Lemonade (album)
Lemonade is the sixth studio album by American singer Beyoncé. It was released on April 23, 2016, by Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records, accompanied by a 65-minute film of the same title. It follows her self-titled fifth studio album (2013), and is a concept album with a song cycle that relates Beyoncé's emotional journey after her husband's infidelity in a generational and racial context. Primarily an R&B and art pop album, Lemonade encompasses a variety of genres, including reggae, blues, rock, hip hop, soul, funk, Americana, country, gospel, electronic, and trap. It features guest vocals from James Blake, Kendrick Lamar, the Weeknd, and Jack White, and contains samples and interpolations of a number of hip hop and rock songs.[3]
| Lemonade | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 23, 2016 | |||
| Recorded | 2014–2015 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 45:45 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | ||||
| Beyoncé chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Lemonade | ||||
Lemonade is considered to be one of the greatest albums of all time, and is the most acclaimed studio album of Beyoncé's career. The album was music critics' top album of 2016,[4] and was named the greatest album of the 2010s by publications such as the Associated Press.[5] In 2020, the album was placed at number 32 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list. The album was nominated for nine Grammy Awards at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards (2017), including Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Song of the Year. It won Best Urban Contemporary Album and Best Music Video. The album's visuals received 11 nominations at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, of which it won eight including Breakthrough Long Form Video and Video of the Year. The film also received four nominations at the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards. The album won a Peabody Award in Entertainment.
Lemonade topped the charts in various countries worldwide, including the US Billboard 200, where it earned 653,000 with additional album-equivalent units, including 485,000 copies in its first week of sales. It has since been certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[6] By the end of 2016, Lemonade had sold over 1.5 million copies in the United States, making it the third-best-selling album of the year in the US,[7] and it was the best-selling album of 2016, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), with 2.5 million copies sold worldwide.[8] The album was supported by five singles: "Formation", which was a top-ten hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, "Sorry", "Hold Up", "Freedom", and "All Night". In April 2016, Beyoncé embarked on The Formation World Tour to promote the album, an all-stadium tour visiting North America and Europe.
Background edit
On February 6, 2016, Beyoncé released "Formation" for free on the music streaming service Tidal and an accompanying unlisted music video on her official YouTube account.[9] The unlisted format of the video meant it was inaccessible by search, and viewers could only watch it through others that had shared the video link, or through articles and webpages that embedded the video.[10] Beyoncé later released an identical public version of the unlisted video on YouTube on December 9, 2016. Both videos still exist.[11] The day after the song and video's release, Beyoncé performed "Formation" during her performance at the Super Bowl 50 halftime show.[12] Immediately after the performance, a commercial aired announcing The Formation World Tour, which kicked off in Miami, Florida on April 27, 2016, with the first pre-sales going on sale just two days after the announcement on February 9, 2016.[13] Beyoncé was both praised[14] and criticized[15] over her "Formation" and the Black Panther-influenced costume for her Super Bowl halftime performance.[16] As a result of this, the hashtags "#BoycottBeyonce" and "#IStandWithBeyonce" began trending on social media platforms such as Twitter and Beyoncé faced boycotts from police unions.[17] A group of protesters planned to stage an "anti-Beyoncé" rally outside of the NFL's headquarters in New York City, New York on the day general sale of tickets went for sale,[18] but no protesters showed up; instead, dozens of Beyoncé supporters held a rally for her.[19]
On June 7–8, 2016, Beyonce performed two days of concerts at Citi Field in Queens, New York, as a part of The Formation World Tour. She sneezed twice at the concert, and her costume ripped during the performance of "Halo." During the concert she projected the words "God is God. I am not" onto a large screen.[20]
When asked what she wanted to accomplish with the next phase of her career in an interview with Elle, published on April 4, 2016, Beyoncé said: "I hope I can create art that helps people heal. Art that makes people feel proud of their struggle. Everyone experiences pain, but sometimes you need to be uncomfortable to transform."[21]
