4

In a further effort to produce an album with a more raw sound, she left a lot of the brassiness and grittiness in her voice, and chose not to polish over her vocals in the studio. The album is predominately composed of R&B and pop; critics noted influences from late 1970s and early 1980s R&B and soul. Structurally, 4 was composed as a mixture of ballads and mid- and up-tempo numbers. The album's main lyrical themes revolve around womanhood and monogamy, which Knowles developed alongside a slew of staffwriters. Upon release, 4 received generally positive reviews from critics, who viewed it as a progression from Knowles' previous albums. They commended its mid-tempo musical style and understated production, though some criticized its balladry and songwriting. 4 debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 310,000 copies in its first week. It also topped the album charts in Brazil, France, Ireland, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The album's first two singles, "Run the World (Girls)" and "Best Thing I Never Had", both reached the top ten in several worldwide charts. "Countdown" and "Love on Top" were released as the third and fourth singles respectively. The latter peaked at number one on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for seven consecutive weeks. "End of Time" was released as a UK-only single in March 2012.