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==Live performances==
==Live performances==
The song will be performed live at the VMA AWARDS 2014 on August 24,2014.
The song was added to the [[set list]] and performed live during the second European leg of [[The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour]], with the first performance taking place in [[Glasgow]] at the [[SSE Hydro]] arena on February 20, 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a552908/beyonce-starts-reworked-mrs-carter-show-tour-in-glasgow-pictures.html|title=Beyoncé starts reworked Mrs Carter Show tour in Glasgow|publisher=[[Digital Spy]]|last=Corner|first=Lewis|date=February 21, 2014|accessdate=February 23, 2014}}</ref> After "[[Run the World (Girls)]]", the performance of the song opened with the words from Adichie's talk being displayed on a screen on the stage with a large lit-up font.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-26383976|title=Jay-Z joins Beyonce show in London|publisher=[[BBC News]]|first=Mark|last=Savage|date=March 1, 2014|accessdate=August 4, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/feb/21/beyonce-live-glasgow-mrs-carter-show-2014|title=Beyoncé – review|work=The Observer|first=Kitty|last=Empire|date=February 21, 2014|accessdate=August 4, 2014}}</ref> Beyoncé appeared on stage during the beginning of the song and performed a choreography taken from the song's music video along with her background dancers.<ref name="ind">{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/beyonce-mrs-carter-show-world-tour-review-9142788.html|title=Beyonce, Mrs Carter Show World Tour, review|work=The Independent|first=David|last=Pollock|date=February 21, 2014|accessdate=August 4, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1722773/beyonce-mrs-carter-tour-details/|title=Beyonce Upgrades Her Mrs. Carter Show Tour: New Songs, Sequins, Surprises|publisher=MTV News|first=Sidney|last=Madden|date=February 21, 2014|accessdate=August 4, 2014}}</ref> She was also dressed in the same way as in the clip with a bedazzled plaid button-up shirt, a cat-ear baseball cap and short leather hot-pants.<ref name="silman" /> Writing for ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', Isabel Mohan noted that while performed live, the "booty-shaking" song "turns into a huge, powerful urban pop hit".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/live-music-reviews/10651237/Beyonce-Glasgow-SSE-Hydro-review.html|title=Beyoncé, Glasgow SSE Hydro, review|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|first=Isabel|last=Mohan|date=February 20, 2014|accessdate=August 4, 2014}}</ref> While describing the performance as "an exercise in sheer sass", ''The Independent''{{'}}s David Pollock described the singer's style as "retro Bronx street chic".<ref name="ind" /> He praised her for "burning onstage" and felt that the "commanding" lines executed during the chorus was the "'I am what I am' for the 2010s."<ref name="ind" /> Graeme Virtue of ''The Guardian'' felt that unlike the studio recording of the song, it became an "all-out sonic and visual assault" when performed live.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/feb/21/beyonce-review|title=Beyoncé – review|work=The Guardian|first=Graeme|last=Virtue|work=The Guardian|date=February 21, 2014|accessdate=August 4, 2014}}</ref> A profesionally recorded live performance of the song was broadcast in July 2014 on ''Beyonce: X10'', an [[HBO]] series documenting renditions of the song performed during The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour. Anna Silman of Vulture praised the singer's dancing and her "wild" costumes.<ref name="silman">{{cite web|url=http://www.vulture.com/2014/07/flawless-beyonce-hbo-concert-series.html|title=See 'Flawless' From Beyoncé’s HBO Concert Series|publisher=Vulture|first=Anna|last=Silman|date=July 14, 2014|accessdate=August 4, 2014}}</ref> "Flawless" was also part of the set list of Beyoncé and Jay-Z's co-headlining [[On the Run Tour (Beyoncé and Jay-Z)|On the Run Tour]] (2014).<ref name="cos">{{cite web|url=http://consequenceofsound.net/2014/06/jay-z-and-beyonce-kick-off-on-the-run-tour-with-massive-42-song-setlist/|title=Jay Z and Beyoncé kick off On the Run Tour with massive 42-song setlist|publisher=[[Consequence of Sound]]|first=Alex|last=Young|date=June 26, 2014|accessdate=June 26, 2014}}</ref> Lorraine Ali of the ''Los Angeles Times'' felt that the singer's vocals managed to hit every note and praised her dance moves.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-review-jay-z-beyonce-rose-bowl-20140803-story.html|title=Review: Jay Z and Beyoncé 'On the Run' at the Rose Bowl|publisher=Los Angeles Times|first=Lorraine|last=Ali|date=August 3, 2014|accessdate=August 4, 2014}}</ref>


