PHOTOS10 Best Beyoncé Music Videos: From 'Formation' to 'Partition'
Dance for You
Released in 2011, Beyoncé's "Dance for You" music video features the singer with her baby bump as she does a dances in front of a man.
"'Dance for You' is about giving yourself fully to one person, it's about being able to lose control with the person you're meant for," Beyoncé said in the music video's accompanying behind-the-scenes clip. "Both the melody and the lyrics make it one of my most intimate songs, so I wanted the video to have the same rawness."
Formation
The Melina Matsoukas-directed music video for "Formation" delivers a powerful message that gives a nod to the Black culture. Most of its parts have Beyoncé resting on a sinking police car after Hurricane Katrina, where she proudly shows her love for her African-American ancestry.
It also serves as a call to action, with Beyoncé aiming to give a "historical impact of slavery on Black love, and what it has done to the Black family."
Meanwhile, the director shared her desire to show Black people's ups and downs and how their resilience helps them get back on their feet.
Rolling Stone gushed over the music video, saying, "If Beyoncé's self-titled visual album established her as one of the greatest artists of all time, her surprise-released 'Formation' video marked her as one of the most important."
Get Me Bodied
Beyoncé puts on her captivating performance and dance skills in the "Get Me Bodied" music video, which features Solange Knowles, Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland.
Each frame hypes fans with her jaw-dropping charisma as she dances to her upbeat track.
Hold Up
The "Hold Up" music video takes viewers' breath away — literally — as it starts with Beyoncé jumping into the water and seeing herself sleeping in a submerged bedroom. She wakes up and makes her grand entrance by opening the doors of a huge building with water flowing as she steps down the concrete stairs.
Beyoncé soon graces the street with her beauty — but starts destroying things around her using a baseball bat.
Overall, the clip takes her fans on a roller-coaster journey as she unveils her on-screen character's emotional journey.
Love on Top
Often compared to New Edition's "If It Isn't Love" video, Beyoncé's "Love on Top" contains scenes where she and her backup dancers dance gracefully while holding their respective microphone stands. Everyone grooves and leads everyone to different stages of the music video, where they don different outfits but deliver the same high-quality dance performances.
"I remember seeing videos from New Edition, The Jackson 5 and The Temptations, bands I love for their beautiful harmonies, and precise choreography and I always wanted to make a video and be part of a boy group myself. It was so much fun. I put my heart and soul into 'Love on Top' and I hope you love it," she said of her music video.
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No Angel
Beyoncé aims to pay tribute to her hometown of Houston in the "No Angel" music video, as she focuses on the state's residents and rap stars instead of her usual choreography-filled material.
Speaking with VICE regarding the project, @LILIINTERNET — the music video director — said Diplo called him regarding Beyoncé's then-plan to contact him for a video. After meeting Queen Bey, they jetted to Houston to create her desired outcome.
"There was a lot of freedom. A lot of freedom and a lot of time. And the result is something you can't cheat. You need the freedom and time to capture somewhere the way we did. In the Internet age, people try to cheat with shit like that, but I know that doesn't work the same," he said of the clip.
Partition
"Partition" has explicit parts where Beyoncé dances as a lover and performer, seducing her real-life husband, Jay-Z. The whole choreography unveils her sultry side as her music video alter-ego explores her desire and passion in her life.
Pretty Hurts
Beyoncé and Matsoukas worked together again to deliver an important message with her music video for "Pretty Hurts." It revolves around the crooner playing the role of a beauty pageant contestant who cannot be perfect despite trying to do so.
The Grammy-winning singer takes down her wall of trophies at one point to deliver the message of "knocking down beauty standards." Real-life beauty contestants also play a massive role in making the clip realistic.
"Well I think we definitely wanted to speak to as many women as we could and all the pain and struggle that we go through as women to maintain this impossible standard of beauty," Matsoukas told MTV News. "We wanted to give it a darker edge and take it there and not give you the Disney version of that struggle. And Beyoncé was more than willing to go that far with it. And I applaud her for that."
Run the World (Girls)
"Run the World (Girls)" showcases a massive group of women, with Beyoncé leading and helping them dominate the world. Its choreography resonates with the song's powerful feminist message and theme as she incorporates the music video's elements from different cultures across the globe.
Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
Beyoncé is in her black-and-white era again in the music video for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)." Together with her backup dancers, everyone's dance moves unfold the importance of commitment in a relationship while celebrating women's empowerment and independence.
