Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)

Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
Beyoncé
publication	October 12, 2008
length	3:13
Genre (s)	R&B , dance pop
Author (s)	Beyoncé Knowles, Christopher Stewart, Terius Nash, Thaddis Harrell
Label	Columbia Records
album	I am ... Sasha Fierce

Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) is a song by American R & B - singer Beyoncé Knowles . It was produced by Knowles, Christopher Stewart, Terius Nash and Thaddis Harrell. Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) was released on October 12, 2008 as the first single from their album I Am… Sasha Fierce at the same time as If I Were a Boy .

Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) reached # 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and # 7 in the UK . In the German-speaking countries, the song was not released individually as a single CD , but is included on the B-side of the single If I Were a Boy . The song won a Grammy for Song of the Year , Best Female Vocal Performance - R&B, and Best R&B Song at the 2010 Grammy Awards , among others .

background

Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) was written by Knowles, Terius Nash, Thaddus Harrell, and Christopher Stewart and produced by Nash and Stewart. Nash drafted the song after Knowles' secret wedding to hip-hop producer Jay-Z in April 2008. Stewart commented that the song is the only public statement they both have made about their wedding. Even when recording the song, Knowles acted closed and did not wear her wedding ring. Knowles' wedding inspired Nash to write a song about a problem affecting many human relationships: men's reluctance to be tied.

Musical and content

Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) is an upbeat dance-pop and R&B song with dancehall and disco influences . It is written in four-four time and makes use of staccato clapping , Morse code , a rising whistle in the background and a powerful beat. Furthermore, bass drums , a keyboard and synthesizer are used in the song . Single Ladies is written in E major and has a moderate tempo of 96 beats per minute . Knowles vocal range ranges from F ♯ ₃ to D ₅ . The song has the chord progression E in the verses and Hdim-C-Hdim-Am in the chorus.

The first lines of Single Ladies begin with Call and Response . Knowles sings "All the single ladies" and the background singers repeat this sentence. In the first verse, Knowles sings about the recent end of a bad relationship. She can now flirt again, have fun and meet a man who is more dedicated to her than her ex-boyfriend. Knowles goes to a club with her friends where she meets a new man. Her ex-boyfriend is watching, and Knowles sings the song to him. This is followed by the refrain, which Knowles sings in a minor chord with several hooks : "If you like it then you should have put a ring on it ... Oh oh oh". In the second verse, Knowles advises all women to separate from their husbands if they do not propose to them. Towards the end of the song the bridge (music) takes place and at the end Knowles sings the chorus a third time.

publication

Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) and If I Were a Boy were both released simultaneously as lead singles on the double album I Am ... Sasha Fierce . The two songs come from the two different CDs of the double album and are intended to show Knowles different personalities, which is the central theme of the album. Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) is on the Sasha Fierce CD of her double album, on which Knowles portrays her alter ego Sasha Fierce, whom she describes as her "more sensual, aggressive, outspoken and glamorous side". The song was released in the United States on October 12, 2008. In Germany, Austria, Australia and New Zealand the song appeared on the B-side of the single If I Were a Boy . In Great Britain, Single Ladies was also not released as a CD single, but was able to reach the top 10 of the UK singles charts through download sales .

criticism

Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) received mostly positive reviews. Nick Levine from Digital Spy gave the song 4 out of 5 stars and praised the powerful beats. Michelangelo Matos of the AV Club wrote that the song was fabulous with its gigantic hookline and inspiring production. Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times was also enthusiastic about the entire production, especially the choir, writing, "Beyoncé understands the art of rhythmic singing better than most other female singers, and that's a prime example of that." Fraser McAlpine of BBC considers Single Ladies to be Knowles' best song since Ring the Alarm and praises the chorus, which he described as "so amazingly catchy that it provides a surprisingly solid foundation for the entire song".

Rolling Stone magazine named Single Ladies the best song of 2008 and wrote that the beat is irresistible and exuberant and that the hookline is stormy and virtuoso. In a reader poll by the magazine in 2009, the song was voted number 2 of the best songs of the decade , while critics of the Rolling Stones voted the song number 50 out of 100 in this category. MTV News’s James Montgomery called single ladies epic, sexy and a little sad.

