Lemonade: A Reflective Approach To Music

A singer, a celebrity, a mother, a wife, a black woman; Beyonce Knowles is all of these. The thirty five year old artist has had six solo albums that have made her a household name all over the world. Lemonade is a visual album that takes a reflective approach to music by revealing intricate details of her relationships and emotions. In this albums, Beyonce addresses themes such as betrayal, family, love, pride, race, empowerment, and pain through striking visuals and powerful lyricism. She argues that to improve a situation we must find strength and empower ourselves over the course of eleven chapters showing her own personal growth and encouraging us to do the same. Beyonce begins with “Intuition” and we meet her sitting in front of a red curtain in Pray You Catch Me. "You can taste the dishonesty/ It's all over your breath."This is the beginning of her conceptualizing her distrust of someone close to her. Alone and sorrowful she alternates …show more content…
Trying to come to terms with the truth, she breaks free of this liquid cell and onto the street. Cheerfully walking down the street in a bright yellow dress and platforms would suggest joy but the lyrics juxtapose the scene with a dark undertone. Going down the street, Beyonce declares her frustration by smashing car windows and glasses. Then there's “Anger”. These are the actions of an angry and scorned woman. In acting out and venting she transitions to a closed of dark garage now wearing a huge intimidating fur coat and braids. Surrounded by a group of women, Beyonce exclaims “Who the f*ck do you think I am”, in Don't Hurt Yourself, openly declaring her anger and taking her stance on the issue. She quotes Malcolm X, stating that black women are the most disrespected, unprotected and neglected person in America. As a black woman she refuses to continue to let this go on so she issues an ultimatum: get your shit together or lose your