“A diva,” announces Beyoncé’s drag-queen-inspired alter ego Sasha Fierce, “is a female version of a hustler”. Diva (2008)Īudibly similar to Lil Wayne’s A Milli, but none the worse for that, Diva’s brilliance lies in the way it snappily reclaims an insult hurled at women, particularly successful ones. Photograph: Courtesy of Parkwood Entertainment/Parkwood Entertainment 23. A beautifully written song about the seldom-explored topic of long-term monogamy, its musical setting nods towards 60s southern soul, lent extra power by the emotional commitment in her voice.Ī still from Homecoming. All Night (2016)Ī low-key delight amid Lemonade’s attention-grabbing hell-hath-no-fury, All Night is, in its own way, as striking as anything on the album. There’s an argument that, while less hooky, it’s a melodically stronger song than its more famous sibling, and the intro, where Beyoncé gradually introduces each instrument over an urgent bassline, is spectacularly exciting. Déjà Vu (feat Jay-Z) (2006)Ī Jay-Z guest slot, blasting brass and a distinct old-school funk feel, but Déjà Vu is more than just Crazy in Love 2.0. A song about the messy cocktail of alcohol and sex, its lyrics are filled with gleeful double entendres – “park it in my lot”, “ride it on my surfboard” – while its music is equal parts woozy and euphoric. Drunk in Love (feat Jay-Z) (2013)ĭrunk in Love feels symbolic of a distinct loosening up of Beyoncé’s expertly choreographed image. But it’s all about the vocal performance on her solo version, its switches from intimacy and vulnerability to full-throttle power always maintaining a hint of rawness. On one level, Dangerously in Love – previously recorded by Destiny’s Child – is a decent, standard-issue R&B ballad, nothing like as distinctive as Beyoncé’s greatest songs.

Photograph: Kevin Winter/BET/Getty Images for BET 27.

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