Recording and production edit
Lemonade was recorded between June 2014 and July 2015 across 11 studios in the United States.[22] Beyoncé had the idea to write each song corresponding to the eleven chapters that can be seen in the Lemonade film, and posted moodboards around the studio representing each chapter to provide direction to her collaborators.[23][24] Beyoncé and her collaborators also played music in the studio to inspire each other.[25] The album was written in stages, with Beyoncé retreating to her home to work on the recordings with recording and mixing engineer Stuart White, as well as to take care of her daughter. The process began at the Record Plant in Los Angeles, which the team used for a month. They then took a break, and later went to Paris for 45 days. The team stayed in a hotel and set up two studios in two different hotel rooms, one for Beyoncé and one for Jay-Z.[26] Jay-Z recounted how he and Beyoncé recorded music both separately and together, describing it as "using our art almost like a therapy session" after his infidelity. The music that Beyoncé recorded separately was what became Lemonade and was released first.[27]
Lemonade was produced through Beyoncé's synthesis of the work of many collaborators, including both popular and lesser known artists.[28] MNEK relayed how "Hold Up" was written, saying "The way Beyoncé works, the song is a jigsaw piece and then she will piece various elements. It could be a bit that she's written, a bit that someone else has written and she'll make that the bridge; a bit I've written she'll make the middle eight".[24] MNEK also explains that Beyoncé was "overlooking everything, saying "I like this, I like that, this is how this should sound, this is how that should sound.""[29] "Don't Hurt Yourself" collaborator Jack White describes how "she took just sort of a sketch of a lyrical outline and turned into the most bodacious, vicious, incredible song... I'm so amazed at what she did with it."[30] "Hold Up" and "Sorry" co-writer and co-producer MeLo-X explains that "she has a way of creating that I've never seen before as an artist. She produces, alters and arranges tracks in ways I wouldn't think of."[28] When talking about how he scored the Lemonade film as well, MeLo-X explains "She's hands on with everything. She gives direction on everything and is very involved with the whole process. It's inspiring to see an artist on that level be able to just still have an eye for certain things and an ear... We would just sit down and go over with different things and different scenes and sounds and kind of put it together piece by piece."[25]
Themes edit
We all experience pain and loss, and often we become inaudible. My intention for the film and album was to create a body of work that would give a voice to our pain, our struggles, our darkness and our history. To confront issues that make us uncomfortable. It's important to me to show images to my children that reflect their beauty, so they can grow up in a world where they look in the mirror, first through their own families — as well as the news, the Super Bowl, the Olympics, the White House and the Grammys — and see themselves, and have no doubt that they're beautiful, intelligent and capable. This is something I want for every child of every race. And I feel it's vital that we learn from the past and recognize our tendencies to repeat our mistakes.
—Beyoncé during her acceptance speech for the 2017 Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album[31]
As a multimedia audiovisual artwork, Lemonade relates the emotional journey of Beyoncé after her husband Jay-Z's infidelity in a generational and racial context through its music, lyrics, visuals and poetry.[32] The Lemonade album is a song cycle (referencing the classical compositional genre defined in German Lieder by Robert Schumann, Franz Schubert and Johannes Brahms) that is performed as an elaboration of the Kübler-Ross model, with the tracks (excluding "Formation") corresponding to the eleven chapters of the Lemonade film: "Intuition", "Denial", "Anger", "Apathy", "Emptiness", "Accountability", "Reformation", "Forgiveness", "Resurrection", "Hope", and "Redemption".[33]
Melina Matsoukas, the director of the "Formation" music video, said that Beyoncé explained to her the concept behind Lemonade, stating: "She wanted to show the historical impact of slavery on black love, and what it has done to the black family, and black men and women—how we're almost socialized not to be together."[34] Beyoncé wrote on this in a 2018 Vogue article about the "generational curses" in her family, explaining that she comes "from a lineage of broken male-female relationships, abuse of power, and mistrust", including a slave owner who married a slave. Beyoncé continues, writing "Only when I saw that clearly was I able to resolve those conflicts in my own relationship. Connecting to the past and knowing our history makes us both bruised and beautiful."[35]
