Survivor

Beyoncé Knowles, Anthony Dent and Mathew Knowles wrote it, and Dent and Beyoncé produced it. The idea came from a radio station joke likening the group to the reality show Survivor, which Beyoncé chose to turn into something positive. Dent had first imagined his instrumental for the rapper Lil' Kim before Beyoncé took it and wrote the lyrics, melody and vocal arrangement, much of it on a flight to the next city while the group was opening for Christina Aguilera. Beyoncé said she wrote it quickly, out of frustration, and that for her it was about what survival means for women. The group recorded it at SugarHill Studios in Houston in late 2000. The shouted "what" in the chorus was Mathew Knowles's idea, added late in the session.

It was the first single by the trio and went to number two on the Hot 100, where it stayed for seven weeks. It reached number one in Britain, Ireland and Norway. It won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals in 2002. Darren Grant directed the video, which casts the group as shipwreck survivors on an island, and it won Best R&B Video at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards. After the September 11 attacks the song took on a new meaning. Houlihan described it as a tool for national grief, a way to show solidarity and strength. Destiny's Child performed it at the United We Stand benefit concert on 21 October 2001. Billboard ranked it number 40 on its list of the greatest girl group songs, and Mon Laferte sang a Spanglish cover in the 2023 film Migration.