Freakum Dress
Encyclopedia
"Freakum Dress" is a song recorded by American R&B
singer Beyoncé Knowles
for her second studio album, B'Day
(2006). It was composed by Knowles, Rich Harrison
, and Makeba Riddick
. "Freakum Dress" is similar to songs that Destiny's Child
used to record in the 1990s. The song draws from the genres from R&B, funk
, hip hop
as well as dance-pop
and contains limited elements of 1980s go-go. The song is complete with whistles
, cymbal
dominated scatter rhythm
s and a beat
, which is augmented by hi-hat
s and plinking keyboard pulses
. In the song, Knowles 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 Knowles' 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
, with co-direction from Knowles, for the B'Day Anthology Video Album
(2007). It features Knowles dancing with women of different ages, races, and sizes. Thirty metallic dresses were designed by Tina Knowles
and were used in the production. Knowles explained that the main reason behind shooting a video for the song was to show what a 'freakum dress' looks like.
"Freakum Dress" was conceived at Sony Music Studios
, in New York City
, when Knowles enlisted Harris to co-produce for her album B'Day
(2006). She and Harrison had previously collaborated on her 2003 single "Crazy in Love". She arranged for Harrison, Sean Garrett
and Rodney Jerkins
to be given individual rooms at the studio. In this way, Knowles 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 of Fox News Channel
noted that "Freakum Dress" and "Suga Mama
" (2006), Harrison's other contribution to B'Day "fall short of originality but mimic the Chi Lites
percussion section [of "Crazy in Love"] yet again", adding, "Harrison is like the Indiana Jones
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 wrote "Freakum dress to demonstrate how a sassy sartorial
item that can help recharge to a relationship", with Knowles and Makeba Riddick also contributing In an interview with USA Today
, Knowles talked about the content "Freakum Dress", stating that an outfit which reminds of the best moments in a couple's life, is a necessity for every woman's wardrobe.
In June 2006, Knowles invited Tamara Coniff of Billboard
to a New York recording studio. There she premiered several songs from the album including "Ring the Alarm
" (2006) and "Freakum Dress", both were cited as possible second singles although in the end it was actually "Ring the Alarm" that became B'Days second single. Knowles told Coniff that "Freakum Dress" was one of her favorite songs ever.
song pacing in common time
, written in the key
of F major
. The verses alternate from the chord
s of F and C. The track also draws from the hip hop
, funk
, and dance-pop
genres. Mike Joseph of PopMatters
observed that the song shows influences by 1970s funk
music, and contains limited elements of 1980s go-go. According to Phil Harrison of Timeout, "Freakum Dress" consists of a steady "long crescendo
, welding galloping beats
and a steamrolling two-note
riff
", accompanied by several genres of music
, which he qualified as "multi-tracked". Spence D. of IGN Music
noted that the song consists of frequent whistles
as well as crashing cymbal
dominated scatter rhythm
s and a beat which fits the "powerful, loud, confident lines" in which Knowles asks for the attention of her man, and urges women to have a beautiful dress to spice up their sexual life. "Freakum Dress" opens with a spoken introduction
. Throughout the song, Knowles sings her lines in an assertive manner on melding shattering hi-hat
s" and plinking keyboard pulses
.
According to Joseph, "Freakum Dress" is thematically similar to "Bills, Bills, Bills
" (1999) and "Say My Name
" (2000), from the Destiny's Child
era. Jon Pareles of The New York Times
viewed the concept of the song as not merely having a nice wardrobe to entice men, but it also serves as "a means of self-assertion." In the song, the female protagonist pulls out her best dress to remind her potentially wandering mate of what he is leaving at home. Jody Rosen of Entertainment Weekly
added that Knowles also seemingly gives professional advice to women on how to hold a man's attention in a long-term relationship. She sings: "Been locked up in the house way too long / It's time to get it, [be]cause once again he's out doing wrong [...] Wear very skimpy clothes...". Joseph commented that in the song, Knowles is capable of wearing anything to keep her man by her side rather than dumping him. Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe
added that after having skirted her best dress, Knowles eyes other guys in dance clubs
to make her own man jealous, in the hope of regaining his attention but she also makes sure that he really pays when he does her wrong.
