[Music] Beyoncé – Run The World (Girls)

Hey, guys! Thrill your day with this amazing throwback song from Beyoncé titled “Run The World (Girls)“.

“Run the World (Girls)” is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé, from her fourth studio album 4 (2011), released as the lead single from the album on April 21, 2011. It was written by Terius “The-Dream” Nash and Beyoncé, while heavily sampling “Pon de Floor” by Major Lazer written by Nick “Afrojack” van de Wall, Wesley “Diplo” Pentz, David “Switch” Taylor and Adidja Palmer. Production was handled by Switch, The-Dream, Beyoncé, and Shea Taylor. The song’s development was motivated by Beyoncé wanting to do something different: a mixture of different cultures and eras, a new sound, and a message which would give women strength. An unedited demo of the song, then thought to be titled “Girls (Who Run the World)”, was leaked on the internet on April 18, 2011. “Run the World” premiered on US radio on April 21, 2011, and was digitally released the same day.

“Run the World” is an electropop and R&B song that heavily samples “Pon de Floor” by Major Lazer. The song’s title and lyrics comprise an unapologetically aggressive message promoting female empowerment. “Run the World” initially divided critics; some complimented the song’s sample, its musical direction, and Beyoncé’s aggressiveness, while others criticized the continuation of past themes and stated that they wanted to see Beyoncé covering new topics. Several critics compared “Run the World” to Beyoncé’s other singles with similar themes such as “Independent Women” (2000) – with Destiny’s Child, and “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” (2008) among others, stating that “Run the World” takes a more direct and assertive approach towards female empowerment.

The single peaked at number 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming her lowest performing lead single to date, and reached the top 10 in Australia, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, and Scotland. “Run the World” was a top 20 hit in Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, and the United Kingdom. The song’s accompanying music video was directed by Francis Lawrence and was filmed in California over a three-day span. The video won Best Choreography at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards and Best Dance Performance at the 2011 Soul Train Music Awards.

Beyoncé promoted “Run the World” with high-profile live performances, notably at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards and on the French X Factor. Although her performance at the Billboard Music Awards was well received by critics, it ignited controversy surrounding the production due to visual similarities to a performance by Italian entertainer Lorella Cuccarini in February 2010 at the 60th Sanremo Music Festival in Italy. “Run the World” was used to awaken the crew of the final mission of the US Space Shuttle Atlantis and was dedicated to Mission Specialist Sandra Magnus. Heather Morris covered “Run the World” for “Asian F”, an episode of the American television show Glee.

After the single leaked on the internet, it was released early. “Run the World (Girls)” premiered on US radio on April 21, 2011, at 8 a.m. EST, and was made available for download on iTunes Stores worldwide the same day. According to Digital Spy, the single was available on iTunes, and podcast service Concrete Loop, without payment a few hours before its official release. “Run the World (Girls)” was released to mainstream, urban contemporary and urban adult contemporary radio on April 26, 2011. According to MTV News, “Run the World (Girls)” was well received by Beyoncé’s fans on Twitter. A Digital EP with three remixes of the song was released in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and the UK, on September 2, 2011.

The cover art for “Run the World (Girls)” was previewed on April 20, 2011. On the cover, Beyoncé strikes a bold pose while standing in sand. With her fist in the air covered in forearm protectors, Beyoncé wears a hip cut draping yellow Emilio Pucci dress and black stiletto boots. The Los Angeles Times wrote that the photograph points to a “…post-apocalyptic war zone, donning an elaborate gold headdress and holding a red flag emblazoned with a black ‘B’.” The photograph was taken on April 14, 2011. Tray Hova of Vibe magazine complimented the cover art of the single, stating that Beyoncé looks “resplendent as hell” on the cover and that “Nobody’s complaining about Bey season here.” Eleanor Young, in Marie Claire, described the cover art as “hideous”. Ray Rogers of Billboard stated that Beyoncé “clearly transmits her trademark message of female empowerment”. Becky Bain of Idolator described the cover as “pretty disappointing”, and that, with a “ballistic, over-the-top club banger” song like “Run the World (Girls)”, she expected something more than a body shot of Beyoncé, and criticized the cover for being confusing regarding the location of the photography. However, Bain complimented Beyoncé on her choice of stilettoes as “…serious business”.