Commercial win

Knowles sings single ladies during their I Am ... tour

Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 72 on November 1, 2008 . On December 6, 2008, the song rose to number 2, at the same time the also released single If I Were a Boy reached number 3 can. The following week, Single Ladies peaked at number 1 on these charts and became Knowles' fifth number-1 hit as a solo artist in the United States. For over 4,000,000 CDs sold, the song was awarded four times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. in the United Kingdom , Single Ladies was originally only available as a download, but still rose to # 7 on the UK singles chart . Later the song was also released there as a single CD, so it was able to stay in these charts for a total of 77 weeks. For over 400,000 copies sold, the song was awarded a gold record by the British Phonographic Industry . Since Single Ladies appeared on the If I Were a Boy single CD in German-speaking countries , the song could not be placed in the charts individually, but instead reached number 3 on this CD in all three countries together with If I Were a Boy . Only in the Swiss hit parade was it able to climb to 40th place through download sales.

Single Ladies won at the 52nd Grammy Awards the prize in the categories of Song of the Year , Best Female Pop Vocal Performance - R & B and Best R & B song . The song still won the award for the category of Favorite Song at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in 2009, the category Song of the Year of the Soul Train Music Awards in 2009 and the category Best R & B Song at the Teen Choice Awards 2009. The song was also responsible for the Viewer's Choice Award at the BET Awards 2009, in the Record of the Year category at the Soul Train Music Awards 2009, in the Best R & B / Urban Dance Track category at the International Dance Music Awards 2009 and in the World's Best Single category at the World Music Awards 2010 nominated.

Charts

Charts (2008-2009)	Best placement	Weeks	Awards
Switzerland	40	22nd
United Kingdom	7th	77	gold
United States	1	27	4 × platinum

Music video

background

Single Ladies' music video (Put a Ring on It) was filmed immediately after the If I Were a Boy video. Both videos are in black and white and were shot in New York. Both videos are directed by Jake Nava , with whom Knowles has worked on several previous music videos. Single Ladies was choreographed by Frank Gatson and Jaquel Knight and contains J-Setting . The video can also be found on Knowles' video album Above and Beyoncé and on the platinum edition of I Am… Sasha Fierce . Knowles wanted a simple music video, which is why it was filmed with minimal alternate tracking shots and few cuts. There were also no changes to hairstyles, costumes or the sets. The styling was inspired by Vogue photos. In the video, Knowles wears a titanium glove designed by her longtime jeweler, Lorraine Schwartz, to complement her alter ego, Sasha Fierce. The video shoot lasted about 12 hours. Several performances of the song were filmed without interruption and then edited together, so that the impression is created that the video was shot with just one take.

Summary

Knowles at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards

The music video for Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) focuses on Sasha Fierce, Knowles' more aggressive and sensual alter ego. It shows Knowles in a leotard with two similar looking dancers who dance for the entire video. The dance program includes many styles, including tap , jazz , hip-hop, and the J-setting popular in the United States . The video shows Knowles and her two dancers in the middle of a simple room that alternates between black and white and directs the focus to the complex choreography. During the video, all three women show their hands and shake them to draw the audience's attention to them and especially to the ring finger. Towards the end of the video, Knowles' own wedding ring lights up on her finger.

