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'' (2001), the group announced that each member would produce solo albums. Recording sessions for the album took place from March 2002 to March 2003 at various recording studios, during the group's hiatus.

As the executive producer of ''Dangerously in Love'', Beyoncé took a wider role in its production, co-writing a majority of the songs, choosing which ones to produce and sharing ideas on mixing and mastering. Although she remained discreet about her interpretation of the songs, their underlying meanings were attributed by music writers as an allusion to her intimate relationship with rapper Jay-Z. Musically, the album's tracks are a mixture of uptempo songs and ballads, all of which are primarily R&B songs, while also incorporating elements of soul, hip hop and Arabic music.

Upon release, ''Dangerously in Love'' received generally positive reviews from music critics, many of whom praised Beyoncé's "artistic leap". The album also received numerous accolades, including five Grammy Awards at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards (2004). An international commercial success, the album debuted atop the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, selling 317,000 copies in its first week and earning Beyoncé the highest debut sales week among Destiny's Child members' solo albums.

Beyoncé promoted ''Dangerously in Love'' via numerous live performances and two concert tours–Dangerously in Love Tour (2003) and Verizon Ladies First Tour (2004), the latter of which was co-headlined with Alicia Keys and Missy Elliott. The album produced two US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one singles–" Crazy in Love" and " Baby Boy", as well as two top five singles–" Me, Myself and I" and " Naughty Girl". As of 2011, ''Dangerously in Love'' has sold over 11 million copies worldwide.

Background and development

Beyoncé launched her career as the lead singer in the R&B girl group Destiny's Child in the late 1990s. According to Corey Moss of MTV News, "fans are eager to see" how Beyoncé, after years with the group, performs solo. While recording their third album, '' Survivor'', in late 2000, Beyoncé announced the group would be put on hiatus in order for the members to produce solo albums in the coming years, which they hoped would boost interest in Destiny's Child. The idea of individual releases emanated from the group's manager and Beyoncé's father, Mathew.

With different types of music for each member to produce, the albums were not intended to compete on the charts. Destiny's Child's management strategically planned to stagger the release of each group member's album to maximize sales. Michelle Williams was the first to release a debut solo album, ''Heart to Yours'', in April 2002. Meanwhile, Beyoncé debuted on the big screen, starring in the comedy film '' Austin Powers in Goldmember'', and recorded her debut single, " Work It Out", which is featured on the soundtrack to the film. Rowland collaborated with American rapper Nelly on the song "Dilemma" as a featured artist; it became a hit that year, leading the label to advance the release date of her debut solo album, ''Simply Deep'', in late 2002. Beyoncé also starred in '' The Fighting Temptations'' and recorded another solo single. In August 2002, she collaborated with boyfriend Jay-Z as featured vocalist on the song "'03 Bonnie & Clyde". The single earned Beyoncé credibility and paved the way for the release of ''Dangerously in Love''.

Recording and production

Before Beyoncé began recording for ''Dangerously in Love'', she selected the producers with whom she would collaborate. For two days, she held meetings with prospective producers from the West Coast across the East Coast, and had interviews with them. Beyoncé went to Miami to begin sessions with record producer Scott Storch, her first collaborator, and lived in a hotel in the following months. As she wanted to concentrate on the album, Beyoncé took her time to avoid pressure build-up, significantly different from the hasty productions of Destiny's Child. As she did on ''Survivor'', Beyoncé took a wider role in the production of ''Dangerously in Love'', co-writing a majority of the songs, choosing which ones to produce and sharing ideas on the mixing and mastering of tracks. Although Beyoncé did not create beats, she came up with melodies and ideas she shared with the producers. With 43 songs completed—15 of which made it to the album—Beyoncé is credited as a co-writer and a co-producer, as well as the album's executive producer alongside Mathew Knowles.

