Before we embark on our little adventure into Beyonceland, please keep in mind that I am not a fan of videos though I do appreciate one thing, I don’t have to decipher Beyonce lyrics so it does have its good points. Not that it is all that difficult to decipher her lyrics.
1. I love you
2. I hate you
3. I am strong
4. The world better stop oppressing me and my sisters OR ELSE….
Beyonce filmed videos on her world tour still they ain’t no travelogue. The problem is videos require you do nothing but listen and watch and who has the time? Though if you have time to spare, staring at Beyonce, who is stunningly beautiful here, is one way to do it. Bey wants it all here, she wants to be us and she wants to be Queen Bey at the same time, and she manages the trick by cutting in old footage of herself, it is a humanizing element.
All of it wouldn’t matter if the songs weren’t so great and great they are; the equal of 4, maybe better, and after Yeezus the hip hop album of the year.
1. Pretty Hurts – Beyonce as a beauty queen upset that she is being judged by her looks, as she wanders about in one piece swimsuit and throws up dinner in the bathroom and losing to a woman, intentionally, not half as attractive. At the end Beyonce in old film is winning an award. Ugh. A horrible little vision though the song is excellent, co-written with Sia, with a back clap on a loop and very catchy vocal, lotsa background singers, the coda is gorgeous – The Song – A-, The Video – D+
2. Ghost – Great beat and mostly just the beat except for a deep synth during the chorus as Bee intones “9 to 5 just staying alive, all the people on the planet”, arty fashionista vid with Beyonce looking astounding – The Song – B+, The Video – B+
3. Haunted – Beyonce in a straight take of ghost movies, a mix of The Shining and a all those Japanese ones where people jump out of TV sets and kill you. The bizarros in the house doesn’t phase Bee as she walks through the corridor. Not bad but the song has nothing to do with it, instead it is a bluenote hi tech desire song, and the best so far – The Song – A, The Video – B
4. Drunk In Love – Beyonce on the beach in black and white till Jay Z turns up, but the song? Jay Z is really good, a nice little rap and you don’t have to see his fat smug face. Having said that, you can hardly blame him for feeling smug. The strings are really good – The Song – A-, The Video – B-
5. Blow – Jesus, this album is good, so is this song: a sort of disco sings the blues at a roller rink in the video, absolutely spectacular -wait till you hear the bridge! – The Song – A. The Video – B+
6. No Angel – Bee returns to the third ward in Houston to hang out with the unagels, strippers and gang bangers. The song is magnificen – The song – A-. The Video – B+
7. Yonce – Hookers abound, meanwhile Beyonce gets her M.I.A. on -great song, great video – The song – A-, The Video – A-
8. Partition – Is that some kinda Belle de Jour deal going down? Beyonce as a stripper? That’s Jay Z in the audience. Oh, it’s all a daydream. Song is a little obvious, a little new r&B as well – The song – B, The Video – B+
9. Jealous – This has hit single all over it, a pretty excellent pop ballad with an excellent fade. The video is nothing special – The Song – B+, The Video – B-
10.Rocket – A sizzler written with Justin Timberlake and Miguel, it sounds like early Prince, like “I Wanna Be Your Lover”, Bey spends the song rolling about on her bed so what’s not to like – Song – A, Video – B+
11. Mine – Drake shows up three minutes in, meanwhile Beyonce is doing some avant garde stuff with ballet moves and explosions in this song of sexual possession – The Song – B+, The Video – B
12. xo – The best song on the album and instantaneously one of the best songs of the year, the video finds a playful Beyonce at Coney Island, wearing a Biggie cap on a roller coaster having a fun day. And the song is her best since “1+1”, a sexy sweet romp that personifies everything that makes her great The son – A, The Video – A
13. ***Flawless – Nigerian poet Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, is interspersed reading about how women are not accepted as sexual beings and the song is far from the best on the album, but the video includes Beyonces best dancing to date and it is interesting to see young Bey on Starsearch either side of the song – Song – B, Video – B+
14. Superpowers (with Frank Ocean) – Are they in the Watts? A civil between civilians and police has erupted and there is fighting and explosions on the street while Bey and Frank have a slow beauty of a jam, an outstanding song and an “The Outsiders” as revolution roils the streets. – The Song – A, The Video – A
15. Heaven – “Heaven couldn’t wait for you so go on, go home”, about the lost of a love one.. I’ve felt death whirling around me for a couple, some actually happened, so I am feeling very attuned to the video of Bey mourning including film of a lost loved one – Song – B, Video – B+
16. Blue – It shows how much good will Bey has accrued that this song with her daughter Blue Ivy taped saying “I love you Mommy” and film of the baby but only her back. (why only Blue’s back? If you want to use the kid, use her. For the record, my feeling is that public wouldn’t recognize the child in a police line up unless Bey was carrying her ) still works pretty damn well. Filmed in South Africa? – The Song – B+, The Video – B
17. Grown Woman – Video only but a fun finger snapping dance number with lotsa film of Bey as a kid! – Song – A-, Video – A-
The Album – A
The Videos – B+