Chart Article
With a devotion to music that started she was just five years old, Beyoncé has been never missed a step. Once she reached her teens, Queen B has dominated the Billboard charts for the entire span of thirteen-years-and-counting career, first as part of '90s R&B group Destiny's Child, later with her husband Jay-Z, as a duet partner (with Justin Timberlake, Shakira and Lady Gaga), and most especially as a solo leading lady. And Beyonce is just closing out her twenties now! (Do the math and you realize she was on the charts at an age when most kids were going to the high school prom.) September 4 is Beyonce's 30th birthday - which, with her first child on the way is sure to be a wonderful year - and in celebration of the doubly-momentous occasion, we've ranked the mommy-to-be's top 30 Billboard hits.
This chart of Beyonce's 30 biggest Billboard hits is based on actual performance on the weekly Billboard Hot 100. Songs are ranked using an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at No. 100 earning the least.
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30
Girl
Destiny's Child
Hot 100 Peak Position: 23
Peak Date: May 28, 2005
"Girl" will be remembered as one of Destiny's Child's minor singles, but its soulful melody, pitch-perfect harmonies and adorable, "Sex & the City"-riffing music video encapsulated the reason the R&B trio gelled so effortlessly. The "Destiny Fulfilled" highlight spent 19 weeks on the Hot 100 as one of the group's final singles in 2005.
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29
Best Thing I Never Had
Beyoncé
Hot 100 Peak Position: 16
Peak Date: August 13, 2011
"4," Bey's fourth album, makes an appearance in her top thirty Hot 100 hits list thanks to her second single "Best Thing I Never Had." Reminiscent of "Irreplaceable," Babyface has penned King B a mid-tempo ballad of a bad-break-up-turned-good.
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28
Ring The Alarm
Beyoncé
Hot 100 Peak Position: 11
Peak Date: September 30, 2006
With Swizz Beatz and Sean Garrett providing the urgent backing beats and Beyonce showcasing her most dangerous snarl, "Ring the Alarm" stands as the most intense breakup song of Beyonce's solo career. Audiences clearly enjoyed the drama -- the "B'Day" single peaked at No. 11 on the Hot 100.
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27
Diva
Beyoncé
Hot 100 Peak Position: 19
Peak Date: March 7, 2009
"Diva is a female version of a hustler," Beyonce informs her listeners at the beginning of the song, her third and sassiest single from "I Am… Sasha Fierce." Marked by a minimalist beat and featuring an ultra-stylish music video, the track climbed into the top 20 of the Hot 100 in 2009.
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26
Until The End Of Time
Justin Timberlake feat. Beyoncé
Hot 100 Peak Position: 17
Peak Date: December 15, 2007
Originally a solo song that appeared on Justin Timberlake's blockbuster 2006 album "FutureSex/LoveSounds," "Until the End of Time" received a Beyonce-assisted makeover in 2007 when it was released as a single. With Bey's vocals pumping up the slow jam, Timberlake notched his sixth top 40 hit from "LoveSounds."
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25
Cater 2 U
Destiny's Child
Hot 100 Peak Position: 14
Peak Date: August 13, 2005
Destiny's Child seductively serve their man's every want and need on the fourth single off their fourth and final album. "Cater 2 U" continued the "Destiny Fulfilled" streak of Billboard hits as it peaked at No. 14 on the Hot 100 and also reached No. 3 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
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24
Emotion
Destiny's Child
Hot 100 Peak Position: 10
Peak Date: December 1, 2001
Destiny's Child continued its chart domination with the third and final single from "Survivor." For their take, the trio put a spin on Samantha Sang's pop song, "Emotion," and managed to grab the Soul Train Lady of Soul Award for "Best R&B/Soul Single, Group, Band or Duo" with it.
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23
Deja Vu
Beyoncé feat. Jay-Z
Hot 100 Peak Position: 4
Peak Date: August 12, 2006
The happy couple and now soon-to-be parents teamed up for their third collaboration on the first single off Beyoncé's second studio album, '"B'Day." Bey fuses '70s funk, soul and hip-hop, with the help of Jay-Z, in her fifth consecutive top five hit as a lead artist.
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22
Beautiful Liar
Beyonce & Shakira
Hot 100 Peak Position: 3
Peak Date: April 7, 2007
Two worlds collided when Beyoncé and Shakira teamed up for international hit "Beautiful Liar." The dance masters shimmied their way to the No. 3 slot on the Hot 100 and won the Most Earthshattering Collaboration at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards.
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21
Sweet Dreams
Beyoncé
Hot 100 Peak Position: 10
Peak Date: November 7, 2009
Although it leaked months before its slated release as "Beautiful Nightmare," Beyonce's single off "I Am… Sasha Fierce" managed to peak at No. 10 on the Hot 100 and No. 2 on the Radio Songs chart in 2009. The electro-pop soundscapes on "Sweet Dreams," in contrast to her previous singles, showcased Bey's range of talent.
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Text by Erika Ramirez and Jason Lipshutz
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