Leading Ladies: Beyonce Owes These Fellow One-Namers Some Credit

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SHE'S BOOTYLECIOUS, she's a survivor, she hates bugaboos, she's crazy in love, she's officially Mrs. Jay-Z and she's coming to a Verizon Center near you. And if you haven't figured out that we're talking about Beyonce then you may officially be pop-culture-illiterate (or not ready for her jelly).

The woman who broke off from girl-power-trio Destiny's Child in 2005 to capitalize on the success of her first solo album, "Dangerously in Love," has continued building on that, releasing hit single after hit single (count 'em: "Irreplaceable," "Beautiful Liar" with Shakira, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," "If I Were A Boy," "Halo," etc. ), starting an acting career (she received two Golden Globe nominations for her role in "Dreamgirls," even though "American Idol" contestant Jennifer Hudson pretty much upstaged her by winning an Academy Award) and becoming the fourth most powerful and influential celebrity in the world, according to Forbes magazine this year.

And in October 2008, before the release of her latest album, "I Am … Sasha Fierce," Beyoncé told Marie Claire UK that she wanted to be more than a pop star, more than the international superstar she already is. In her own words: "I don't wanna be a hot girl. I wanna be iconic. And I feel like I've accomplished a lot. I feel like I'm highly respected, which is more important than any award or amount of records. And I feel like there comes a point when being a pop star is not enough."

So if you're one of the hordes seeing Beyonce as part of her "I Am" tour, keep her legendary aspirations in mind while she's sashaying around in her leotard (inevitable), designer heels (probable) and the metal glove and dangle shades from the "Diva" video (hopefully). But don't forget — Beyonce owes a lot to the actual female icons that came before she did, broke ground in their respective genres and paved the way for her to try and follow in their footsteps. Here are the five women who were doing the one-word-name-thing before Beyonce was — and who we think she should tip her hat to.

» ARETHA
Aretha Franklin is the undisputed Queen of Soul, and if you're trying to steal that moniker from her, you better think again. When you're a diva, emotions run high - so when Beyoncé introduced Tina Turner as "the queen" at last year's Grammy Awards, Aretha wasn't happy about it. "I am not sure of whose toes I may have stepped on or whose ego I may have bruised between the Grammy writers and Beyoncé, however I dismissed it as a cheap shot for controversy," Aretha said in a statement after the ceremony. But she still gave "love to Beyoncé anyway," and at the end of the day, Aretha's still one of the most celebrated voices ever. Rolling Stone ranked her No. 1 on its list of The Greatest Singers of All Time last year; she's received 20 Grammys; has 20 No. 1 singles on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart; and was awesome in "Blues Brothers," perfectly delivering her hit "Think" while a visibly impressed Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi try to keep legendary blues guitarist Matt Murphy, who played her husband in the film, out of trouble. Plus, if you've ever heard "Respect," you understand why she's a legend - that song changed the role of women in popular music forever.

» TINA
When a woman has sold more concert tickets than any other solo performer in history, you know she's probably got a good thing going. And so goes Tina Turner, the woman who survived Ike to continue rocking to the solid age of 69 (and probably beyond). After reaching success with Ike - listen to "River Deep, Mountain High" and "Proud Mary" and you'll understand what Tina was capable of, even back then - and then turning her back on it, Tina made it big on her own terms, releasing the critically and commercially successful "What's Love Got to Do With It," "Let's Stay Together" and "Private Dancer" while in her 40s. After that came a cult-classic-favorite role as Auntie Entity in "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome," numerous international tours, more successful albums (2005's "All the Best" went platinum) and being recognized by the Kennedy Center Honors that same year. And have you seen those legs?

» STEVIE
She may have burned a hole through her nose with all the cocaine she did back in the day, but Stevie Nicks's legacy is undeniable. Her partnership with Lindsey Buckingham is one of rock and roll's best love-and-lost stories, and their relationship - which would become the core of Fleetwood Mac, even though the band was named after drummer Mick Fleetwood - would both drive and divide the band for decades. With 1975's "Fleetwood Mac," Nicks's contributions - "Rhiannon" and "Landslide," the latter of which would be covered by the Dixie Chicks, the Smashing Pumpkins, the Red Hot Chili Peppers's John Frusciante and a whole lot of other famous people in years to come - would cement her as a solid part of the band, not just Buckingham's arm candy. That role would allow her to play an important role during the creation of the band's third album, "Rumours" (which has sold more than 40 million copies to date) and would give her the confidence to launch a successful solo career with 1981's "Bella Donna." Nearly 30 years after that solo release, Nicks is still making music - releasing "The Soundstage Sessions" in March - still touring with Fleetwood Mac and still laying the smack-down on people less awesome than she is. Case in point: Telling "Access Hollywood" that the rumor about Lindsey Lohan buying the rights to Nicks's life story and developing a movie about it was "completely insane and crazy." She later added to the New York Times, "[Lohan] needs to stop doing drugs and get a grip. Then maybe we'll talk." She's still that gypsy, and we still love her.

» DEBBIE
Once she was in love, and she's been famous since then - the gorgeous former "Playboy" bunny that is Debbie Harry was one of the coolest women to play a role in punk, forming Blondie with boyfriend and guitarist Chris Stein in the early 1970s and striking it huge in 1979 with "Heart of Glass," a single from third studio album "Parallel Lines." Though the song's disco sound was drastically different from the reggae and punk styles the band had been creating with their previous albums, the song jettisoned them into success, helping pave the way for other singles - "Sunday Girl," "Rapture," "Atomic" - that would continue Blondie's fame. And Blondie's fame also meant legend-status for Harry, who would add a sexy, street-smart touch to punk's mainstream image with her miniskirts, bleached-blonde hair and killer outfits. While the band called it quits in the '80s, they got back together a decade later, have kept touring since then and are working on a new album - maybe Harry can show this generation's female rock stars (do we really only have Paramore lead singer Hayley Williams, Avril Lavigne and Ashlee Simpson-Wentz? That hurts) how it's done.

» BRITNEY
It's Britney, bitch. Is there anything else to say?

Written by Express contributor Roxana Hadadi