The 28 Top Destiny's Child Songs of All Time (2024)

Columbia Records

Published Oct 19, 2023

It's officially been 25 years since the release of Destiny's Child's debut album, which means it's time to commemorate one of the most legendary girl groups of all time. Originally starting out under the moniker Girls Tyme in Houston, Texas circa 1990, Destiny's Child is one of the biggest selling and most popular girl groups ever with over 60 million records sold as of 2013. Seeing as though that number was last updated a decade ago (to our knowledge at least), and their music has experienced a new wave of success thanks to the likes of Gen Z and TikTok, we're sure that number is a lot more now than what it was ten years ago. Whether you are a life-long fan like myself and are looking to take a trip down memory lane, or you are just discovering their music for the first time, we're going to be taking a look at the top Destiny's Child songs of all time.

Get your playlist ready!

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• Album: The Writing's on the Wall
• Year: 1999

A somewhat understated gem compared to some of their more dominant hits, "Stay" is Destiny's Child in their rawest form. This track is a poignant reflection on love, longing, and the internal struggle of whether to stay in a relationship. The harmonic melodies paired with the soulful lyrics allow each member to shine vocally.

• Album: Writing's on the Wall
• Year: 1999

This track showcases Destiny's Child's knack for infusing classic R&B tones with fresh, innovative sounds. "Temptation" speaks to the universal theme of being drawn to something or someone, even when you know it might not be the right choice. The song is relatable and catchy, and the playful interplay between the members adds layers to the narrative. Their signature harmonies combined with an infectious beat make "Temptation" an unforgettable addition to the Destiny's songs collection.

• Album: Survivor
• Year: 2001

Next up is the timeless ballad "Brown Eyes." This song is a love letter to deep, soulful connections and the intricacies of romantic relationships. The powerful vocals, especially the soaring high notes, are complimented by a delicate instrumental arrangement. There's a certain nostalgia and warmth that envelopes you when listening to "Brown Eyes", making it an all-time favorite among fans.

• Album: The Writings on the Wall
• Year: 1999

The perfect album opener. Success is always the best revenge, and Destiny's Child made sure to flex a little bit on the haters that doubted their ability to make it big in the music industry with the first track on their sophom*ore album The Writings on the Wall. The production and harmonies alone make this an easy song that will instantly get stuck in your head.

• Album: Destiny's Fulfilled
• Year: 2004

"Through With Love" was an anthem to those who have ever been in a toxic relationship. When we talk about "legendary Michelle Williams bridges," of course we have the automatics (which we'll get to in a little bit), but we'd have to say "Through With Love" gets overlooked a bit. Also, if you haven't ever seen Destiny's Child's performance of this live on their final Destiny's Fulfilled and Lovin' It Tour, then we suggest you watch it immediately. They brought the church choir out and everything.

• Album: Destiny's Child
• Year: 1998

Released as the second single off their eponymous debut, "With Me" is a catchy track that showed the early potential of Destiny's Child when it came to visuals and performances. The music video for the track serves as instant nostalgia that reminds you of those late 1990s and early 2000s video countdown shows that used to air on BET and MTV.

• Album: Survivor
• Year: 2001

"Sexy Daddy" remains an underrated banger on DC3's third album Survivor that in our opinion could have been released as a single if they had wanted. It definitely would have been interesting to see this as a music video if they had gone that route. Nonetheless, it isn't hard to create an imaginary music video in your head as the beat is incredibly catchy. The harmonies were on point as usual too.

• Album: Why Do Fools Fall in Love
• Year: 1999

Another underrated Destiny's Child song that deserved more attention at the time of its release. Luckily the song has gotten its due credit in the years since thanks to social media, which has introduced it to a new audience.

Fun Fact: The "Get on the Bus" music video was choreographed by the legendary Fatima Robinson, who at the time was the main choreographer for Aaliyah. During the rehearsal for the video, a certain individual was sitting on the floor rewinding the tape for the group as they practiced. Who was that individual? Aaliyah. Where did I learn this piece of information? Destiny's Child's 2002 autobiography Soul Survivors. And yes, Destiny's Child has an autobiography.

• Album: The Writings on the Wall
• Year: 1999

There was a certain sector of the population that was (and still is) very upset with the song "Bills, Bills, Bills," and all we have to say is this—if "Bills, Bills, Bills" made those individuals upset, then "Confessions" probably pissed them off even more. Shoutout to the soon-to-be Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Missy Elliott for the production.

• Album: Romeo Must Die and Survivor
• Year: 2000/2001

While "Perfect Man" appeared on the Survivor album as a track, it was actually first released on the soundtrack for the 2000 film Romeo Must Die, which starred Aaliyah and Jet Li. If this song isn't on your all time Destiny's Child list, then we've got a bone to pick with you.

• Album: Destiny's Fulfilled
• Year: 2004

2004's "If" is quite literally a perfect song. There's nothing else really to say other than that. The harmonies were perfect, the slow jam beat was unique, and the lyrics were easily identifiable if you've ever experienced a tough relationship. The growth of Destiny's Child between their 2001 and 2004 break was something for the books.

