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Beyoncé with "Break My Soul": Post-pandemic advice in the nineties sound

2022-06-21T13:23:47.340Z


With a »Vogue« cover on horseback, Beyoncé announced her new album »Renaissance«. Now the first song can be heard: »Break My Soul« spreads a party mood with social grounding.


Enlarge image

Beyoncé (archive image): »Bey is back« and can sleep well

Photo:

Andrew Harnik/ AP

The mood is euphoric from the very first bars: don't you know this synth bassline from somewhere?

Adding to the '90s dance vibe is the man screaming that he's about to explode - a bit like Turbo B. at eurodance act Snap!

Then a piano joins in and Beyoncé whispers a soothing "La La La" tune.

So she's returning musically: Beyoncé Knowles has announced her seventh studio album for July 29, and on Tuesday night the first preview single was released through the usual channels.

Beyoncé produced Break My Soul herself, along with The-Dream and Tricky Stewart, collaborators who had already proven themselves on 2008's hit Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It).

The nineties feeling is created by two prominent samples: the aforementioned bassline is known from »Show Me Love« (here the video), a huge hit for the American singer Robin S in 1993. And the shouter, who sounds so male, is a queer star of the New Orleans bounce scene: Big Freedia released the sampled song »Explode« in 2014 (video here ), which takes a central tagline from Beyoncé's comeback single: »Release your anger, release your mind / Release your job, release the time / Release our trade, release the stress / Release the love, forget the rest".

end of the pandemic state

With a few lyrical allusions (»Worldwide hoodie with the mask outside«), Beyoncé locates the song in our present, which wants so badly to focus on the end of the pandemic situation.

The musical euphoria that the track radiates corresponds to the joy of partying outside again - even if you've almost forgotten how it actually works ("in case you forgot how to act outside").

Especially in the USA, the Corona period has meant job losses for many, but millions of Americans also gave up their jobs;

the catchphrase of the »Great Resignation« made the rounds .

It seems as if Beyoncé is referring to it when she sings "I just fell in love, I just quit my job" - and this job loss is not lamented, but celebrated as a liberating act to house pianos and flamenco guitars: "Taking a new salvation, Imma build my own foundation".

Whether this spirit of optimism, which sounds like an entrepreneurial spirit, will actually be reflected in the professional biographies of the fans?

But anyway, "Break My Soul" is a song made for the hilarity of summer parties.

And the spirit of resistance that speaks from the chorus - "I'm telling everybody, you won't break my soul" - can't be bad in these difficult times.

Feb

Source: spiegel

All life articles on 2022-06-21

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