"Dangerously in Love 2" is a song written and produced by

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

and Errol McCalla, Jr. The

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

was first recorded by

Destiny's Child Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limited ...

for their third studio album '' Survivor'' (2001), under the title "Dangerously in Love". The song later became the title track to Beyoncé's debut album with some minor adjustments instrumentally. "Dangerously in Love 2" is an R&B

, the lyrics of which detail romantic obsession. "Dangerously in Love 2" received generally positive response from music critics, who wrote that the song effectively shows the vocal capabilities of Beyoncé. It won a

Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (previously called Best Rhythm and Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female) was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards ...

at the

46th Annual Grammy Awards The 46th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 8, 2004 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California honoring the best in music for the recording of the year beginning from October 1, 2002 through September 30, 2003. They recognized acc ...

. Though not released as a single, "Dangerously in Love 2" charted at number 57 the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and at number 17 on the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart. Beyoncé performed the ballad at the 46th Grammy Awards, the

Verizon Ladies First Tour The Verizon Ladies First Tour was a co-headlining concert tour by American recording artists Beyoncé, Alicia Keys and Missy Elliott. Canadian artist Tamia was featured as a special guest. The tour, dubbed the "urban Lilith Fair" supported Ell ...

, the

Dangerously in Love Tour The Dangerously in Love Tour was the debut concert tour by American recording artist Beyoncé. Although the tour was intended to showcase songs from her debut solo album, '' Dangerously in Love'', (2003) the set list also contained a special se ...

, and

The Beyoncé Experience The Beyoncé Experience was the third concert tour by American singer Beyoncé Knowles. It was staged in support of her second studio album, ''B'Day'' (2006). The Beyoncé Experience consisted of 96 shows in 2007 over five legs. Fan-club tickets ...

Background and composition

"Dangerously in Love" was written and produced by

and Errol McCalla, Jr. It was recorded for the

album, '' Survivor'' (2001). Beyoncé re-recorded the song at the SugarHill Studios in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

in 2002 for her debut solo album, ''

Dangerously in Love ''Dangerously in Love'' is the debut solo studio album by American singer Beyoncé. It was released on June 20, 2003, by Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment. During the recording of Destiny's Child's third studio album '' Survivor'' ( ...

''. Her version, which was titled "Dangerously in Love 2", features a modified

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...

. It was set as a remix track, but later became the title track to her debut studio album. "Dangerously in Love" is a moderate R&B

pacing in medium time. It was written in the

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

F major F major (or the key of F) is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative minor is D minor and its parallel minor is F minor F minor is a minor scale based on F, consis ...

, and moves at a moderate

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

set at 100

beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ( ...

. Vocal elements of the song range from E₃ to D₅. "Dangerously in Love" is backed by

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

and thumping

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...

instrumentation. Many music critics noted it to be musically similar to the original Destiny's child version. Lyrically, the song is about being romantically obsessed, as indicated in the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

: "I am in love with you / You set me free / I can't do this thing called life without you here with me". According to Lisa Verrico of ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'', "Dangerously in Love 2" bears resemblance to

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

s work if viewed from a "flirty" perspective.

Reception

"Dangerously in Love" received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Natalie Nichols of ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' stated that the song is just one of many wailing ballads designed to demonstrate "the soulful bleating of Beyonce, the centerpiece of R&B star trio

." Sal Cinquemani of

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...

gave a mixed review of the song, stating that it seemed a bit dated and that it was "a near-carbon copy of Survivor’s melodramatic 'Dangerously in Love'

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

is completely superfluous." While covering the 2004 reunion of Destiny's Child, ''

Jet Magazine ''Jet'' is an American weekly digital magazine focusing on news, culture, and entertainment related to the African-American community. Founded in November 1951 by John H. Johnson of the Johnson Publishing Company in Chicago, Illinois, the magazi ...

'' considered the song a major hit of Beyoncé's debut album. In an article from ''

Teen Ink ''Teen Ink'' is a monthly tabloid-format magazine which is marketed to, and written by, teenagers. It is based in Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulto ...

'', the song was noted as one of the top "lush ballads" of the album. "Dangerously in Love" won in the category

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (previously called Best Rhythm and Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female) was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards ...

at the

46th Grammy Awards The 46th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 8, 2004 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California honoring the best in music for the recording of the year beginning from October 1, 2002 through September 30, 2003. They recognized acc ...

on February 8, 2004. Beyoncé's version charted on a few ''Billboard'' component charts, despite not officially being released as a single. "Dangerously in Love" made its first chart appearance on the US

chart at number 73 on July 3, 2004. For the following seven weeks, the song kept on charting in the lower positions of the chart, until it was titled as the greatest gainer on the chart issue dated August 21, 2004, ascending 28 places from number 71 to number 43. Its entry on the US Radio Songs chart at number 75, prompted its debut on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 issue dated September 18, 2004 at number 76. "Dangerously in Love 2" was propelled to number 60 on the Hot 100 chart the following week as it made the largest chart move on the Radio Songs chart by ascending to number 59. The song peaked at number 17 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart on September 25, 2004, and at number 57 US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on October 2, 2004. On June 14, 2006, the song was certified gold by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(2006) for sales of over 500,000 ringtones. As at October 6, 2010, "Dangerously in Love 2" had sold around 130,000 digital downloads in the United States.

