A Southern hip hop mid-tempo song, it lyrically describes each member's favorite type of male love interest.

In the United States, it peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Dance Club Songs chart, receiving a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

The band performed "Soldier" on several televised appearances in 2004 and 2005 and included it on the set list of their final tour Destiny Fulfilled... And Lovin' It (2005).

[2] "Soldier" was recorded by Jim Caruana at Sony Music Studios in New York City in 2004, with mixing by Dexter Simmons and mastering by Tom Coyne.

[1] Garrett initially wrote "Soldier" in a taxi while going to the studio where the band worked on Destiny Fulfilled; he sang the hook to the members afterwards and they liked it.

"[3] During an interview with MTV News, Rowland said that with "Soldier" each member wanted to talk about their preference for a man during their solo verses, the place where he lives and his physical appearance.

[11] Discussing the song musically, Kitty Empire from The Observer classified it as a "ghetto anthem-in-waiting that echoes the Southern bent of much contemporary hip hop".

[10][17] Corey Moss of MTV felt that the song was one of the most personal moments on Destiny Fulfilled in the sense that Beyoncé's then-relatively secret relationship with rapper Jay-Z was acknowledged "on record for the first time".

[2] Moss further elaborated, "Albeit minor, her [Beyoncé's] verse (about falling for a guy from the BK, as in Jay's Brooklyn stomping grounds) offers a rare moment of commentary on the couple, which has thus far only been chronicled by tabloid photographers.

[17] As the song progresses, each member of Destiny's Child describes their own favorite type of man, later harmonizing together for the chorus.

[18] Stephen Thomas Erlewine from the website AllMusic described "Soldier" as one of the "hard-driving dance cuts" of Destiny Fulfilled further choosing it as a highlight.

[10] The New York Times writer Kelefa Sanneh described the track as part of the album's "lovable" material and went on saying, "[it] takes a ludicrous premise... and turns it into sharp, coldblooded electro-pop".

Club felt that the song and "Cater 2 U" "make sassy end-runs around notions of womanly subservience, but their best musical moments hide in tiny melismatic twirls instead of hooks".

[21] The Guardian writer Caroline Sullivan described the track as "juddering"[22] while BBC's Nick Reynolds called it "good fun".

The women of Destiny's Child don't sound the slightest bit convincing singing about how they need thug boyfriends, but they wind their voices around a gorgeous hook exactly as well as they always have.

[24] Describing it as an "overt bid for street cred", Entertainment Weekly's Tom Sinclair felt that T.I and Lil Wayne "bring little to the party" with their contribution to the song.

[16] Erika Ramirez and Jason Lipshutz writing for Billboard magazine felt that the group "cemented their street and chart credibility" with the song.

[25] Another reviewer from the same magazine felt that the band's "personal transition from teen-dom to womanhood" was most evident on "Soldier" and two other songs from the album.

[26] Jenny Eliscu from Rolling Stone wrote in her review, "It's a hot track, even if the message feels affected coming from these church girls.

[14] Gil Kaufman from MTV News described the song as a "bouncy homage to thug love that featured the signature DC mix of urban grit and slick production".

[42][43] On May 18, 2005, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the single gold for selling 500,000 digital copies in the United States.

[56] The music video for "Soldier" was filmed by Norwegian director Ray Kay and was shot in black-and-white, becoming the band's first clip using that technique.

[5] The video features cameo appearances by seven singers and rappers: Beyoncé's sister Solange Knowles, Luke James, Lloyd, Bow Wow, Ginuwine, Ice Cube, WC and Young Jeezy.

During the end of the video, as the group sings the lines "known to carry big things", they rub the belly of Solange Knowles, who was pregnant at the time of shooting.

[75] Denise Sheppard writing for Rolling Stone felt that the drumline-affected version performed during the concert was "for the delighted, largely female crowd".

[76] While reviewing a concert in the UK, Adenike Adenitire of MTV News praised the group's surprising look inspired by Mad Max noting that they proved "that you don't need baggy jeans and a bandanna to be street".

[79][80][81] She also performed "Soldier" on August 26, 2010 during a promotional concert in New York City and at the Australian Supafest festival in April 2012 backed by male dancers.

[82][83] In 2005, American rapper Nelly sampled "Soldier" for his song "Grillz" (2005) featuring Paul Wall, and Ali & Gipp from the album Sweatsuit (2005).

[84] Mike Schiller from PopMatters wrote that Jermaine Dupri's production on the song was "uncharacteristically fantastic, finding a down 'n' dirty groove in the unlikely source material of Destiny's Child's 'Soldier'".

[87] "Soldier" was also sampled for "Body Marked Up" (2009) by Willy Northpole, the first single from his debut album Tha Connect.