magazine wrote that even though "Freakum Dress" is less harmonically and melodically produced than "Crazy In Love" (2003) and songs from the Destiny's Child
era, it remains a good track due to its highly energetic beat. Jaime Gill of Yahoo! Music
called the track "discordant" and "menacing" while Jon Pareles of The New York Times
called it "overwrought". On a separate review, Jon Pareles said that the song will remain as one of Knowles most memorable tracks thanks to its streak of rage which is "perfectly groomed but unmistakable". Bill Lamb of About.com
chose "Freakum Dress" as one of the three best songs on the entire record, and called it a powerful, emotionally intensive and energetic track. Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian
called the song a "lighthearted crunk spree" that reminds girls of the significance of having a nice dress in their wardrobe.
Mike Joseph of PopMatters
complimented the overall concept of the song but noted that the lyrics do not "radiate" enough warmth. Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine
jokingly said that Knowles has added the term "Freakum Dress" "to the pop
lexicon
." Elysa Gardner of USA Today
said that "self-assurance is evident on a tune on B'Day called 'Freakum Dress'" while another review by the staff members of the same magazine complimented the songs sexual imagery stating: "When Ms. Bootylicious [Knowles] sings of squeezing that jelly into a 'Freakum Dress', the imagination runs wilder than any video would. Darryl Sterdan, writing for the Canadian website Jam!
, complimented the song's "bashing beat and irresistible chorus". Andy Kellman of Allmusic described "Freakum dress" as a "blaring and marching" track. Calling "Freakum Dress" one of the best dance track that Knowles has ever sung, Norman Mayers of Prefix Magazine chose it as one of the standout songs of the album. Rach Read writing for TeenToday said that "Freakum Dress" is "fast, furious, frenetic and fantastic." "Freakum Dress" reached number twenty-five on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
chart issue dated September 9, 2007.
and Knowles for the B'Day Anthology Video Album
, which was released the same month: it was one of eight videos shot in two weeks for the album. The choreography was done by Danielle Polanco
and Jonté Moaning, who used a 1980’s retro set. Knowles explained the concept of the video at MTV
: "It's probably the most flamboyant video, and the metallic dresses are so beautiful, they added so much color. I had to do a video for this song. Everyone wanted to know what a 'freakum dress' was, and you can't really explain it, you have to see it. Everyone has their own version, so we had so many women — of different races, sizes, shapes, ages — because we all have those dresses we pull out when we need to shut it down."
After two weeks of shooting, Knowles decided to call her mother Tina
. The latter designed thirty dresses for the video, with eight of them for her daughter. Due to limited time, certain dress were sewed on the spot in approximately ten minutes each by taking fabric from one dress, making a slit in it, draping it and putting a belt on it. The glasses that Knowles wears in the video were borrowed from her make-up
artist, Francesca Tolot. The video was finished in about eighteen hours of filming and it features Ebony Haith
from America's Next Top Model, Cycle 1
. Throughout the video, Knowles can be seen fixing her hair in a neon
mirror and is surrounded by neon-constructed doors, catwalks and podiums. It premiered on BET
's 106 & Park
and on American Music Channel, amongst others, before the release of the video anthology.
blush and lipstick next to two other men in a room full of neon framed mirrors. The men
then pull a dress onto her and as the chorus begins, she walks by several women dancing on
neon boxes before beginning to do a dance routine with them. As the chorus ends, she is
shown surrounded by several men in a dark room and dancing in front of barcode-like walls.
The video then moves to her walking down a neon catwalk
. As the bridge starts, she
begins doing a fierce dance routine, while constantly switching dresses. A scene is then
shown with her dancers pretending to be paparazzi swarming her with microphones, before
ending with Beyoncé whipping her hair in front of the target.
in Los Angeles
and I Am... Tour during various stops including the Odyssey Arena in Northern Ireland
, the O2 Arena
in London
, Athens
in Greece
, and Sydney
in Australia
. On August 5, 2007, Knowles performed the song at the Madison Square Garden
in Manhattan
, where she directly started the song with the line: "Stop, I ain’t ready yet — wait, let me fix my hair...". Jon Pareles of The New York Times
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 [...]".
