beyonce has had quite an illustrious career, filled with countless hits and barely any misses.
The glamorous performer and talented singer, has given birth to some of the most recognizable tunes of the past 20 years, starting from her debut album ‘Dangerously In Love’ in the early 2000’s. And we’re not even counting her fantastic work in Destiny’s Child.
The singer’s hardwork and dedication towards constantly upgrading herself and refining her craft has given her an edge over other performers, and the amount of work and precision she puts in her output clearly shows when she appears on screen.
Knowles’ transformation from an RnB crooner to a trap-queen, with a more Hip-Hop-inspired sound in her more recent releases, has shown her versatility and growth as an artist, and also her willingness to constantly reinvent herself.
Keeping all that in mind, we have put together the list of some of her best songs released thus far.
These are simply ranked based on their musicality, notwithstanding how they stood in terms of popularity.
Here are Beyonce’s top 20 best songs:
20) All Night
An extraordinarily created composition, with all elements of the singer’s talents as a vocalist, showcasing her Rap-influence sprinkled all over it. An incredibly melancholic retro and Reggae inspired sound as featured on her critically acclaimed visual masterpiece – Lemonade, kicking off our list at #20.
19) Partition
This dirty little tune packing elements of Rap in Bey’s delivery, is one of her most glamorously sexually charged songs and it’s ultra-catchy tune and composition makes you involuntarily want to twerk-along, every time. The only thing we dread is – the song doesn’t have it’s much-needed lyrical bridge towards the end, which keeps us yearning for more, especially after the bombasting flow it starts with.
18) Naughty Girl
Sampling Donna Summer’s eternal 70’s classic ‘Love To Love You Baby’, this sexy number, like the rest of the singles from her landmark debut album as a solo artist, saw her exude such confidence from the beginning that it certified that she was here to stay. Exemplary of her unique lady-like, naturally sassy and sultry presence – this is one of those songs/videos that put her in a league of her own.
17) Upgrade You
Bey herself has had quite an upgrade from this sound – but we still can’t help keep revisiting her fun, RnB tunes from this era, as the more free-spirited singer sings about bringing out the best in her partner, played out by her now-husband Jay Z. Favorite part of the song – the climax! – when Beyonce unleashes her powerful vocals and belts out at the top of her registers, reaching the pinnacle of the song’s essence.
16) Freedom
A powerful tune from her visual extravaganza – Lemonade, assisted by the lyrical genius of Kendrick Lamar. The song is an inspiration to anyone trying to break the chains of anything that holds them back from living their life freely.
15) Resentment
A retro-inspired tune about basically cussing out your estranged lover, but still keeping it classy while doing so. That’s Yonce’s Resentment for you. The highlight of this heartbreaking song about a scorned lover, is the finale featuring Beyonce vocally “going off,” implying an outburst of the hurt she has been caused.
14) Scared Of Lonely
An underrated and often overlooked song from her third studio album. Her soaring vocals on this upbeat tune about yearning for one’s love, is masterfully composed and produced by Darkchild AKA Rodney Jerkins and her powerful vocal performance in it is the song’s biggest USP.
13) Halo
One of her most romantic and best love songs, yet. Halo co-written by Bey for her iconic ‘I Am… Sasha Fierce’ album, is one of her most celebrated tracks among fans. Emotionally captivating and inspiring – her sublime vocals on this are to live for.
12) Drunk In Love
Beyonce returned with her hubby, Jay Z, as they yet again basked in each other’s sexuality oozing an unprecedented level of oomph. The sexual innuendos and the iconic sounding chorus, minus the Ike and Tina references, makes it one of their best collaborations ever.
11) Beautiful Liar feat. Shakira
Apart from the fact that the song gave us perhaps her all-time best music video, this Grammy nominated tune also packs some stellar vocals, lyric and a beautiful ethnic musical production, which makes it a delight to listen to. The instrumentalization here is pretty epic and the usage of traditional Indian and Arabic instruments like, oud and ney, take this memorable tune to another level.
10) Crazy In Love
Her most iconic hit, which can easily be classified as her signature song. Crazy In Love was monumental in the Pop music scene in the early 2000’s, and set her apart and above her contemporaries in music. It showcased how her sophisticated sound and visual-game was on a whole another standard she was setting for herself, far above the rest. But most of all, it’s an insanely catchy anthem – even after all these years.
9) Listen
A vocal juggernaut, which features Beyonce going all out, showcasing her chops to the world. Featured in the award winning film ‘Dreamgirls’, it shows a turning point for her character as she attempts to prove her naysayers wrong. And it’s uplifting message does just that to the listeners.
8) Baby Boy
A sultry number from her debut studio album, which was a major international hit on the charts. The sexually charged lyric, vocal and music video – turned Bey into one of the boldest females in music and she hasn’t looked back since. Her collaboration with Sean Paul here was one of the most iconic things to have happened in music during that time.
7) XO
XO is one of those tracks that has such a layered production that it carries the whole emotion and essence of the song on it’s shoulders. The song instantly induces romance and sends you in a trance, with the beautiful blending of it’s musical production and Beyonce’s vocals.
6) Once In A Lifetime
An original hit featured on the Etta James biopic ‘Cadillac Records’, which saw Knowles step-into the shoes of the ‘At Last’ songstress. This Golden Globe nominated song, carries such a longing and sadness in it’s tune, without needing to overdo anything, that it transcends you. The simple yet almost hypnotic production and Beyonce’s heartfelt vocals make this one of her best ballads about heartbreak.
5) Suga Mama
Basically a more sexual and naughty version of Destiny’s Child’s ‘Cater 2 U’, but one which shows the protagonist take more authority, as opposed to the latter. Suga Mama is incredibly catchy and her growling vocals towards the end are the icing on this delicious cake.
4) Irreplaceable
One of her biggest chart hits, that spent 10 weeks at #1 – this tightly produced and wittily written track, packs a whole lot of punches – of the singer’s trademark diva-ish swag. Beyonce once also stated how it was one of her favorite songs to perform live, as it allows her to showcase her vocals and sing her heart out.
3) Me, Myself & I
A smooth-RnB classic featured on Bey’s debut studio album, ‘Dangerously In Love’. What makes this track stand out in this whole LP, is it’s effortless flow and lyrical realness, visually depicting the state of her rotten relationship with her man. Her vocals and harmonies towards the end, turn this not only into an uplifting female anthem, but also one of her most insatiable catchy slow-jams ever.
2) Work It Out
Her first single as a soloist, heavily inspired from one of her biggest idols – Tina Turner, especially when it comes down to it’s retro visuals. The song was featured on the soundtrack of Austin Powers in Goldmember, and it’s so infectiously delicious, that it comfortably sits this high on the list – despite all these years of the singer’s musical evolution.
1) Brown Skin Girl
One of her most powerful and inspirational tracks ever released. The song speaks to the billions of colored individuals across the globe, and it’s message of self-empowerment resonates with multiple ethnicities. An unabashed celebration of our melanin, but more so of the stories it carries with it. Thoroughly a goosebumps-inducing experience.
Honorable mentions:
Kitty Kat
Formation
Daddy Lessons
If I Were A Boy
Spirit
Love On Top
Special mention:
Yonce