17: "One Night Only (Disco Version)" w/ Sharon Leal and Anika Noni Rose (7.763)

From 'Dreamgirls OST'

Highest rate: 11 (Leonardo)

Lowest rate: 1 (Michael!)

 

Next up is a fairly odd inclusion to the top twenty and one of two songs taken from the soundtrack to 2006 musical Dreamgirls (the other is still to come), "One Night Only". It is a disco version of the same song which is performed earlier in the film by Jennifer Hudson's Academy Award winning character. Musically it's one of the danciest songs that Beyoncé has recorded, but it just doesn't feel very 'her'. In fact, I'm not even sure why it was included in this rate as it wasn't even a single. I've not seen the film in which it is from, but it has apparently has connotations of similarities between the drama of the characters and the drama of Destiny's Child.

Edited August 8, 201311 yr by THEO.

I really do like One Night Only, but it pales in comparison to Jennifer Hudson's ballad version.

Was not expecting ONO to be featured anywhere in this countdown. :lol: No real loss re: 'Radio'. Always found it really overrated.

 

16: "Best Thing I Never Had" (7.880)

From '4'

Highest rate: 10 (Leonardo, Liam, Griff, Mikeyjosh, FührerWall & THEO.)

Lowest rate: -1 (O Mie d'Eliza)

 

Falling out heartbreakingly too soon is "Best Thing I Never Had", the second single taken from 4 and the biggest's worldwide smash Beyoncé has had since the I Am... Sasha Fierce era ended. It's a beautiful R&B-pop song, thematically similar to her 2006 single "Irreplaceable" (which is still to come), and features beautiful vocals and some very tongue-in-cheek lyrics. The production is just as beautiful, based around a piano riff and the line 'what goes around comes around'. The music video is one of my favourites as well, featuring Ms. Knowles getting ready for her wedding whilst reminiscing over a lover that she is glad to be rid of. I'm fairly surprised at its low placing here (especially a rating of -1), but the top 15 is very ballad-heavy, so there's clearly competition in people's affections for the best Ballad.

Shock at Best Thing I Never Had not being in the top ten.

 

15: "Love On Top" (8.020)

From '4'

Highest rate: 11 (Johnkm)

Lowest rate: 1 (Michael!)

 

And it's a double-disappointment as my favourite 4 track drops out (leaving just one to battle it out for the top spot, the fewest of any album left - even Dangerously In Love has three songs left!). "Love On Top" is an 80s-funk R&B inspired uptempo song featuring a NUMBER (to say the least) of keychanges, all of which are somehow more astonishing than the last. Beyoncé's début performance of this song was at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, where she stripped off her jacket to reveal a five-month baby bump. It became a UK top twenty smash upon the birth of baby Blue and is one of Beyoncé's funnest, most care-free songs to-date! I'm actually surprised again that this is not higher, although if it weren't for that pesky Michael, it would have achieved a top ten placing!

It's a shame that 'Love On Top' has dropped out so soon (considering I'd place it above some of the higher-placed tracks) but imo 'End Of Time' (if I've got that right) deserves to be the highest placed 4 track.

Love On Top out far too early, easily her best song for me (hence the 11) and I can't see anything topping it soon either.

Love On Top out far too early, easily her best song for me (hence the 11) and I can't see anything topping it soon either.

 

Yay, someone else shares the same opinion (I didn't dish out 11 to anything because I was planning to actually finish the rate later :kink:). Love a good key change.

 

I wasn't aware it was quite this popular so I'm happy with it even being top 15!

Love On Top is one of her worst singles. So beige and nothingy.

 

14: "Why Don't You Love Me?" (8.042)

From 'I Am... Sasha Fierce: Platinum Edition'

Highest rate: 11 (Lovett)

Lowest rate: 5 (Michael!)