“Run the World” is an electropop and R&B song. Jocelyn Vena of MTV News described the song as a “club banger” and “female empowerment/girl power type of song”, like several of Beyoncé’s previous singles, including “Independent Women” (2000)—with Destiny’s Child—and “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” (2008). Shea Taylor said that the track draws more from pop music than R&B, and is reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s prime work. “Run the World (Girls)” also incorporates dancehall influences in the tradition of “Get Me Bodied” (2007). The “high energy” song contains elements of go-go, and is set to a marching militaristic drumbeat sampled from the club song “Pon de Floor” by Major Lazer and Vybz Kartel. “Run the World” also consists of heavy synth pangs and African and marching percussion.

A review in The Huffington Post, and Kevin O’Donnell of Spin magazine, noted that “Run the World (Girls)” features shout vocals and raw chanting. In an interview with Ray Rogers of Billboard, Beyoncé stated that this was something she wanted to showcase in 4, “I used a lot of the brassiness and grittiness in my voice that people hear in my live performances, but not necessarily on my records.” Kathy McCabe of Australian newspaper The Daily Telegraph likened “Run the World” to “Single Ladies” and “Diva” (2009). Johnston Breihan of The Village Voice compared “Run the World (Girls)” to schoolyard chants, due to its “cheer-team beats” and the repetitive use of the word “Girls”. Billboard magazine’s critic Jem Aswad described the song’s production, lyrics and Beyoncé’s vocals:

“Run the World (Girls)” is a complex but catchy track that’s actually more reminiscent of M.I.A. and Santigold than Sasha Fierce. The song combines a dancefloor-defying military drumbeat, a sample from Switch’s group Major Lazer, an unconventional song structure and some incongruously pretty, layered melodics that are basically chanted but still employ [Knowles’] full vocal range. The lyrics, however, are just as female-empowering as we’ve come to expect. There’s much more to the song than first meets the ear—it confuses on first listen but coalesces beautifully with repeated plays.

Rap-Up stated that Beyoncé is dominant over men in “Run the World”. “Run the World” opens with a short piano solo and a heavy beat. Beyoncé chants, “Girls! / We run this mutha / Girls! / Who run the world.” It moves into smoother, more persuasive but still boastful lyrics, “I think I need a barber/ None of these niggas can fade me/ I’m so good with this/ I remind you I’m so ‘hood with this.” She then delivers the repetitive hook and chorus lines. In the second verse, Beyoncé sings that education gives women strength and independence. Other lyrics of this theme include the line, “smart enough to make these millions, strong enough to bear the children, then get back to business.” Jocelyn Vena of MTV News said that Beyoncé sings in her signature staccato style on the second verse of the song. She repeats the chorus after the bridge lines and her vocals fade out as the song finishes.

Digital Spy ranked “Run the World” at number 16 on its list of 25 Best Songs of 2011. Jon Pareles of The New York Times placed the song in his list of Top Songs from 2011. It received a Teen Choice Award for Choice R&B/Hip-Hop Track at the 2011 Teen Choice Awards. “Run the World” was nominated for Best Single at the 2011 Virgin Media Music Awards. On The Village Voice’s 2011 year-end Pazz & Jop singles list, “Run the World (Girls)” was ranked at number 137. The song was nominated for Best R&B/Urban Dance Track at the 27th Annual International Dance Music Awards. In 2013, John Boone and Jennifer Cady of E! Online placed the song at number seven on their list of ten best Beyoncé’s songs, writing that it “had everyone, male and female, dancing”. The same year, the writers of Complex magazine put the song at number 25 on their list of Beyoncé’s 25 best songs, adding that her assertion “we run this mother”, “practically wills every woman who hears this song to aspire to bigger things”.