Live performances

Beyoncé performed "Dangerously in Love" live for the first time at the Pepsi Arena in Albany, New York in 2001. The performance was also part of the setlist for their World Tour. Beyoncé also famously performed the song at the

on February 8, 2004, where it won in the category of

. Beyoncé was wearing a long, glittery turquoise and silver dress. She positioned herself between the edges of a giant picture frame and sung "Dangerously in Love 2" as if she were in a living oil painting. She was joined by seventeen backup singers, musicians and dancers. At the end, she held out her hand and a dove landed in her outstretched palm. Jon Wiederhorn of

MTV News MTV News is the news production division of MTV. The service is available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network. In February 2016, MTV Networks confirmed it would refresh the MTV News brand in 2016, to compete with the likes ...

commented that the performance was "nothing short of extravagant." Beyoncé also added the song to the track-listing of her first solo-tour ''

'', notably at

Wembley Arena Wembley Arena (originally the Empire Pool, now known as OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, London, England, used for music, comedy, family entertainment and sport. The 12,500-sea ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. There she performed a special rendition of the song that came in at well over 8-minutes. During the

which also featured

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971), better known as Missy Elliott or Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the earl ...

and

Tamia Tamia Marilyn Washington Hill (born May 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and producer. Born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, Tamia performed in various singing and dancing competitions as a child. In 1994, after signing a development dea ...

, Beyoncé performed "Dangerously in Love 2" in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in front of more than 20,000 fans. Before starting her performance, she asked the audience whether they have ever fell in love. As she started to sing, more dancers joined in on smaller and circular platforms. Simultaneously, fire shot from the floor and a long, rectangular screen merged video of flames with images of the performers, seemingly setting them on fire. Shaheem Reid of

complimented the performance writing: " eyoncéhad New Yorkers cheering like the Yankees had just won the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

when she perfectly hit the high note toward the end of 'Dangerously in Love 2'." On August 5, 2007, Beyoncé performed the song at the

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. While singing, Beyoncé was accompanied by her all-female band, and she incorporated Jill Scott's "He Loves Me" in "Dangerously in Love 2". Shaheem Reid of

praised the performance, writing: "For all the dancing she did, Beyoncé got an equally big — if not more resounding — response for displaying her undeniable vocal ability on the ballads ..'Dangerously in Love'." Beyoncé additionally performed the song on a number of other occasions, including the song as part of her set list on

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and I Am... Tour during the first stops in the beginning of the tour. In Los Angeles, Beyoncé gave a full-length performance of the song, dressed in a long sequent number that flowed straight down to her feet. It was executed with several female and male backup dancers, and live instrumentation. Jon Pareles of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' praised the performance, stating: "Beyoncé needs no distractions from her singing, which can be airy or brassy, tearful or vicious, rapid-fire with staccato syllables or sustained in curlicued melismas. But she was in constant motion, strutting in costumes ... Although the song was performed on selected dates of the I Am... Tour, it was not included on the physical release of the tour on DVD/CD. The song was also performed during the '' I Am... Yours'' 2009 Las Vegas revue show, in a medley that included an acoustic version of " Sweet Dreams" and a cover of

Anita Baker Anita Denise Baker (born January 26, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter. She is one of the most popular singers of soulful ballads, especially renowned for her work during the height of the quiet storm period in the 1980s. Starting her career ...

's song " Sweet Love".

Credits and personnel

Credits taken from ''Dangerously in Love'' liner notes. *Vocals: Beyoncé Knowles *Background Vocals: Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams *Writing: Beyoncé Knowles, Errol McCalla Jr. *Vocal Engineer: Brian Springer *

Mix engineer A mixing engineer (or simply mix engineer) is responsible for combining ("mixing") different sonic elements of an auditory piece into a complete rendition (also known as "final mix" or "mixdown"), whether in music, film, or any other content of a ...

: Dexter Simmons *Guitars: Dan Workman **Additional Guitars: John "Jab" Broussard *Instrument Engineer: Dan Workman *Producing: Beyoncé Knowles, Errol "Poppi" McCalla Jr.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end chart

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dangerously In Love (Song) 2000s ballads 2001 songs 2003 songs Beyoncé songs Destiny's Child songs Contemporary R&B ballads Songs written by Beyoncé Song recordings produced by Beyoncé Sequel songs