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Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)

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"Single Ladies"
Song
A-side"If I Were a Boy"

"Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" is a song by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles, written and produced by Christopher Stewart, Terius Nash, Kuk Harrell and Knowles for her third solo album, I Am… Sasha Fierce (2008). Alongside "If I Were a Boy", the song was released to U.S. radio stations on October 8, 2008. The single peaked at the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Knowles' fifth number-one single.

Background

"That song is all about: 'I've been with you all this time, you're taking too long and now I'm looking hot and you see it and you gotta suffer because you shoulda put a ring on it,'" Knowles explains in her MySpace account. "In my life, when I put on the stilettos, it's all about being confident, sometimes overly confident, and hearing all the things that women need to hear to boost themselves and go out and to move on."[2]

Release and promotion

"Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", alongside "If I Were a Boy", was initially targeted to debut on radio stations on October 7, 2008, with aims at rhythmic formats.[3][4] However, the song premiered the following day on the mainstream urban radio station Power 105.1.[5][6]

The song was performed on November 9, 2008 at the 2008 World Music Awards and at Saturday Night Live on November 15, 2008; that night, Beyonce was also featured in a parody of the "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" music video, where the two female backup dancers from the video were replaced by three men, one of whom was Justin Timberlake (the other two were SNL castmembers Andy Samberg and Bobby Moynihan).[7] On November 16, 2008 Knowles performed the song during the final episode of Total Request Live. Beyonce performed the song on November 18, 2008 at BET's 106 & Park. She also performed "Single Ladies" during the 2008 AMA Awards on November 23, 2008. On November 25, 2008, she performed the song on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. On November 26, 2008, she performed the song in Times Square on The Today Show. Beyonce also performed the song on The Tyra Banks Show.

Critical reception

Critical responses of the song are generally positive. Bill Lamb of About.com, stated that: "Stylistically, the pair ['If I Were a Boy'/'Single Ladies'] are very distinctive from each other, but both are pure Beyoncé. To my ears, 'If I Were a Boy' sounds like an 'Irreplaceable' size smash. However, that is only if it doesn't get overshadowed by the power bounce of 'Single Ladies,' an extension of the style of 'Get Me Bodied' from B'Day."[8] Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly magazine described the song "is all bouncy hand claps and post-breakup sass, a giddy, high-stepping hybrid of lyrical kiss-off and fizzy jump-rope jam".[9] Mariel Concepcion of Billboard magazine was not very impressed with the song, calling it "standard screech-thump fare".[10]

Music video

File:Slparoividbk.jpg
Knowles revealing her Sasha Fierce glove.

The music video for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" was choreographed by JaQuel Knight and directed by Jake Nava, with whom Knowles had worked with on previous videos. In a black and white tone, Knowles is performing as her alter ego Sasha Fierce. It shows her in asymmetrical leotard and high-heels, with two dancers. The video is choreography-driven, with a routine emphasizing hip-and-leg shaking and heels clicking, "almost as if they're tap dancing, to give the song some extra beats".[11] Towards the end of the video, Knowles flashes her wedding ring that is almost camouflaged by her cyborg arm.

Knowles premiered the music video, along side the video for "If I Were a Boy," also directed by Nava, on MTV's Total Request Live show.[12] The video was released to major outlets on October 13, 2008.

Upon the video's release, many internet bloggers noticed similarities between the choreography of "Single Ladies" and that of a June 1969 performance by Gwen Verdon on The Ed Sullivan Show entitled "Mexican Breakfast."[13] The latter—choreographed by Broadway legend, Bob Fosse—became an internet viral sensation when Unk's "Walk It Out" was dubbed over the original mix.[14][15][16] While promoting the song on BET's 106 & Park, Knowles stated that she was inspired by the video after viewing it on YouTube and wanted to see if she could attempt it.[17] Another video by Knowles, "Get Me Bodied", was inspired by Fosse's musical Sweet Charity.[18] As of December 4, 2008, the video has been viewed over 20 million times on YouTube.

Chart performance

The song debuted at number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100 and slowly rose up the charts. On the Billboard issue dated November 29, the song entered the top 40 at number 28. The following week, "Single Ladies" surged up to number two on the Billboard Hot 100. With strong digital sales of 204,000, "Single Ladies" topped the Hot Digital Songs chart and caused Beyonce's other single release, "If I Were A Boy", to drop down to the number two spot on the same chart with a lower tally of 160,000 copies sold.[19] It continued its stay at number one on Hot Digital Songs for two weeks. It sold 228,000 downloads the following week, a twelve percent increase over last week's tally of 204,000.[20] The single's performance on the chart was boosted due to heavy rotation, reaching the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Knowles' fifth number one single. This became the first time in history that the top 4 was made up of only two artists. The songs in descending order are; Single Ladies, Live Your Life by T.I., If I Were A Boy (also by Beyonce), and Whatever You Like (also by T.I.). As Knowles fifth number one song, she is now tied with fellow pop/R&B singer Rihanna for most number one songs in this decade by a solo female artist.[21]

The single debuted as Billboard's "Hot Shot Debut" at number 20 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. After gaining the most airplay each week, it has peaked at number one, becoming Knowles' fifth number-one R&B single in her solo career. The song captured number one on iTunes U.S. Top Songs, Top Ringtones, and Top Music Videos lists.[22]

The song debuted at number 81 on the Canadian Hot 100 based on downloads alone, and it skyrocketed to number 17 the next week based on sales strength and has currently reached the top ten peaking at number 8.[23] On the November 24, 2008, "Singles Ladies" debuted at number 15 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart.