Three days after its release to digital download outlets, the single debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number 18 on April 24, 2011. A week later it had risen to number 11 and debuted at number five on the UK R&B chart. The song descended the chart for five consecutive weeks to number 45 before rising again to number 23 on the singles chart and from number 12 to number 6 on the R&B chart on May 29, 2011, when the music video was released. In Ireland, the single debuted at number 11 on April 28, 2011, the highest chart entry that week and in France, “Run the World (Girls)” debuted at number 33 with 2,065 copies sold. It peaked at number 12. On May 1, 2011, the song entered the Australian Singles Chart at number 12, being the highest new entry that week, and at number six on its urban chart. One day later, “Run the World (Girls)” debuted at number 21 in New Zealand, where it was the highest new entry that week. “Run the World (Girls)” declined in the charts in Australia and New Zealand. However, after the release of its music video, the single rose from number 42 to number 15 on the ARIA Singles Chart and peaked at number 4 on its urban chart on May 30, 2011. The following week, it climbed to number 10 on the singles chart, where it peaked. It was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for sales of over 70,000 copies. The video release helped “Run the World (Girls)” re-enter the New Zealand Singles Chart at number 26 on May 23, 2011 and it peaked the following week at number nine. “Run the World (Girls)” was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) for sales of over 7,500 copies.

“Run the World (Girls)” debuted at number 40 on Canadian Hot 100 chart issue dated May 7, 2011. Paul Tuch of Nielsen SoundScan called the debut impressive as the song was released between digital and radio charts. It stands as Beyoncé’s highest entry as a solo artist on the chart. After declining in the chart for three consecutive weeks, “Run the World (Girls)” left the chart in the week ending May 28, 2011. For the week ending June 11, 2011, the single recovered from number 60 to number 16 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart, receiving the titles of the greatest chart mover and the greatest digital gainer. For the issue dated May 7, 2011, “Run the World (Girls)” debuted at number 23 on the US Hot Digital Songs chart, selling 77,000 downloads sold. and at number 65 on the Radio Songs chart with 18 million listener impressions. It accordingly debuted at position 33 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, and was the highest debut on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, opening at number 41.Digital sales of the single declined by 39%, amassing a total of a total of 47,000 downloads; it fell to number 39 on the Hot Digital Songs chart.

“Run the World (Girls)” was the highest debut, starting at number 37 on the US Pop Songs chart issue dated May 21, 2011. For the same week ending, the song continued to descend the Hot 100 chart to number 65. One week later, the single debuted at number 43 on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart, becoming All Night nineteenth solo entry on that chart. The same week, the single fell to number 76 on the Hot 100 chart. After descending the Hot 100 chart for four consecutive weeks, “Run the World (Girls)” recovered 26 places, moving from number 76 to number 50 for the week ending June 4, 2011, promoted by the song’s re-entry on the Hot Digital Songs chart at number 44 after its music video’s release. The following week, the single escalated to number 29 on the Hot 100 chart, which was its peak, as it descended the Hot 100 chart in subsequent weeks. The song also became Beyoncé’s first lead single from an album to not peak within the top 10 of the Hot 100. “Run the World (Girls)” peaked at number one on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart issue dated July 9, 2011. On July 29, 2011, it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 500,000 copies.

The music video for “Run the World (Girls)” was directed by Francis Lawrence. Beyoncé worked with eight choreographers, including Frank Gatson and Sheryl Murakami. The Mozambican dance group Tofo Tofo was also a major source of inspiration for the video’s choreography; after having seen their videos on YouTube but struggling to adopt the group’s unique dancing style on her own, Beyoncé invited Tofo Tofo to LA, where they taught her their style and were featured in the music video themselves as well. The executive producer was Missy Galanida. Filming took place in the Mojave Desert and Inglewood, California. Images from the Mojave shoot were leaked online on April 12, 2011, showing Beyoncé standing in a smoky, post-apocalyptic war zone, wearing a gladiator outfit and a gold crown, and waving a red flag with a “B” logo. She was surrounded by dancers in brightly colored skirts, black military-style jackets and peaked caps.[citation needed] Other images showed an army of women posing against a ravaged car with the word “Révolution” sprayed on it. Posters of Beyoncé’s face are seen behind the women. In an interview with MTV News on April 18, 2011, director Francis Lawrence, who had previously directed the video for Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” (2010), discussed the music video:

