(Watch that very clip at the end of this article, because it's got all the feels.) We still can’t watch that without some serious blubbing going on. She also made a young soon-to-be popstar’s dream come true when she performed a rousing version of her Dreamgirls signature song Listen with finalist Alexandra Burke. A couple of weeks after the song was Number 1, it enjoyed a resurgence in popularity thanks to Beyoncé performing the track on The X Factor. The song’s popularity was helped by Beyoncé making some faultless promo appearances in the UK.

The formula worked and If I Were A Boy became Queen B’s fourth Number 1 single as a solo artist. The song’s message was simple: boys, think about what it’s like to be a girl and then maybe stop acting like a jerk (or perhaps something stronger). While she’d never been shy of dishing out punishment to useless blokes in storming putdowns, this was the first time Beyoncé mixed anger with a little bit of sorrow and vulnerability on a single. The track was something of a departure for Beyoncé. For the launch of her third album I Am… Sasha Fierce, Beyoncé decided one lead single simply wouldn’t do, so she unleashed two.Īlong with instant earworm and expertly choreographed masterpiece Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It), she also released the bittersweet ballad If I Were A Boy. Having previously relied on bangers like Crazy In Love and Deja Vu to introduce the world to her previous two albums, Bey tried a different approach for the third. If Beyoncé knows how to do one thing, it’s surprise her audience.

It’s five years since Beyoncé’s 'ballad with bite' topped the Official Singles Chart.

Beyonce if i were a boy songs