Awards

The music video for Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) won several prizes and awards. It won the Video of the Year , Best Choreography and Best Editing categories at the MTV Video Music Awards 2009 and was nominated in six other categories. The video also won the Best Video category at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2009 , the MOBO Awards 2009 and the BET Awards 2009.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e} chartsurfer.de: Beyoncé: Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
2. ↑ ^{a b} Jessica Herndon: Inside Story: The Making of Beyoncé's 'Single Ladies'. In: People . January 1, 2010, accessed June 27, 2013 . 
3. ↑ Sarah Liss: First listen: Beyonce's Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It). CBC / Radio-Canada , October 14, 2008, accessed June 27, 2013 . 
4. ↑ Jessica Suarez: Beyonce: I Am ... Sasha Fierce. In: paste. January 5, 2009, accessed June 27, 2013 . 
5. ^ Beyoncé “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” Sheet Music. In: Musicnotes.com. Retrieved June 17, 2013 . 
6. ↑ ^{a b} Ann Powers: Snap Judgment: Beyoncé's 'If I Were a Boy' and 'Single Ladies'. In: Los Angeles Times . October 8, 2008, archived from the original on March 1, 2009 ; accessed on June 27, 2013 (English). 
7. ^ Beyonce's Very Different New Videos: One Has Dancing, One Has Relationship Problems. In: MTV News. October 13, 2008, accessed June 12, 2013 . 
8. ↑ ^{a b} Nick Levine: Beyoncé: 'Single Ladies'. In: Digital Spy . February 16, 2009, accessed June 26, 2013 . 
9. ↑ Michelangelo Matos: I Am ... Sasha Fierce. In: The AV Club. November 17, 2008, accessed June 27, 2013 . 
10. ^ Fraser McAlpine: Beyonce - 'Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)'. BBC , February 2, 2009, accessed June 27, 2013 . 
11. ^ The 100 Best Singles of 2008. In: Rolling Stone . December 25, 2008, archived from the original on January 13, 2009 ; accessed on June 27, 2013 (English). 
12. ↑ Green Day - Green Day Top Rolling Stone Decade-End Readers Poll. In: Contactmusic.com. December 9, 2009, accessed June 27, 2013 . 
13. ↑ Jann Wenner: 100 Best Songs of the Decade . In: Rolling Stone . 2010, ISSN  0035-791X , p. 78 .
14. ↑ James Montgomery: The Best Songs Of 2008, In Bigger Than The Sound. MTV , December 10, 2008, accessed June 27, 2013 . 
15. ↑ Billboard Hot 100 December 6, 2008. In: Hot 100 . Retrieved June 26, 2013 . 
16. ↑ Jonathan Cohan: Beyonce Assumes Control Of Hot 100. In: Billboard. December 4, 2008, accessed June 27, 2013 . 
17. ↑ ^{a b} Gold and Platinum. Recording Industry Association of America , accessed June 26, 2013 . 
18. ↑ ^{a b} UK Singles Charts Search 'Single Ladies'. The Official Charts Company, accessed June 26, 2013 . 
19. ↑ ^{a b} Certified Awards Search. British Phonographic Industry, accessed June 26, 2013 . 
20. ^ Grammy Awards: List of Winners. In: The New York Times . January 31, 2010, accessed June 27, 2013 . 
21. ↑ Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2009. Nickelodeon , March 30, 2009, accessed June 27, 2013 . 
22. ↑ ^{a b} 2009 Soul Train Music Award. In: Rap-Up. November 4, 2009, accessed June 27, 2013 . 
23. ↑ Brandi Fowler, Twilight Takes a Bite Out of Teen Choice Awards. E! Entertainment Television , August 10, 2009; archived from the original on April 5, 2011 ; accessed on June 27, 2013 (English). 
24. ↑ ^{a b} 2009 BET Awards. The New York Times Company, accessed June 27, 2013 . 
25. ↑ Final Ballot. Winter Music Conference , archived from the original on February 4, 2009 ; accessed on June 27, 2013 (English). 
26. ↑ Billboard Hot 100 December 13, 2008. In: Hot 100 . Retrieved June 26, 2013 . 
27. ↑ ^{a b} James Montgomery: Beyoncé's VMA-Nominated 'Single Ladies' Video Began As An Afterthought. In: MTV News. September 12, 2009, accessed June 27, 2013 . 
28. ^ Gail Mitchell: Beyonce: The Billboard Q&A. In: Billboard. October 2, 2009, accessed June 26, 2013 . 
29. ^ Beyoncé's Infectious Moves. All Things Considered, November 22, 2008, accessed June 27, 2013 . 
30. ↑ Is one of the ladies in Beyoncé's 'Single Ladies' video actually a man? In: Chicago Tribune. January 8, 2009, accessed June 27, 2013 . 
31. ↑ Jennifer Vineyard: Beyonce's Very Different New Videos: One Has Dancing, One Has Relationship Problems. In: MTV News. October 13, 2008, accessed June 27, 2013 . 
32. ↑ Tamar Anitai: 2009 Video Music Awards Summary. September 13, 2009, accessed June 27, 2013 . 
33. ↑ Olivia Smith: Beyonce wows in racy red costume at MTV Europe Music Awards. In: Daily News . November 6, 2009, accessed June 27, 2013 . 
34. ^ Anita Singh: Mobo Awards 2009 nominations unveiled. In: The Daily Telegraph . August 26, 2009, accessed June 27, 2013 .