“I just shot a Beyoncé video at the beginning of this last week, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, which was fun, and I hadn’t done a video since 2009. It’ll be big, it’ll probably be one of the bigger Beyoncé music videos ever done. And, I can say that I think the song is unbelievable. The Gaga thing took me by surprise, ’cause I’ve done videos for probably 15 years, and I had forgotten what it felt like to have a video premiere and have it be anticipated and have it explode. And yeah I hope the same for Beyoncé, but I don’t know if that’s gonna happen. It is a fantastic song, so I really hope that song catches for her, and I think the video’s gonna be really fun and cool and different for her.”

On May 4, 2011, another 20-second clip of the music video was released, showing a troupe of females in a rural location, however Beyoncé is not seen during the clip. A third teaser was released on May 10, 2011, showing Beyoncé standing in front of a burning car, riding a horse and assembling an army in a post-apocalyptic clip. At a private listening party held on May 12, 2011, for 4, Beyoncé offered a small group of fans a preview of five songs from the album and the official video for “Run the World (Girls)”, which reportedly features a lion and Beyoncé writhing around in sand. The video was scheduled for release on May 13, 2011, at 12:01 a.m, however Vevo confirmed that the release would be delayed because Beyoncé was “…perfecting it”. The video premiered on American Idol on May 18, 2011. The director’s cut of the music video is included on the deluxe version of 4. The video was released on July 1, 2011, but was leaked on June 29, 2011.

Fashion

In the video for “Run the World (Girls)”, Beyoncé’s outfits include armor, a high priestess’ headdress, lingerie and runway couture Beyoncé is first seen wearing a red and gold embroidered dress with thigh-high boots, both by Alexander McQueen from fall/winter 2010. In the first dance scene of the video, she is wearing a Brian Lichtenberg patchwork fur vest. For a dance routine in sand, she wears a black fringed Norma Kamali outfit, followed by a Givenchy dress in a scene depicting Beyoncé with two larger-than-life hyenas. During a scene involving warriors, Beyoncé is wearing a black cut-out dress shown at Jean Paul Gaultier’s spring couture show. A short Gareth Pugh dress with golden sequins and two gowns by Emilio Pucci – one yellow with a plunging neckline, the other emerald green with an asymmetrical cut – complete Beyoncé’s outfits.

Synopsis

The video begins with Beyoncé riding a black horse over an open, deserted plain. As the horse lifts off the ground, scenes of Beyoncé standing atop a ruined vehicle are shown, as she leads a large army of women. Additional scenery includes a large bull in the middle of the battleground and a large banner featuring an African themed drawing of Beyoncé. A woman seemingly nailed on a cross is later seen. As several scantily clad women are shown, a SWAT team of men charge towards the battlefield as a sample from Major Lazer’s “Pon de Floor” is played. As the male forces arrive, Beyoncé, is wearing a large golden helm and is surrounded by a lion, a large group of women prepared for battle and banners featuring Beyoncé insignia. As the song begins, Beyoncé removes her armor and confronts the male army, engaging in a series of shoulder-thrusting dance routines.

Beyoncé dances seductively towards the men as scenes of Beyoncé wearing several outfits are seen, the first of which is a white evening gown as she grasps the chains of two chained hyenas. As the confrontation escalates, Beyoncé appears next to several flaming vehicles, and she undergoes another costume change. Returning to the main plot, the video shows Beyoncé in front of a small group of her female army, wearing a yellow ensemble and black heeled-boots. As the dancing commences, scenes of the two clashing armies are seen while Beyoncé writhes in sand. The females, now an even larger group, are shown dancing, using powerful and emphatic movements, in front of the male army with alternating costumes and several flags in the background. The video ends with the front line of females confronting the men face to face, raising their right arms and saluting to them as Beyoncé rips off the male general’s badge, placing it on herself.