• Album: Survivor
• Year: 2001

We all have bad days, and sometimes you just need a song that's going to cheer you up and make your mood brighter. "Happy Face" is that song. It will have you smiling without even realizing it.

• Album: 8 Days of Christmas
• Year: 2001

"8 Days of Christmas" should bring back instant memories for millennials as it was very much a part of the classic Christmas songs released during the early 2000s. A throwback to add to your holiday playlist for sure.

• Album: Destiny's Child
• Year: 1998

While most of us have the remix aka Part Two automatically in our head as Destiny's Child's debut, in actuality, Part 1 came out first. Now if memory serves us correctly, "No, No, No Part 1" was actually Destiny's Child's first official music video, which automatically makes the song a part of music history.

• Album: This Is the Remix
• Year: 2002

Ah! The days when artist not only used to put out remixes for their songs, but also dropped full remix albums to go along with it. Can we bring this back? Please?

• Album: N/A
• Year: 2005

Not only was "Stand Up For Love" a beautiful song, it was one that was created for a great cause as DC3 recorded the track for as the 2005 World Children's Day Anthem. If you want to talk about a perfectly arranged track when gorgeous background vocals, "Stand Up For Love" was that track.

• Album: Survivor
• Year: 2001

Released as the fourth and final single on 2001's Survivor, "Nasty Girl" was a bop that definitely deserved the single treatment. In the year since its release some people have taken issue with the lyrical content, but in our opinion, it's another one of those "social media" things were people who weren't even around during that time period have decided they've got a problem with it. In our opinion, it shouldn't be taken that seriously.

• Album: Destiny's Fulfilled
• Year: 2004

The first comment on YouTube underneath the music video says it all: "What a beautiful song . Women need to support and uplift each other, instead of tearing each other down. I wish I had a group of strong girlfriends like in this video." 2004's "Girl" (which was released as a single in 2005) is all about female empowerment, sisterhood, and coming together to help your girlfriends out when they need it.

• Album: Destiny's Fulfilled
• Year: 2004

When we tell you Destiny's Child came back from their three year hiatus swinging—they came back from their hiatus swinging. To this day we'd have to say that this is one of the most unique music videos ever created. The concept of DC3 essentially battling against different versions of themselves was a brilliant one, and when we say they danced their butts off—they danced their butts off.

• Album: The Writings on the Wall
• Year: 1999

One of thee club anthems of the early 2000s. If you were of club age at that time and weren't leaving your partners behind to go party at 11:30, then you missed out. Of course us younger millennials missed out too because we were children, but at least we got to jam in the car right?

• Album: The Writings on the Wall
• Year: 1999

Bug-A-Boo. You buggin what you buggin who? You buggin me? If you know you know, and if you don't, it's time to get with the program. This was another song that upset certain individuals, but we're not going there today.

• Album: Destiny's Fulfilled
• Year: 2004

"Cater 2 U" remains one of the best songs of the 2000s. The only question left here is whether or not we can all agree that this is Michelle's most iconic bridge.

• Album: Destiny's Child
• Year: 1998

Aww. For a lot of people, "No, No, No Part 2" is their earliest memory of Destiny's Child. The intro. The music video. The poses they were hitting at the beginning. The performances of this song. The guest appearance on Smart Guy. The kick-off of something special for sure.

• Album: Survivor
• Year: 2001

"Bootylicious" was a moment in time. You had the Stevie Nicks sample and even Stevie Nicks herself making a cameo at the beginning of the music video. Then there was the fact that the video itself was a tribute to Michael Jackson with many of his famous moves being featured, plus the breakdown where they wore fedoras and white gloves. A moment in time.

• Album: The Writings on the Wall
• Year: 1999

Bills, Bills, Bills is self explanatory here as it's one of Destiny's Child's best songs of all time. And over twenty years after its release it's clear that you some of y'all still didn't understand the lyrics and what they were actually saying, but again, we're not going there.

• Album: The Writings on the Wall
• Year: 1999

Produced by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, "Say My Name" is undeniably one of Destiny's Child biggest hits, and experiencing it in real time as a single was incredible. The performance and promo for the song was on point.

• Album: Charlie's Angel's Soundtrack & Survivor
• Year: 2000

Experiencing "Independent Women" in real time was another great moment as well. For starters, this was the song and video that officially introduced Destiny's Child as a trio, which lined up perfectly with the then upcoming Charlie's Angel's film as obviously there were three of them. "Independent Women" was everywhere in the year 2000, and you truly couldn't escape the track on radio and the video on television. The making of the video was pretty dope as well.

• Album: Survivor
• Year: 2001

If there's any one song that defines Destiny's Child as a group, it would be "Survivor." It's become the anthem for anybody who has ever overcome any challenge or obstacle of some sort (which is everybody), and brought forth some of their most powerful performances. "Survivor" was and still is incredibly impactful.

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