Beyoncé has once again proved she’s queen by dropping an entire album with accompanying visuals – and it’s pure Bey magic.
Here’s a breakdown of everything you need to know about Lemonade:
Why is the album called ‘Lemonade’?
(Image: Instagram/Beyoncé)
In “Freedom”, Beyoncé includes a home video of Jay Z’s grandmother Hattie’s 90th birthday party, in which we learn the origin of the album’s title. At the end of a speech, Hattie says: “I had my ups and downs, but I always find the inner strength to pull myself up. I was served lemons, but I made lemonade.”
The storyline
This visual album is one of Beyoncé’s most honest albums, in which she openly sings about infidelity and reconciliation. A number of music videos accompany a journey of emotion by chapter titles like “Intuition”, “Denial”, “Apathy”, “Emptiness” and “Resurrection”.
The beginning sees Beyoncé questioning her marriage. “Are you cheating on me?” she openly asks. Her emotions then escalate from objection to anger when she states: “They don’t love you like I love you” to “I’m gonna fuck me up a bitch” to “You ain’t married to no average bitch, boy”.
And just when you think this is Beyoncé announcing a divorce, the tone and message of the album shifts towards a reunion: “We’re gonna heal. We’re gonna start again.”
But Beyoncé doesn’t just use this album as a sounding board for her marriage, she uses it to take a political, racial and cultural stand, as seen in the strong imagery connected to the Black Lives Matter movement. She also talks about the experience of being a black woman, in which she includes a snippet of Malcom X’s 1962 speech: “The most disrespected person in America is the black woman.”
Surprise guests:
Beyoncé also called on high-powered female celebs to help her make an impact. However, this isn’t another typical Hollywood girl squad, instead it’s more like a gathering of strong black women whom Beyoncé respects and admires for the difference they are making in the world with their #blackgirlmagic.
The women include: Serena Williams, Quvenzhané Wallis, Amandla Stenberg, Zendaya, Trayvon Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, Eric Garner’s mother, Gwen Carr, and Michael Brown’s mother, Lezley McSpadden, model Winnie Harlow, Chloe and Halle Bailey, twin sisters Lisa-Kaindé Diaz and Naomi Diaz of Ibeyi, Bey’s mom Tina Knowles, ballerina Miechaela DePrince and Jay Z’s grandmother, Hattie White.
When the world gives you lemons, make Beyoncé-inspired lemonade.
