A Definitive Ranking of Beyoncé‘s Top 50 Songs in Honor of Our Queen‘s B-Day
While it's extremely upsetting today isn't an international holiday, Beyoncé’s 38th birthday is still cause to celebrate and crack open some sort-of-vegan refreshment (water?) in her honor. And while you pour one out for her—and Tina, for bringing her into this world—here’s a definitive ranking of her top 50 songs to mull over.
But before we begin! Let’s get one thing straight: Beyoncé has no bad songs. She’s never heard of one, never experienced one, and certainly never recorded one. But some songs are obviously better than others, so this very necessary ranking of her top songs is in order of good to great to outstanding. And no, there will be no mention of that Ed Sheeran song for obvious reasons that have nothing to do with her. Shall we?
50. “Signs,” Dangerously in Love
This was the first introduction to astrology for a lot of people, and as Cosmo’s astro section shows, it’s only gotten more nuanced from here. But even if Beyoncé probs could’ve benefitted from more detailed astro guides, it’s still fun to hear your sign come around each time the chorus plays.
49. “Freakum Dress,” B'Day
Because “put your going out dress on” isn’t as catchy, amirite?
48. “Yes,” Dangerously in Love
I love a Beyoncé ballad that schools a man in a little common sense.
47. “Check on It,” B’Day
This is a solid and catchy song that you’d dance to at parties, but it’s also somewhat forgettable among all Beyoncé’s other hits, despite making it to the number one spot on the Hot 100 charts. All in all, it’s a really, really good song featured on a soundtrack, and The Pink Panther was lucky to have Beyoncé mentioned in the same breath.
46. “Work It Out,” Austin Powers-Goldmember O.S.T
The only two good things Austin Powers has done for this world: It brought us this song and gave curly girls some major hairspo. (Okay, that Britney Spears cameo was great too, but we’re talking about Bey here!)
45. “Brown Skin Girl,” The Lion King: The Gift
A song from Bey and the heir to the Knowles-Carter throne for brown skin girls all across the world. We must bow down.
44. “Dangerously in Love 2,” Dangerously in Love
Even without Kelly and Michelle’s harmonies from the original “Dangerously in Love” on the Survivor album, Beyoncé’s range is still on full display. I mean, the last minute of the song speaks for itself. Unfortunately, trying to hit these notes is dangerous for your vocal cords if you’re not a trained musician.
43. “Get Me Bodied (Extended Mix),” B'Day
Who doesn’t love a song that gives you every single dance move needed to keep up on the dance floor? It’s the Electric Slide of this generation.
42. “Beautiful Ones,” Live Prince Cover
Yes, this is a Prince cover, but she owned it and truly made it hers, as any American Idol judge worth their salt would say. Beyoncé’s been performing this live for years, but she infuses it with more soul each and every time she takes the stage.
41. “Spirit,” The Lion King: The Gift
Perhaps the best test of a musician is making a movie soundtrack—especially a classic Disney one—sound inventive and like something you’d actually listen to on the radio. With hits on the Lion King, Austin Powers, Dreamgirls, Fighting Temptations, and Pink Panther soundtracks, Beyoncé passes with flying colors.
40. “Naughty Girl,” Dangerously in Love
Wow, anybody else sing this song at a ripe old 10 years of age much to the dismay of any adults around you?
39. “If I Were a Boy,” I Am...Sasha Fierce
Okay, nobody is saying Beyoncé copied Ciara’s “Like a Boy” song, because they have completely different vibes, but this song suffers from same issue those Friends With Benefits and No Strings Attached movies had. Too similar for comfort! Great song otherwise though! The emotions, I felt ’em.
38. “Sweet Dreams,” I Am...Sasha Fierce
An upbeat bop that makes you want to scream-sing the chorus obviously deserves solid placement on this list. And the fact that she recorded this song in 15 minutes is nothing to sneeze at! Most of us can’t even roll out of bed in less than 15 minutes!
