According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Hal Leonard Corporation , " Freakum Dress " is a moderate R & B song pacing in common time , written in the key of F major . The verses alternate from the chords of F ♯ and C. The track also draw from the hip hop , funk , and dance @-@ pop genres . Mike Joseph of PopMatters observed that the song show influences by 1970s funk music , and contain limited elements of 1980s go @-@ go . According to Phil Harrison of Timeout , " Freakum Dress " consist of a steady " long crescendo , welding galloping beats and a steamrolling two @-@ note riff " , accompanied by several genres of music , which he qualified as " multi @-@ tracked " . Spence D. of IGN Music noted that the song consist of frequent whistles as well as crashing cymbal dominated scatter rhythms and a beat which fit the " powerful , loud , confident lines " in which Beyoncé ask for the attention of her man , and urge women to have a beautiful dress to spice up their sexual life . " Freakum Dress " open with a spoken introduction . Throughout the song , Beyoncé sing her lines in an assertive manner on melding shattering hi @-@ hats " and plinking keyboard pulses .