When Knowles performed the song in Sunrise, Florida
on June 29, 2009, she was wearing a glittery gold leotard. As she sang, animated graphics of turntables, faders and other club equipment were projected behind Knowles, her dancers and musicians. Knowles was accompanied by her two drummers, two keyboardists, a percussionist, a horn section, three imposing backup vocalists called the Mamas and a lead guitarist, Bibi McGill. "Freakum Dress" was included as the third track and the fourth track on her live albums The Beyoncé Experience Live (2007), and the deluxe edition of I Am... World Tour
(2010) respectively.
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
singer Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
for her second studio album, B'Day
B'Day
B'Day is the second studio album by American R&B recording artist Beyoncé Knowles, released on September 4, 2006 by Columbia Records in collaboration with Music World Music and Sony Urban Music. It was released to coincide with Knowles' twenty-fifth birthday. The album was originally planned for a...
(2006). It was composed by Knowles, Rich Harrison
Rich Harrison
Rich Harrison is a Grammy Award-winning record producer and songwriter from Washington, D.C.. He is primarily an R&B/Hip-Hop producer...
, and Makeba Riddick
Makeba Riddick
Makeba Riddick is a singer-songwriter who has been active since 2005. She is originally from West Baltimore, United States. Currently she is managed by Jay-Z's record label and production house, Roc Nation...
. "Freakum Dress" is similar to songs that Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
used to record in the 1990s. The song draws from the genres from R&B, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
as well as dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
and contains limited elements of 1980s go-go. The song is complete with whistles
Whistling
Human whistling is the production of sound by means of carefully controlling a stream of air flowing through a small hole. Whistling can be achieved by creating a small opening with one's lips and then blowing or sucking air through the hole...
, cymbal
Cymbal
Cymbals are a common percussion instrument. Cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys; see cymbal making for a discussion of their manufacture. The greater majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sound a...
dominated scatter rhythm
Rhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
s and a beat
Beat (music)
The beat is the basic unit of time in music, the pulse of the mensural level . In popular use, the beat can refer to a variety of related concepts including: tempo, meter, rhythm and groove...
, which is augmented by hi-hat
Hi-hat
A hi-hat, or hihat, is a type of cymbal and stand used as a typical part of a drum kit by percussionists in R&B, hip-hop, disco, jazz, rock and roll, house, reggae and other forms of contemporary popular music.- Operation :...
s and plinking keyboard pulses
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
. In the song, Knowles 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 Knowles' 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
Ray Kay
Ray Kay is a Norwegian director and photographer, based in Los Angeles.He is one of the most sought-after music video & commercial directors in the world now, and has directed the most watched video on YouTube, Justin Bieber's "Baby" . All in all, his videos have been viewed more than 1 billion...
, with co-direction from Knowles, for the B'Day Anthology Video Album
B'Day Anthology Video Album
B'Day Anthology Video Album is the first video album by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles. It features thirteen music videos for songs from her second studio album, B'Day and its deluxe re-release . It was released by Columbia Records exclusively through Wal-Mart stores on April 3, 2007...
(2007). It features Knowles dancing with women of different ages, races, and sizes. Thirty metallic dresses were designed by Tina Knowles
Tina Knowles
Célestine Ann "Tina" Knowles is an American fashion designer known for her House of Deréon brand. She is perhaps best known as the mother of singers Beyoncé Knowles and Solange Knowles, and was the wife of Mathew Knowles, who managed Destiny's Child and then Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland until...
and were used in the production. Knowles explained that the main reason behind shooting a video for the song was to show what a 'freakum dress' looks like.
Recording and conception
 |
Sometimes a woman feels like she needs to remind her man why he is in love with her or fancied her in the first place. All women have that freakum dress at the back of their wardrobe and they can just put it on and it will remind them." | |
"Freakum Dress" was conceived at Sony Music Studios
Sony Music Studios
Sony Music Studios was a well-known former music recording and mastering facility in New York City. The music and broadcasting complex was located at 460 W. 54th St., at 10th Avenue, in the Hell's Kitchen section of Manhattan...
, in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, when Knowles enlisted Harris to co-produce for her album B'Day
B'Day
B'Day is the second studio album by American R&B recording artist Beyoncé Knowles, released on September 4, 2006 by Columbia Records in collaboration with Music World Music and Sony Urban Music. It was released to coincide with Knowles' twenty-fifth birthday. The album was originally planned for a...