This theme is repeated throughout Lemonade, with Beyoncé's grief, trauma and struggle being connected to that of her family's ancestors.[36] The sixth track "Daddy Lessons" acts as a turning point for the album, with Beyoncé linking Jay-Z cheating on her with her father Mathew Knowles cheating on her mother Tina.[37] Towards the end of Lemonade, Beyoncé reveals the meaning behind the album title, showing Jay-Z's grandmother Hattie White saying "I had my ups and downs, but I always find the inner strength to pull myself up. I was served lemons, but I made lemonade", and describing her own grandmother, Agnez Deréon, as an "alchemist" who "spun gold out of this hard life" with the instructions to overcome these challenges passed down through generations like a lemonade recipe.[38]
Black feminism edit
Miriam Bale for Billboard called Lemonade "a revolutionary work of Black feminism" as "a movie made by a black woman, starring Black women, and for Black women", in which Beyoncé is seen gathering, uniting and leading Black women throughout the film.[39] As well as relating the story of Beyoncé's relationship with her husband, Lemonade also chronicles the relationship between Black women and American society. This includes how the United States betrayed and continually mistreats Black women, with society needing to solve its problems in order to enable reformation and the rehabilitation of Black women.[40][41] As part of reverting the societal oppression and silencing of Black women, Lemonade centralizes the experiences of Black women in a way that is not often seen in the media, and celebrates their achievements despite the adversity they face.[42][43]
"Don't Hurt Yourself" contains a quote from Malcolm X in which he said "The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman". The Black female public figures that Beyoncé featured in the film all have successful careers despite experiencing misogynoir and racism in the media.[44] The film also contains clips of everyday Black women from working class communities, bringing visibility to Black women who are often ignored and undermined by society.[43] The film envisions a space where there was never oppression of Black women, whereby Beyoncé and other Black women form a self-sufficient community in which they can heal together.[45][46] Lemonade also defies and dismantles stereotypical representations of Black women as monolithic and angry Black women, instead attributing them complexity, agency, strength and vulnerability.[44]
To create Lemonade, Beyoncé drew from the work of a wide variety of Black women who are often overlooked or forgotten. The music draws inspiration from Black female blues musicians such as Shug Avery, Bessie Smith and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, who also used their personal trauma to empower Black women, as well as samples songs originally recorded by Black women, namely Memphis Minnie and Dionne Warwick, but whose most famous recordings are by male or white artists.[47][48] The visuals drew inspiration from works by Black feminists such as Julie Dash's Daughters Of The Dust, Alice Walker's In Search Of Our Mothers' Gardens, and Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye.[49] Other influences for Lemonade include literary work by Black women focusing on themes including African-American folklore (such as Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God) and Afrofuturism (such as Octavia Butler's Kindred).[50]
African-American culture edit
Beyoncé also uses Lemonade as a form of recognition, commemoration and celebration of the culture and history of Black people in the Deep South and in the United States as a whole. The film contains allusions to slavery, such as the House of Slaves' Door of No Return in Senegal and the dungeons of Elmina Castle in Ghana, where slaves were taken before being shipped to the Americas.[51][52] In "Love Drought", Beyoncé walks with her dancers into the sea, alluding to the Igbo Landing of 1803, where Igbo slaves took control of their slave ship, and rather than submit to slavery, marched into the sea while singing in Igbo, drowning themselves.[53] Beyoncé appears wearing a tignon, in reference to Louisiana's tignon laws implemented in 1786 that limited African-American women's dress in order to maintain the state's racist social hierarchies.[54] The film also contains references to African religion and spirituality, such as Yoruba ori body paint in "Sorry", allusions to the loa Erzulie Red-Eyes in "Don't Hurt Yourself", and Beyoncé's initiation into the Santería religion and embodiment of the Yoruba orisha Oshun in "Hold Up".[40][55] Allusions to New Orleans culture include "Queen of Creole cuisine" Leah Chase, the Edna Karr Marching Band, jazz funerals, Mardi Gras Indians and the Superdome.[56]
