| Beyoncé – Flawless Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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In this song, it’s fairly obvious that she’s referring to female critics: “when you were little girls, you dreamt of being in my world.” When she says “in my world,” she could be referring to the music industry or her world of hyper-luxury: private jets, fancy restaurants, traveling the world, yachts, designer clothes, and all the other “perks” that go along with be a world-famous entertainer. But what she shows with the intro footage of GIRLS’ TYME in which she was performing at age 9, she’s worked incredibly hard to get where she is today. And as one of the most successful female artists in the world, she has earned her place as an icon. So she’s saying “bow down” to women in and outside of the industry who disrespect that legacy of hard work and her current place. Being married and having a baby has opened her up to criticism and she’s speaking directly to her critics in this song when she says she’s not “just his little wife,” she’s still a force to be reckoned with. She uses a sample of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED talk to further dispel her critics by attacking patriarchy and sexism. • For those who claim she’s “too” successful, or that she emasculates her husband: We say to girls / "You can have ambition / But not too much / You should aim to be successful / But not too successful / Otherwise you will threaten the man." • For those who claim that marriage was her ultimate goal and now that she’s married, it’s time for her to put her career on hold: “Because I am female / I am expected to aspire to marriage / I am expected to make my life choices / Always keeping in mind that / Marriage is the most important.” • For those who claim that she is slutty and too hyper-sexualized: “We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings / In the way that boys are” • For those who claim that she is not feminist: “Feminist - the person who believes in the social Political, and economic equality of the sexes.” • For those women in the industry who see her as a threat, not as a peer or source of inspiration and constantly affirm that they are better looking or better dancing or better singing: “We raise girls to each other as competitors / Not for jobs or for accomplishments / But for the attention of men.” The flawless mantra is basically saying Eff patriarchy, eff these haters, we are flawless. “I woke up like this” means we are flawless exactly the way we are, and that our detractors are the ones with the issues (see above section on patriarchy and sexism). She ends the song with the conclusion of the Star Search, in which she loses to illustrate that there are times when you will lose. There are times when you will not be the best. But you are still flawless, which is why the song is ***Flawless (the three stars representing the 3 stars GIRLS TYME received). |
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| Beyoncé – Rocket Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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On the surface, the song is about the stages of making love – flirting, foreplay, grinding, climax, and then afterglow. But that is just a metaphor for making beautiful music. The speaker equates lovemaking to making music, the biggest clue being the dual meaning of the word rock – the rocking motion when making love and “rocking” to a good song. While the interlude describes her lover as “rock hard” while she is “rock steady,” (sexual meaning being obvious) rock hard also refers to music – to “rock hard” means to give it everything you have. When she says “my shit’s so good that it ain’t even right,” she’s referring to her sex and to her music. The lines “if you need a personal trainer or a therapist” allude to her being able to make music that that are great in the gym or a song that provides emotional support, like a song that can help you get through a bad breakup. It also means that her sex can be a workout, or it can be an emotional outlet. When she says, “We're so much more than pointless fixtures / Instagram pictures, consumers” These lines refer to both to her personal relationships and to her music. Her relationship and her music means more to her than money, social media photos, more even than the consumers – her fans. Her music is not about “Cyclical trends” or “tryna fit in.” “Home is where the heart is,” means shows the deep personal connection she has to her music and to her man. |
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