==Remixes==
==Remixes==

Revision as of 22:48, 7 August 2014

"Flawless"
Song

"Flawless" (stylized as "***Flawless") is a song recorded by American recording artist Beyoncé from her self-titled fifth studio album, Beyoncé (2013). It was co-written by Beyoncé together with Terius "The-Dream" Nash, Chauncey Hollis and Rey Reel, with production handled by Hit-Boy, Beyoncé, Rey Reel Music and Boots. "Flawless" is a trap-influenced song, with a dirty groove and a clattering beat. Featuring guest vocals from rapper Nicki Minaj.

The song was received positively by music critics who particularly praised Minaj's contribution to the song & praising Beyonce's rap bravado.

Background

On March 17, 2013, Beyoncé released an audio track titled "Bow Down / I Been On" as well as a picture of herself as a child standing in a roomful of trophies on her official website.[1][2][3] Hit-Boy produced the first half of the track, "Bow Down", while the second half "I Been On" was produced by Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley.[4] A sample of "I Been On" was also prominently used in an advertisement for O2 and The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour in February 2013.[4][5] The release "shocked fans and fellow singers alike," as the song caused some controversy over its lyrical content.[6] Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly commented that Beyoncé seemed "to be attacking straw women a generation behind her who dismiss her as little more than Jay-Z's wife."[7] The song was criticized by Rush Limbaugh[8] and Keyshia Cole,[9] among others.

In December 2013, Beyoncé explained the idea behind "Bow Down" on iTunes Radio: "The reason I put out 'Bow Down' is because I woke up, I went into the studio, I had a chant in my head, it was aggressive, it was angry, it wasn't the Beyoncé that wakes up every morning. It was the Beyoncé that was angry. It was the Beyoncé that felt the need to defend herself. And if the song never comes out…OK! I said it! And I listened to it after I finished, and I said, This is hot! I'mma put it out. I'm not going to sell it. I'm just going to put it out. People like it, great; they don't, they don't. And I won't do it every day because that's not who I am. But I feel strong. And anyone that says, 'Oh that is disrespectful,' just imagine the person that hates you. Imagine a person that doesn't believe in you. And look in the mirror and say, 'Bow down, bitch' and I guarantee you feel gangsta! So listen to the song from that point of view again if you didn't like it before."[10][11]

Chimanda Ngozi Adichie praised the song, stating that she "likes the idea that Beyonce's song might make girls feel that they can ask to try to do these things" and further said "I have had young people in Nigeria who probably would have never heard of my TED talk without Beyonce and who are now talking about feminism."[12]

Critical reception

The use of Adichie's talk in "Flawless" was praised by music critics. Los Angeles Times's Carolyn Kellogg wrote that the inclusion of the talk was an "astonishing" thing.[13] Rebecca Nicholson of The Guardian commented that by using Adichie's TED talk as a feminist spoken word interlude in the middle of "Flawless", the singer put "Bow Down" into a different context.[14] Andrew Hampp and Erika Ramirez of Billboard magazine wrote, "When we first heard the Hit-Boy produced track in March it didn't contain the content of the full-version, only to come off abrasive. 'Flawless' though, with the insightful commentary of feminism by Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, carries power and highlights camaraderie amongst women."[15]

The Guardian's Mikki Kendall wrote, "In 'Flawless' (a track that leaked as 'Bow Down' over the summer), Beyonce quotes from author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's TedX talk 'We should all be feminists', adroitly addressing the idea that she is somehow anti-feminist for not fitting into the boxes others project onto her. It's clear that like a lot of black American women, the mainstream middle class white feminist narratives with which we are so familiar aren't necessarily compatible with Beyonce's view of herself. This album makes it clear that her feminism isn't academic; isn't about waves, or labels. It simply is a part of her as much as anything else in her life. She's pro-woman without being anti-man, and she wants the world to know that you can be feminist on a personal level without sacrificing emotions, friendships or fun."[16]