Beyoncé is seen with other Black women on plantations in Lemonade. In the "Formation" video, the walls of the plantation houses are covered with French Renaissance-style portraits of Black subjects; director Melina Matsoukas states that "films about slavery traditionally feature white people in these roles of power and position. I wanted to turn those images on their head."[34] Towards the end of Lemonade, Beyoncé and several Black women are on a plantation, with Chris Kelly for Fact writing "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."[56] Throughout the film, Beyoncé can be seen in Fort Macomb, a Confederate States Army stronghold that was taken over by one of the first all-Black Union Army units – the 1st Louisiana Native Guard – and eventually destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.[57] On the central track "Daddy Lessons", Beyoncé is seen standing in a hideaway in the fort, alluding to the Underground Railroad.[56] However, on the closer "All Night", Beyoncé is seen above ground, walking on top of the ruins of the fort in an antebellum-style dress made in West African material, possibly inspired by artist Yinka Shonibare who is known for reappropriating "European import — the cloth — to remake symbols of European cultural dominance in the spirit of Africa".[58]
On "Don't Hurt Yourself", Beyoncé samples Led Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks". However, the classic rock song was originally written by black Delta blues artists Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie, with the song referring to the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 which displaced hundreds of thousands of African Americans.[59] With the sample, Beyoncé reappropriates the song that was written by Black people about black history.[60] In general, Beyoncé also reappropriates genres that were influenced by African Americans that are now seen as predominantly white genres on Lemonade, such as rock in "Don't Hurt Yourself" and country in "Daddy Lessons".[61]
Music and lyrics edit
The album features musicians Jack White, Kendrick Lamar, and bassist Marcus Miller, and sampling from folk music collectors[62] John Lomax, Sr. and his son Alan Lomax on "Freedom". Beyoncé and her team reference the musical memories of all those periods,[62] including a brass band, stomping blues rock, ultraslow avant-R&B, preaching, a prison song (both collected by John and Alan Lomax), and the sound of the 1960s fuzz-tone guitar psychedelia (sampling the Puerto Rican band Kaleidoscope).[63] The Washington Post called the album a "surprisingly furious song cycle about infidelity and revenge".[64] The Chicago Tribune described the album as not just a mere grab for popular music dominance, rather it is a retrospective that allows the listener to explore Beyoncé's personal circumstances, with musical tones from the southern United States, a harkening back towards her formative years spent in Texas.[65] AllMusic wrote that Beyoncé "delights in her Blackness, femininity, and Southern origin with supreme wordplay."[66]
According to The A.V. Club, the tracks "encompass and interpolate the entire continuum of R&B, rock, soul, hip hop, pop, and blues", accomplished by a deft precision "blurring eras and references with determined impunity."[67] The Guardian and Entertainment Weekly both noted that the album touches on country,[68][69] and Entertainment Weekly noticed the use of avant-garde musical elements. Consequence of Sound wrote that the album's genres span "from gospel to rock to R&B to trap";[70] On the album, Isaac Hayes and Andy Williams are among the sampled artists.[68] PopMatters noticed how the album was nuanced in its theme of anger and betrayal with vast swathes of the album bathed in political context; however, it is still a pop album at its essence with darker and praiseworthy tones.[71] In 2020, Marc Hogan from Pitchfork considered Lemonade among the great art pop albums of the last 20 years to "have filled the void of full-length statements with both artistic seriousness and mass appeal that was formerly largely occupied by [rock] guitar bands".[2]
Title and artwork edit
There are two suggested inspirations for the album's title. The song "Freedom" includes at its end an audio recording of Hattie White, grandmother of Beyoncé's husband Jay-Z's, telling a crowd at her ninetieth birthday party in December 2015: "I had my ups and downs, but I always find the inner strength to pull myself up. I was served lemons, but I made lemonade", referencing the proverb "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade" that encourages turning sourness and difficulty to something positive. Beyoncé also draws a connection to her own grandmother, Agnez Deréon, using her lemonade recipe that was passed down through the generations as a metaphor for the mechanisms for healing passed through generations.[38]
The cover artwork for Lemonade is from the music video shot for "Don't Hurt Yourself" and features Beyoncé wearing cornrows and a fur coat, leaning against a Chevrolet Suburban and covering her face with her arm.[72] In 2023, Joe Lynch of Billboard ranked it the 99th best album cover of all time.[73]
Release and promotion edit
