During the song’s call-and-response section (“All the single ladies, all the single ladies”), she sings solfege syllable*** sol (as in do re mi fa sol) then riffs on mi, re, and do. This, combined with the 8th note claps, plays a big role in giving “Single Ladies” its memorable feel. However, where normally hip-hop draws the line at syncopated southern-style fills or dotted 8th note patterns a la “ A Milli“, there is a snare hit on the last 8th note of each measure (AKA the “and” of beat 4). There is a snare drum in this song, and like virtually all hip-hop out right now, it’s not used as back beat. This “1 feel” theory is reinforced by the dancing in the music video, in which the choreography consists largely of Beyoncé jolting around on every beat. Strong and weak beats become important when understanding how melodies and chord changes affect perceived key signature or tonality. Normally only beats 1 and, to a lesser extent, 3, are considered strong beats.
In fact, to me these claps give the song more of a “1 feel” rather than strictly 4/4, which would mean every quarter note is an equally strong beat. “Single Ladies” breaks the mold, especially for a pop song, with claps on every 8th note, which gives the song an uptempo-feel. In pop music, there is almost always some kind of clap, snap, or snare on beats 2 and 4, also known as a back beat (read my post on back beat options here).
To start, let’s take a look at the groove. And yet as time went on, I began to see that it has what I call the Spice Girls Factor–designed to make groups of adolescent girls dance around in their bedrooms, sing into hairbrushes, and post videos of the whole ordeal on YouTube for their friends to watch. To put it bluntly: “Single Ladies” is just downright bizarre. Pop music has certainly gotten interesting over the past 5 years, but this song was, well, too interesting. Several months ago, I was having a conversation with a friend of mine about whether or not this single would flop. Special Songwriting Devices Used: No back beat, Polytonality (technically polymodality**), Resolution using a Minor 6 chord, Starting a melody on sol (Click here to open the music video in a new window.) This week, I’m going to break down the music theory behind one of the most unusual pop songs to come out in years: Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies.” If you are a self-taught musician, you may find it helpful to check out my Solfege To Intervals Translation Chart to follow the melodic analysis. Thanks to all of you over at Reddit for voting up this article.
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