Top Five Songs: Lemonade (Beyoncé)

I came to this album way too late, even though I did watch the “Formation” video shortly after its release. But, once I finally caught up (on both the album and the full video,) I could see exactly why it blew up the way it did. Here are my favorite songs from this excellent album.

“Pray You Catch Me” – Right off the bat, we open on this soft, raw number, a midnight confession of hurt in the face of infidelity. Between the gentle melody, the desolate lyrics, and the aching vocals, we listen to Beyoncé’s quiet devastation.

Best lyric: “Nothing else ever seems to hurt like the smile on your face. / When it’s only in my memory, it don’t hit me quite the same.”

“Hold Up” – Throughout the album, there are multiple songs that deal with Beyoncé’s reaction to being cheated on, filtering her feelings through a variety of moods and style. This is a clever number – the melody is so playful, Beyoncé’s vocals flitting and light, but the lyrics range from earnestly insistent (“they don’t love you like I love you”) to betrayed (“what a wicked way to treat the girl that loves you”) to vengeful (“I don’t wanna lose my pride, but I’ma fuck me up a bitch.”) This ironic tone is used in the video as well, where Beyoncé famously strolls down the sidewalk and then starts smashing a car with a baseball bat.

Best lyric: “What’s worse? Lookin’ jealous or crazy? Jealous and crazy? / Or like being walked all over lately, walked all over lately. / I’d rather be crazy.”

“Sorry” – Here’s another song that plays around with emotion and tone. Much of it is dedicated to Beyoncé’s triumphant defiance, the repeated motifs of “I ain’t sorry,” “I ain’t thinking ‘bout you, and “boy, bye” as she leaves her man behind. She’s moving on, not looking back, and not apologizing. But then, the outro hits you with this beautiful, wistful melody – still defiant, but it’s not the bulletproof brightness on display earlier in the number. As she slows it down, her pressing on becomes both determined and painful, leaving us with the plaintive lines, “He only want me when I’m not there. / He better call Becky with the good hair.”

Best lyric: “Suicide before you see this tear fall down my eyes.”

“Sandcastles” – Such a visceral music experience. Here, the stripped-down instrumentals make room for Beyoncé’s raggedly-emotional vocals as she surveys the debris of her marriage. But even as she sings of the damage, she also acknowledges the deep ties that remain, and the “promise” she talks about breaking is her promise to leave. This is a turning point, recognition of her hurt paired with a quiet, conscious decision to work on repairing what was broken.

Best lyric: “What is it about you that I can’t erase, baby?”

“Formation” – This is the first song I heard from this album, back when the music video came out and Beyoncé’s Superbowl performance blew up. I love the power behind it, a celebration of Black womanhood in general and Beyoncé’s hard-earned success/power in particular. I love the line in the chorus, “I dream it, I work hard, I grind ‘til I own it,” and I love that the swagger on display here is so bold and upfront. Oh, and the melody is killer – that beat!

Best lyric: “I like my baby heir with baby hair and afros. / I like my negro nose with Jackson Five nostrils.”

Top Five Songs: Dirty Computer (Janelle Monáe)

Over the last couple years, I’ve started dipping my toes into expanding my music palate, checking out critically-acclaimed albums from genres and artists I haven’t always sought out. Janelle Monáe’s Dirty Computer is a great example of this, fierce and funky, nimble in its craft and unapologetic in its themes. Here are my favorite songs from the album.

“Crazy, Classic Life” – It says it all in the run-up to the chorus, “Just let me live my life” – this is a song about wanting the same life that everyone wants without being restricted or held back by race, gender, or sexuality. The melody is both lovely and catchy. I particularly love the pre-chorus and the repeated insistence by Monáe that she is “not America’s nightmare.”

Best lyric: “I don’t need a diamond ring, / I don’t wanna waste my youth. / I don’t wanna live on my knees - / I just have to tell the truth.”

“Screwed” – Even though the whole album is strong, this is the start of a run of songs that make up four of my Top Five here. Everything from here to “Make Me Feel” is amazing, and it starts with “Screwed.” As with all the songs listed here, it’s wildly catchy, which, combined with its theme makes it feel like a combination between a march and a dance party. It’s proudly defiant against corrupting forces in the U.S., not giving into despair or buckling. The chorus just sizzles.

Best lyric: “You fucked the world up now, we’ll fuck it all back down.”

“Django Jane” – There’s so much power coming off of this number, Monáe flexing her success in a way that reaches down to pull others up along with her. She champions her victories over oppression and naysayers in intricate, reference-laden rhymes. Unabashedly Black and female, this song is about Jane being a badass and taking up space for herself.

Best lyric: “Jane Bond, never Jane Doe and I Django, never Sambo.”

“PYNK” – This is the first Janelle Monáe song I ever sat down and listened to, after its music video came out and made a stir for its imagery, feminism, and inclusivity (a.k.a. the “check those vagina pants!” video.) For starters, it’s just a fantastically listenable, hummable song, with a terrific groove. Those snaps! I love the complex simplicity of the verses, lists of “pynkness” that encapsulate everything Jane loves about her girl, then rising triumphantly through the chorus into a joyous celebration of female sexuality. Slam dunk all the way!

Best lyric: “So here we are in the car, / Leavin’ traces of us down the boulevard. / I wanna fall through the stars. / Getting lost in the dark is my favorite part.”

“Make Me Feel” – Soooo danceable, oh man. I like the bouncy groove of the verses and chorus, especially when combined with the raw power of the pre-chorus. A terrific love song, artless in the simplicity of its themes but bringing it hard with the atmosphere and vibe of it.

Best lyric: “It’s like I’m powerful with a little bit of tender, / An emotional sexual bender - / Mess me up, yeah, but no one does it better.”