Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
"Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé, from her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008). Columbia Records released "Single Ladies" as a single on October 8, 2008, as a double A-side alongside "If I Were a Boy", showcasing the contrast between Beyoncé and her aggressive onstage alter ego Sasha Fierce. It explores men's unwillingness to propose or commit. In the song, the female protagonist is in a club to celebrate her single status.
"Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"
October 8, 2008
May 2008
The Boom Boom Room, Burbank, California
3:13
- Knowles
- Stewart
- Nash
- Thaddis Harrell
- Knowles
- Tricky Stewart
- The-Dream
"Single Ladies" won three Grammy Awards in 2009, including Song of the Year, among other accolades. Several news media sources named it as one of the best songs of 2008, while some considered it one of the best songs of the decade. Rolling Stone ranked it at number 228 on their list of the 500 greatest songs of all time in 2021. It topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for four non-consecutive weeks and has been certified 9x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The song charted among the top ten within the singles category in several other countries. Globally, it was 2009's seventh best-selling digital single with 6.1 million copies sold.[1]
A black-and-white music video accompanied the single's release. It won several awards, including three at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards winning the top prize Video of the Year. Beyoncé has performed "Single Ladies" on television and during her concert tours. The song and particularly its music video have been widely parodied and imitated. Several notable artists have performed cover versions. Media usage has included placement in popular television shows.
Composition and lyrical interpretation[edit]
"Single Ladies" is an uptempo dance-pop, bounce, and R&B song with dancehall and disco influences.[7][22][23][24][25] While the first measure is in 3
4, it is set in common time 4
4 except for a change to 3
4 for one measure before the final chorus.[26] It makes use of staccato bounce-based hand claps,[27][28] Morse code beeps,[25] an ascending whistle in the background,[29] and a punchy organic beat.[28] The instrumentation includes a bass drum,[30] a keyboard[31] and spaced out synthesizers that occasionally zoom in and out; one commentator, Sarah Liss of CBC News, noted that their arrangement surprisingly comes as light, instead of dense.[28] According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, the verses of "Single Ladies" are played in the key of E major[26] and the piece modulates to E Mixolydian for the chorus and E minor for the bridge[32] and is played in a "moderate groove" tempo of 96.9 beats per minute. Beyoncé's vocals range from the note of F♯3 to D5.[26] It has a chord progression of E in the verses, and Bdim–C–Bdim–Am in the chorus.[26] J. Freedom du Lac of The Washington Post noted the song features "playground vocals".[33]
"Single Ladies" is musically similar to Beyoncé's 2007 single "Get Me Bodied"; Andy Kellman of AllMusic called it a "dire throwback" to the song.[34] Stewart and Harrell said in an interview given to People magazine that the similar rhythm of the two songs is "what Beyoncé responds to".[3] Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times saw the song's theme of female empowerment as an extension of that of "Irreplaceable" (2006),[35] and Daniel Brockman of The Phoenix noted that its usage of "blurry pronouns" such as "it" resembles Beyoncé's 2005 single "Check on It".[36] Liss commented that the beat of the "Single Ladies" evokes African gumboot dancing and schoolyard Double Dutch chants,[28] a view shared by Douglas Wolf of Time magazine.[37] Trish Crawford of the Toronto Star concluded that "Single Ladies" is "a strong song of female empowerment",[38] and other music critics have noted its appeal to Beyoncé's fan base of independent women[35][39] as in the song, Beyoncé offers support to women who have split up from their no-good boyfriends.[40]