Beyoncé felt that recording an album without her group mates was "liberating and therapeutic", coming into the studio and freely expressing her ideas with her collaborators. The dependency she developed with Destiny's Child, however, meant it was harder "to be on erown creatively". As she wanted to grow as an artist, Beyoncé contacted other artists with a view to forming a collaborative partnership. When the collective finished writing several songs, she printed copies of each and sent them to prospective guest artists. She talked to them by phone for possible collaboration, eventually gaining their approval. Besides Jay-Z, Beyoncé was able to work with Jamaican artist Sean Paul, American rapper Missy Elliott, among others. In contrast, some artists sent copies of songs to Beyoncé, which were eventually produced. Beyoncé also worked with Elliott and Timbaland on a track titled "Wrapped Around Me", but it ultimately failed to appear on the album.

''Dangerously in Love'' was originally a song of the same title which Beyoncé had written for ''Survivor''. The song was deemed too sophisticated compared to other songs on ''Survivor'', and the group decided not to release it as a single from the album. After recording several tracks for ''Dangerously in Love'', Beyoncé decided to add "Dangerously in Love", after realizing that it fit the overriding theme of the album. Since the album's release date was postponed to capitalize on the success of "Dilemma", Beyoncé had been offered the chance to further enhance the album. Although she was disappointed with the move, Beyoncé realized that "everything happens for a reason", agreeing to return to the recording studio to work with other songwriters. This allowed her to record more songs, including the album's lead single " Crazy in Love". In late 2002, Beyoncé paused working on ''Dangerously in Love'' for a holiday tour with Destiny's Child. With a few weeks left for recording in March 2003, Beyoncé was still collaborating with other guests on the album, including Sean Paul and P. Diddy.

The creative output of the sessions for ''Dangerously in Love'' left several tracks ready for another album pressing. In late 2003, Beyoncé planned to release a follow-up album that would comprise leftover songs from ''Dangerously in Love''. The move was prompted when " Summertime", a leftover track featuring P. Diddy, was sent to radio stations and received favorable response.

Music and lyrics

Beyoncé's father-manager Mathew Knowles said that ''Dangerously in Love'' showcases her musical roots. While Williams and Rowland were on gospel and alternative pop, respectively, Beyoncé focused on recording R&B songs. Songs in the album are varied: from mid-tempo and club-oriented tracks in the first half, and ballads in the second half. Beyoncé commented: "My album is a good balance of ... ballads and ... mid-tempos with just ridin'-in-your-car feels, to a lot of ... up-tempo club songs, to really sexy songs, to songs that make you feel emotional. It's a nice mixture of different types of tracks." Although the album contains high-energy songs like " Crazy in Love" and " Naughty Girl", the album's focal mode, however, is slow and moody. Beyoncé said she had written many ballads for the album. According to Beyoncé, she wanted to be understood as an artist and showcase her range, and by doing so, she blended various genres and musical influences in the album. The album incorporates R&B, hip hop, soul and reggae influences. The album took hip hop influences from Jay-Z, Outkast, and Lil' Kim; the reggae is from Sean Paul; and courtesy of Storch, the album explores Arabic music. His personal study of that kind of music gave the album a Middle Eastern vibe. Beyoncé and the producers also used a wide array of instrumentations.

When "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" was released as a single in late 2002, critics and the public had speculated that Beyoncé and Jay-Z were having a mutual affair. Despite widespread rumors, they remained silent about their relationship. According to critics, the title itself of the album sounded "more intriguing" with Beyoncé singing personal songs. Though love is the theme Beyoncé had incorporated in the album, "most the material is vague enough to be about any relationship"; however, there are songs that suggested affirmation of their relationship. In the song "Signs", Beyoncé sings about being in love with a Sagittarius, which coincidentally is Jay-Z's zodiac sign. In response to the persistent rumors about them, Beyoncé stated, "People can come to whatever conclusion they like... That's the beauty of music... I'm a singer, I'll talk about writing songs all you want. But when it comes to certain personal things any normal person wouldn't tell people they don't know, I just feel like I don't have to alk about it"

