Deep Thoughts About the Narrative Through-Line in Beyoncé's New Album
One of the things I've found most interesting about Beyoncé's new release is that if you're looking for a narrative through-line, you have two possible destinations. Both the audio and video albums lead off with Pretty Hurts, an exploration of beauty standards and expectations for girls and young women in society (the beginning of which has a beauty pageant host asking Beyoncé what her aspiration is and, after a moment's consideration, her saying it's to be happy), but the two versions have very different conclusions. The 14-track audio album ends with Blue, a slow-tempo and touching love letter to her daughter Blue Ivy. The 17-track video album, on the other hand, ends with Grown Woman, an up-tempo anthem where Beyoncé states unequivocally that she is a grown woman and can do whatever she wants. Indeed, the video opens with Queen Bey in a chair, one leg propped up, clad in a frilly pageant frock and crown, with a glass of whiskey in one hand and a trophy in the other, defiantly contrasting the opening track. Which of these finales shows Beyoncé happy? Both do, and by releasing her album in two formats via the same purchase, Beyoncé has engineered it so the audience can experience both narratives depending on the method of playback. That's some deep, next-level storytelling right there. As she says in ***Flawless: bow down.