(2006). She and Harrison had previously collaborated on her 2003 single "Crazy in Love". She arranged for Harrison, Sean Garrett
Sean Garrett
Garrett Hamler, better known by his stage name Sean Garrett is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, and record producer. He has produced fifteen number one singles in only seven years of producing music. That number puts him in fifth place on the Billboard list of producers with the most number...
and Rodney Jerkins
Rodney Jerkins
Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Jerkins received two Grammy nominations in 2011.-Biography:...
to be given individual rooms at the studio. In this way, Knowles 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 of Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
noted that "Freakum Dress" and "Suga Mama
Suga Mama
"Suga Mama" is a song performed by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles for her second studio album, B'Day . It was written by Knowles, Rich Harrison, and Makeba Riddick, and produced by Harrison and Knowles. "Suga Mama" is influenced by 1970s funk and contains limited elements of 1980s go-go...
" (2006), Harrison's other contribution to B'Day "fall short of originality but mimic the Chi Lites
The Chi-Lites
The Chi-Lites are a Chicago-based smooth soul vocal quartet from the early 1970s, one of the few from the period not to come from Memphis or Philadelphia...
percussion section [of "Crazy in Love"] yet again", adding, "Harrison is like the Indiana Jones
Indiana Jones
Colonel Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., Ph.D. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg created the character in homage to the action heroes of 1930s film serials...
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 wrote "Freakum dress to demonstrate how a sassy sartorial
Tailor
A tailor is a person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing professionally, especially suits and men's clothing.Although the term dates to the thirteenth century, tailor took on its modern sense in the late eighteenth century, and now refers to makers of men's and women's suits, coats, trousers,...
item that can help recharge to a relationship", with Knowles and Makeba Riddick also contributing In an interview with USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, Knowles talked about the content "Freakum Dress", stating that an outfit which reminds of the best moments in a couple's life, is a necessity for every woman's wardrobe.
In June 2006, Knowles invited Tamara Coniff of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
to a New York recording studio. There she premiered several songs from the album including "Ring the Alarm
Ring the Alarm
"Ring the Alarm" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles for her second studio album, B'Day . It was composed by Knowles, Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean, and Sean Garrett...
" (2006) and "Freakum Dress", both were cited as possible second singles although in the end it was actually "Ring the Alarm" that became B'Days second single. Knowles told Coniff that "Freakum Dress" was one of her favorite songs ever.
Music and theme
According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Hal Leonard Corporation, "Freakum Dress" is a moderate R&BContemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
song pacing in common time
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
, written in the key
Key (music)
In music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a specific key, such as in the key of C major or in the key of F-sharp. Sometimes the terms "major" or "minor" are appended, as in the key of A minor or in the...
of F major
F major
F major is a musical major scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat . It is by far the oldest key signature with an accidental, predating the others by hundreds of years...
. The verses alternate from the chord
Chord (music)
A chord in music is any harmonic set of two–three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously. These need not actually be played together: arpeggios and broken chords may for many practical and theoretical purposes be understood as chords...
s of F and C. The track also draws from the hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, and dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
genres. Mike Joseph of PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
observed that the song shows influences by 1970s funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
music, and contains limited elements of 1980s go-go. According to Phil Harrison of Timeout, "Freakum Dress" consists of a steady "long crescendo
Dynamics (music)
In music, dynamics normally refers to the volume of a sound or note, but can also refer to every aspect of the execution of a given piece, either stylistic or functional . The term is also applied to the written or printed musical notation used to indicate dynamics...
, welding galloping beats
Beat (music)
The beat is the basic unit of time in music, the pulse of the mensural level . In popular use, the beat can refer to a variety of related concepts including: tempo, meter, rhythm and groove...
and a steamrolling two-note
Note
In music, the term note has two primary meanings:#A sign used in musical notation to represent the relative duration and pitch of a sound;#A pitched sound itself....
riff
Ostinato
In music, an ostinato is a motif or phrase, which is persistently repeated in the same musical voice. An ostinato is always a succession of equal sounds, wherein each note always has the same weight or stress. The repeating idea may be a rhythmic pattern, part of a tune, or a complete melody in...