Beyoncé said that ''Dangerously in Love'' is lyrically similar to Destiny's Child's albums. But because she only had to write for herself, Beyoncé had the chance to compose personally deeper songs than her previous records with the group. With a theme that is based upon different stages of a romantic relationship, ''Dangerously in Love'' contains songs that speak of love and honesty. In addition, Beyoncé admitted that there are songs about love-making. The personal content of the album, however, was not generally attributed to Beyoncé's own experiences—although some were based from hers—instead, the theme kept recurring in her mind. Beyoncé later explained: "I wanted to have an album that everyone could relate to and would listen to as long as I'm alive and even after... Love is something that never goes out of style. It's something everybody experiences, and if they are not in love, people usually want to feel that..." While some songs merely focus on the "beauty of love", the album also explores another side of love, with songs that "celebrate breakup" and songs that narrate a woman's desire to have a degree of control in a relationship. The album's hidden track, "Daddy", is a tribute to Beyoncé's father, Mathew Knowles, who fronted Destiny's Child as their manager. The song is an account of Beyoncé wanting her future husband and child to possess qualities similar to her father's. Originally, Beyoncé did not intend to include the track in the album, having thought its lyrics would make her appear immature. However, considering it one of the songs that reflected her life at that transitional moment, she instead relegated "Daddy" as the closing track.

Release and promotion

Beyoncé said that she had trouble convincing executives at Columbia Records to release ''Dangerously in Love''. She recounted that it was almost not released: "In 2003, I had my first solo album. But when I played it through for my record label, they told me I didn't have one hit on my album. I guess they were kinda right, I had five. "Dangerously in Love", "Naughty Girl", "Me, Myself and I", "Baby Boy" and "Crazy in Love"." Since Kelly Rowland's "Dilemma" was concurrently charting atop the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, Beyoncé's management released " Work It Out", one of the songs on the soundtrack to '' Austin Powers in Goldmember'', instead of a single from ''Dangerously in Love'' to preclude it from possibly competing with "Dilemma".

''Dangerously in Love'' was pushed back from its original October 2002 release date to December, and then to May 2003. Beyoncé recorded a version of 50 Cent's " In Da Club", which served its way to mixtapes before its original release date. The single failed to dominate as a "dancefloor favorite"; Mathew Knowles, however, confirmed that it was just a "buzz cut" and was not included on the album. Nonetheless, it earned enough airplay to chart on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. While Beyoncé was wrapping up the album, several of its songs had leaked online. In efforts to prevent more tracks in the album from being spread illegally, as well as being a victim of bootlegging, Columbia Records, with high commercial expectations from the album, pulled the release of ''Dangerously in Love'' to June 24, two weeks ahead of the planned July 8 release.

Buyers who pre-ordered ''Dangerously in Love'' online received links where they could download a song titled "I Can't Take No More"; the offer lasted until the album's release. On June 14, Beyoncé premiered songs from the album during her first solo concert and the pay-per-view television special titled ''Ford Presents Beyoncé Knowles, Friends & Family, Live From Ford's 100th Anniversary Celebration in Dearborn, Michigan''. By the night of the album's release, Beyoncé's concert was broadcast in over 20 theaters across the United States. Rowland, Michelle Williams, Tyrese and Beyoncé's younger sister Solange also performed during the show. Beyoncé also promoted the album by performing on television shows such as ''Saturday Night Live'', ''Late Show with David Letterman'', '' Today'', '' The Early Show'', and '' The View''.

Beyoncé further promoted ''Dangerously in Love'' with her Dangerously in Love Tour in November 2003, performing in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Netherlands. Her concert at Wembley Arena in London on November 10, was filmed for her live album '' Live at Wembley'', released on April 26, 2004. Additionally, Beyoncé co-headlined the Verizon Ladies First Tour with Alicia Keys and Missy Elliott across the US from March to April.

