The 70 Greatest Beyoncé Songs

For at least the past decade, Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter has been the world’s greatest living entertainer. Who else can annihilate complex dance routines and maintain pristinely powerhouse vocals for packed stadiums the way she does? Who else can so thoroughly dominate news cycles with impeccable and innovative surprise albums? Who else has produced music films and video anthologies as compelling and imaginative? Her combination of showmanship, skill, creative vision, and influence is unmatched by her contemporary peers.
And, of course, the foundation of Beyoncé’s incredible oeuvre is the music, and her uncanny ability to write, produce, curate, and perform it. Her songs are pop masterpieces, gorgeous and diverse, with several becoming cultural touchstones, from the unmistakable shimmy of “Crazy in Love” to the wiggling hand of “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).” To celebrate the release of her seventh studio album, ‘Renaissance,’ we’ve compiled and ranked 70 of Beyoncé’s greatest tracks as a solo artist – including a few prominent features. Bow down.
Additional reporting by: Jonathan Bernstein, Clarissa Brooks, Mankaprr Conteh, Jon Dolan, Ellice Ellis, Sydney Gore, Andy Greene, Kory Grow, Brian Hiatt, Christian Hoard, DaLyah Jones, Ilana Kaplan, Julyssa Lopez, Angie Martoccio, Robyn Mowatt, Moises Mendez II, Mosi Reeves, Noah Shachtman, Lisa Tozzi, Kia Turner, Desmond Vincent, Simon Vozick-Levinson, Alison Weinflash.