On November 23, 2008, the song entered the UK Singles Chart at number 67 on downloads alone and has so far peaked at number 62, although not officially released as a single. The week after, it climbed to number 37. Similarly, the song entered the Irish singles chart at number 47 based solely on downloads.

Track listing

CD Single

  1. "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (Main) - 3:13
  2. "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (Maurice Joshua Club Edit) - 3:44
  3. "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (Maurice Joshua Club Mix) - 6:47
  4. "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (Instrumental) - 3:11
  5. "If I Were A Boy" - 4:10

Digital Remix EP[24]

  1. "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (Dave Aude Club Mix) - 8:24
  2. "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (Karmatronic Remix) - 5:58
  3. "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (Redtop Club Mix) - 6:59
  4. "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (Redtop Dub) - 7:05
  5. "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (DJ Escape & Tony Coluccio Club) - 6:58
  6. "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (DJ Escape & Tony Coluccio Dub) - 6:11
  7. "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (Lost Daze Dating Service Remix) - 6:52
  8. "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (Craig C's Master Blaster Radio Remix) - 8:19

Charts

Chart (2008) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart [25] 6
Irish Singles Chart[26] 47
Canadian Hot 100[23] 8
Dutch Singles Chart 90
New Zealand Singles Chart[27] 14
UK Singles Chart[28] 37
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 1
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[29] 1
U.S. Billboard Pop 100[30] 10

Chart procession and succession

Template:Succession box two to one

Release history

Region Date Label Format
Germany November 7, 2008A[31] Sony BMG Digital download, CD Single
Australia November 8, 2008A[32] Digital download
United States November 14, 2008[33][34][35] Digital download

AB-side

References

  1. ^ Beyonce on the Set of Her Latest Video, "Diva". Rap-Up.com. (2008-11-22). Retrieved November 23, 2008
  2. ^ [1]
  3. ^ Vena, Jocelyn (2008-09-12). "Beyonce's New LP, Featuring Justin Timberlake, Due November 18". MTV. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
  4. ^ Willman, Chris (2008-10-15). "Split personality for new Beyoncé album". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
  5. ^ Vineyard, Jennifer (2008-10-08). "Beyonce Releases Two Tracks From I Am ... , Inspired By Jay-Z And Etta James". MTV. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
  6. ^ Tapper, Christina (2008-10-08). "Beyoncé's Double Debut". People. Time Inc. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
  7. ^ Clinton, Ivory Jeff (2008-11-16). "VIDEO: Justin Timberlake Out of Sync in Heels and Leotard". People. Retrieved 2008-11-24.
  8. ^ Lamb, Bill (2008-10-09). "Beyonce Swings for the Fences on New Singles "If I Were a Boy" and "Single Ladies"". About.com. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
  9. ^ Greenblatt, Leah (2008-11-04). "I Am...Sasha Fierce (2008): Beyonce Knowles". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2008-11-23.
  10. ^ Taylor, Chuck (2008). "If I Were a Boy: BEYONCÉ". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2008-10-20. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  11. ^ Vineyard, Jennifer (2008-10-13). "Beyonce's Very Different New Videos: One Has Dancing, One Has Relationship Problems". MTV. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
  12. ^ Vena, Jocelyn (2008-10-21). "Beyonce 'Gained Almost 15 Pounds' To Play Etta James In 'Cadillac Records'". MTV. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
  13. ^ "TV.com: The Ed Sullivan Show, June 1, 1969". Retrieved 2008-11-25.
  14. ^ "Beyonce loves Gwen Verdon". Moxie the Maven. 2008-10-14. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
  15. ^ Douglas, Joanna (2008-10-16). "Beyonce: Talented performer or mastermind copycat?". Shine. Yahoo!. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
  16. ^ Musto, Michael (2008-10-20). "Beyonce's Sticky Fingers Steal From "Fosse Hands" Again". La Daily Musto. Village Voice. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
  17. ^ Diaz, Raquel (host), Jenkins, Terrence (host), Knowles, Beyoncé (interviewee). Beyonce confirmed that her "Single Ladies" video was indeed inspired by the famed Broadway choreographer Bob Fosse. New York City, New York: BET. Event occurs at 1:00. Retrieved 2008-10-24. {{cite AV media}}: Unknown parameter |date2= ignored (help)
  18. ^ Vineyard, Jennifer. "Beyonce: Behind The B'Day Videos". MTV. Retrieved 2008-02-06.
  19. ^ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/chart_display.jsp?g=Singles&f=Hot+Digital+Songs
  20. ^ http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart_watch/22500/week-ending-nov-30-2008-wests-numbers-head-south/
  21. ^ Cohen, Jonathan (2008-12-04). "Beyonce Assumes Control Of Hot 100". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
  22. ^ iTunes Top song
  23. ^ a b "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" on acharts.
  24. ^ "Single Ladies (The Remixes)". Masterbeat. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
  25. ^ http://www.ariacharts.com.au/
  26. ^ http://www.irma.ie/aucharts.asp
  27. ^ http://www.rianz.org.nz/rianz/chart.asp
  28. ^ UK Singles Chart
  29. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
  30. ^ "Pop 100 - Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) - Beyoncé". Billboard. Retrieved 2008-11-14.
  31. ^ [2]
  32. ^ "Sanity.com.au". Retrieved 2008-11-09.
  33. ^ [3]
  34. ^ [4]
  35. ^ [5]
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