Singles

In April 2003, Columbia Records was choosing the lead single from ''Dangerously in Love'' between two songs. Sent to clubs, the song that would receive better reception would be selected as the lead single. Finally, " Crazy in Love" was released as the lead single on May 14, 2003. It was lauded by critics who described it as "deliriously catchy". The single topped the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, based on heavy rotation alone. The same week the song reached number one, ''Dangerously in Love'' topped the ''Billboard'' 200 as well. The substantial airplay and later retail sales of "Crazy in Love" facilitated it to dominate the chart, subsequently spending eight straight weeks atop the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, making it Beyoncé's first number-one single in her solo career. According to Nielsen SoundScan, "Crazy in Love" was the most downloaded song in the United States for four consecutive weeks in July 2003. It also became a success internationally, reaching the top of the charts in Croatia, Ireland and the United Kingdom.

" Baby Boy" was released as the second single on August 3, 2003. It was well received by critics, who declared it a "high-profile collaboration" that "bridges the gap between the genres of R&B and dancehall." It ultimately topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 eight weeks after its debut, and stayed there for nine consecutive weeks, surpassing the eight-week run atop the chart of "Crazy in Love". It peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart.

" Me, Myself and I" was released as the album's third single on October 19, 2003. It received generally positive critical response, being considered a typical sounding R&B ballad with a familiar theme, in which Beyoncé sings with passion. It peaked at number four on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and reached the top ten in Canada.

" Naughty Girl" was released as the fourth and final single from the album on March 14, 2004. The song was lauded by critics, who cited its sensual vibe and writing: "Beyoncé borrowed a portion of Donna Summer's naughty classic " Love to Love You Baby" to create this celebration of sensual naughtiness." It peaked at number three on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, continuing Beyoncé's string of top-five singles on the chart. Internationally, it became a top ten hit in Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Despite "Me, Myself and I" and "Naughty Girl" not peaking atop the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, they still achieved high commercial success and helped ''Dangerously in Love'' reach a multi-platinum status.

Critical reception

''Dangerously in Love'' received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 63, based on 17 reviews. Anthony DeCurtis of ''Rolling Stone'' viewed that it presents Beyoncé in two styles, one "far more flattering" than the other, and found the ballad-oriented songs on the album least flattering, commenting that Beyoncé has "plenty of time" to develop the style maturely that would "akesense for her". ''Entertainment Weekly''s Neil Drumming commented that the album validates Beyoncé's "taste in innovation". He also viewed that Beyoncé's collaboration with various record producers explores new directions in contemporary music, doing more reinventing than revisiting. Like DeCurtis' review, however, Drumming pointed out that "most of the disc's missteps" are in its latter part. ''Slant Magazine''s Sal Cinquemani wrote that " eyoncéis allowed more room to experiment vocally as a solo artist, exploring softer registers and lathering on the coquettish persona that was only hinted at on Destiny's Child tracks like ' Bootylicious.'". Steve Jones of ''USA Today'' stated, "Beyoncé succeeds by showing greater depth as a songwriter and broader range as a singer". '' Blender''s Ben Ratliff complimented Beyoncé's performance and stated, "She's playing the cool-hunter but covering the bases with seraphic arrangements of multiple voices. Her reach is remarkable". Mark Anthony Neal of ''PopMatters'' called it an "artistic leap" and wrote that it "finds Ms. B in the midst of a fully flowering womanhood and doing the best singing of her career".

In a mixed review, '' Vibe'' magazine's Jason King said that the album occasionally "sounds desperate to reach every demographic". Kelefa Sanneh, writing in ''The New York Times'', felt that it missed the harmonies Beyoncé had in Destiny's Child records and that she is more effective "when she's got a posse behind her". Rob Fitzpatrick of '' NME'' called it "a cruel glimpse of a talent that occasionally blazes but is frustratingly inconsistent". '' Uncut'' called its ballads "self-pitying/self-mythologising", while '' Q'' stated, "She has good songs, but no great songs". ''Los Angeles Times'' writer Natalie Nichols expressed that it "demonstrates vocal finesse ..But, especially on the ballads, eyoncéoften drags things out with diva acrobatics". ''The Guardian''s Adam Sweeting wrote that "the desperate urge to cover every musical base from dancefloor to soul-ballad means that there is barely a track here with any distinctive identity or even a tune". In his consumer guide for ''The Village Voice'', Robert Christgau cited "Yes" and "Baby Boy" as the album's highlights and quipped that the artist was "''Dangerously in Love'' ... with her daddy, the bonus cut reveals—as if we didn't know." He gave the album a one-star honorable mention, indicating "a worthy effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well like." In a retrospective review, AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine commented that "the first half is good enough to make ''Dangerously in Love'' one of the best mainstream urban R&B records released in 2003, and makes a strong case that Beyoncé might be better off fulfilling this destiny instead of reuniting with Destiny".