37. “Until the End of Time,” Future Sex/Love Sounds
Not to be confused with her “End of Time” anthem, Beyoncé graced a Justin Timberlake track back in 2007 and her vocals a hundred percent overshadowed his. Sorry, JT, this is Beyoncé’s song now. If you have a flare for dramatics, play this song while you stare out the window on a rainy day. You’ll thank me later.
36. “Ring the Alarm,” B’Day
This song is such a banger that it made Bey tumble down a set of stairs after she whipped her hair a little too much during a live performance. Naturally, she recovered like a pro though.
35. ”Mood 4 Eva,” The Lion King: The Gift
While I’m pissed I've been shamed into never staying at the Ramada Inn again, I’m a better person for it. Thank you, Bey.
34. “Freedom,” Lemonade
Coming out in the height of the presidential election, this song seemed to bottle up so much of the strife, anger, fear, and general uneasiness in society and flip it upside down and turn it into a battle cry.
33. “XO,” Beyoncé
This YouTube comment put it best: “Man wtf is this feeling? My eyes are tearing up but I’m not sad.”
32. “Ego,” I Am...Sasha Fierce
Beyoncé tells no lies. She can do whatever TF she wants—including rocking those controversial one-inch bangs—because she can back it up and has the ego to boot. This is a prime song to play during the pregame to get you ready to own the night.
31. “Baby Boy,” Dangerously in Love
This dance break was the dance break to end all dance breaks. There will never be another like it, and that’s the truth with a capital T.
30. “Best Thing I Never Had,” 4
A breakup anthem that will smack you upside the head and remind you you’re the best thing that loser ev👏 er👏 had.
29. “Hold Up,” Lemonade
Honestly, the most laid-back melody for someone who has been pushed to the edge. If Gone Girl were a song, this would be it. She kept it chill and fun, yet here goes this man cheating on Beyoncé of all people! SMH.
28. “All Night,” Lemonade
Understandably, this song tends to get buried beneath the Lemonade heavy hitters like “6 Inch,” “Don't Hurt Yourself,” “Sorry,” but it’s the best possible ending to an album that took listeners through the hurt she endured from Jay-Z’s infidelity and how they worked through it. Not to be cheesy, but it’s the perfect love song for an occasionally imperfect relationship.
27. “Dance for You,” 4
Years before Beyoncé was banishing dudes with a simple “Boy, bye,” she was singing “Loving you is really all that's on my mind” and talking about how she can’t thank her S.O. enough. Also, for someone who is so private about her life, hearing her sing about giving someone a lap dance is truly something to ponder, like, for life.
26. “Part II (On the Run),” Magna Carta Holy Grail
A much-needed follow-up to her and Jay-Z’s “Bonnie & Clyde,” “Part II” squashed all that relationship drama surrounding their first On the Run tour. When people say Bey has a body of work, this is what they mean!
25. “Sorry,” Lemonade
Better! Call! Becky! With! The! Good! Hair! ’Nuff said.
24. “Feeling Myself,” The PinkPrint
A body-positive, sex-positive, Beyoncé-Nicki-Minaj-positive bop!
23. “Irreplaceable,” B'Day
This is a good know-your-worth song, but I’ll never be able to forgive radio DJs for overplaying it in 2006. Sorry, but sometimes external forces can taint a song, and that’s unfortunately what happened in this case.
22. “Run the World (Girls),” 4
I mean, what other song makes you lose all control of your shoulders?
21. “Upgrade U,” B'Day
Remember when Beyoncé used to do TV commercials and promote DIRECTV with this here song? Thankfully, she’s not doing that anymore or we’d all be broke from buying whatever she endorses.
20. “Listen (From Dreamgirls),” B'Day
An original song written by Bey for an Oscar- and Grammy-winning movie. The way the lyrics change from “I followed the voice you gave to me” to “I followed the voice you think (!) you gave to me.” Whew! The power that that has.
19. “7/11,” Beyoncé
This song can only be described as utter nonsense and proves Bey can be completely ridiculous in the best way possible. It’s pure fun! There’s seriously no need to question this song or write any think pieces about it. Unlike Shrek and onions, there are no layers to this one, and that’s the beauty of it. Just spin around with your hands up and be happy, dammit!
