From "Independent Women" to "Single Ladies," girl power has long been Beyoncé's Topic A, and "Run the World (Girls)" is a blistering return to the theme. She forsakes fashionable sounds — no Eurodisco synths! — to belt over Diplo and Switch's ferocious dancehall beat. The message is party-hearty feminism. But with Gaga, Britney, Katy, Rihanna and Taylor all vying to be the queen of pop, you can bet B isn't looking to share the throne.

Listen to "Run the World (Girls)":

Photos: How Beyoncé and Jay-Z Run This Town

“Too Close”

Next was formed in Minneapolis when the uncle of Terry "T-Low" and Raphael "Tweety" Brown, who was a gospel choir director, introduced the brothers to Robert Lavelle "R.L." Huggar. Sounds of Blackness singer Ann Nesby groomed the R&B group before handing them over to Naughty by Nature's KayGee, who wrote and produced "Too Close." The idea for the song was sparked "from a conversation we had with several girls at a nightclub," explained T-Low. "It's talking about the club scene, with guys getting out of hand and the female telling him to back up, asking, 'What are you doing?'"