Accolades

, -
! scope="row" rowspan="2", 2003
, rowspan="2", Teen Choice Award
, Choice Music – Love Song
, rowspan="8", " Crazy in Love"
,
, rowspan="2",
, -
, Choice Music – Summer Song
,
, -
! scope="row" rowspan="4", 2003
, rowspan="4", MTV Video Music Award
, Best Female Video
,
, rowspan="4",
, -
, Best R&B Video
,
, -
, Best Choreography in a Video
,
, -
, Viewer's Choice
,
, -
! scope="row" rowspan="3", 2003
, rowspan="3", MOBO Award
, Best Single
,
, rowspan="3",
, -
, Best Video
,
, -
, Best Album
, ''Dangerously in Love''
,
, -
! scope="row", 2003
, MTV Europe Music Award
, Best Song
, "Crazy in Love"
,
,
, -
! scope="row", 2003
, American Music Award
, Favorite Soul/R&B Album
, ''Dangerously in Love''
,
,
, -
! scope="row" rowspan="3", 2003
, rowspan="2", ''Vibe'' Award
, Coolest Collaboration
, rowspan="3", "Crazy in Love"
,
, rowspan="2",
, -
, Reelest Video
,
, -
, colspan="2", The Record of the Year
,
,
, -
! scope="row", 2003
, ''Billboard'' Music Award
, Hot 100 Award for Most Weeks at No. 1
,
,
,
, -
! scope="row", 2003
, ''Smash Hits'' Poll Winners Party
, Best Music Video
, rowspan="2", "Crazy in Love"
,
,
, -
! scope="row", 2004
, RTHK International Pop Poll Award
, Top Ten International Gold Songs
,
,
, -
! scope="row" rowspan="6", 2004
, rowspan="6", Grammy Award
, Best Contemporary R&B Album
, ''Dangerously in Love''
,
, rowspan="6",
, -
, Record of the Year
, rowspan="3", "Crazy in Love"
,
, -
, Best R&B Song
,
, -
, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
,
, -
, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
, "Dangerously in Love 2"
,
, -
, Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
, " The Closer I Get to You"
,
, -
! scope="row", 2004
, Brit Award
, International Album
, ''Dangerously in Love''
,
,
, -
! scope="row" rowspan="2", 2004
, rowspan="2", NAACP Image Award
, Outstanding Song
, rowspan="5", "Crazy in Love"
,
, rowspan="2",
, -
, Outstanding Music Video
,
, -
! scope="row" rowspan="3", 2004
, rowspan="2", Space Shower Music Award
, Best International Video
,
, rowspan="2",
, -
, Best International Female Video
,
, -
, International Dance Music Award
, Best R&B/Urban Dance Track
,
,
, -
! scope="row" rowspan="4", 2004
, rowspan="4", Soul Train Music Award
, Best Album of the Year
, rowspan="2", ''Dangerously in Love''
,
, rowspan="4",
, -
, Best R&B/Soul Album – Female
,
, -
, Best R&B/Soul Single – Female
, rowspan="8", "Crazy in Love"
,
, -
, The Michael Jackson Award for Best R&B/Soul or Rap Music Video
,
, -
! scope="row", 2004
, Porin Award
, Best Foreign Song
,
,
, -
! scope="row", 2004
, Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award
, Favorite Song
,
,
, -
! scope="row", 2004
