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Textual Representations in Beyoncs Lemonade

Shes bold, beautiful and black-she is Beyonc. Throughout the years, Beyonc has given

us multiple albums and with amazing visuals and textual representations. It was just this last year

in 2016, when she released her most personal and powerful album to date, Lemonade. With this

album, its not just music; it was transformed into a film filled with several forms of texts that

represent something meaningful and deep. Lemonade is filled with visual representations of the

black woman, the cheating husband and the estranged relationship with a father; it all represents

who Beyonc is as a person. In the multiple visuals we are given inside the Lemonade film, each

chapter of the film represents something different, something unique. Beyonc continues to

improve her work and master the art of music through film with Lemonade. She places her heart

and soul into everything she does and Lemonade is no exception. The film is surrounded by texts

such as a sinking police car, womens afros and African outfits, just to name a few. Without a

doubt, after analyzing this film, I know that this is much more than just a visual album. The film

also includes a number of poems written by Warsan Shire to provide such strong emotions

within the visuals of this album. Lemonade places emphasis on black women, the challenges the

black community has faced, the topic of infidelity within a marriage, and the healing power of

love.

To start off, Beyonc first unleashed her single Formation, a couple days before her

performance at the 2016 Super Bowl, a song that would cause many to become upset and

outraged. After the music video was leaked, a lot of (white) people seemed to be angry at the

video and the visuals it included. Beyoncs Formation music video includes an opening scene

where she is on top of a sinking New Orleans police car. While it has been said that she was

representing New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, there was also rumors that she was making a
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statement against police after the recent police brutalities against black men across the nation.

Whatever the truth may be, Beyonc knows how to make a statement. Hilton Als wrote in an

article from the New Yorker, She sits on a New Orleans police car that slowly sinks underwater

as images flash past, powerful evocations of blackness: bodies, hair, quiet faces measuring how

others have discounted their lives and moved on (Als). To me, the police car sinking is a form

of text that represents oppression and the sinking of it. Beyonc doesnt want to discredit police

or go against what they do, she is making a statement about oppression and racism against black

people. Throughout the video we are shown clips of what looks to be New Orleans and the

everyday people who live there. Just by showing everyday Americans in her video, Beyonc is

allowing for equal representation within this song. She includes snippets of voiceovers from

Messy Mya; a New Orleans native was killed back in 2010. The very opening of the song is

begun with death and the memory of Messy Mya; the concept of death is one we have discussed

several times in class. With Beyonc including this sample, it allows for memories to occur and

hearing the voice of someone who has died is nostalgic within this piece of music. The

Formation music video also includes lyrics such as I like my baby hair in afroI like my

Negro nose with Jackson Five nostrils, these words are representing her taking pride in being

black and celebrating natural black beauty. While to some, afros may not have much

significance; Beyonc is telling us is that black women should feel comfortable and take pride

with their natural hair.

To lead into, death is an important chapter of this film. In the song Forward Beyonc is

shown looking at photos of black boys who were shot by the police. When we look at a

photograph of someone who is dead, it is not the same as looking at someone who is alive. The

emotions overwhelm us and the feelings are different when we know that person is no longer
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living. When the next scene of the film is shown, we are presented with the mothers of the black

boys as they hold their photos up in front of them. Also to mention, the mothers are shown

wearing traditional African outfits. This places emphasis on the importance of stopping police

brutality and with the song titled Forward, telling us that we need to keep moving forward and

take a stand against police brutality. The cameras get in close on beautiful faces that lack

pigment, that bear scars, burns and sorrow. The mothers of slain young men exude regal

stoicism, holding photographs of their sons (Morris). This quote speaks volumes, as it tells us

how these mothers have lost their sons to such hateful crimes and terrible acts of violence. Their

photographs stand as textual representations of who they once were and the hate crimes that were

brought upon them. As the film focuses on a couple of the mothers, you cant help but to see the

pain and sorrow within their faces.

If you werent able to tell by now, Beyonc is no stranger to placing symbolic

representations in her work. In another chapter of the film, Beyonc begins to sing the song

Freedom whilst in what looks to be like a plantation. I do not think that is just coincidence,

especially in this film. Chris Kelly from FACT Magazine says this about this specific scene

