They are the musical group that gives credence to the idea that nothing bad ever came out of Texas, except GeorgeW.Bush. This extremely talented and gorgeous group of girls may have split ways to pursue their separate pursuits, but they will always be BeyonceKnowles, KellyRowland and LeToya, from Houston, Texas.
- Say My Name – Who doesn’t get chills when they hear that familiar refrain: “Say my name, say my name/ When no is around you, say Baby, I love you!” It was a beautiful song about unrequited adoration and infidelity. When this song came out, people probably couldn’t even imagine just how edgy this teenage group was going to become. Their lyrics, although entertaining, had emotional substance and this song, in particular, touched all of their listeners.
- Bills, Bills, Bills – This was a shout out to all of the girls getting sick and tired of men sponging off of them. They wanted to get rid of the “trifling, good for nothing type of brothers” and they inspired women across the world to do the same. This was a subject matter that had rarely been addressed in a song up until its debut, and the trend hasn’t died since.
- No, No, No – This was their first single of their first album. “No, No, No” was a masterpiece, and nobody who knew Destiny’s Child when they started is not aware of this compelling song. As soon as those smooth, sexy, velvety soft voices hit your ears, you could have never have imagined that a couple of teenagers could sound so professional and so distinguished. Yet as they repetitively sang that “No, no, no, no” hook and softly whispered “yes, yes, yes, yes,” you realized that you really were listening to the beautiful souls of a couple of adolescents.
- So Good – And that is exactly what this song made everyone feel: “So good! So Good! So Good!” This was their comeback song on their second album that took issue with the people who said they wouldn’t make it, love interests included. Once again, Destiny’s Child was empowering all women, and even men, to take control of their lives and to not let the “haters who said [you] wouldn’t make it” stop you from doing “so good!”
- Confessions – This was maybe one of the first signs that Destiny’s Child was not full of a bunch of innocent little girls, but that they were real women with real faults. This song also marked one of the first times where Beyonce would take over an entire song and make the listener experience her creative vision. Her vocal solo was passionate and powerful, and it demonstrated an unfrequented side of Knowles.
- Survivor – Survivor, the album, launched a new era in the musical powerhouse that Destiny’s Child was to come. Survivor was the first time Beyonce assumed control of the production and writing for a Destiny’s Child album. And in the Survivor song, she let us know that she was going to survive as the lead singer and face of the group. She told us all how she was “not gonna give up” until she made it, and she definitely made it. She did an incredible job with both the song and the album, introducing another creative boundary that the public had never seen before.
- Bridges – The song opens with a nice little ballad that is just as easy on the ears as the Beyonce is on the eyes. And when that soft harmony of voices kicks in, it almost takes you back to church, and makes you realize how much music can touch the soul. Bridges was about love, honor and devotion, and if you didn’t have somebody to love on when you listened to the song, you surely would fall in love with the song itself.
- Bootylicious – As if we didn’t already know, Beyonce felt the need to tell us all that she was bootylicious. Well, duh? We are always going to know that, Beyonce. We know it now, and we knew it then. The video was still fun to watch though!
- Jumpin, Jumpin – Before this song, I hadn’t seen people jumping in the club so freely since
KrisKross. This song was more meant for partying in the club than any other Destiny’s Child song. The song was about dropping your significant other, getting ready for the club, driving to the club and breaking it down… in the in club! And I’ll be damned if everybody didn’t do just that whenever this song came on.
- Independent Women Part II – Beyonce established her multiplicity in this song. By mixing in a little rap with a little funk, the remix of the first Independent Woman, was considered an interesting piece of work for a group that rarely stepped out of the R&B;/pop domain. However, they showed us that they could sing anything, in anyway, with any composition behind it, all while stressing that they, and all women, were going to be autonomous and powerful, both together as women, and independently as human beings.
