Beyoncé's Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)

People who don't dance usually don't make exceptions, but I saw a man who has abstained from any rhythmic movement for nearly a decade crack within 20 seconds of hearing this ludicrously infectious Beyoncé hit. The rhythm is double-dutch. The lyrics are liberating if your idea of liberation ended with Gloria Gaynor. The melody is — who are we kidding? It's not a melody, just the sound track from the '80s arcade hit Frogger. Still, "Single Ladies" works because Beyoncé cuts through all the racket like a train whistle and she seems to believe every word she sings, while the slightly menacing minor chords that creep in halfway through keep things from getting too repetitive.

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