, ASCAP Pop Music Award
, Most Performed Songs
,
,
, -
! scope="row" rowspan="2", 2004
, rowspan="2", MTV Video Music Award Japan
, Best Female Video
,
, rowspan="2",
, -
, Best Collaboration
,
, -
! scope="row", 2004
, MuchMusic Video Award
, Best International Artist Video
,
,
, -
! scope="row", 2004
, ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Award
, Award-Winning R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
,
,
,
, -
! scope="row" rowspan="3", 2004
, rowspan="3", BET Award
, Video of the Year
, rowspan="3", "Crazy in Love"
,
, rowspan="3",
, -
, Best Collaboration
,
, -
, Viewer's Choice Award
,
, -
! scope="row", 2004
, ''Billboard'' R&B/Hip-Hop Award
, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album
, rowspan="2", ''Dangerously in Love''
,
,
, -
! scope="row" rowspan="3", 2004
, rowspan="3", Teen Choice Award
, Choice Music – Album
,
, rowspan="3",
, -
, Choice Music – Single
, "Baby Boy"
,
, -
, Choice Music – R&B Track
, rowspan="5", " Naughty Girl"
,
, -
! scope="row" rowspan="5", 2004
, rowspan="5", MTV Video Music Award
, Best Female Video
,
, rowspan="5",
, -
, Best Dance Video
,
, -
, Best Cinematography in a Video
,
, -
, Best Choreography in a Video
,
, -
, Best R&B Video
, " Me, Myself and I"
,
, -
! scope="row", 2004
, MTV Video Music Brazil
, Best International Video
, "Baby Boy"
,
,
, -
! scope="row" rowspan="2", 2004
, rowspan="2", TEC Award
, Outstanding Creative Achievement – Record Production/Album
, ''Dangerously in Love''
,
, rowspan="2",
, -
, Outstanding Creative Achievement – Record Production/Single
, "Crazy in Love"
,
, -
! scope="row", 2004
, MTV Europe Music Award
, Best Album
, ''Dangerously in Love''
,
,
, -
! scope="row" rowspan="3", 2004
, rowspan="2", ''Vibe'' Award
, Best R&B Video
, rowspan="2", "Me, Myself and I"
,
, rowspan="2",
, -
, Reelest Video
,
, -
, CASH Golden Sail Most Performed Works Award
, Best English Pop Work
, "Crazy in Love"
,
,
, -
! scope="row", 2005
, RTHK International Pop Poll Award
, Top Ten International Gold Songs
, rowspan="2", "Naughty Girl"
,
,
, -
! scope="row" rowspan="2", 2005
, rowspan="2", Soul Train Music Award
, Best R&B/Soul Single – Female
,
, rowspan="2",
, -
, Best R&B/Soul Single – Group, Band or Duo
, "The Closer I Get to You"
,
, -
! scope="row" rowspan="2", 2005
, rowspan="2", MTV Australia Video Music Award
, Best R&B Video
, rowspan="2", "Naughty Girl"
,
, rowspan="2",
, -
, Sexiest Video
,
, -
! scope="row" rowspan="3", 2005
, ASCAP Pop Music Award
, Most Performed Songs
,
,
,
, -
, ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Award
, Award-Winning R&B/Soul Songs
, "Me, Myself and I"
,
,
, -
, colspan="2", Telecom New Zealand Award
, "Naughty Girl"
,
,