In "Single Ladies", Beyoncé emphasizes her aggressive and sensual alter ego Sasha Fierce.[22][41][42] She displays much attitude in her voice, as stated by Nick Levine of Digital Spy.[19] Echoing Levine's sentiments, Liss wrote that Beyoncé sounds "gleefully sassy".[28] The lyrics reflect post-breakup situations.[43] Accompanied by robotic-like sounds, the opening lines of the song are call and response;[44] Beyoncé chants, "All the single ladies", and background singers echo the line each time.[35] In the first verse, Beyoncé narrates the recent end to a poor relationship after she "cried [her] tears for three good years".[40][45] She reclaims her right to flirt, have fun, and find a lover who is more devoted than the previous one.[46] Beyoncé goes out to celebrate with her friends in a club where she meets a new love interest.[35] However, her former boyfriend is watching her, and she directs the song to him.[35] She then sings the chorus, which uses minor chords[42] and contains several hooks,[47] "If you like it then you shoulda put a ring on it ... Oh oh oh".[48]
In the second verse, Beyoncé tells her ex-lover that, as he did not attempt to make things more permanent when he had the chance, he has no reason to complain now that she has found someone else.[49] On the bridge, she affirms that she wants her new love interest "to make like a prince and grab her, delivering her to 'a destiny, to infinity and beyond'" while "Prince Charming is left standing there like the second lead in a romantic comedy".[35] Towards the end of the song, Beyoncé takes a more aggressive vocal approach[22] and employs a middle eight as she sings, "And like a ghost I'll be gone".[49] When she chants the chorus for the third and final time, her vocals are omnipresent within layers of music, as described by Frannie Kelley of NPR.[30] An electronic swoop tugs in continuously until the song ends.[37]
Critical reception[edit]
Reviews[edit]
The song received critical acclaim. Nick Levine of Digital Spy particularly praised its beats, which according to him, "just don't quit".[19] Michelangelo Matos of The A.V. Club wrote that the song is "fabulous, with glowing production, a humongous hook, and beats for weeks".[50] Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times was also impressed with the overall production of the song, specifically the chorus, adding "More than most female singers, Beyoncé understands the funky art of singing rhythmically, and this is a prime example."[35] Fraser McAlpine of BBC Online considered "Single Ladies" to be the best song Beyoncé has attempted since "Ring the Alarm" (2006) and complimented the former's refrain, describing it as "so amazingly catchy that it provides a surprisingly solid foundation for the entire song".[49] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian commended the threatening atmosphere that "Single Ladies" creates by using minor chords.[42] Daniel Brockman of The Phoenix complimented the song's use of the word "it", and wrote that the technique "sums up her divided musical persona far more effectively than the [album's] two-disc split-personality gimmick."[36]
Darryl Sterdan of Jam! called the song single-worthy, and wrote that it is "a tune that actually sounds like a Beyoncé number".[47] Sarah Liss of CBC News wrote that "Single Ladies" represents Beyoncé at her best, describing it as "an instantly addictive [and] a bouncy featherweight dance-pop track".[28] She further commented that it was pleasant to hear a voice which "changes timbre naturally, a voice with actual cracks and fissures (however slight)" in contrast to the "Auto-Tune epidemic that seems to be plaguing so many of her mainstream pop peers".[28] Douglas Wolf of Time magazine added that "Single Ladies" is a sing-along which allows Beyoncé to demonstrate her virtuosity and "a focused, commanding display of individuality that speaks for every raised hand without a ring on it".[37] Sasha Frere-Jones of The New Yorker wrote that the song combines a jumble of feelings and sounds that "don't resolve but also never become tiring".[29] He concluded that "Single Ladies" was generally jubilant and that Beyoncé's vocals were pure and glimmering.[29] Andy Kellman of AllMusic and Jessica Suarez of Paste magazine noted the song as one of the standouts from I Am... Sasha Fierce, and saw similarities to "Get Me Bodied".[25][34]
