Beyoncé is a true guilty pleasure. The “pleasure” was birthed when I first heard "Say My Name" (the song is all sorts of awesome). And the “guilt” reared itself quite dramatically during the eighth grade when my mom was taking two of my friends and me to school. We only lived maybe a mile and a half from our middle school, so the trip was relatively short but long enough for Destiny’s Child’s “Independent Women Pt. I” to come on the air, which was impossible not to sing along with.
Now I’ll tell you why this is out of place (apart from the obvious), even for an eighth grader who has not really developed any real sense of taste. In the sixth grade I got Pink Floyd’s The Wall for Christmas. Listened to it constantly, probably one of the best gifts I’ve ever gotten. At a middle school dance my friend and I got the DJ to play “Wish You Were Here” and smugly watched all of our peers respond in confusion in disgust. Even as a middle schooler I was a hipster in the making.
And so when Beyoncé proclaimed “throw your hands up at me” and all I could do was throw my hands up at her, I was a bit surprised at myself but not ashamed. That was until my friend turned to me and said mockingly, “You know she’s telling that to girls…”
Here’s how I knew I was truly in the moment, fully enjoying myself and the song, not just being goofy or making of fun it: I had no response. I sat there with my head down, embarrassed. I felt like this poor kid.
After that moment, whenever I would hear a Destiny’s Child song on the radio I would quickly change it to ensure I was keeping my manhood. And this has been a problem ever since because I really like her songs – they’re pretty catchy, but there’s a large part of her catalogue – especially the singles – that are focused towards the female gender. (i.e. “Survivor,” “All the Single Ladies,” “Bootylicious”*).
*The gender exclusivity is debatable on this one. My body is pretty bootylicious.
Only until recently have I begun to embrace my fandom, and it’s a bit sad because I’m not even like one of those hardcore-closeted fans. I don’t even have any of her albums on my Itunes. But if I hear a Beyoncé song on the radio, you bet your bottom dollar I’m cranking that one up and singing my heart out. I’m really loving 1+ 1 at the moment.
Even if you’re not a fan of her music you have to be – at the very least – impressed at the way she markets herself, or – at the very most – utterly terrified. I’m convinced that she and Jay-Z are probably one of the most powerful entities in the entire world. There is not a doubt in my mind they could literally have anyone on this planet killed.
I know this isn’t Beyoncé, but it’s quite a good cover, and makes me like both her and the song even
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