Run the World (Girls)

"Run the World (Girls)"
Beyoncé standing in a sandy room in front of a large pillar. She wears a yellow dress and high black boots, and has her right fist raised in the air. Towards the left of the cover is a black vertical strip which has the words "Beyoncé" and "Run the World (Girls)" written sideways.
Single by Beyoncé
from the album 4
ReleasedApril 21, 2011
Recorded2010
StudioMSR (New York City)
Genre
Length3:56
LabelColumbia
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)
  • Knowles
  • The-Dream
Producer(s)
Beyoncé singles chronology
"Why Don't You Love Me"
(2010) 		"Run the World (Girls)"
(2011) 		"Best Thing I Never Had"
(2011)
Music video
"Run the World (Girls)" on YouTube

"Run the World (Girls)" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Beyoncé, from her fourth studio album 4 (2011), released as the lead single from the album on April 21, 2011. It was written and produced by Beyoncé, The-Dream and Switch with additional production by Shea Taylor, while heavily sampling "Pon de Floor" by Major Lazer written by Nick "Afrojack" van de Wall, Wesley "Diplo" Pentz and Adidja "Vybz Kartel" Palmer. 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. In an interview with Pitchfork published on February 12th, 2012, Santi “Santigold” White asserts that she had previously done some writing for Beyoncé and was the first person to show her the “Pon de Floor” video, which inspired Beyoncé and her producers to make a similar song.

The song's title and lyrics comprise an unapologetically aggressive message promoting female empowerment. "Run the World" received mixed reviews by 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. Some 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, wanting to see Beyonce move past these same familiar themes.

In the United States, the song was moderately successful, peaking at number 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It fared better in some international markets, reaching the top ten in Australia, Belgium, Israel, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Norway. It was also 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 the single with live performances at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards and on the French X Factor. Her performance at the Billboard Music Awards 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.