Your. Fave. Could. Never. That’s the first thing you need to know. I don’t care who your Fave is. They could NEVER be Beyonce. Not ever in life. Not with training, not by drinking her bath water. Not by living with her for 10 years. YOUR FAVE COULD NEVER. {YFCN}
Now that I’ve got that out of the way, Lets Talk about Lemonade.
Lemonade is a visual representation of the Black Woman Struggle. It’s every part of a Black Woman’s life. The Lies, the Love, the Tears, the Anger, the Jealously, the Shame, the Ugliness, the Beauty, but most of all . . . The Pride. If you finish watching Lemonade, and don’t feel like a Proud Black Woman . . . you did it wrong. Start all over again. I don’t care if you’re Asian, you should feel like a Proud and Strong Black Woman at the end.
BAAAAABY. Beyonce said, “Keep Trying ME.” The Visuals, the spoken word (shouts to Warsan Shire) the music. Every track is immaculate. Yes, I am fan-girling the FUCK outta this album. Thank you to Tidal for this, because . . . yes. I have to go Track by Track. That’s really the only it can be done.
1) Pray That You Catch Me
Ever KNEW your man was cheating. Every sign pointed to him being an Ain’t Shit Type of Nigga, but you wanted to hold on to the part of you that feels like you can’t get played. That’s this song. She knows he’s cheating, she is praying that he knows that she knows. While watching this with my Twitter Family, we were all like . . . hold on wait?!?! Is this about Jay? This is actually my least favorite song on this album. Not because it’s not good . . . they just all get consistently better.
2) Hold Up
Beyonce was walking down the the street, with a bat. In wit’ dem micros flowing free. All types of Bey from Destiny’s Child. Like . . . everything. Her in that yellow, smashing windows and breaking shit. She’s my Angry Black Girl Hero. Then she had the nerve to drive over all them cars with a Big Ass Truck. Look Here, Don’t fuck with Beyonce. She is crazy. And I LOVE it.
3) Don’t Hurt Yourself feat. Jack White
Angry Beyonce who curses is so much of the things. First, Jack White?!?!? Your Fave Could Never. Lets talk about these lyrics tho . . .
Who the Fuck Do you I am?
You ain’t married to no Average Bitch Boy!
You gone watch my fat ass twist boy,
As I bounce to the next Dick Boy.
Again, all of Twitter was like wait . . . what did Jay do to her? Do we gotta hate him now? Is we fighting him in the face? Cuz why is Bey this mad?!?! At this point, Jay’s twitter mentions were in SHAMBLES. Men and women were like “Jay, I mean we can’t even help you out. You done fucked up now.”
4) Sorry
Then she showed up with all her girls, in a bus. Throwing up middle fingers, and saying, “Fuck em’ Girl, Fuck Em'” AND had Serena Williams twerking in a video! But once again, them lyrics. I have to admit, I was more than a little concerned at this point. Cuz ummmmm, again, why is she so mad?!?
I love this Beyonce, not afraid to curse, to be real about her life (maybe) and talking about all the facets of her relationship (maybe). Best Line of the Song . . . “He betta call Becky wit tha Good Hair.” Bish WHET?!?!? Now we gotta be mad at any bish named Becky?!?!?
5) 6 Inch feat. The Weeknd
Just . . . yes. I’ve been waiting for this collaboration. I can’t even tell you what this song is about {honestly, I think it’s about a working girl who wears 6 Inch Heels}. I got caught up in the sampling of Walk On By by Isaac Hayes. That guitar riff. EVERYTHING. Seriously Guys, at this point I was just so much in my feelings at the beauty of the visuals. I had to stop tweeting, and just breathe.
6) Daddy Lessons
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS Come Through with this Country Song. She said, “Hey Taylor Swift . . . fuck you.” And she started it with Zydeco music. This visuals for this one were beautiful. You get this home movie with Beyonce and her Dad which then switched into a video of Blue Ivy and Matthew. At this point, I think we all breathe a sigh of relief, maybe it was about Matthew and Tina, and not Jay and B. Okay, maybe that was just me. Either way. I was able to deal a little bit better.
