"Freakum Dress" is a song by American singer and songwriter

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 ...

from her second solo studio album ''

B'Day ''B'Day'' is the second studio album by American singer Beyoncé. It was released to coincide with her 25th birthday on September 4, 2006, by Columbia Records, Music World Entertainment, and Sony Urban Music. Originally set to be released in 2004 ...

'' (2006). It was written by Beyoncé,

Rich Harrison Richard Christopher Harrison (born 1979) is an American record producer and songwriter from Washington, D.C., specializing in R&B and hip hop music. The winner of a Grammy Award, Harrison is well known for producing songs such as "Get Right" ...

, Angela Beyincé and

Makeba Riddick Makeba Riddick-Woods (also known as "Girl Wonder") is an American singer-songwriter who has been active since 2005. She is originally from West Baltimore, Maryland, US. Currently she is managed by Jay-Z's record label and production house, Ro ...

. "Freakum Dress" received comparisons to

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 ...

songs recorded in the 1990s. The song's production includes

whistles Whistling without the use of an artificial whistle is achieved by creating a small opening with one's lips, usually after applying moisture (licking one's lips or placing water upon them) and then blowing or sucking air through the space. The a ...

cymbal A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs soun ...

dominated scatter

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular recu ...

s and a

beat 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 (c ...

augmented by

hi-hats A hi-hat (hihat, high-hat, etc.) is a combination of two cymbals and a pedal, all mounted on a metal stand. It is a part of the standard drum kit used by drummers in many styles of music including rock, pop, jazz, and blues. Hi-hats consist o ...

and plinking keyboard pulses. Lyrically, Beyoncé advises women who have partners with straying eyes to put on alluring dresses and grind on other guys in dance clubs, to regain their affections. "Freakum Dress" was generally well received by music critics who complimented Beyoncé's vocals as well as the assertiveness with which she delivers the lyrics. Many of them also noted that the beat of song melds very well with the vocal arrangement and the instruments used. The music video for the song was directed by

Ray Kay Reinert K. Olsen (born 10 July 1978), known professionally as Ray Kay, is a Norwegian director and photographer who is currently based in Los Angeles. He is a music video and advertising director. Ray Kay mostly directs music videos and has wo ...

, with co-direction from Beyoncé, for the ''

B'Day Anthology Video Album ''B'Day Anthology Video Album'' is the third DVD by American singer Beyoncé. It was released through Columbia Records, Sony Music and Music World Entertainment exclusively through Walmart stores on April 3, 2007 alongside the deluxe edition, b ...

'' (2007). It features Beyoncé dancing with women of different ages, races, and sizes. Thirty metallic dresses were designed by

Tina Knowles Tina may refer to: People *Tina (given name), people and fictional characters with the given name ''Tina'' Places *Tina, Iran, a village in Khuzestan Province, Iran *Tina, Tunisia, a town in Sfax Governorate, Tunisia * Tina, Guadalcanal, Solomon ...

and were used in the production. Beyoncé explained that the main reason behind shooting a video for the song was to show what a "freakum dress" looks like. The song was part of the

set list A set list, or setlist, is typically a handwritten or printed document created as an ordered list of songs, jokes, stories and other elements an artist intends to present during a specific performance. A setlist can be made of nearly any materi ...

s of several of Beyoncé's worldwide tours, including

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 ticket ...

(2007), I Am... World Tour (2009–10), and

The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour was the fifth concert tour by American singer Beyoncé. Announced in February 2013 with initial dates in Europe and North America, the tour contained seven legs and 132 shows. It began in Belgrade, Serbia on April ...

(2013) as well as her 2012 revue Revel Presents: Beyoncé Live. In 2016, the song was played during an interlude on

The Formation World Tour The Formation World Tour was the seventh concert tour by American singer Beyoncé in support of her sixth studio album, ''Lemonade'' (2016). The all-stadium tour was announced following her guest appearance at the Super Bowl 50 halftime show. Th ...

. It ranked number 1 on ''Billboard''s "100 Best Deep Cuts by 21st Century Pop Stars" list.

Recording and conception

"Freakum Dress" was conceived at

Sony Music Studios Sony Music Studios was an American music recording and mastering facility in New York City. The five-story building was a music and broadcasting complex located at 460 W. 54th Street, at 10th Avenue, in the Hell's Kitchen section of Manhattan. I ...

, in New York City, when Beyoncé enlisted Harrison to co-produce for her album ''

'' (2006). She and Harrison had previously collaborated on her 2003 single "

Crazy in Love "Crazy in Love" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé, featuring a rap verse and ad-libs from her future husband Jay-Z from her debut solo studio album '' Dangerously in Love'' (2003). The song was released as her official debut single ...

". She arranged for Harrison,

Sean Garrett Garrett Robin Hamler, known professionally as Sean Garrett, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is responsible for a series of chart-topping compositions, most notably Usher's " Yeah!" which ranks second on the ''Billboa ...

and

Rodney Jerkins Rodney Roy Jerkins (born July 29, 1977), also known by his stage name Darkchild, is an American record producer, rapper, and songwriter. He has collaborated with a broad range of popular artists. Jerkins has won multiple Grammy Awards. Among hi ...

to be given individual rooms at the studio. In this way, Beyoncé fostered "healthy competition" between the producers by going into each of their rooms and commenting on the "great beats" the others were creating.

Roger Friedman Roger Friedman is an American journalist who runs the website, Showbiz411.com since 2009. Friedman's career started at Ballantine Books in the early 1980s as a book publicist, where he helped create bestsellers for baseball strategist Bill James, ...

Fox News Channel The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...

noted that "Freakum Dress" and "

Suga Mama "Suga Mama" is a song by American singer Beyoncé Knowles for her second studio album, ''B'Day (Beyoncé album), B'Day'' (2006). It was written by Knowles, Rich Harrison, and Makeba Riddick, and produced by Harrison and Knowles. "Suga Mama" is i ...

" (2006), Harrison's other contribution to ''B'Day'' "fall short of originality but mimic the

Chi Lites The Chi-Lites (, ) are an American R&B/soul vocal quartet from Chicago, Illinois, United States. Forming at Chicago's Hyde Park High School in 1959, The group's original lineup consisted of singers Robert Lester, Eugene Record, Creadel Jone ...

percussion section f "Crazy in Love"yet again", adding, "Harrison is like the

Indiana Jones ''Indiana Jones'' is an American media franchise based on the adventures of Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., a fictional professor of archaeology, that began in 1981 with the film '' Raiders of the Lost Ark''. In 1984, a prequel, '' Th ...

of soul, constantly pulling out forgotten gems of the past for sampling ..You can't help but think: Thank God someone wrote music in the past that can be repurposed now." Harrison coined the term "Freakum dress” for a “sassy

sartorial {{Short pages monitor