In case you haven't heard, Beyonce released a new visual album on Saturday! The hour long film tells the emotional story of the singer's relationship with her husband, Jay-Z, along with paying homage to issues that are near and dear to her heart; including black lives matter and feminism. If you've got an hour to spare, I highly recommend taking the time to watch this film (but make sure you have a box of tissues nearby!) Here's why you need to take a look:
The emotional story:
“I tried to change, closed my mouth more, tried to be softer, prettier, less awake. Fasted for 60 days, wore white, abstained from mirrors, abstained from sex, slowly did not speak another word… I grew thickened skin on my feet I bathed in bleach and plugged my menses with pages from the holy book, but still inside me, coiled deep, was the need to know… are you cheating on me?”
“You remind me of my father, a magician… able to exist in two places at once. In the tradition of men in my blood, you come home at 3 a.m. and lie to me. What are you hiding? The past and the future merge to meet us here. What luck. What a fucking curse.”
"If it's what you truly want I can wear her skin over mine. Her hair over mine. Her hands as gloves. Her teeth as confetti. Her scalp, a cap. Her sternum, my bedazzled cane. We can pose for a photograph, all three of us immortalized. You and your perfect girl."
“So, what are you gonna say at my funeral now that you’ve killed me? Here lies the body of love of my life, whose heart I broke without a gun to my head. Here lies the mother of my children, both living and dead. Rest in peace, my true love, who I took for granted. Most bomb pussy who, because of me, sleep evaded.”
The heartbreaking lyrics:
"Looking at my watch, he shoulda been home. Today I regret the night I put that ring on. He always got them fucking excuses. I pray to the Lord you reveal what his truth is." -Sorry
"Let's have a toast to the good life, suicide before you see this tear fall from my eyes. Me and my baby, we gon' be alright, we gon' live a good life." -Sorry
"Dishes smashed on my counter from our last encounter. Pictures snatched out the frame, bitch I scratched out your name and your face." - Sandcastles
The celebrity cameos:
Zendaya, Serena Williams, and Jay-Z himself are just a few of the celebrities that made appearances in the visual album. You can also look forward to hearing Beyonce's collaborations with The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar, and Jack White.
Black Lives Matter:
If you hadn't already figured it out from her Superbowl performance, Beyonce is a huge supporter of the black lives matter movement. Knowles paid recognition to this movement all throughout her video, but the most heartbreaking moment was where she included the mother's of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown.
"The most disrespected person in America is the black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the black woman. The most neglected person in America is the black woman."— Malcolm X as sampled in Beyonce's Lemonade
The home videos:
Some of the videos that Beyonce included in the visual album included clips of her and Jay-Z, her grandmother's 90th birthday party, her and her father when she was a chid, mixed with her father playing with her daughter, Blue Ivy.
The meaning behind "Lemonade":
Beyonce's grandmother had always told her when life handed her lemons (misogyny, the relationship between her parents, growing up in the south), to make lemonade.
The Country Song:
Yes, you read that right. Beyonce included a country song in this album! Daddy Lessons is the perfect blend of New Orleans jazz and country; which explains her relationship with her father, and how he warned her to stay away from men like Jay-Z.
"My daddy warned me about men like you. He said baby girl he's playing you. He's playing you. Cause when trouble comes in town and men like me come around
Oh, my daddy said shoot, oh, my daddy said shoot."
The Emotional Ballad:
Okay, you're definitely gonna need that box of tissues for this one. This song changes drastically changes the mood from being angry at Jay Z, to finding forgiveness in him. It starts with Beyonce playing the piano, then Jay Z makes an appearance, and then my eyes turned into Niagara Falls.
"We built sandcastles that washed away . I made you cry when I walked away . And although I promised that I couldn't stay, baby every promise don't work out that way."
Formation:
I'm sure you were wondering if Formation was going to be in the film, and it is! Although it's not shown until the ending credits, the upbeat song brings light at the end of the emotional video.
Great job, Queen B.