Lemonade was first made available for online streaming via Tidal on April 23, 2016, through Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records, and for digital download the following day. It was released for CD and DVD on May 6, 2016. A limited edition box set titled How to Make Lemonade was made available for pre-order on August 18, 2017, containing a six-hundred-page coffee table book, featuring a set of pictures and behind-the-scenes content showcasing the making of the album, and a double vinyl LP of Lemonade. Standalone vinyl was released on September 15, 2017.[74] Upon its release, Lemonade was only available to stream on Tidal; however the album was eventually released to all other streaming platforms on April 23, 2019, exactly three years after its release. The version of the album that was made available on other streaming services contains the original audio part of Lemonade as well as the original demo of "Sorry" as a bonus.[75]
Beyoncé had a goal to perform the entire Lemonade album live.[76] Beyoncé performed "Formation" at the Super Bowl 50 halftime show as part of her guest appearance at the event, with critics lauding the performance and stating that she stole the show from headliners Coldplay.[77][78][79] The political symbolism in the performance also inspired many thinkpieces and discussions on their history and significance.[80][81][82] Beyoncé performed "Freedom" with Kendrick Lamar as the surprise opening number at the 2016 BET Awards on June 27.[83] The performance began with an audio clip of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.[84][85] The performance was met with acclaim by critics.[86] At the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards on August 28, Beyoncé performed a sixteen-minute medley of "Pray You Catch Me", "Hold Up", "Sorry", "Don't Hurt Yourself", and "Formation", and included interludes of the poetry as heard in the Lemonade film.[87] Critics noted that Beyoncé used political symbolism during "Pray You Catch Me", which included angel-like dancers in historical black hairstyles (such as Bantu knots, braids and dreadlocks) successively falling to the ground as though shot, alluding to police brutality, and a black man in a black hoodie catching, uplifting and pushing Beyoncé forward, alluding to Trayvon Martin, who was killed when wearing a black hoodie.[88][89]
On October 19, Beyoncé performed "6 Inch" and "All Night" at the TIDAL X benefit concert at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York City.[90] On November 2, Beyoncé performed "Daddy Lessons" with the Dixie Chicks at the 50th Annual Country Music Association Awards (2016).[91] The performance (which was the first featuring the Dixie Chicks in a decade after being blacklisted for their criticism of George W Bush in 2003) was widely praised by critics,[92][93] but was met with criticism and racism by conservative country fans; this sparked conversations about the identity of country music and black people's place in it.[94][95][96] Subsequently, a remix of "Daddy Lessons" featuring the Dixie Chicks was released.[97][98] At the 59th Annual Grammy Awards on February 12, 2017, Beyoncé performed "Love Drought" and "Sandcastles".[99] Themed around motherhood, the five-months pregnant Beyoncé's performance is recognised by commentators to evoke various female deities and Renaissance European Christian art (such as Tintoretto's Last Supper, Simone Martini's Maestà and depictions of the Virgin of Guadalupe) and various non-European allusions such as Fulani facepainting, Ethiopian icons, Byzantine jewelry and Latin American Baroque painting.[100][101][102]
In order to promote the album, Beyoncé embarked on The Formation World Tour which visited countries in North America and Europe from April to October 2016.[103] The stage featured the Es Devlin-designed 'Monolith', a revolving seven-storey-tall box made with video screen walls that could shoot out fire and fireworks and split open, and which revolved during the show to represent a new chapter in line with the Lemonade film.[104][105] The Formation World Tour was met with rave reviews from critics, such as Kat Bein for Rolling Stone who described the show as "a prime example of entertainment and a vision of an artist at her apex" and "a visual feast as well as an emotional tour de force, packed with fireworks, confetti, rearranging stage designs and aerial dancers."[103] The Formation World Tour won Tour of the Year at the 2016 American Music Awards,[106] was included in Rolling Stone's 50 Greatest Concerts of the Last 50 Years list in 2017,[107] and was named the best tour of the decade (2010s) by Consequence of Sound in 2019.[108]
The Formation World Tour was ranked at number one and number two on Pollstar's 2016 mid-year Top 100 Tours chart both in North America and worldwide respectively, with a total mid-year worldwide gross of $137.3 million from the first twenty-five shows (including $126.3 million from the first North American leg of the tour). In total, the tour grossed $256 million from forty-nine sold-out shows according to Billboard box score, and ranked at number two on Pollstar's 2016 Year-End Tours chart.
