It has my all time favourite Bey song (All Night) . A true culture reset.

Edited April 23Apr 23 by Vorfreude

SOME FAVE MUSICAL MOMENTS THAT YOU WOULDN'T KNOW ABOUT FIRST LISTEN

• Hold Up is a build-up that never releases. The Countdown sample at the bridge teases that release, but it never comes, she just goes back to the delirious beat and melody. The release only comes after the song ends and we get to Don't Hurt Yourself where her anger is fully, deliciously unleashed. (I find this very interesting because a more commercially minded artist would have made Hold Up be more complete and give radio listeners what it's teasing). The consideration of flow in tracklist, for thinking of songs as a larger piece of a puzzle not individual moments is something that set the tone for her next albums to come.

• Don't Hurt Yourself samples Led Zeppelin. The Led Zeppelin song When the Levee Breaks which is a cover of a song co-written by a Black woman in the 1920s, which illuminates the idea of reclaimed genre.

• Freedom samples actual Black singers recorded in a 1940s state penitentiary, illuminating the message of freedom.

Edited April 23Apr 23 by swissman

Overrated

ST >>>>>>>

👏🏾 great album and it aged well.

Sorry (Demo) > Sorry

1 hour ago, Shelter said:

Same. Was looking this morning

This local shop posted this discounted vinyl and I think I should snatch it

Overrated

If there's still people that don't 'get' this album after all these years, I highly recommend this video essay. I'm 110% convinced it will change your mind about it.

It was absolutely her strongest artistic statement to date. It was the type of album I always wanted from her. Her self-titled was the perfect buildup to this one; between the two, Lemonade always felt like the main event for me, even if they weren't totally linked. The release of this was definitely a whirlwind. It was such a fun time!

I'm sure she'll collaborate with Jack White again.

On 4/23/2026 at 9:29 AM, Havoc said:

My favorite (and honestly most underrated) moment of the album is the "come back" outro in 6 inch. In the song she is hustling and grinding to forget the heartbreak but in the end she realizes that burying herself with work isn't actually healing anything---she misses her husband.

Brilliant! It's so rare to see that level of nuanced emotion in pop music IMO.

I LOVE that part.

The vulnerability in her voice

The COLLAPSE this was after everyone was convinced that self-titled was gonna be the peak of her creative ambition. I think one can argue that it's happening again in the '20s with her 3 Act trilogy.