Beyoncé released a self-titled visual album, which I’m sure you’ve heard about by now. I bought it the day it came out, finally saw all the videos. It’s beautiful and moving. I cried I laughed and it keeps making me think.
So I decided I would write a post about why I love Beyoncé and her new album. I don’t know if I can say it any better than Jess Tholmer did on HelloGiggles a few weeks ago though. Basically, Beyoncé is smart, funny, hot, inspiring, badass and honest in so many ways.
To be different, I’m going to make a list of my 20 favorite Beyoncé songs and tell you why they’re awesome. This goes out to all the lovers and the haters.
20. Beautiful Liar
19. Single Ladies
18. Listen
17. XO
16. Haunted
15. Drunk In Love
14. Run the World
13. Schoolin’ Life
12. If I Were A Boy
11. Diva
10. Halo
This song always makes me think of my man. He’s my angel.
9. Crazy In Love
It’s just so fun to sing and the video is perfect.
8. I Was Here
“I just want them to know/ That I gave my all, did my best / Brought someone to happiness / Left this world a little better just because / I was here.” Me too, Beyonce. Me too. Also, this video makes me cry and leaves me inspired.
7. Love On Top
My love values me and that’s very important to me. He puts my love on top.
6. Blue
This song is so beautiful. Little babies grow up so fast. I know I’ll be singing this to my future babies years from now.
5. Partition
Beyonce really embraces her sexuality on this album, even though it’s her first since becoming a mother.
4. Irreplacable
It’s so fun to sing and it’s a good lesson that if someone is causing you harm they need to get gone.
3. Countdown
I was watching a YouTube video about Beyonce’s documentary and she said hipsters love this song so she had to put it on “4.” I laughed out loud because I had already been singing it every day for a little while. Yep. I’m a hipster.
2. Pretty Hurts
I felt a very strong emotional connection to this video. She is so brave for making this piece that shows how ideas of beauty can be destructive.
1. Flawless
We strive for perfection. That’s a theme that’s repeated throughout her newest album. But no one can ever be perfect. I love the back story on this song. She brings her childhood performance on TV into it. She also brings in Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I watched her TedTalk video today on YouTube and I think everyone should see it.
Let me tell you something. I haven’t been a Beyoncé fan my whole life. I wasn’t listening to Destiny’s Child as a little Girl. I like rock and country because my siblings did. I was a strange kid who didn’t like pop music much. I wasn’t into Destiny’s Child or The Backstreet Boys or Brittany Spears or The Pussycat Dolls, whoever.
I’m a Beyoncé fan now though. This list was so hard to put together!
Beyoncé’s new record isn’t full of singles and it deserve to be seen as a whole. It shows like a film. Themes come up again and again, there’s great symbolism and it’s breathtaking. But since the above is a list of my favorites out of all her music, I’m leaving some of the songs off this list. That doesn’t mean they’re not good though.
One more thing! All five of the Beyoncé are on her YouTube channel now. Here’s Part 1 to get you started.
Featured image via Marie Claire.
Modern Notebook 