18. “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” I Am...Sasha Fierce
Can you even call yourself a member of the Beyhive if you didn’t spend your whole adolescence perfecting the choreography from this music video? Seriously, the video alone made Kanye West risk his entire career by interrupting Taylor Swift’s VMAs speech!
17. “Daddy Lessons,” Lemonade
Beyoncé (and, yes, other artists before her) walked and dealt with all that backlash after the Country Music Awards so that future black musicians with an affinity for country music can run. Now, if only we could get her on an “Old Town Road” remix.
16. “Déjà-vu,” B'Day
Not many artists get compared to the great Tina Turner, but Beyoncé’s vocals and dance moves in the music video were right up there with the “Proud Mary” singer. This song—along with “Ring the Alarm”— helped Bey win the Best Contemporary R&B album at the Grammys in 2006.
15. “Love on Top,” 4
This song immediately slid into the cookout playlist hall of fame and all holiday weekends are better for it.
14. “I Care,” 4
A song to play whenever someone tells you “So what?” after you praise Beyoncé for posting an Instagram with an actual caption. But seriously, the harmonies in this are Grammy-worthy, if only the Recording Academy would wake TF up!
13. “Halo,” I Am...Sasha Fierce
Beyoncé always uses this in her encore, so I can’t wholeheartedly approve of a song that symbolizes the end of a Beyoncé concert. I simply cannot! No matter how much her stunning vocals make me want to cry!
12. “***Flawless,” Beyoncé
Let’s pour one out for Beyoncé, who inspired us all to send Snapchats to our friends first thing in the morning and with our hair and teeth unbrushed and pimple cream on. Flawless, amirite!?
11. “Drunk in Love,” Homecoming: The Live Album
The live Coachella version added the Swag Surf to the end and provided a whole other level to the song that the world never knew it needed. Beyoncé anticipates and fulfills our every need before we even know about them ourselves.
10. “Diva,” I Am...Sasha Fierce
Once I get the confidence level of Beyoncé, it’s over for you guys.
9. “Countdown,” 4
This song is like “The Twelve Days of Christmas” but with way more thought put into the lyrics.
8. “Apeshit,” Everything Is Love
Yes, technically this is from The Carters, but she did THAT. Petition to put Bey on all those Top 50 Rap Artists of All Time lists floating around out there.
7. “Crazy in Love,” Dangerously in Love
The song that kicked off her solo career. There has never been a better debut song in history. Period!
6. “Blow,” Beyoncé
Roller disco music is such an underserved genre these days, and all I can say is we need more songs like “Blow.”
5. “Me, Myself, and I,” Dangerously in Love
The only gripe anyone could have with this song is that it has no mention of Solange, who threw down in an elevator 11 years later and always has Beyoncé’s back. Regardless, the song is a forever mood.
4. “Partition,” Beyoncé
“Partition” picked up where “Dance for You” left off, and this one is way more...detailed. I never imagined the day when we’d all know Jay-Z likes to call her “Peaches” and once “Monica Lewinsky’d” on Bey’s House of Deréon couture. And the way that she seamlessly transitions from rapping on the “Yoncé” intro to something way more sensual to inserting a little lesson in feminism and sexual freedom (in FRENCH!) is no easy feat.
3. “1+1,” 4
Beyoncé is here to school us in love and arithmetic, and even though I hated math class, I’m not even mad about that last bit. If there’s one thing Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter knows how to do, it’s sang, and that’s exactly what she did in this stripped-down serenade that never feels dated.
2. “Party,” 4
Still not convinced that fun even existed before this song and video dropped. The only thing that can compete with “Party” is the way Beyoncé's marching band and majorette brought it to life at Coachella, and of course, "Formation."
1. “Formation,” Lemonade
If there was ever any doubt about who Beyoncé makes music for, she answers that in a matter of three minutes. Sometimes songs and videos that have such a pointed message— like "Formation" does—tend to feel like homework when you listen to and watch them, but this one is an empowering anthem that conveys her pride in being a black woman and her pride in her community. You'll want to add to every single playlist.
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