Commercial performance

''Dangerously in Love'' debuted at number one on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, with first-week sales of 317,000 copies according to Nielsen SoundScan. In its second week the album slid to number two with 183,000 sold, behind Ashanti's '' Chapter II''. Although the album's first-week sales failed to match that of '' Survivor'', which sold 663,000 copies in its debut in 2001, Beyoncé earned the highest among Destiny's Child members' solo albums by best weeks: Rowland sold 77,000 copies for ''Simply Deep'' while Williams earned 17,000 copies for ''Heart to Yours'' in its strongest week. The album has been certified sextuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). ''Dangerously in Love'' remains Beyoncé's best-selling album to date, with cumulative sales of five million copies in the United States as of June 2016.

Internationally, ''Dangerously in Love'' had similar commercial reception. On July 12, 2003, Beyoncé became the first female artist (and the fifth artist ever) to top both the singles—with " Crazy in Love"— and albums chart simultaneously in the United States and the United Kingdom, following the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, Rod Stewart and Men at Work. As of June 2011, the album had sold over 1,150,000 copies in the United Kingdom, and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) has since certified the album quadruple platinum for sales of over 1.2 million units. ''Dangerously in Love'' was the fifteenth best-selling album of 2003 in the United Kingdom, and is Beyoncé's second best-selling album in the country, behind '' I Am... Sasha Fierce''. In Australia, it reached number two; the album has been certified triple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for sales of 210,000 copies. In 2003, ''Dangerously in Love'' was the fifty-first best-selling album in Australia, and the seventy-fourth the following year. As of 2011, the album has sold over 11 million copies worldwide.

Impact and legacy

With the release of ''Dangerously in Love'' and the combined commercial success of its singles, Beyoncé had established herself as a viable solo artist. Rebecca Louie of the ''New York Daily News'' wrote that the success of ''Dangerously in Love'' brought Beyoncé into a "sultry solo star" who "blossomed from a girly group", referring to Destiny's Child. The album also facilitated her to become one of the most marketable artists in the industry. She appeared on the cover of numerous magazines, guested television shows for promotions, and signed lucrative commercial deals. In 2003, she signed a contract with the conglomerate beverage manufacturer PepsiCo, and appeared on several television commercials for its products within the next ten years.

The success of ''Dangerously in Love'' also incited the public to infer that it signalled the disbandment of Destiny's Child, as pop singer Justin Timberlake "could not go back to 'N Sync after tasting solo success". However, Beyoncé said that their side projects were only "a brief diversion in the juggernaut that has become Destiny's Child". As time did not permit, Beyoncé's musical aspirations were put on hiatus for her to concentrate on her Super Bowl XXXVIII performance, wherein she was slated to sing the US national anthem, and the recording of Destiny's Child's fourth studio album '' Destiny Fulfilled'' (2004). The group ultimately disbanded in 2006.

After the group's formal disbandment, Beyoncé recorded and released her second studio album '' B'Day'' on her 25th birthday on September 4, 2006. The album became her second number-one in the United States, and its debut-week sales exceeded that of ''Dangerously in Love'', the former having sold 541,000 units. Despite the album's first two singles' average commercial performance—neither of which reached the peak of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100—its "handsome debut" was noted by Keith Caulfield of '' Billboard'' as having been generated "by goodwill earned from the performance of eyoncé'ssmash first album ''Dangerously in Love''."

Track listing

Notes
* signifies an additional vocal producer
* signifies a co-producer
* signifies a vocal producer

Sample credits
* "Crazy in Love" contains samples from "Are You My Woman (Tell Me So)" (1970) by the Chi-Lites
* "Naughty Girl" contains interpolations from " Love to Love You Baby" (1975) by Donna Summer
* "Baby Boy" contains uncredited interpolations from "Hot Stepper" (1990) by Ini Kamoze
* "Be with You" contains an uncredited sample of "Ain't Nothing I Can Do" (1979) by Tyrone Davis and contains interpolations from "I'd Rather Be with You" (1976) by Bootsy's Rubber Band and excerpts from " Strawberry Letter 23" (1977) by Shuggie Otis
* "That's How You Like It" contains resung lyrics from " I Like It" (1982) by DeBarge
* "Gift from Virgo" is "inspired by" "Rainy Day" (1974) by Shuggie Otis
* "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" contains interpolations from " If I Was Your Girlfriend" (1987) by Prince and samples of "Me and My Girlfriend" (1996) by 2Pac
* "What's It Gonna Be" samples "Do It Roger" (1981) by Roger Troutman

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of ''Dangerously in Love''.

