Lemonade

[Calliope]

Wooooah, there is a lot to unpack (http://fusion.net/story/295105/beyonce-lemonade-required-reading/) here, I am patiently waiting for Roxane Gay to gather her thoughts on this visual album masterpiece. There is a lot that I like - that you are supposed to listen to Lemonade in one go as opposed to picking up radio-friendly singles; that it could be the world's greatest kiss-off; that here we have a black woman who is allowed to express her pain and be imperfect. There's also a lot to critique - where are the fat people, or the butch people? Are you including trauma victims in your art or simply using them as accessories?

Meanwhile, as a student of The Information School studying Information Science and pushing social justice/intersectionality on people, I am lobbying to make "Formation" our official anthem xD

Discuss!

PS - Eww, why is "The Beyhive" so intent on messing with MIA or Rachel Roy or whoever, while Jay Z just gets to sit around unbothered and unaccountable (For rumours and assumed infidelity, sure, but again, why is it always the women who get slut-shamed?)

[Freya]

I thought the Visual Album was great! I had to argue with my mom and sister about it. It was airing before Game of Thrones on sunday. They weren't interested in it and I told them they were missing out! I need to actually get the album now though. I just watched the visual album. It felt very raw, I loved it.

[Pheesh]

I couldn't stop laughing at all the Beyoncé fans going ham on Rachael Ray's Instagram thinking she was Jay Z's mistress. One comment on a picture of some sloppy joe's was particularly amazing. It was something to the effect of "I came here to talk smack but those burgers look good as hell."

That is the extent of my knowledge about this album.

[charliepanayi]

It starts slowly, picks up around Don't Hurt Yourself, gets a bit sloppy around the middle of the album and then finishes off with three strong songs. Freedom is easily the best thing on it. So not sure it's a consistently great album on early listens but there's some very good songs on there. It's getting hard to have any rational discourse about Beyonce online though, it's either all fevered hyperbole from the press or internet randoms ranting about how terribly manufactured she is.

[Depression Moon]

I in general don't like Beyonce and I only watched this because I liked the music video for "Formation" a lot. That said, I massively enjoyed this visual album from a film making perspective. There were a lot of visually interesting shots, the editing made everything flow fluidly, the messages, and my gosh do I love those southern antebellum costumes!

I didn't really care for the music as always, but I legit like "Daddy Lessons" and part of "Freedom" I can't remember which and can't check since it's been taken down off YouTube. If Beyonce did more blues music like in "Daddy Lessons" I would probably like her.

[Pike]

I don't know anything about this album but honestly I will always respect Beyonce for bringing us the glory that is some of the best 90s music ever in Destiny's Child.

[Freya]

Destiny's child helped me get through the last kilometer of my 5k telli g me "I'm a survivor, I'm going to make it" and I set a new PB record thanks to it

So thanks Beyonce, thanks.

[DMKA]

Meh, I liked her well enough until she entered this half-assed quasi-political stage she's in right now.

[krissy]

me and my partner are planning on watching it soon all the way through
so far i haven't heard/seen any of it but it's on my list

edit: why does anyone mess with MIA tbh like they should know better

[sinuosity]

Ok I finally listened to it. I like the second track a lot (Hold up, the main sample is great) but the rest is seriously generic. The Weeknd feature is generic, the Kendrick verse is generic.. the second half of the album drops off pretty heavily. I was expecting something a lot fresher for all the talk about it, it's just really all very conventional

Also is literally every single track about Jay Z sleeping around? It's super grating. Girl, as if you didn't know what you were marrying, c'mon now

[Depression Moon]

Meh, I liked her well enough until she entered this half-assed quasi-political stage she's in right now.

This post sounds suspiciously Piers Morgan-esque.

[Calliope]

Also is literally every single track about Jay Z sleeping around? It's super grating. Girl, as if you didn't know what you were marrying, c'mon now

It's a concept album that is telling one particular story arc - so, yes?

[Miriel]

I've never been a big Beyonce fan.

That being said, I think Lemonade is smurfing genius and the visual album blew me away. I've watched it like 10 times. And can I just say, I love cursing Beyonce! Love!