", accompanied by several genres of music
Music genre
A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other types of music...
, which he qualified as "multi-tracked". Spence D. of IGN Music
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
noted that the song consists of frequent whistles
Whistling
Human whistling is the production of sound by means of carefully controlling a stream of air flowing through a small hole. Whistling can be achieved by creating a small opening with one's lips and then blowing or sucking air through the hole...
as well as crashing cymbal
Cymbal
Cymbals are a common percussion instrument. Cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys; see cymbal making for a discussion of their manufacture. The greater majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sound a...
dominated scatter rhythm
Rhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
s and a beat which fits the "powerful, loud, confident lines" in which Knowles asks for the attention of her man, and urges women to have a beautiful dress to spice up their sexual life. "Freakum Dress" opens with a spoken introduction
Introduction (music)
In music, the introduction is a passage or section which opens a movement or a separate piece. In popular music this is often abbreviated as intro...
. Throughout the song, Knowles sings her lines in an assertive manner on melding shattering hi-hat
Hi-hat
A hi-hat, or hihat, is a type of cymbal and stand used as a typical part of a drum kit by percussionists in R&B, hip-hop, disco, jazz, rock and roll, house, reggae and other forms of contemporary popular music.- Operation :...
s" and plinking keyboard pulses
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
.
According to Joseph, "Freakum Dress" is thematically similar to "Bills, Bills, Bills
Bills, Bills, Bills
"Bills, Bills, Bills" is a 1999 hit single by Destiny's Child, released as the first single from their second album The Writing's on the Wall. It echoed the female empowerment sentiments of TLC's single "No Scrubs", and featured the same producer and songwriter...
" (1999) and "Say My Name
Say My Name
"Say My Name" is a song by American R&B group Destiny's Child. The song was the third single from the group's 1999 album The Writing's on the Wall, released through Columbia label in 2000 . The single is the most successful of the four releases from the album and is considered to be one of their...
" (2000), from the Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
era. Jon Pareles of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
viewed the concept of the song as not merely having a nice wardrobe to entice men, but it also serves as "a means of self-assertion." In the song, the female protagonist pulls out her best dress to remind her potentially wandering mate of what he is leaving at home. Jody Rosen of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
added that Knowles also seemingly gives professional advice to women on how to hold a man's attention in a long-term relationship. She sings: "Been locked up in the house way too long / It's time to get it, [be]cause once again he's out doing wrong [...] Wear very skimpy clothes...". Joseph commented that in the song, Knowles is capable of wearing anything to keep her man by her side rather than dumping him. Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
added that after having skirted her best dress, Knowles eyes other guys in dance clubs
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
to make her own man jealous, in the hope of regaining his attention but she also makes sure that he really pays when he does her wrong.
Reception
Phil Harrison of Timeout called "Freakum Dress" a magnificent production thanks to its vocal arrangements and commented that its beat can "drive the boys crazy." Brian Hiatt of Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine wrote that even though "Freakum Dress" is less harmonically and melodically produced than "Crazy In Love" (2003) and songs from the Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
era, it remains a good track due to its highly energetic beat. Jaime Gill of Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music, owned by Yahoo!, is the provider of a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming...
called the track "discordant" and "menacing" while Jon Pareles of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
called it "overwrought". On a separate review, Jon Pareles said that the song will remain as one of Knowles most memorable tracks thanks to its streak of rage which is "perfectly groomed but unmistakable". Bill Lamb of About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
chose "Freakum Dress" as one of the three best songs on the entire record, and called it a powerful, emotionally intensive and energetic track. Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
called the song a "lighthearted crunk spree" that reminds girls of the significance of having a nice dress in their wardrobe.
Mike Joseph of PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
complimented the overall concept of the song but noted that the lyrics do not "radiate" enough warmth. Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an 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 Film Festival.- History :...
jokingly said that Knowles has added the term "Freakum Dress" "to the pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
lexicon
Lexicon
In linguistics, the lexicon of a language is its vocabulary, including its words and expressions. A lexicon is also a synonym of the word thesaurus. More formally, it is a language's inventory of lexemes. Coined in English 1603, the word "lexicon" derives from the Greek "λεξικόν" , neut...