Writers praised the song's dance beat; Colin McGuire of PopMatters praised "Single Ladies" as one of Beyoncé's best dance tracks.[23] Spence D. of IGN Music described the song as a "Caribbean flair and booty shaking jubilation that should get even the most staid of listeners snapping their necks and gyrating joyfully".[51] Joey Guerra of the Houston Chronicle wrote that it is a "hip-shaking club" song similar to "Check on It".[22] Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly magazine wrote that "Single Ladies" is a "giddy, high-stepping hybrid of lyrical kiss-off and fizzy jump-rope jam".[27] Describing the song as a "winning high-stepping" one, Adam Mazmanian of The Washington Times wrote that "Single Ladies" is designed to get the women out on the dance floor as Beyoncé sings it with "a genuinely defiant, independent voice".[24] Some critics were unimpressed by "Single Ladies". Mariel Concepcion of Billboard magazine called it "standard screech-thump fare".[52] The Observer's Adam Mattera saw "Single Ladies" and "Diva" as potential sources of inspiration for drag queens, although they may leave others confused.[39] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine criticized its lyrical inconsistencies, suggesting it is a "leftover" from B'Day.[53]
Recognition[edit]
Rolling Stone named "Single Ladies" the best song of 2008, and wrote, "The beat ... is irresistible and exuberant, the vocal hook is stormy and virtuosic."[54] "Single Ladies" ranked as the second-best song of the 2000s decade in the magazine's 2009 readers' poll,[55] and Rolling Stone critics placed it at number 50 on the list of the 100 Best Songs of the Decade.[56] In 2021, the same magazine placed the song at number 228 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[57]"Single Ladies" was placed at number two on MTV News' list of The Best Songs of 2008; James Montgomery called it "hyperactive and supercharged in ways I never thought possible. It's epic and sexy and even a bit sad."[58] "There is absolutely zero chance Beyoncé ever releases a single like this ever again", Montgomery concluded.[58] Time magazine's critic Josh Tyrangiel, who called the song "ludicrously infectious", ranked it as the seventh-best song of 2008.[59] Douglas Wolf of the same publication placed it at number nine on his list of the All-Time 100 Songs.[37]
"Single Ladies" appeared at number six on the Eye Weekly's critics' list of the Best Singles of 2008,[60] and at number six on About.com's Mark Edward Nero's list of the Best R&B Songs of 2008.[61] On The Village Voice's year-end Pazz & Jop singles list, "Single Ladies" was ranked at numbers three and forty one in 2008 and 2009 respectively.[62][63] Additionally, the Maurice Joshua Club Mix of the song was ranked at number 443 on the 2008 list.[62] "Single Ladies" was named the best song of the 2000s decade by Black Entertainment Television (BET).[64] Sarah Rodman, writing for The Boston Globe, named "Single Ladies" the fourth most irresistible song of the decade, and stated, "[Beyoncé] combined leotards with crass engagement-bling baiting into one delicious sexy-yet-antiquated package. The video had the whole world dancing and waving along via YouTube."[65] VH1 ranked "Single Ladies" at number sixteen on its list of The 100 Greatest Songs of the 2000s.[66] In his book Eating the Dinosaur (2009), Chuck Klosterman wrote that "Single Ladies" is "arguably the first song overtly marketed toward urban bachelorette parties".[67] Jody Rosen of The New Yorker credited the melodies that float and dart over the thump for creating a new sound in music that didn't exist in the world before Beyoncé. He further wrote, "If they sound 'normal' now, it's because Beyoncé, and her many followers, have retrained our ears."[68]
Music video[edit]
Background and concept[edit]
The music video for "Single Ladies" was shot immediately after "If I Were a Boy",[41] but it received less attention during production than the "higher-gloss, higher-profile video" for "If I Were a Boy".[115] Both videos were shot in black-and-white in New York City and were directed by Jake Nava,[115] with whom Beyoncé had worked on previous music videos including "Crazy in Love" and "Beautiful Liar".[116] "Single Ladies" was choreographed by Frank Gatson Jr. and JaQuel Knight,[3] and incorporates J-Setting choreography.[41] The two music videos premiered on MTV's Total Request Live show on October 13, 2008[7] to reinforce the concept of conflicting personalities.[41] The videos were released to other media outlets on the same date and subsequently included on Beyoncé's remix album with videography, Above and Beyoncé,[117] and the platinum edition of I Am... Sasha Fierce.[118]