"Partition" was written by Terius Nash, Justin Timberlake, Timothy Mosley, Beyoncé, Jerome Harmon, Dwane Weir, Charisse Hill and Mike Dean.

[21] Zaleski further wrote that Beyoncé adopts a doo-wop vocal-based style to sing some of the lyrics and even utters occasional purrs—murmuring sounds expressive of pleasure.

David Haglund and Forrest Wickman of Slate magazine noted undeniable similarities between this spoken section and a quote by actress Julianne Moore in 1998 film The Big Lebowski.

[32] Glenn Gamboa of Newsday wrote that Beyoncé "channels her inner Prince, moving from a sweet, girl-group pop sound to Dirty South hip-hop".

[22] Many critics, including Una Mullalay of The Irish Times and Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune welcomed Beyoncé's rapping on "Partition" and compared it to the work of British recording artist M.I.A.

"[16] Andrew Hampp of Billboard magazine commended the memorability of the lyrics and wrote that "'Partition' is yet another 'gettin' freaky with my baby' jam, with some of Bey's most frankly sexual lines yet.

"[19] Similarly, Eliana Dockterman of Time magazine hailed the lyrical content of "Partition"; she noted that it suitably exemplifies "embodiment of modern feminism for a generation that has been reluctant to claim the word" and further praised how Beyoncé "express[es] her desire to please [her partner] while still projecting a fierce, independent persona".

And in maybe the wildest moment in an album full of bold moves, Beyoncé actually slips in the French translation of Julianne Moore's 'Feminists love sex' monologue from The Big Lebowski.

[36] Matthew Perpetua of BuzzFeed praised the French spoken section on "Partition", comparing it to the Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie sample on "Flawless" as she added: "It's good that these ideas aren't directly expressed by Beyoncé herself – in context, these bits are like reblogged quotes that frame her artistic intentions – because she knows she doesn't need to be so didactic when she's actually singing about sex, and to do so would defeat her point about owning her pleasures.

[23] Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times wrote that "the spooky, almost perversely stripped-down 'Partition' reflect[s] [Beyoncé's] determination, rare among superstars, to keep pushing creatively".

[60][62] Beyoncé was inspired by the visuals of the 1990 David Fincher-directed video for George Michael's "Freedom" and she conceptualized of a "contemporary, street version" of the clip for "Yoncé".

In an interview with New York magazine, Saiz affirmed that there are many references to 1990s eroticism and the 1995 video for "Human Nature" by American singer Madonna in the clip for "Yoncé".

[65] Joan Smalls revealed during an interview that the crew did not follow a certain script while filming and added it was "up for interpretation" - she mentioned the scene where she licks Beyoncé's breast as her own idea, getting inspiration from the song's lyrics.

Beyoncé and the models are dressed by Karen Langley in leather, fishnets, and straps as they pose against a brick wall, with cameras showing flashes of skin, close-ups of lips, and erotic tongue flicks.

[62] Allison Davis of New York magazine described the video for "Yoncé" as a "contemporary, gritty and voyeuristic" with "nineties-era eroticism and subtle sexuality", before summarizing the visual as "two minutes and four seconds of fashion and sex".

[65] Michael Zelenko of The Fader found a "hyper-sexualized vision of ruby-red lips, tongues, booty shorts and fish-net body suits" being presented in the clip.

[69] Whitney Phaneuf of the website HitFix noted its concept to be a street styled runway and concluded "The four women pose in gritty back alleys and against brick walls, projecting a tough and seductive image that matches the song.

[76] The video for "Partition" was directed by Jake Nava and was shot at the Parisian cabaret club, Crazy Horse,[26] with opening scenes filmed at the Château de Ferrières.

It depicts the sexual fantasies of a rich and bored housewife played by Beyoncé who tries to seduce her man while having breakfast at her house wearing a white robe.

[79] The clip transitions to scenes of Beyoncé dressed in a Victorian jeweled outfit with a mask in her hands, lip-syncing the lyrics and dancing to the rhythm of the song.

[72] Melissa Locker, writing for Time stated that the singer went "properly XXX" for the "hot" clip and added that it would make viewers think differently about the word "peaches".

[58] Writing on behalf of Vanity Fair, Michelle Collins stated in her review, "If you're a fan of gorgeously choreographed burlesque routines, as well as women in their thirties who defy the logic of cellulite, 'Partition' is a good starting off point in your journey through Beyoncé's 'Beyoncé.

[89] The Daily Telegraph writer Sarah Crompton stated that the video looked suitable for a porn website and described its imagery as "strip club dressed up as a Busby Berkeley musical".

[79] Vivienne Pattison of Mediawatch-uk commented that such visuals showed that Beyoncé had "sold out" and undermined her position as a "role model" and previous "powerful messages that empowered women and girls".

[91] He said that it represented glorification of sex in the back of a limousine and offered critique that teenage girls are influenced by the singer, adding, "Why would she do it when she knows the devastation that unwanted pregnancies... and fractured families [...] I think Beyoncé, what she has done here, is inexplicable".

[92] In response to these claims, Rutger University's Kevin Allred argues that "Beyonce isn’t sensationalizing her own body and putting it on display for viewers to gawk at.

[95][96] Both "Yoncé" and "Partition" were part of the setlist of the second European leg of The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour with the first performance of both tracks taking place in Glasgow at the SSE Hydro arena on February 20, 2014.

[100] Graeme Virtue of The Guardian felt that "Partition" along with "Blow" and "Naughty Girl", "make[s] a persuasive case for Mrs Carter, the unstoppable sex machine".

[99] BBC News' Mark Savage felt that "her new material [from Beyoncé] showcases an unparalleled variety of vocal styles, ranges and phrasing" during the concert, something he noticed in the "urban swagger" of "Yoncé".

[113] Reviewers were critical of Rhymes' contribution to the remix, with Spin's Marc Hogan calling it "conventionally porny",[114] and Hayden Manders of Refinery29 suggesting it "take[s] the tease of the original's writing and turn[s] it into sleaze.