However, Catherine A. Traywick of Foreign Policy magazine criticized the singer, commenting that "On a track called 'Flawless', Beyonce samples Adichie's April 2013 Ted Talk, which is a thoughtful, amusing examination of subtle sexism in everyday life. Beyonce bookends Adichie's words with distinctly less thoughtful lyrics of her own: She shallowly trumpets material wealth and physical beauty and, working in a few lines from her spring single, advises others to 'Bow down, bitches.'" She continued, "Beyonce gives us a heavily-edited, watered-down version of Adichie's speech that aligns with the singer's banal brand of beginner feminism: She reduces Adichie's powerful message to an overly simplistic, inoffensive pro-girl anthem that does little to challenge trenchant gender ideals."[17] In the annual Pazz & Jop mass critics poll of the year's best in music in 2013, "Flawless" was ranked at number 72.[18]

Music video

The music video is set to be released August 24,2014.

Live performances

The song will be performed live at the VMA AWARDS 2014 on August 24,2014.

Remixes

M.I.A. remix

In March 2014, rapper M.I.A. posted several videos on her Instagram account during which a remix of "Flawless" was played.[19] Two months later, on May 13, she released an officially commissioned remix of the song titled "Baddygirl 2", after she had waited for approval from the singer's team two months.[20] M.I.A.'s version was produced by Party Squad, contained modified lyrics and samples of Beyoncé's "Diva" and "Run the World (Girls)".[21][22] It explored elements of trap and EDM music.[23] Some of the reworked lines contained feminist messages and elements of the original song were completely altered. John Walker, writing for MTV News remarked that except the opening lines "I woke up like this/ I went to bed like this/ We do everything just like this", the remix doesn't contain "any easily recognizable bits" of the original.[24] Similarly, a writer of Fact magazine noted that Beyoncé did not want to release the remix as it only contained the same feminist elements of the original.[23] Zach Frydenlund of Complex felt that the reworked version contained M.I.A.'s "intense energy"[21] while Sharan Shetty found a "manic", high-energy sound similar to the rapper's diverse influences. However the latter concluded that the remix "doesn't quite measure up to the original, but... regardless, it's an interesting and head-bopping take".[25] The Guardian editor Alexandra Khan-Anselmo felt that the remix is "good enough to make you want to smash the window of a cop car, pull a Wynona or sneak on to the underground".[22]

Nicki Minaj remix

The official remix of the song features rapper Nicki Minaj.

On August 2, 2014, a remix of the song featuring rapper Nicki Minaj was released unexpectedly on Beyoncé's official website which marked their first collaboration together.[26] Two months prior to the release of the song, Minaj's manger Gee Roberson contacted her to inform her that Beyoncé wanted a remix of "Flawless" on which she would be featured. Following this, Beyoncé sent Minaj a new version she wanted and told Minaj, "I want you to be you. I don't want you to hold back."[27] Minaj began writing the verse in New York and Beyoncé visited her in the studio, encouraging her. Beyoncé later revealed to Minaj that she would release the song sometime during her On the Run Tour. Following this both of the singers began sending each other photos of themselves to create the song's artwork.[27]

Musically, the remix was noted for being a slower version of the original and containing new, sexually explicit verses.[28][29] It also contains a sample from the horns of Outkast's song "Spottieottiedopaliscious".[30] The remix addresses multiple rumors and controversies, most notably the infamous elevator altercation between Beyoncé's sister Solange Knowles and Beyoncé's husband Jay-Z after the 2014 Met Gala. Beyoncé raps in the song, "Of course sometimes shit go down when it's a billion dollars on the elevator", followed by a sound of a cash register dinging and the singer laughing, referring to her and her husband's combined billion-dollar net-worth.[31][32] She also adresses her detractors through the lines "You can say what you want/I'm the shit".[33] Minaj starts rapping at the two minutes and thirty three seconds mark of the song, with a rapid-fire delivery.[33] Her lyrics reference the work with Kanye West on the song "Monster", her success and compares haters with Michael Jackson's convicted doctor.[34] She also raps the lines "The queen of rap slaying with Queen B / if you ain't on the team / you're playing for team D" during the end of her lines.[35]

