Beyonce Knowles to sing Etta James' classic 'At Last' at inaugural ball

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Beyonce Knowles

Beyonce Knowles will sing the Etta James classic "At Last" at Barack Obama's Tuesday inauguration festivities in Washington, according to reports.

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Singer Beyonce performs at the Lincoln Memorial during President-elect Barack Obama's inaugural concert in Washington on Sunday.

(AP)

Knowles will sing for the Obamas at the Neighborhood Ball, one of 10 official balls scheduled for inauguration night.

Knowles played James in the recent film "Cadillac Records" and performed the song at Live Fashion Rocks 2008.

U2, Beyonce, James Taylor, Garth Brooks and Usher were among the A-list performers who served as opening acts for a president-elect ascending to the White House in two days.

Facts about Beyonce's "If I Were A Boy"

It's the second single, and a huge hit, from Beyonce's latest album, "I Am ... Sasha Fierce," but is there a backstory to "If I Were a Boy?" Why, yes. Here are seven facts about the tune:

1. It's been viewed more than 29 million times on YouTube since the clip went up in October. (Embedding is disabled, but you can watch it here.)
   
   
2. It's reached the top 10 on 25 different singles charts around the world, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Poland, Japan, Turkey and the U.S.
   
   
3. The song has already gone gold with sales of more than 500,000 units, according to the RIAA, and is rapidly closing in on platinum status with just shy of 1 million units sold.
   
   
4. It's not actually Beyonce's song. It was written by 21-year-old aspiring singer and songwriter BC Jean (pictured above) and producer Toby Gad. Jean moved to Los Angeles at 17 with her parents' blessing, and financial support. But the open line of credit had run out and Jean was looking for a day job when she learned Beyonce was covering the song. "I was going to have to either move home or get a 9-to-5 job, and that leaves no time for music," Jean told me this week. "So it was a really stressful time, and then this happened."
   
5. Despite a claim by Fox News that Beyonce had "stolen" the song, Jean was aware the singer was recording it, and receives appropriate credit -- which translates to payment. And if you're getting paid, it's not stolen. Writing songs for other people "was not my initial intention," Jean says. "But it's opened so many doors, it's amazing." Indeed, she signed a record deal with a subsidiary of Sony BMG right before Christmas
   
6. The origin of the song lies in an offhand remark Jean made while walking through Times Square with Gad and trying to resist the enticing smell of pizza. "I said, 'That pizza smells really good, and I'm trying not to eat carbs and I wish I were a boy so I didn't care!' Jean says. "That's how the song started, and [Gad] was like, 'What else would you do if you were a boy?' And I was going through a really hard breakup with my first real love, so I said, 'I'd be a better man than my ex-boyfriend!'"
   
   
7. Various remixes of the song include this one by R. Kelly, who turns the tune into a conversation about trust. No irony there.

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Beyonce's Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)

Beyoncé's song 'Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)' could lead to economic collapse, according to scientists.

A study carried out at New York University has found that songs with a more regular beat coincide with volatility in the American financial markets.

Phil Mayim, a professor of finance and risk engineering, has studied the Billboard chart for decades and found that low "beat variance" songs had an "inverse correlation with market turbulence", reports The Guardian.

"If it's a steady beat, the same beat, no matter if it's fast or slow, that's a low beat variance song," Maymin told PRI Radio. "[But] if [the song] starts off slow and becomes fast and comes back down, that's a high beat variance."

The last market crash coincided with the release of A-Ha's 'Take On Me', which had a "steady beat". Meanwhile, songs with more complex arrangements were more popular at times when the market was less volatile.

"The correlation is pretty strong," Maymin concluded. "The turbulence of the music predicts the steadiness of the market."

Beyonce's 'Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)' is currently at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.

Beyonce Closes 'We Are One' Inaugural Concert With Unifying Performance

with a soaring version of "America the Beautiful."

The singer, who donned a brown winter coat and leather gloves, was backed by a massive choir, with members alternately wearing red and blue jackets to symbolize the unity between political parties during this historic moment.

The gesture wasn't lost on anyone.

The concert's previous performers reappeared onstage with Beyoncé in an awe-inspiring sign of inclusion. Rocker Bruce Springsteen and rapper Will.I.Am joined Samuel L. Jackson, Queen Latifah, Tom Hanks and others. Stevie Wonder also took part in the festivities, playing harmonica during the song's bridge.

President-elect Barack Obama and his wife, incoming first lady Michelle Obama, were seated just before the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. As Beyoncé belted out the patriotic number from the stairs of the iconic monument, the Obamas also sang along. Seated nearby were Vice President-elect Joe Biden and his wife, who joined in as well.

Comedian George Lopez and U2's Bono were also spotted onstage during the commencing performance.

"We are one," Beyoncé shouted as she wrapped the song.

Other notable appearances during the afternoon included actors Jack Black, Steve Carell and Jamie Foxx. Garth Brooks, Usher and Mary J. Blige also performed. Denzel Washington opened the celebration with a speech.

Beyonce Knowles: We Are One

Kicking off the inauguration festivities, Beyonce Knowles took the stage at “We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration” at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC on Sunday (January 18).

During her performance, Beyonce belted out a wondrous rendition of “America the Beautiful,” yelling out “We are one” upon the song’s conclusion.

With Bruce Springsteen, U2, George Lopez, Will.I.Am, Samuel L. Jackson, Queen Latifah and Tom Hanks among the other celebrities on-hand, the event included “a diverse array of talent featuring both musical performances and historical readings.”

“We Are One,” which aired live on HBO at 2:30PM and will be broadcast at 7PM and 11:30PM to cable and satellite subscribers, formally launched four days of festivities as part of President-elect Barack Obama’s swearing-in ceremony, which is due to take place on Tuesday (January 20).

Bringing an end to the festivities is Tuesday night’s Neighborhood Ball, during which time Beyonce will be singing the Etta James classic “At Last” during the Obama’s first dance as President and First Lady.