." Elysa Gardner of USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
said that "self-assurance is evident on a tune on B'Day called 'Freakum Dress'" while another review by the staff members of the same magazine complimented the songs sexual imagery stating: "When Ms. Bootylicious [Knowles] sings of squeezing that jelly into a 'Freakum Dress', the imagination runs wilder than any video would. Darryl Sterdan, writing for the Canadian website Jam!
Jam!
Jam! is a Canadian website, which covers entertainment news. It is part of the CANOE online portal, owned and operated by Quebecor through its Sun Media division....
, complimented the song's "bashing beat and irresistible chorus". Andy Kellman of Allmusic described "Freakum dress" as a "blaring and marching" track. Calling "Freakum Dress" one of the best dance track that Knowles has ever sung, Norman Mayers of Prefix Magazine chose it as one of the standout songs of the album. Rach Read writing for TeenToday said that "Freakum Dress" is "fast, furious, frenetic and fantastic." "Freakum Dress" reached number twenty-five on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
The Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It lists the top 25 singles below number 100 that have not yet charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Sometimes, however, singles halt their progress on this chart, and never appear on the Hot 100...
chart issue dated September 9, 2007.
Concept and filming
The music video was co-directed by Ray KayRay Kay
Ray Kay is a Norwegian director and photographer, based in Los Angeles.He is one of the most sought-after music video & commercial directors in the world now, and has directed the most watched video on YouTube, Justin Bieber's "Baby" . All in all, his videos have been viewed more than 1 billion...
and Knowles for the B'Day Anthology Video Album
B'Day Anthology Video Album
B'Day Anthology Video Album is the first video album by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles. It features thirteen music videos for songs from her second studio album, B'Day and its deluxe re-release . It was released by Columbia Records exclusively through Wal-Mart stores on April 3, 2007...
, which was released the same month: it was one of eight videos shot in two weeks for the album. The choreography was done by Danielle Polanco
Danielle Polanco
Danielle Polanco is an American dancer and choreographer. She is probably best known for being the leading lady in Omarion's music video Touch and for starring in the 2008 movie Step Up 2 the Streets, in which she portrayed Missy Serrano...
and Jonté Moaning, who used a 1980’s retro set. Knowles explained the concept of the video at MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
: "It's probably the most flamboyant video, and the metallic dresses are so beautiful, they added so much color. I had to do a video for this song. Everyone wanted to know what a 'freakum dress' was, and you can't really explain it, you have to see it. Everyone has their own version, so we had so many women — of different races, sizes, shapes, ages — because we all have those dresses we pull out when we need to shut it down."
After two weeks of shooting, Knowles decided to call her mother Tina
Tina Knowles
Célestine Ann "Tina" Knowles is an American fashion designer known for her House of Deréon brand. She is perhaps best known as the mother of singers Beyoncé Knowles and Solange Knowles, and was the wife of Mathew Knowles, who managed Destiny's Child and then Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland until...
. The latter designed thirty dresses for the video, with eight of them for her daughter. Due to limited time, certain dress were sewed on the spot in approximately ten minutes each by taking fabric from one dress, making a slit in it, draping it and putting a belt on it. The glasses that Knowles wears in the video were borrowed from her make-up
Cosmetics
Cosmetics are substances used to enhance the appearance or odor of the human body. Cosmetics include skin-care creams, lotions, powders, perfumes, lipsticks, fingernail and toe nail polish, eye and facial makeup, towelettes, permanent waves, colored contact lenses, hair colors, hair sprays and...
artist, Francesca Tolot. The video was finished in about eighteen hours of filming and it features Ebony Haith
America's Next Top Model, Cycle 1
America's Next Top Model was a reality show hosted by supermodel Tyra Banks that aimed to find someone who could be the next top fashion model. The cycle's catch-phrase was: "One Girl has what it takes."This was the only season to feature a cast of only 10 contestants...
from America's Next Top Model, Cycle 1
America's Next Top Model, Cycle 1
America's Next Top Model was a reality show hosted by supermodel Tyra Banks that aimed to find someone who could be the next top fashion model. The cycle's catch-phrase was: "One Girl has what it takes."This was the only season to feature a cast of only 10 contestants...
