We are told that when life gives you lemons, make lemonade – something Beyoncé clearly knows all too well.
In the behind the scenes footage for her self-titled album, Pharrell Williams describes Beyoncé as “running through jail and letting all the women out, setting women free”. Lemonade, the latest surprise visual album from Queen B, makes certain that there is not a single cell left locked.
‘Pray You Catch Me’
Lemonade kicks off with the piano-driven Pray You Catch Me. Set against Southern scenery it’s clear from the get-go that this album aims to examine aspects of black heritage and the experiences of black women, both from a personal perspective and in the wider black community in America today.
Beyoncé sings of her husband’s infidelity and dishonesty, ‘praying’ he’ll catch her listening to him whispering. A desperate prayer for the truth to be put out in the open? But prayers are silent; just like those women who are too afraid to speak out about their sufferings.
In the film, the transition between songs is accompanied by a voice-over. Beyoncé recites lines from poetry by Somalian-British poet Warsan Shire, all of which discuss female identity, sexuality, their relationships with the men in their lives and the pains and struggles that arise from this. The first transition features supernatural imagery as Shire’s words tells us the story of a woman torturing herself with every type of abstinence in order to make herself tough, but the quotation ends with the unavoidable question: “are you cheating on me?”
‘Hold Up’
The next song is one of my favourites from the album. Beyoncé emerges, reborn, through crashing waves in brilliant colour. Hold Up, with its calypso music beat and a smiling Beyoncé rapping faultlessly whilst smashing up cars with a baseball bat, puts an ironically happy twist on the awful situation this woman has found herself in. She asks, “what’s worse, looking jealous and crazy or being walked all over?” then concludes, “I’d rather be crazy.” With this song she reclaims the stereotype of the jealous, “crazy”, girlfriend, proving she’d rather stand up for herself and be called “crazy” than stay silent in the shadow of her betrayer. And, anyway, no girls would ever fancy him if he didn’t have ‘the baddest woman in the game up in his sheets’.
‘Don’t Hurt Yourself’
The next instalment in Bey’s journey, is anger. ‘Don’t Hurt Yourself’ is a threat, in the form of a Jack White-enthused rock song. “Try not to hurt yourself”, she jibes, “you play me, you play yourself”, she casually reminds her husband. Essentially, this song has a very simple, very effective message – do not fuck with Beyoncé.
Do not fuck with Any of us
The message then broadens with an extract from a speech by civil rights activist Malcolm X declaring “the most disrespected person in America, is the black woman.” As the faces of various African-American women fill the screen, Beyoncé gives the most oppressed, mistreated community a voice they have fought for far too long to have, and what does it say? Do not fuck with any of us.
‘Sorry’
‘Sorry’ is probably the closest track on the album to Beyoncé’s typical R&B/Pop style. It is essentially ‘Freakum Dress’ updated and with more balls. “He better call “Becky” with the good hair” she mocks; “Becky” being a generic name used in the black community to refer to a white female – Beyoncé holds no prisoners.
The video begins pays tribute to African culture with body paint and tribal dance; throughout the film there are references to African American culture and a reclaiming of heritage. The video also features a long list of women who are the embodiment of #blackexcellence: tennis player Serena Williams, model Winnie Harlow, actress Quvenzhané Wallis and singer Zendaya, to name a few.
‘6 Inch’
The introduction to this song is possibly the most empowering and artistically challenging moment on the album. Shire’s words liberate female sexuality and marry it with God, making sex a religious experience. A dimly lid corridor painted red (quite possibly a visualisation of a vagina) leads us deep down inside this R&B number.
This song, Like the rest of the album, is honest raw and so very brave
The lyrics depict Beyoncé as the self-made, workaholic female that she is, but there is an undercurrent of “the grind” being a distraction from the pain of her husband’s crime. At the end she walks away from a lonely, burning bedroom begging him to “come back” – in two words she validates every woman who has not been strong enough to walk away from the man she loves, even when he turns out to be a cheater. This song, like the rest of the album, is honest and raw and so very very brave.