Minaj's vocal delivery was compared to her earlier work on "Monster".[34][35] Caitlin White writing for MTV News felt that the version "more than exceeds our expectations" and added that it managed to expand "flawlessness beyond women at this juncture".[34] Nadeska Alexis of the same publication wrote that Beyoncé sounded "extra fearless" together with Minaj.[36] Pitchfork Media's Evan Minsker referred to the remix as "like a gift from the heavens" as it featured the two singers together on a song.[37] Vulture's writer E. Alex Jung called the pair's first collaboration "epic".[35] Melinda Newman, a writer of HitFix, felt that the reworked version "brings... up to speed" compared to the original, but noted that Minaj's lyrics discussing Jackson's doctor would likely upset his fans.[31] Slate editor Sharan Shetty described it as "excellent", praising the duo as a "powerful pair".[33] Jason Lipshutz of Billboard magazine praised Beyoncé's line adressing the elevator accident as a highlight of the remix.[38] Time reviewer Nolan Feeney deemed the remix a "feistier, more aggressive take" on the original, while also adding that it had a different message, "talk all you want, you'll never wake up like them".[39] A writer of Rap-Up magazine felt that Minaj delivered one of "her best verses yet".[40]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Beyoncé's website.[41]

  • Beyoncé – vocals, production, vocal production
  • Hit-Boy – production
  • Rey Reel Music – co-production
  • Boots – additional production, additional arranging
  • Stuart White – recording, mixing
  • Jordan "DJ Swivel" Young – recording
  • Ramon Rivas – second engineering
  • Rob Suchecki – second engineering
  • Tyler Scott – assistant engineering
  • Tony Maserati – mixing
  • Justin Hergett – mix engineering
  • James Krausse – mix engineering
  • Derek Dixie – mix consultation
  • Tom Coyne – mastering
  • Aya Marrill – mastering

Charts

Chart (2014) Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)[42] 77
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[43] 157
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[44] 13
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[44] 32

