Essay_1

Essay 1 "Run the World (Girls)" is a song by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles. The "female-empowerment" song was written by Terius "The-Dream" Nash, Knowles, Nick "Afrojack" van de Wall, Wesley "Diplo" Pentz, David "Switch" Taylor, and Adidja Palmer and production was handled by Switch, Knowles and Shea Taylor. Originally speculated to be titled "Girls (Who Run the World)", an unedited demo of the song leaked on the internet on April 18, 2011. "Run the World (Girls)" was later officially released on April 21, 2011 as the lead single from her fourth studio album 4 (2011). The song heavily samples "Pon de Floor" by Major Lazer, following the same alternative hip hop-dancehall genres, mixed with the pop and R&B sounds of Knowles. The song's title and lyrics contain an unapologetically aggressive message towards female empowerment. "Run the World (Girls)" initially divided critics, most of whom complimented the song's sample and Knowles' aggressiveness while others criticized the song's musical direction. Several critics compared the track to other female empowering singles released by Knowles in the past such as "Independent Women" (2000), "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (2008), and "Diva" (2009), stating that "Run the World (Girls)" takes a more direct and assertive approach towards female empowerment. The accompanying music video for the single was directed by Francis Lawrence and was filmed in California over the span of three days. A sneak peek of the video was revealed on Knowles' official website on April 20, 2011, describing the video as a "B Revolution". In an interview with MTV News, director Francis Lawrence described the music video as "one of the biggest Beyoncé music videos ever done," comparing it to that of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" (2009).