I've had the whole album on repeat all day everyday. It's the only thing that has gotten me off my Hamilton kick. Smarter and better writers than I have already talked about all the implications of Lemonade and so I'll refrain from getting too much into that here.

I do think the angrier songs were a lot more impactful and frankly, fun to listen to and watch, than the reconciliation bits. I think there was a rawness and realness to the first half of the album (regardless of whether it's true to Beyonce's life) that kinda fizzled away into more manufactured elements of the "healing" songs.




Also is literally every single track about Jay Z sleeping around? It's super grating. Girl, as if you didn't know what you were marrying, c'mon now

If that's all you took away from it, as opposed to a woman's own power, strength, vulnerability, historical racial traumas... you weren't really paying attention.

[Calliope]

Just going to leave this here (http://www.bellhooksinstitute.com/blog/2016/5/9/moving-beyond-pain)

[sinuosity]

Yikes, didn't mean to upend the Beyhive! I still liked it overall, but considering the hype I was pretty disappointed by the production on >80% of the tracks. Pop albums live or die by the production and there are only a couple of standouts (Hold up, Formation). The lyrics, considering the subject matter, are also too direct. I guess it's okay if every song's going to be about your boo sleeping around, but if that's the case then it needs to be a bit subtler, or the perspectives more orthogonal. The in-your-face character of the lyrics in every track is a bit much when it's about one topic.

Still a good album though!

[Night Fury]

The lyrics, considering the subject matter, are also too direct. I guess it's okay if every song's going to be about your boo sleeping around, but if that's the case then it needs to be a bit subtler, or the perspectives more orthogonal. The in-your-face character of the lyrics in every track is a bit much when it's about one topic.!

She's damned if she does and damned if she doesn't. Doesn't that just sound like anything a woman does, ever?

I'm just now listening to this album - and I had a right arseache getting it on my iPod as Shauna and Shorty can attest to. God I love this album, the entire thing is on fire. I'm yet to watch the visuals but I'm sure they're going to be a treat. I've been a Beyonce fan since Destiny's Child, and this is a Beyonce I've been waiting a long, long, long time for. I love the in-your-face lyrics, and this Beyonce is powerful and unapologetic - and don't people have a lot to say about huh? (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3557867/PIERS-MORGAN-Jay-Z-s-not-one-needs-nervous-Beyonce-born-black-woman-political-mission.html)

HOLY trout. Those imperfectly perfect vocals on Sandcastles just ripped into me, dude.

[sinuosity]

She's damned if she does and damned if she doesn't. Doesn't that just sound like anything a woman does, ever?


That's a pretty unfair take on what I said. This isn't remotely related to gender!

[Night Fury]

Eh, I'm not really trying to attack you. I apologise! I'm just tired of seeing criticisms of (nearly always) female artists saying they should be x - so they come out and be x - and then that means they're being too aggressive, too direct.

Also, I'm interested to know where you think Beyonce is being too direct and why it should be more subtle? Do you feel the same way about male rappers who discuss in detail women's 'pussies' in their music? I found the whole thing to be massively empowering - again though, I haven't seen the visual DVD yet I will most likely watch it today at some point. Beyonce and Jay Z are notoriously private, and I see Lemonade as Beyonce getting her story out and getting the facts out, in her own words but yeah, the first 5-6 songs of Lemonade are definitely about the cheating, the rest is about forgiveness and learning to trust again.

I've listened to the album about 3-4 times now. And yeah, that's all I can say. It's SOOOOO empowering. Like holy trout balls, where was this angry and unashamed Beyonce when I was 17 and also being cheated on? Damn I would have probably slayed my ex if I had this album then.

I know I'll never have an understanding of the issues in the song, and I know it's not really for me, as a white woman. But I'll be damned if I don't feel pumped when I listen to Freedom. It might well be my favourite track on the album, actually. But urgh I love All Night too... and Don't Hurt Yourself... and 6 Inch.... and Sandcastle. Beyonce went hard on this one.

This is my favourite Beyonce.


EDIT: Also, with the context of the rest of the album, Formation is an even bigger tune though.

FINAL EDIT, PROMISE xD: If you all enjoy this Beyonce, then I highly recommend Rihanna's ANTI. It's also bloody amazing.