...to think that 'Single Ladies' is garbage?

[TheValeyard]

Just watching some crap on TV, and a bunch of people are saying about how Beyonce's Single Ladies is all about female empowerment. This seems to be utter bollocks - the line 'put a ring on it' is one of the worst, most demeaning song lyrics ever, and referring to women/a woman as 'it' is the least of it's problems??

Sorry, but i f-ing HATE that song...

It is catchy. Stop being obtuse

Put your hands UP

Wasn't there a thing about Single Ladies that if you play it backwards it's about Satan and it's because she's big in the illuminati. Clearly tosh but the music does sound as if it's being played the wrong way.

@Realityisreal

I don't dislike the song or Beyonce but hadn't previously listened to all of the lyrics, I did think it was supposed to be a bit of a feminist anthem but looking at the lyrics posted earlier in the thread I've changed my mind.

Don't treat me to the things of the world
I'm not that kind of girl
Your love is what I prefer, what I deserve
Here's a man that makes me then takes me
And delivers me to a destiny, to infinity and beyond
Pull me into your arms, say I'm the one you own
If you don't, you'll be alone
And like a ghost Ill be gone
All the single ladies, all the single ladies

These lyrics make it a song about giving 'him' yet another chance and so much for empowerment, she's saying she'll go back to him if he says he OWNS her.

Was reading through to see if anyone would say this. She's literally saying "if you put a ring on my finger I'll be back with you". How is this empowering???

It serves the function of really pissing DH off when he constantly loses his phone and it's on silent and our response is to start singing "if you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it"

@GladysTheOstrich she does have a fantastic voice, but for me it's almost secondary to the shite she's wasting it on! Similar to how I perceive Adele, amazing talent but wasted on tedious wailing ballads.
Akin to trying to appreciate the talent of Skin or Beth Ditto if you had them as members of girls aloud. Sure they'd still have ability but you wouldn't see it in the same way as you can with their bands/music.

I really liked Beyoncé in the film about Cadillac Records, where she played Etta James. Damn, can she act and sing.

I dislike her own music, though. But it's no worse than Lady Gaga's or Miley Chris's. It's just not been a brilliant last 20 years for pop music.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=jZVQD9piv7A&t=210s

@TrainspottingWelsh

Interesting that you brought up Girls Aloud, they're a favourite subject of mine! I think you're drawing a false dichotomy between what is perceived as 'commercial' music and 'real' music, where no distinction exists.

Girls Aloud were a vehicle for a production/songwriting team: Xenomania. They were clearly manufactured, but the original songs (not the covers) were truly phenomenal. Biology, Call the Shots, No Good Advice, The Show: full of light and shade, interesting structures, sparkling production. They were truly the greatest British group of the 2000s, creatively and image-wise. I loved them, and I think they're underrated (although the critics also loved them).

My musical tastes are quite eclectic: The Smiths, Motown, The Specials, ESG, Beastie Boys, Blondie, Duran Duran, Desmond Dekker - you name it, I've got the album/best-of I don't see 'manufactured' versus 'real' - it doesn't make any difference to the quality of the musical aesthetic.

Not just me then- I can't stand that song!

I don't see 'manufactured' versus 'real' - it doesn't make any difference to the quality of the musical aesthetic.
This is interesting and I haven't really considered modern manufactured music like this before. Personally I absolutely love the music of The Monkees, especially Micky Dolenz on vocals and they were a completely manufactured boy band. But I am extremely disparaging about modern pop, particularly the talent show stuff. So I'm kind of a hypocrite! I shall have to think on this more....

The last Full on pop mudic Beyonce has done was I am Sasha fierce and it was 2008. Everything else after that has been completely different.

There is a category of people who love to question her talent becuase she sang single ladies, or caters to the top 40 hits. However, everything before after the album 4 has not been promoted commercially since 2010. But these groups are always happy for Adele and Taylor swift or another white male to be handed awards that we all know it should have gone to Beyoncé.

Nah, Adele and Taylor Swift have relatively weak voices.

"I Was Here" is a powerful song. I defy anyone not to be moved a little bit by the lyrics.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=i41qWJ6QjPI

I hate how women are constantly referred to as girl.

A very different song but the lyrics to Let it Go from Frozen really jar me - if she was a male ruler it would be about embracing her strength or be the man you were born to be. Not about being a good girl

@GladysTheOstrich I don't think Girls aloud are awful in the way eg the spice girls are, but their songs aren't a patch on gossip or skunk anansie for bands with lead female singers, not just in terms of my personal taste but as a vessel for utilising the singers ability.
However my dc are 18 and 20, so I'm undoubtedly unfairly biased because I had to listen to Girls aloud far more than is healthy for anyone. I could probably still quote every lyric from memory
Despite being a big fan, for the most part Amy winehouse music isn't my thing, but her voice was so enthralling I only really noticed I wasn't particularly keen on the style of music when I heard a cover. Whereas on the other end of the scale I didn't become a fan of slipknot because I was moved by the vocal talent. I suppose my taste splits into two groups, does it make me want to dance and sing or mosh, and if not does the talent blow me away so the latter doesn't matter.

I mainly like rock, grunge and metal, but also love some Blues, some dance music, and there's stuff like Motown I would never own or play but think are brilliant live or as a night out. My current Spotify mix list has everything from Nirvana, to Metallica, queen, the prodigy and the black eyed peas on.
My taste just happens to mean bands are generally less likely to be modern manufactured, rather than because I think it matters either way. And nobody would be more delighted than me if the charts were suddenly flooded with rock bands, manufactured or not.

I have no feminist stance on it, just came on to agree it's a bloody AWFUL annoying boring song that gets me straight off any dance floor. It's cack.

Catchy back then when it came out but anyone claiming to be empowered by this song needs help. There’s nothing empowering about Beyoncé at all, most overrated singer going.

Love it!

@Margotshypotheticaldog

I love The Monkees too. Despite being manufactured, they were real musicians and took the band in new (and weird) directions.

The false 'manufactured v real' dichotomy is brilliantly illustrated by the story of Motown. Berry Gordy wanted a production line, but a music one, so he wrote/got HDH to write tunes, got the Funk Brothers to play, and picked singers from obscurity. It was totally manufactured, but the best pop music ever made.

Put your hands UP

Uh uh oh oh