* Beyoncé Knowles – vocals (all tracks), backing vocals (tracks 1–10, 14–15), production (tracks 1–10, 12–15), executive production, vocal production (8)
* Nat Adderley, Jr. – production, arrangement, electric piano, string arrangements (track 11)
* Tawatha Agee – backing vocals (track 11)
* Vincent Alexander – additional recording engineering (track 4)
* Sanford Allen – concertmastering
* Chuckie Amos – hair styling
* Skip Anderson – arrangement, programming, additional keyboards (track 11)
* Ray Bardani – string recording engineering, mixing (track 11)
* Sherrod Barnes – production (track 9)
* Mark Batson – production, string arrangements, additional instrumentation, conducting, recording engineering (track 15)
* Carlos "El Loco" Bedoya – recording engineering (tracks 2–3, 6–9, 13)
* Big Boi – rap, additional vocal production (track 4)
* Kevin Bird – prop styling
* Craig Brockman – co-production (track 8)
* John "Jab" Broussard – additional guitar (track 12)
* Al Brown – string contracting (track 11)
* Dan Bucchi – mixing engineering assistance
* Chris Carmouche – additional recording engineering (track 4)
* Jim Caruana – recording engineering (tracks 1, 5, 8)
* Demacio "Demo" Castellon – mixing engineering assistance
* Tom Coyne – mastering
* Ian Cuttler – art direction
* Dahlen – photography
* Jason Dale – mixing engineering assistance
* Makeda Davis – backing vocals
* Delroy "D-Roy" Andrews – production (track 10)
* Missy Elliott – rap, production (track 8)
* Focus... – production, instrumental recording engineering, instrumentation (track 7)
* Guru – recording engineering (track 4)
* Phil Hamilton – guitar (track 11)
* Ivan Hampden – drums (track 11)
* Rich Harrison – production, instrumentation (tracks 1, 5)

* Andreao "Fanatic" Heard – production (track 9)
* Cissy Houston – backing vocals (track 11)
* James Hunter – graphic design
* Jay-Z – rap (tracks 1, 10)
* Bashiri Johnson – percussion (track 11)
* Scott Kieklak – audio mixing (track 8)
* Markus Klinko and Indrani – photography
* Mathew Knowles – executive production
* Tina Knowles – styling
* Brendan Kurtz – mixing engineering assistance
* Tony Maserati – mixing (tracks 1–7, 9–10, 14–15)
* Errol "Poppi" McCalla, Jr. – production (track 12)
* Byron Miller – bass (track 11)
* Mr. B – production (track 10)
* Sean Paul – vocals (track 3)
* Greg Price – mixing engineering assistance
* Mally Roncal – make-up
* Dexter Simmons – audio mixing (track 12)
* Sleepy Brown – vocals (track 4)
* Matt Snedecor – mixing engineering assistance
* Brian Springer – recording engineering (track 12)
* Nisan Stewart – co-production (track 8)
* Scott Storch – production (tracks 2–3, 6)
* Candace Thomas – backing vocals (track 11)
* Pat Thrall – recording engineering (tracks 1, 3)
* Luther Vandross – lead vocals, vocal arrangement (track 11)
* Luz Vasquez – mixing engineering assistance
* Stan Wallace – recording engineering (track 11)
* Brenda White-King – backing vocals (track 11)
* Theresa LaBarbera Whites – A&R
* Bryce Wilson – production (track 4)
* Pat Woodward – mixing engineering assistance
* Dan Workman – guitar, engineering (track 12)

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

Release history

See also

* List of ''Billboard'' 200 number-one albums of 2003
* List of ''Billboard'' number-one R&B albums of 2003
* List of number-one albums of 2003 (Ireland)
* List of UK Albums Chart number ones of the 2000s
* List of number-one albums of 2003 (Canada)
* List of best-selling albums of the 21st century
*List of best-selling albums by women

References

Bibliography

*
*
*

External links

*
Dangerously in Love
' at Discogs

Official website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dangerously In Love
2003 debut albums
Albums produced by Craig Brockman
Albums produced by Focus...
Albums produced by Mark Batson
Albums produced by Missy Elliott
Albums produced by Rich Harrison
Albums produced by Scott Storch
Beyoncé albums
Columbia Records albums
Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album
Albums produced by Beyoncé