7) Love Drought
At this point, the visuals changed, and along with them the message (at least for me) From talking about Self, to the purity of having your sister’s behind you. To having women in your life you can build you up when you are down. These women, in white in a river, gives me this feeling of being cleansed and washing off all the weight of the past.
8) Sandcastles
At this point, I started crying. Because . . . OH MY GOOD SAWEET LORD! It came out that Prince said in an interview, that Beyonce needed to learn to play the piano, it would take her to another level. Like . . . . Seriously. I’m tearing up right now remembering that clip. Because This whole WEEK has been shitty. I still haven’t processed the loss of Prince. It felt like he was saying . . . “If they listen, I will guide them.” Plus, the VISUALS. Jay-Z at his most vulnerable. With his hand on her ankle, laying in bed just basking in her. Sitting there holding her. Y’all #GOALS.
9) Forward
AGAIN, TEARS. This whole montage of Black Mothers and Children, in PAIN because of their loss at the hands others. The PAIN in Mike Brown’s mother’s eyes . . . I lost it. These mothers, who raised beautiful Black Men, only to lose them in such a violent way.
Don’t ever say Beyonce doesn’t care about her people, don’t ever say she doesn’t understand or know the plight of her people. Don’t Ever Say Beyonce isn’t WOKE. She’s 6 Liters of Monster Energy Drink and 18 Cups of Coffee type WOKE. She doesn’t even have to set alarm clocks, she just wakes up on her own.
Again, Your Fave Could Never.
10) Freedom feat. Kendrick Lamar
Hands down my favorite song on the album. The message of Black Power, of Black Female Empowerment, of Black Beauty coming in every shade, size (maybe), and age.
Freedom, Freedom I Can’t Move!
Freedom Cut Me Loose!
Freedom, Freedom Where are you?
Cuz I need Freedom too!
I break chains all by myself, won’t let my Freedom rot in Hell,
Im’ma Keep Running cuz a Winner don’t Quit on themselves!
Lets talk about this Visual. You got Zendaya, Chloe and Hallie, and Amandla Stenberg. {Judge me not, I don’t know who the other girls are} Like, WHAT?!?!?
Beyonce called people and was like, “Look, I need you to come sit. You don’t have a speaking part, I just need you to sit on some stuff. There may be chairs, steps, perhaps a tree? You Down?”
And EVERYONE SAID YES. Cuz at this point in life, you don’t say no to Beyonce. You just Don’t. Can we also discuss Michaela Deprince and her ballet. Yes Chile’ get it. Beyonce is here for all the little black girls with a dream.
11) All Night Long
At this point, I was so drenched in Love, and Black Pride, and happiness. And then we get Family Home Videos?!?! Beyonce pregnant, do you SEE how cute Blue Ivy was as a baby! It’s just so much of all the things I needed today. The home movies, plus the beautiful pictures of all kinds of love. Black Love, and Queer Love, and Interracial Love, and Young Love, and Old Love. Tina and Richard! Come on now! So Damn Beautiful.
12) Formation
Look here, she didn’t even have this in the Visual Album. That’s how much she knew we didn’t even need this again. What she had just given us was MORE than enough. We thought Formation was the beginning of the Movement, and it was the Culmination of the Journey.
Look, I’ve been an admitted fan of Beyonce since I Am Sasha Fierce. But Lemonade is everything I’ve been trying to tell everyone Beyonce could and can be. This was like a therapy session, FOR FREE. Twin said, “This should have been called Daddy issues Part 1,” and she ain’t eva lied.
She talked about generational curses, and the WORK it takes to break free of them, as well as the power that comes to women when they finally break free. I’m not really sure what I expected this to be. But I can tell you what it ended up being for me.
Magic.
Black Girls are Magic. Black Girls can do and be whatever the hell we want to be. Beyonce is the most magical Black Girl some people have ever seen. Beyonce’s Magic appears to be effortless, even as she shows us all her flaws. As I’m sitting here, watching Lemonade from the beginning on my phone {because it just feels more intimate} I am in Awe of what Beyonce has become. As well as excited for where she is going to take us next.
Also, YOUR FAVE COULD NEVER.
Thanks for taking this journey with me. How did Lemonade change YOUR life? Feel free to share.
Joyful Words of Wisdom 