The world has finally been blessed with another Beyoncé album.
The album, titled Lemonade, comes as a surprise, dropping immediately after the airing of Beyoncé’s new HBO film of the same name. The short film, billed as a “one night only” event served as a visual companion to the album, showcasing brilliant imagery, told the story of a woman’s agony over a romantic betrayal with narration from Queen B.
Interposed throughout the sixty-minute short were clips of Beyoncé performing new songs, all overarched with themes of rage, heartbreak, and rebellion. Throughout the film, we were shown ten stages (intuition, denial, anger, apathy, loss, reformation, forgiveness, resurrection, hope, and redemption), each with their own messages that intertwined with the overall theme.
Lemonade is now exclusively available on Beyoncé and her music-mogul husband Jay Z’s streaming service Tidal. The site describes the collection as “a conceptual project based on every woman’s journey of self-knowledge and healing.” Lemonade features 12 songs, including the wildly popular Formation, which Beyoncé debuted a couple of months ago at the Super Bowl halftime show with Coldplay and Bruno Mars.
Artists featuring on the album are Jack White, the Weeknd, James Blake, and Kendrick Lamar.
The track list is as follows:
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PRAY YOU CATCH ME
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HOLD UP
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DON’T HURT YOURSELF (feat. Jack White)
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SORRY
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6 INCH (feat. The Weeknd)
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DADDY LESSONS
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LOVE DROUGHT
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SANDCASTLES
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FORWARD (feat. James Blake)
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FREEDOM (feat. Kendrick Lamar)
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ALL NIGHT
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FORMATION
On first listen, our favorites are HOLD UP, DON’T HURT YOURSELF, and SORRY.
- HOLD UP: Catchy bop with an island vibe. B reprimands her lover for letting her get away from him and reminds him that the two of them are made for each other. Best lyric: “They don’t love you like I love you.”
- DON’T HURT YOURSELF: Hardcore banger featuring ½ of The White Stripes, Jack White. In a raspy tone, Beyoncé assures her lover that she is and always will be the best part of him and warns him to not to hurt himself by hurting her. Best lyric: “When you hurt me, you hurt yourself.”
- SORRY: An unapologetic and melodic tune. In the four-minute ballad, B tells her lover that she is tired of stressing about their relationship and rejects his numerous attempts at apology, while asserting that she, herself, isn’t sorry for anything that has happened. Best lyric: “Today I regret the night I put that ring on.”
Beyoncé will embark on the Formation World Tour beginning on April 27th to support the album.
What do you think of Lemonade? Comment below or tweet us @CelebMix.