Lemonade repeatedly returns to the moss-covered bayou, to buildings that resemble plantation

homes and their attendant slave quarters. But instead of an antebellum memory, these scenes

portray a dream: the fantasy of an all-black, matriarchal utopia when women dress up, prepare

meals, take photographs and perform shows, not for a master but for themselves (Kelly). The

plantation is a representation of the slaves and singing freedom is Beyoncs way of breaking

free, its a song stating that black people deserve to be free from discrimination. Beyonc is all

about girl power and feminism; we can see this in this scene when she brings all the women

together to sing for them. Bell Hooks states in her article on Lemonade, As Beyonc proudly
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proclaims in the powerful anthem Freedom: I had my ups and downs, but I always find the

inner-strength to pull myself up (Hooks). This song is all about gaining the strength to keep

going in such a cruel world and also a historical representation of the plantation house with

slaves trying to break away. Hooks talks about how in a world filled with such pain, we must

create lives that are based upon optimism and joy. She says drinking of lemonade will be a

fresh and zestful delight, a real life mixture of the bitter and the sweet, and not a measure of our

capacity to endure pain, but rather a celebration of our moving beyond pain (Hooks).

Lemonade, itself is a form of text that represents the ups and downs in life and how it can be sour

but also sweet. We must keep moving to survive, as Beyonc says keep it running because a

winner dont quit on themselves. At the end of Freedom we are shown a clip of Beyoncs

husband, Jay-Zs, grandma saying I was served lemons, but I made lemonade.

After having discussed many important texts throughout this film, we are brought to one

of the main themes throughout, love and betrayal. It was no secret that Lemonade was mainly

about Jay-Zs alleged infidelity in their marriage. Throughout Lemonade, Beyonc goes through

several different stages of emotions: Intuition, Denial, Anger, Apathy, Redemption, and

Forgiveness just to name a few. This first stage dealing with her relationship is intuition. Even

these stages or chapters of the film act as a text, allowing us into the ever changing emotional

phases of going through an affair with your spouse. The first song of the film is Pray you catch

me which basically Beyonc hoping that she catches Jay-Z talking to another woman or praying

that she catches him whispering about having an affair with someone else. Towards the end of

the song, we see in the film as she stands on the edge of a building and jumps. The suicide is

representing her escape from the marriage, she loves her husband, but the only way out would be

for her to kill herself. This scene leads us into a whirlwind of emotions as we follow the
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journey alongside Beyoncs marriage and the emotions that come with it. The poems from

Warsan Shire are very important and impact the entirety of the film. Lemonade begins with

Beyonc wearing a hoodie on a stage as she does a voice over of the poem. You remind me of

my father, a magician ... able to exist in two places at once. In the tradition of men in my blood,

you come home at 3 a.m. and lie to me. What are you hiding? The past and the future merge to

meet us here. What luck. What a fucking curse (Shire). The poetry in this film is just as

important as the music and visuals. Poetry is a wonderful form of expression and can make

people feel certain emotions that other forms of art cannot. In this case, the poems help to

emphasize the pain she is feeling and the questionable behavior of Jay-Z in their marriage.

Poetry as a text helps us to understand the true feelings and the meaning of this film, without the

poetry, the film may not have been as impactful. While the poetry is composed by Warsan Shire,

Beyonc speaks them as if they were her own feelings and creates a sense of connection to them.

Our next stage is Denial, along with this is the song Hold Up. Personally, I think this is

most powerful scene of the whole film because it is all about being in denial that your spouse is

cheating on you. Knowing that the worst has happened, yet not wanting to believe it is a

powerful feeling. This scene also includes Shires best poems in my opinion, they speak

incredibly important and emotional words. I tried to change, closed my mouth more, tried to be

soft, prettier, less awake. Fasted for sixty days, wore white, abstained from mirrors. Abstained

from sex, slowly did not speak another word. In that time my hair I grew past my ankles. I slept

on a mat on a floor. I swallowed a sword, I levitated into the basement...I whipped my own back

and asked for dominion at your feet. I threw myself in a volcano. I drank the blood and drank the

wine... But still inside me coiled deep was the need to know. Are you cheating on me? (Shire).

This poem is filled with many symbolic representations and even at the end, the poem asks about
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cheating. Beyonc is asking her husband if he was cheating on her, at least thats what we are

lead to believe. As the poem ends, we are introduced to the scene where Beyonc has a bat and is

hitting cars and breaking windows, to release the stress and anger of her marriage issues. This

scene also relates to the next stage, Anger. Both are showing the anger deep down inside

Beyonc as she deals with being cheated on. With anger, her song Dont hurt yourself talks

about how her husband better not hurt himself by neglecting her love. At the end of the song, her

lyrics state If you try this shit again, you are going to lose your wife, which is such a badass

way of letting her husband know that she is not playing around. While she sings those lyrics, in

the film she throws what appears to be her wedding ring, which is a text that symbolizes the end

of a marriage being thrown away.

