On Dec. 12, 2013 Beyoncé surprised fans with an album exclusive with iTunes via Instagram. What happened next? Social media went crazy.
There were no promotions or previous releases, just Beyoncé – hence, the self-titled album.
The declared “visual album” entails 14 tracks with 17 music videos. If you have not purchased the album, do it today! Below is my recap.
1. Pretty hurts
Favorite Lyrics:
“We shine the light on whatever’s worse
Perfection is a disease of a nation
(Pretty hurts, Pretty hurts)
Pretty hurts
Shine the light on whatever’s worse”
Tryin’ fix something but you can’t fix what you can’t see
It’s the soul that needs the surgery”
Beyoncé opens her album with a song that everyone can relate to. In “Pretty Hurts”, she sings about the issues of body image within society. The song offers dialogue about the ideals that individuals strive for to achieve beauty that range from body manipulation to diets. The song stresses that it is not the body that needs changing, but the souls and individual minds of people. Beyoncé informs us that happiness comes from within.
2. Haunted
Favorite Lyrics:
“It’s what you do, it’s what you see
I know if I’m haunting you, you must be haunting me”
I’m not quite sure what this song is about but the sound is definitely a first for Beyoncé. The track is seriously dark and mysterious.
3. Drunk in love
Favorite Lyrics:
“We be all night, love, love
We be all night, love, love”
This song, featuring Jay Z, is the first to be released off the album to hit the radio waves and has, by far, become a favorite for many. In this song, Beyoncé alludes her love for Jay Z to that of being drunken in love, completely overtaken by the feeling.
4. Blow
I rather not quote any lyrics of this song. Beyoncé dared to embrace the definition of risqué during this track. This tune is perhaps the most sensual song off the album that continues a play on words. The song has a very 80’s vibe rhythm to it with a catchy hook that definitely gets you moving.
5. No Angel
Favorite Lyrics:
“Know I’m not the girl you thought you knew and that you wanted
Underneath the pretty face is something complicated
I come with a side of trouble”
Beyoncé reminds everyone that realistical relationships are not perfect. No one is an angel. In a relationship, the individuals involved are always flawed.
6. Partition
Favorite Lyrics:
“Take all of me
I just want to be the girl you like, the girl you like”
Beyoncé explores the world of sexual desire in this track. Throughout the song, she reminds listeners that sex is an enjoyable activity for everyone, despite how society often hinders sexual freedom.
7. Jealous
“I wish that you were me
So you could feel this feeling
I never broke one promise, and I know when you’re not honest
Now you got me yelling
that’s because I’m jealous.”
“Jealous” revels in the feelings of jealously that often occur in relationships, especially in the realm of prioritizing time with significant others. In this song, Beyoncé goes out to party in retaliation, taking an ultimate “walk in his shoes.”
8. Rocket
This another sensual track off the album offering with sultry words followed by a very soulful rhythm. If you’re into neo-soul, this track is definitely for you.
9. Mine (ft. Drake)
Favorite Lyrics:
“Stop making a big deal out of the little things
Cause I got big deals and I got little things
Got everything I’m asking for but you”
“Mine” featuring Drake is the ninth track on Beyoncé’s new album. In this song, Beyoncé offers a take on commitment issues within relationships on an individual level, especially within a world where outside commitments and plagues of fame often interfere.
10. XO
Beyoncé again serenades her fans with another love song. This time she reminds us love always prevails.
11. Flawless (ft. Chimananda Ngozi Adichie)
Favorite Lyrics:
“We flawless
Ladies tell’em
I look so good tonight”
If you have not seen the “I woke up like this” memes on social media, this is the track that started it all. In “Flawless”, Beyoncé gives her fan another empowering song similar to “Run the World.” In the track, Beyoncé explores feminism with a snippet from the Nigerian writer, Chimananda Ngozi Adichie’s TED talk “We should all be feminist”. She reminds her fans, once again, to embrace their natural beauty and break down the walls of socialized body image.
12. Superpower (ft. Frank Ocean)
Favorite lyrics:
“The laws of the world tell us what goes sky
And what falls, it’s a superpower
The laws of the world never stopped us once
Cause together we got plenty superpower”
“Superpower” featuring Frank Ocean illustrates the super power qualities of love in a soulful, neo-r&b track that channels the 50s era of Doo-Wop. If you are a fan of Frank Ocean and “Channel Orange,” this song should be right down your alley.
13. Heaven
Favorite lyrics:
“No, heaven couldn’t wait for you
So go on, go home”
“Heaven” is a heavy song dealing with struggles of accepting the death of a loved one. Many listeners attribute this song as a reference to Beyoncé’s previously revealed miscarriage.
14. Blue (ft. Blue Ivy)
Favorite lyrics:
“Sometimes these walls seem to cave in on me
When I look in your eyes, I feel alive”
“Blue” is perhaps the lightest and sweetest track of the album dedicated to her daughter Blue Ivy.