. Throughout the video, Knowles can be seen fixing her hair in a neon
Neon sign
Neon signs are made using electrified, luminous tube lights that contain rarefied neon or other gases. They are the most common use for neon lighting, which was first demonstrated in a modern form in December, 1910 by Georges Claude at the Paris Motor Show. While they are used worldwide, neon signs...
mirror and is surrounded by neon-constructed doors, catwalks and podiums. It premiered on BET
Black Entertainment Television
Black Entertainment Television is an American, Viacom-owned cable network based in Washington, D.C.. Currently viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide, it is the most prominent television network targeting young Black-American audiences. The network was launched on January 25, 1980, by its...
's 106 & Park
106 & Park
106 & Park is a Top Ten Hip-Hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that airs weekdays at 6:00 PM on BET . Since its inception, it was the network's #1 rated show...
and on American Music Channel, amongst others, before the release of the video anthology.
Synopsis
The video begins with Beyoncé dancing in front of a target before moving to her putting onblush and lipstick next to two other men in a room full of neon framed mirrors. The men
then pull a dress onto her and as the chorus begins, she walks by several women dancing on
neon boxes before beginning to do a dance routine with them. As the chorus ends, she is
shown surrounded by several men in a dark room and dancing in front of barcode-like walls.
The video then moves to her walking down a neon catwalk
Runway (fashion)
Runway or catwalk describes a narrow, usually flat platform that runs into an auditorium, used by models to demonstrate clothing and accessories during a fashion show In fashion jargon, "what's on the catwalk" or similar phrasing can refer to whatever is new and popular in fashion.- Exclusive...
. As the bridge starts, she
begins doing a fierce dance routine, while constantly switching dresses. A scene is then
shown with her dancers pretending to be paparazzi swarming her with microphones, before
ending with Beyoncé whipping her hair in front of the target.
Live performances
Although Knowles did not perform "Freakum Dress" in any televised appearances, the song was a part of her set list on The Beyoncé ExperienceThe Beyoncé Experience
The Beyoncé Experience was the second worldwide concert tour by American singer-songwriter Beyoncé in support to her second solo album B'Day. According to Vibe, the tour grossed over $18.1 million.-Background:...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and I Am... Tour during various stops including the Odyssey Arena in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, the O2 Arena
The O2 arena (London)
The O2 Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the centre of The O2, a large entertainment complex on the Greenwich peninsula in London, England.With a capacity of up to 20,000 depending on the event, it is second largest...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, and Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. On August 5, 2007, Knowles performed the song at the Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, where she directly started the song with the line: "Stop, I ain’t ready yet — wait, let me fix my hair...". Jon Pareles of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
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 [...]".
When Knowles performed the song in Sunrise, Florida
Sunrise, Florida
-Overview:Sunrise is a city in southwestern Broward County, Florida, United States. It was incorporated in 1961 by Norman Johnson – a developer whose World Famous Upside-Down House attracted buyers to what was then a remote area...
on June 29, 2009, she was wearing a glittery gold leotard. As she sang, animated graphics of turntables, faders and other club equipment were projected behind Knowles, her dancers and musicians. Knowles was accompanied by her two drummers, two keyboardists, a percussionist, a horn section, three imposing backup vocalists called the Mamas and a lead guitarist, Bibi McGill. "Freakum Dress" was included as the third track and the fourth track on her live albums The Beyoncé Experience Live (2007), and the deluxe edition of I Am... World Tour
I Am... World Tour
I Am... World Tour is a live DVD/CD concert film by American R&B recording artist Beyoncé Knowles who also produced, directed and edited the concert film for her own Parkwood Pictures. The DVD was filmed in presence of more than a million of fans during her worldwide I Am... Tour, running from...
(2010) respectively.
Credits and personnel
Credits are taken from B'Day liner notes.- VocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
: Beyoncé Knowles - WritingSongwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
: Beyoncé Knowles, Rich Harrison, Makeba, Angela Beyincé - ProducingRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
: Rich Harrison, Beyoncé Knowles - Recording: Jim Caruana
- Assisted by: Rob Kinelski and Jamie Rosenberg
- MixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
: Jason Goldstein & Rich Harrison- Assisted by: Steve Tolle
External links
- Beyoncé "Freakum Dress (Official Video)" MTVMTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....