The video won Best Choreography at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards and Best Dance Performance at the 2011 Soul Train Music Awards.īeyoncé promoted “Run the World” with high-profile live performances, notably at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards and on the French X Factor. The song’s accompanying music video was directed by Francis Lawrence and was filmed in California over a three-day span.
“Run the World” was a top 20 hit in Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, and the United Kingdom. The single peaked at number 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming her lowest performing lead single to date, and reached the top 10 in Australia, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, and Scotland. Several critics compared “Run the World” to Beyoncé’s other singles with similar themes such as “Independent Women” (2000) – with Destiny’s Child, and “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” (2008) among others, stating that “Run the World” takes a more direct and assertive approach towards female empowerment. “Run the World” initially divided critics some complimented the song’s sample, its musical direction, and Beyoncé’s aggressiveness, while others criticized the continuation of past themes and stated that they wanted to see Beyoncé covering new topics. The song’s title and lyrics comprise an unapologetically aggressive message promoting female empowerment. “Run the World” is an electropop and R&B song that heavily samples “Pon de Floor” by Major Lazer.