‘Daddy Lessons’
This song is all about going back to one’s beginnings. Shire’s words create a conversation between Beyoncé and her mother which brings to light the often difficult and strained relationship a woman has with the men in her life and questioning the impact a woman’s most fundamental relationship with a man, her father, has on all her other relationships. She asks, “am I talking about your husband, or your father?” before going straight back to her Texan roots with a grass-roots country song.
If you thought traditional songs were no longer relevant or that their stories were all about people long dead, well Beyoncé is here to tell you they are still very much relevant; there are still stories to be told; and do not underestimate an R&B singer’s ability to perform a country song.
‘Love Drought’
Love Drought is undoubtedly the turning point and arguably the most personal moment on the album. It’s a beautiful song that remembers the love between a husband and wife; the memory allowing for forgiveness. Beyoncé describes her husband as her “lifeline”, depicted visually with a rope around her waist taking her full body weight; an umbilical cord between husband and wife. This part of the film is very spiritual, water playing the part of cleanser and giver of life. “baptise me, now that reconciliation is possible, let it be glorious”, reads Shire’s words. The song is followed by another poem about motherhood and childbirth as a source of empowerment, not as a duty to men.
‘Sandcastles’
A breathtaking piano ballad, Sandcastles shows off Beyoncé’s vocals in their strongest form; laid bare and as flawless as ever. For the first time in the film we see her husband, Jay-Z, signalling the moment in the story that their relationship began to be repaired. There is a tragedy and a hope to this song, but above all there remains the fact that when at the point of no repair, what remains is a love for each other. Beyoncé effortlessly makes her listener empathise with her every step of the way, from hating the man who caused her so much pain, to understanding her need to forgive.
‘Forward’
Accompanied by the heart-wrenching falsetto of James Blake, here is possibly the most poignant moment of Lemonade. The mothers of Mike Brown, Tryvon Martin and Eric Garner are pictured holding photographs of their dead sons, victims of racist police brutality. The lyric ‘forward’ is repeated, drawing a parallel between Beyoncé’s relationship with her husband, and the Black Lives Matter movement.
In this transition, the word “hope” flickers across images of young black women and girls in scenes from the first song; mother’s, daughters, sisters, friends. Shire’s words are spoken over a steady, ominous drum beat, depicting beautiful images of childbirth – the next phase in Bey’s story.
‘Freedom’
Freedom is personified in this amazingly punchy gospel song. Everything about this song, from the genre to the video is unashamedly footed in black heritage. Setting this song in a southern plantation rooted in black slavery is breathtakingly liberating. Supported by the fearlessly political Kendrick Lamar, Bey sings of the ‘chains’ that restrain her now, reminding her listeners that the shackles of slavery may be long broken, but black women are still fighting for their freedom today.
A Proud declaration of Beyoncé’s own heritage [and] a celebration of all black lives
‘All Night’
There is a final testament to the strength and resilience of black women in Lemonade. We hear about Beyoncé’s grandmother, and Shire’s poem succinctly creates a perfect image of life inside a black mother’s home, with her special remedies and wisdom. This album is as much a proud declaration of Beyoncé’s own heritage as it is a celebration of all black lives.
As the song begins, suddenly the film bursts out of it’s muted black and white and neutral tones into vibrant colour. The final poem leaves no room for doubt; this relationship, and this woman’s wounds have been healed. ‘All Night’ is one of the most hopeful, inspiring songs I have heard from anyone. With footage of couples from all genders, sexualities and races, including Beyoncé and Jay-Z, the message is clear: love will heal us all.
Depicted through flawless musicality and diversity, Lemonade, is about a woman’s journey to healing, after suffering the ultimate betrayal. It’s about reclaiming black female identity. It’s about giving a voice to those who still feel too ashamed, too weak, too invisible, too unheard. It’s about resilience, solidarity and above all, love. Love for your mother, your father, your sister, your lover, your daughter and your friend. “Sweet love, all night long.”