 

Up next is another dance-pop song from Beyoncé, this time taken from the re-release of her I Am... Sasha Fierce album. It was released as the eight UK single, complete with the 1950s-styled music video featuring many-a-moment including Beyoncé dusting down her vast array of Grammy Awards. The song is very fast-paced and contains funk/disco elements, with Beyoncé impersonating a woman who is questioning her love interest about the reason for which he does not value her fabulousness(! - thanks Wiki). It's not my favourite song from the album, and it definitely doesn't feel like it came from the same album as its fellow singles, but I can see why Buzzjack prefer it to other singles from the set.

Edited August 10, 201311 yr by THEO.

'Why Don't You Love Me?' is amazing but I didn't expect it to be this high! :o

 

18: "Radio" (7.750)

From 'I Am... Sasha Fierce'

Highest rate: 10 (Nick F1, Johnkm & Davidson)

Lowest rate: 4 (O Mie d'Eliza & FührerWall)

 

So just pipping "I Was Here" to be the highest-placed album track, it's the dancepop should've-been-a-single "Radio"! Taken from the Sasha Fierce side of Beyoncé's 2008 LP, the title doesn't lie as it is indeed more radio-friendly than the other upbeat songs on the album (that were even released as singles!) The song was inspired by Beyoncé's childhood experiences of listening to her own radio rather than partying. It's not my favourite song from the album by any means, but I can understand why it's so popular on here.

 

I'm pretty sure I gave Radio my 11. :unsure:

I'm pretty sure I gave Radio my 11. :unsure:

You didn't rate.

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lljkemcG7D1qa9vqgo1_500.gif

 

2: 4 (8.083)

Highest rate: 11 (SceneofSIXCrimes, FleetSeb, THEO. & AaronTM)

Lowest rate: 3 (Simon.)

 

The second-placed album is 4 then! Released in 2011 after almost two years of waiting for new material, it instantly became Bey's second UK #1 album and fourth (of four) US chart-topper. It includes some of her most personal material to-date, which is part of the reason as to why I love it so much, with both the ballads and up-tempo numbers being relatable. The music videos are also some of my favourites, showing a contrast of the fierce "Run The World (Girls)", the heartbreaking "Best Thing I Never Had" and the energetic "Love On Top". My non-single highlights would be "I Was Here", I Care" and "I Miss You", although it's the album with the fewest tracks that I'd skip.

 

The albums winner is now known but it shan't be revealed for a while still...

Poor 4. Was hoping it'd have done enough to beat IASF. Both are great albums anyway.

 

13: "If I Were A Boy" (8.140)

From 'I Am... Sasha Fierce'

Highest rate: 10 (Liam, SceneofSIXCrimes, Michael!, Conderella & Mikeyjosh)

Lowest rate: 2 (HausofKubrick)

 

We're now getting to the point where every song still to come is a STONE-COLD CLASSIC (nb: only 5 songs still to come are 'modern classics'), so it's only expected that big hits will be dropping out, including right now as Beyoncé's official biggest UK hit to-date falls short of the top ten. "If I Were A Boy" was the lead single to the I Am... Sasha Fierce (in the UK/Europe) and shocked many that Bey had returned with a ballad to lead her new album. It didn't fail to impress though, as it became her 4th UK solo chart-topper (and sold upwards of 700,000 copies in the process, becoming (and remaining) her highest-selling single). It is an introspective ballad, featuring some of Beyoncé's best vocals and it is one of her more emotional songs too, lyrically dealing with a break-up with misunderstandings between the two genders. Despite the emotion behind the song, when Beyoncé performs it live, it is one of her more aggressive performances, as she breaks into Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know" for the middle eight, showcasing the anger behind the song. I think this was given a lot of unfair hate at the time, so I'm glad that that seems to have been forgotten and it achieves a very deserving high placing here.

2/10?!? Really?

 

Absolute smash, definitely one of her best :wub:

I was probably a little too harsh there but i really can't listen to it a whole lot now. The two before that i can do without too.

Only #13?! WTF? :o I thought this would be a contender for the win. Such an incredible song nonetheless and probably Beyonce's strongest single lyrically (unless I'm forgetting something obvious). The video also >>>>> 'Single Ladies'.

 

Did it receive a lot of hate on here at the time or do you mean in general? I always thought it was positively received albeit completely overshadowed by 'Single Ladies'.