RING THE ALARM ~ BEYONCE

"Ring the Alarm" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles for her second studio album, B'Day (2006). The song's development was motivated by Knowles' role in the Broadway musical adaptation Dreamgirls (2006). The cover art of "Ring the Alarm" fueled controversy after Knowles used alligators during the photo shoot. The American animal rights organization, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), declared that Knowles posing with a terrified baby alligator was arguably abusive to an animal. "Ring the Alarm" is an R&B song with punk rock influences. It makes use of a blaring siren as its introductory sound, setting an aggressive tone in the song. Lyrically, "Ring the Alarm" features Knowles impersonating a threatened girlfriend who shows her unwillingness to let another woman profit from all the work she did to improve her love interest's life. The lyrics of the song were rumoured to be chronicling Barbadian R&B recording artist Rihanna's relationship with Jay-Z, a suggestion which Knowles refuted in an interview with Seventeen Magazine. Critical reception of the song was generally mixed to positive with several music critics noting that the song was different from Knowles's previous work. While some complimented the distorted, angry and assertive vocals, others were disappointed with the lyrical arrangement. "Ring the Alarm" was nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 49th Grammy Awards.