References

  1. ^ "Bow Down/I Been On". Beyonce.com. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  2. ^ Saad, Nardine (March 18, 2013). "Beyonce revisits Sasha Fierce in new track 'Bow Down / I Been On'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  3. ^ Payne, Chris (March 17, 2013). "Beyonce Drops New Hit Boy-Produced Track, 'Bow Down/I Been On'". Billboard. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  4. ^ a b "New music: Beyoncé – Bow Down/I Been On". The Guardian. March 18, 2013. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
  5. ^ "BEYONCÉ - O2 Priority TV ad". YouTube. February 3, 2014. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  6. ^ "Beyonce Sparks Controversy With New Song". ABC News. March 19, 2013. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  7. ^ Anderson, Kyle (March 18, 2013). "Beyonce premieres new songs 'Bow Down' and 'I Been On': Hear them here". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  8. ^ Payne, Chris (March 21, 2013). "Beyonce's 'Bow Down' Criticized, Misinterpreted By Rush Limbaugh". Billboard. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  9. ^ Carlson, Erin (March 19, 2013). "Keyshia Cole Calls Out Beyonce For 'Bow Down'". Billboard. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  10. ^ Tate, Amethyst (December 19, 2013). "Beyoncé Explains 'Bow Down': 'It Was The Beyoncé That Was Angry'". International Business Times. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  11. ^ Wass, Mike (December 17, 2013). "Beyonce Introduces 'Beyonce': Justin Timberlake, Pageants & Her Incredible "Bow Down" Explanation". Idolator. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  12. ^ "Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Chimamanda: Beyonce is helping feminist talk". Contactmusic.com. April 11, 2014. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  13. ^ Kellogg, Carolyn (December 13, 2013). "Beyonce's song 'Flawless' features writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
  14. ^ Nicholson, Rebecca (December 13, 2013). "Beyoncé's new album: 'A brilliantly strange record' – video review". The Guardian. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  15. ^ Hampp, Andrew; Ramirez, Erika (December 13, 2013). "Beyonce, Beyonce: Track-By-Track Review". Billboard. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  16. ^ Kendall, Mikki (December 13, 2013). "Beyonce's new album should silence her feminist critics". The Guardian. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  17. ^ Traywick, Catherine A. (December 13, 2013). "Beyonce's New Album Got FP Global Thinker Chimamanda Adichie All Wrong". Foreign Policy. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
  18. ^ "The Village Voice's 41st Pazz & Jop Music Critics Poll: The Last Word on the Year in Music". The Village Voice. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  19. ^ Minsker, Evan; Phillips, Amy (March 10, 2014). "M.I.A. Teases Remix of Beyoncé's "Flawless" by Dancing With Her Son Ikhyd in Adorable Videos". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  20. ^ "MIA shares remix of Beyoncé's 'Flawless' – listen". NME. May 14, 2014. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  21. ^ a b Frydenlund, Zach (May 14, 2014). "Listen to M.I.A.'s Remix of Beyoncé's "Flawless" With Party Squad". Complex. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  22. ^ a b Khan-Anselmo, Alexandra (May 15, 2014). "M.I.A. remixes Beyoncé and Tilda Swinton is a cat - As it happened". The Guardian. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  23. ^ a b "M.I.A. reworks Beyoncé's 'Flawless' — and 'Diva' — into 'Baddygirl' sonic assault". Fact. May 14, 2014. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  24. ^ Walker, John (May 14, 2014). "M.I.A.'s Unauthorized Beyonce Remix Is, Um, Flawless". MTV News. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  25. ^ Shetty, Sharan (May 13, 2014accessdate=August 4, 2014). "M.I.A. Did a Manic, Upbeat Remix of Beyoncé's "Flawless"". Slate. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  26. ^ Bacle, Ariana (August 3, 2014). "Beyonce pairs with Nicki Minaj for 'Flawless' remix". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  27. ^ a b Ramirez, Erika (August 4, 2014). "Nicki Minaj Explains How Beyonce's 'Flawless' Remix Came to Be". Billboard. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
  28. ^ Joyce, Colin (August 3, 2014). "Beyonce Enlists Nicki Minaj for Pristine 'Flawless' Remix". Spin. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  29. ^ Gamboa, Glenn (August 3, 2014). "Beyonce talks 'elevator scuffle' in 'Flawless' remix with Nicki MInaj". Newsday. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  30. ^ Coleman, Miriam (August 3, 2014). "Beyonce Joins Forces With Nicki Minaj for Surprise 'Flawless' Remix". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  31. ^ a b Newman, Melinda (August 3, 2014). "Beyonce takes on the 'elevator' incident in 'Flawless' remix featuring Nicki Minaj". HitFix. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  32. ^ Fowler, Brandi (August 3, 2014). "Beyoncé Addresses Solange and Jay Z's Infamous Elevator Fight in "Flawless" Remix--Listen Now!". E! Online. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  33. ^ a b c Shetty, Sharan (August 3, 2014). "Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj Shut Down Haters in Their New "Flawless" Remix". Slate. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  34. ^ a b c White, Caitlin (August 4, 2014). "Nicki Minaj Flexes 'Monster' Verse Muscles On Beyonce's 'Flawless' Remix". MTV News. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  35. ^ a b c "You Must Listen to Beyoncé's 'Flawless' Remix Featuring Nicki Minaj". Vulture. August 3, 2014. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  36. ^ Alexis, Nadeska (August 3, 2014). "Beyonce Laughs Off That Billion Dollar Elevator Fight On 'Flawless (Remix)' With Nicki Minaj". MTV News. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  37. ^ Minsker, Evan (August 3, 2014). "Beyoncé's "Flawless" Remix Features Nicki Minaj, References Elevator Incident". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  38. ^ Lipshutz, Jason (August 3, 2014). "Beyonce Drops 'Flawless' Remix Featuring Nicki Minaj: Listen". Billboard. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  39. ^ Feeney, Nolan (August 3, 2014). "Beyoncé Addresses Elevator Fight on "Flawless" Remix With Nicki Minaj". Time. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  40. ^ "New Music: Beyoncé f/ Nicki Minaj – 'Flawless (Remix)'". Rap-Up. August 2, 2014. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  41. ^ "Beyonce Album Credits". Beyonce.com. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
  42. ^ "Chart Track: Week 11, 2014". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
  43. ^ "CHART: CLUK Update 8.03.2014 (wk9)". zobbel.de. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  44. ^ a b "Chart Search for Flawless". Billboard. Retrieved May 16, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

External links

Template:Wikipedia books

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special%3ADiff%2F620296274

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