Beyoncé

"Countdown" is a song by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles from her fourth studio album, 4 (2011). It was written by Terius Nash, Shea Taylor, Knowles, Ester Dean, Cainon Lamb, Julie Frost, Michael Bivins, Nathan Morris and Wanya Morris. The song's development was motivated when Knowles wanted to create something different by mixing musical styles of the 1990s with the 1970s. "Countdown" was released to US radios on October 4, 2011 as the third single from the album.

Critics classified "Countdown" as a multi-genre song and praised the sampling of the countdown from "Uhh Ahh" by Boyz II Men. They compared it to singles from Dangerously in Love (2003) and B'Day (2006), noticing elements of funk music, and dancehall influences in the tradition of "Get Me Bodied" (2007).