After anger in any relationship, comes forgiveness and redemption. The stage in

Lemonade, forgiveness, delivers such a powerful statement about love and how anyone can

forgive what has been done to them. Beyonc pairs this stage of the film with her song

Sandcastles which talks about building sandcastles that were washed away. Sandcastles stand

as an important text to us because sand is so delicate and easily destroyed, thus referring to

someones trust in a relationship. The lyrics state I know I promised that I couldnt stay, but

every promise doesnt work out that way. Beyonc is telling us that while she was angry with

Jay-Z and promised to leave him, her promise didnt work out because deep down inside she

truly loves him. In the film, we are shown home videos of Beyonc and Jay-Z in love and

smiling with their daughter. True love cannot be threatened and this is exactly what this film is

trying to explain to us. I also like to include at this part of the film, there is a scene of Beyonc

laying down in the middle of the New Orleans Superdome, the place where she performed her

first Super Bowl Half Time show in 2013. I like that she added this part in the film, the Super
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Dome serves as a text that takes us back to one of the biggest shows of her career and how Jay-Z

has been there for so many things in her career. If change is not mutual and both parties do not

put in the work to resolve the issues with their marriage, then nothing is going to work. I really

appreciate the way Bell Hooks writes about Lemonade, she says It is only as black women and

all women resist patriarchal romanticization of domination in relationships can a healthy self-

love emerge that allows every black female, and all females, to refuse to be a victim (Hooks).

Her work is so amazing and inspiring, the way she writes on this topic speaks volumes to me.

After the song is over, we are introduced to the last and final song on the film. This stage is the

redemption stage, where Beyonc is basically telling us that Jay-Z has redeemed his reputation

and trust in their marriage. True love brought salvation back into me. With every tear came

redemption. And my torturer became my remedy. So were gonna heal, were gonna start again

states Beyonc, reading Shires poems in the beginning of this scene (Shire). This intro into the

song All Night, which is about Beyonc saying she and her husband will make love all night.

This part of the film was actually very emotional, in a good way because it shows other couples

of all race, sexual orientations, and age in love. Beyonc is connecting with her audience by

showing a variety of couples in love alongside her and Jay-Z. These couples can also be a

symbolic form of text showing equal representation of love across the world. I think this being

this inclusive also lets people know that everyone has problems in relationships, it does not

matter you skin color or sexual orientation.

To conclude, Beyoncs Lemonade has brought many issues to our attention. It has been

very obvious that there are several forms of texts included in this film. Beyonc is no stranger to

detail and loves adding symbolic clues in her work. Lemonade was such an iconic and important

album in Beyoncs career; it stood for something and spoke about many important issues, both
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personal and political. We can feel the grief and the strength that exudes in this film, through

poetry, visuals, and the lyrics of the songs. Poetry comes together to add a more personal and

emotional touch in this film which creates a strong connection with its audience. After speaking

on such important topics, this album and the film along with it has caused a movement within the

music industry. Beyonc has always been one to speak up and fight for the rights of everyone,

especially black women. With anger and forgiveness, Beyonc is able to take us on a journey

through her life with the visual album and textual representations of her struggles and those of

the black community. Lemonade is a film that can connect with everyone, regardless of race. I

like that this album can speak upon real issues while still being entertaining and relevant. The

multiple uses of different texts within this film is amazing and allows for multiple ways of

connection to the audience. Its purpose is to inform the audience of the issues going on and also

allows for Beyonc to let her fans inside a small part of her personal life. Whether or not we will

ever know the truth about Jay-Z and Beyoncs marriage issues is beside the point here. The

album stands as a point of truth and vulnerability, one side that we are rarely ever shown by

Beyonc. After watching this film for a multitude of times, I learn something different from it

each and every time. I always find new forms of texts that represent something new or a symbol

that tells a different story. All we can do is take this form of art and appreciate it for what it is,

and I think thats what Beyonc is trying to do, entertain and inform.
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Works Cited

Als, Hilton. "Beyonc's Re-Formation." The New Yorker. The New Yorker, 20 May 2016. Web.
03 May 2017.

Beyonc. Lemonade. Parkwood Entertainment, 2016.

Hooks, Bell. "Moving Beyond Pain." Bell Hooks Institute. N.p., 09 May 2016. Web. 03 May
2017.

Kelly, Chris. "Lemonade: The Hidden Meanings Buried in Beyonc's Visual Album." FACT
Magazine: Music News, New Music. N.p., 29 Apr. 2016. Web. 03 May 2017.
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Morris, Wesley. "Beyonc Unearths Pain and Lets It Flow in 'Lemonade'." The New York Times.
The New York Times, 24 Apr. 2016. Web. 03 May 2017.

Shire, Warsan. Lemonade poems. The Poetry Foundation. Web. 03 May 2017