I’ve always tried to pick songs and singles that were a part of pop culture, a part of things that people are passionate about and want to talk about and debate. “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” is an uptempo song that’s fun. But it’s also something women go through every day.

— via Billboard

Out of all my videos, it was the least expensive and took the least amount of time. And it ended up being the most iconic. I absolutely didn’t expect that — I don’t think anyone did. But I knew exactly what I wanted to do: Keep it simple. I’ve done so many things in videos with different hair and wardrobe changes, different sets and lights. I just wanted to keep this one really minimal. And once we got on the set, it was like, “Wait a minute. This is something special.”

I’d seen this 1969 video [featuring Gwen Verdon], this one take of amazing Bob Fosse choreography set against a white background. And I thought, “Wow, despite all the technology we have now, wouldn’t it be great to just strip it all down — without a bunch of different camera shots and cuts, without any hair and wardrobe changes — and make it all about the performance?” We had exactly 12 hours to film that video. We did it after shooting “If I Were a Boy,” so I used the same director and same crew, renting out a studio in New Jersey. From the black leotards to incorporating some of Fosse’s 1969 choreography into our modern choreography, it was just a conscious effort at keeping everything simple.

— via Billboard

In 2018, NPR ranked this as the #3 greatest song by a female or nonbinary artist in the 21st century, saying:

As thrilling of a musical production as it is, ‘Single Ladies’ wouldn’t be cemented in pop culture history today if it weren’t for the music video. In the 2008 clip, Beyoncé and two backup dancers twist, sashay and strike power moves around a white room for a total of three intense and influential minutes. The impact was immediate, inspiring many to imitate the video and upload their versions to YouTube. Bey ultimately credited the inspiration of the choreography to a mix of a black, Southern style of dance called J-Setting and a vanilla yet viral routine choreographed by Bob Fosse decades ago. The visuals, though, wouldn’t have been made possible without the song itself: fierce, flirtatious, assertive and uplifting all at once, ‘Single Ladies’ was the roll call women in search of a barometer of self worth had been wanting, and in some cases needing, to hear. It was Beyoncé demanding excellence and devotion on every woman’s behalf.