It’s pretty undeniable that Beyonce is one of the great hitmakers of our generation. But just how great of a hitmaker is she? With “Break My Soul,” the lead single from her latest album, Renaissance, burning up the chart, now might be the perfect time to reflect on all the other times Beyonce has reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Beyonce’s chart history reveals that she’s had eight No. 1 hits since her making her solo debut in 2003 with Dangerously In Love, starting with that album’s first and second singles.
“Baby Boy”
The second single from Dangerously In Love saw Beyonce collaborating with dancehall artist Sean Paul and taking inspiration from South Asian musical styles. The single also appeared on Seal Paul’s 2002 sophomore album Dutty Rock. It stayed on the charts for nine weeks in total and was Beyonce’s longest-running number-one single until 2007. It was replaced, ironically enough, by “Irreplaceable.”
“Break My Soul”
It might surprise some to learn, what with Beyonce’s pop culture dominance over the past 20 years, that “Break My Soul” is actually Beyonce’s first solo No. 1 single since Billboard made the changes including streams in its charts. The highest-charting Self-Titled song, “Drunk In Love” reached No. 2, while Lemonade’s Formation peaked at No. 10.
“Check On It”
Originally recorded for The Pink Panther, this 2005 collaboration with fellow Houstonian Slim Thug wound up being placed on the 2005 Destiny’s Child’s greatest hits album #1‘s instead (as well as B’Day). Produced by Swizz Beatz, it rose to prominence due to its radio popularity — likely thanks in part to Thug’s presence, as he rode the wave of goodwill from his feature on Mike Jones’ “Still Tippin’.”
“Crazy In Love”
Widely viewed as Beyonce’s “official” debut single (justice for “Work It Out”), the lead single from Dangerously In Love was produced by Rich Harrison and featured Bey’s future husband Jay-Z. It also kicked off a wave of go-go and funk-influenced hits throughout the 2000s pioneered largely by Harrison himself as other stars clamored to repeat Beyonce’s success.
“Irreplaceable”
Penned by Ne-Yo and presaging Beyonce’s interest in country (though it was reworked as a pop-R&B ballad), “Irreplaceable” was the knockout third single from Beyonce’s second album, B’Day. After moderate success for “Déjà Vu” and “Ring the Alarm,” it skyrocketed Bey back to the top of the chart, becoming the twenty-fifth most successful song of the 2000s.
“Perfect”
“Perfect” is one of Beyonce’s two featured appearances at No. 1 on the Hot 100, as she appears on a duet version of Ed Sheeran’s 2017 hit. The third single from ÷ (at least in the United States), the duet version accounted for 18 percent of the song’s sales, pushing it to the top of the chart, becoming Sheeran’s second and Beyonce’s sixth No. 1.
“Savage”
In 2020, Beyonce scored her seventh No. 1 after joining forces with a surging Megan Thee Stallion for another Houston jam session that saw Beyonce show off her rapping chops. In addition to benefitting Houston’s COVID-19 relief efforts, the song brought a new spotlight to OnlyFans after being locked in a duel for No. 1 with another girl power anthem, Doja Cat’s “Say So” remix with Nicki Minaj.
“Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)”
Perhaps one of Bey’s most inescapable anthems, the second single from Beyonce’s 2008 third studio album I Am… Sasha Fierce reigned supreme throughout the year after its release, becoming a meme, winning three Grammy Awards, and spawning imitations, homages, and outright spoofs that made it nearly ubiquitous. It was also the impetus for Kanye’s infamous stage-crashing scene at the 2009 VMAs, arguably indirectly launching the decade’s worth of Taylor Swift-influenced pop music to come.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