Reception

The video received general acclaim from critics. On the night of the video’s premiere, Rap-Up complimented Beyoncé on starting a “dance revolution”, her “heavily-choreographed visuals” and “menagerie of wild animals, outrageous fashion, and epic dance sequences”. Eric Henderson of Slant Magazine wrote that Beyoncé comes off like “barely sentient” but added that she remains cohesive and rational as a human being in real life. He further wrote: “Her reserve of crazy is far from bottomless, and she seems to save it all for her music videos, and I love her for that […] [The video is] awesome in distressingly fragmented ways.” Gina Serpe of E! Online wrote that “for anyone still laboring under the illusion that Beyoncé does not mean business, well, just watch this video. Described by B[eyoncé] herself as ‘futuristic’, ‘electronic’ and ‘African’, the 29-year-old fused all that and more into a still remarkably cohesive music video.” CBS News wrote the “smoking hot video [was] blowing up on the web”. The Huffington Post wrote that Beyoncé largely brings back the elements that made “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”‘s video a hit, citing women’s empowerment and a brand new dance. Jarett Wieselman of the New York Post complimented Beyoncé’s wardrobe and dancing in the video, and wrote that the choreography ensures the lyrics, “my persuasion can build a nation”.

James Montgomery of MTV News wrote Beyoncé has returned “to claim her throne” and that the message in the video “hammers the point home with all the subtlety of a jackhammer”. He highlighted the “elaborate, hip-displacing dance routines, haute-couture costuming, wide-screen cinematography and expensive-looking sets”. Larry Fitzmaurice of Pitchfork Media wrote that “a thousand YouTube bedroom dancers flood[ing] the Internet with their own takes” were to come in the near future. Rolling Stone praised Beyoncé’s dance moves and wrote that it is the latest addition “to the canon of dance pop videos with over-the-top apocalyptic imagery”. Nick Neyland of Prefix Magazine wrote Beyoncé made the best music video of 2011, commending its “big budget extravagance, full of preposterous costumes and ridiculously over the top dance routines”. Sarah Anne Hughes of The Washington Post wrote that Beyoncé uses “the non-violent tactic of dance to fight off some bad guys in riot gear” and that Beyoncé’s alter ego Sasha Fierce “is out in full force as she uses an army of swiveling and shimmying women, her middle finger and two hyenas on leashes to keep control of a post-apocalyptic society”. Billboard magazine wrote that Beyoncé made a triumphant return in the elaborate music video for “Run the World (Girls)” after creating classic clips for “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”, “Crazy in Love”, and “Ring the Alarm”.

Recognition and accolades

On July 20, 2011, the video received three nominations at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards in the categories Best Female Video, Best Choreography, and Best Cinematography. It won the Best Choreography category. The video was nominated for Best Video at the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards. On November 27, 2011, the video won Best Dance Performance at the 2011 Soul Train Music Awards. It was nominated for Best Video at the 2011 Virgin Media Music Awards and Favorite Music Video at the 2012 People’s Choice Awards. The writers of Slant Magazine put the music video at number 12 on their list of The 25 Best Music Videos of 2011. The Guardian included “Run the World (Girls)” on its list of the best pop videos of 2011, praising its “glorious effect” and the heavy choreography, before concluding that it is “tiring just watching it”. On BET’s Notarized: Top 100 Videos of 2011, “Run the World (Girls)” was ranked at number two. The video was nominated for Best Pop Video and Best Choreography at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards Japan, and International Artist Video of the Year at the 2012 MuchMusic Video Awards. It was nominated for World’s Best Video at the 2012 World Music Awards. In 2013, John Boone and Jennifer Cady of E! Online placed the video at number seven on their list of Beyoncé’s ten best music videos, comparing her dancing in the sand with Shakira’s. – Wikipedia.

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Some Quotable Lyrics

Girls, we run this mother, yeah! [4x]
Girls!

Who run the world? Girls! [4x]
Who run this mother? Girls! [4x]
Who run the world? Girls! [4x]

Some of them men think
They freak this like we do
But no, they don’t
Make your check come at their neck,
Disrespect us?
No, they won’t
Get Full Lyrics Here