Accompanying film edit
Lemonade was accompanied by the release of a sixty-five-minute film of the same title, produced by Good Company and Jonathan Lia, which premiered on HBO on April 23, 2016,[109] logging 787,000 viewers.[110] It is divided into eleven chapters, titled "Intuition", "Denial", "Anger", "Apathy", "Emptiness", "Accountability", "Reformation", "Forgiveness", "Resurrection", "Hope", and "Redemption".[111] The film uses poetry and prose written by British-Somali poet Warsan Shire; the poems adapted were "The Unbearable Weight of Staying", "Dear Moon", "How to Wear Your Mother's Lipstick", "Nail Technician as Palm Reader", and "For Women Who Are Difficult to Love".[112][113]
The film's cast features Ibeyi, Laolu Senbanjo, Amandla Stenberg, Quvenzhané Wallis, Chloe x Halle, Zendaya and Serena Williams.[114] In "Forward", the mothers of Trayvon Martin (Sybrina Fulton), Michael Brown (Lesley McFadden), and Eric Garner (Gwen Carr) are featured holding pictures of their deceased sons.[115][116] Jay-Z and Beyoncé's daughter Blue Ivy appears in home video footage at one point, as does Jay-Z's grandmother Hattie White, and Beyoncé's mother Tina Knowles, who is shown with her second husband Richard Lawson on their wedding day in 2015.[117] The film also samples work by Malcolm X, specifically an excerpt from his speech "Who Taught You to Hate Yourself", which is featured on the track "Don't Hurt Yourself".[118]
The Lemonade film appeared on a number of critics' lists. Pitchfork listed Lemonade at number one on their list of best music videos of 2016.[119] It was also included on Sight & Sound's best films of 2016 list at number twenty-six.[120][121] David Ehrlich, a film critic for IndieWire, placed Lemonade at number twenty-three on his Best Films of 2016 list.[122] Jen Yamato from The Daily Beast ranked it at number nine on her list of the Top 10 Best Films of 2016.[123] In June 2016, Matthew Fulks sued Beyoncé, Sony Music, Columbia Records and Parkwood Entertainment for allegedly lifting nine visual elements of his short film Palinoia for the trailer for Lemonade. The lawsuit was subsequently dismissed by New York federal judge Jed S. Rakoff, siding with the defendant.[124]
Singles edit
Lemonade consisted of five singles, three of which would become major hits. All twelve songs charted on the US Billboard Hot 100.[125] "Formation" was released as the album's first single exclusively on Tidal on February 6, 2016, along with its accompanying music video. The song was part of the set Beyoncé performed the following day at the Super Bowl 50 halftime show.[126] "Formation" peaked at number ten on the US Billboard Hot 100. The music video for the song was uploaded onto Vevo in December 2016.[127]
"Sorry" was released as the second single and serviced to rhythmic adult contemporary radio in the United States on May 3, 2016,[128] and its music video was uploaded onto Vevo on June 22, 2016.[129] The single debuted and peaked at number eleven on the US Billboard Hot 100.[130]
"Hold Up" was the third single and was first released to contemporary hit radio stations in Germany and the United Kingdom on May 12, 2016,[131][132] and was later serviced to radio in the United States on August 16, 2016.[133] It debuted and peaked at number thirteen on the US Billboard Hot 100.[130] The music video for "Hold Up" was uploaded onto Vevo on September 4, 2016.[134]
The fourth and fifth singles released were "Freedom" and "All Night", respectively. Both became moderate hits with the former (released September 2016) peaking at US number thirty-five, and the latter (released December 2016) peaking at US number thirty-eight.
Critical reception edit
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 8.7/10[136] |
| Metacritic | 92/100[135] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [66] |
| The Daily Telegraph | [137] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A+[68] |
| The Guardian | [69] |
| The Independent | [138] |
| NME | 4/5[139] |
| Pitchfork | 8.5/10[140] |
| Rolling Stone | [141] |
| Spin | 9/10[142] |
| Vice (Expert Witness) | A−[143] |
Lemonade received universal acclaim from music critics upon release,[144] and is widely considered to be Beyoncé's magnum opus.[145] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received a weighted average score of 92, based on 33 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[146]
In Spin, Greg Tate calls Lemonade "a triumph of marketing and musicality, spectacle and song, vision and collaboration, Borg-like assimilation, and — as of 2013 — the element of surprise". Lauding both the film and album, Tate writes "Visually, literarily, choreographically, cinematically, this full accessing of her Southern bona fides shows up in the HBO project as ritual evidence that Bey's spent her downtime delving into the avant-garde mysticism of black-feminist poetry, novel writing, dance, gallery art, and film... The album, however, is out to sonorously suck you into its gully gravitational orbit the old fashioned way, placing the burden of conjuration on its steamy witches' brew of beats, melodies, and heavy-hearted-to-merry-pranksterish vocal seductions. In her mastery of carnal and esoteric mysteries, Queen Bey raises the spirits, sizzles the flesh, and rallies her troops."[142] AllMusic writer Andy Kellman called Lemonade "culturally seismic" through its "layers of meaning and references, and experienced en masse through its televised premiere", adding that "the cathartic and wounded moments here resonate in a manner matched by few, if any, of Beyoncé's contemporaries."[66]
In a five-star review for Rolling Stone, Rob Sheffield calls Lemonade "a welcome reminder that giants still walk among us", describing it as an "album of emotional discord and marital meltdown... from the most respected and creative artist in the pop game". Sheffield writes "Lemonade is her most emotionally extreme music, but also her most sonically adventurous... Yet the most astounding sound is always Bey's voice", which is described as "her wildest, rawest vocals ever". Sheffield also compares Lemonade to Aretha Franklin's Spirit in the Dark and Nina Simone's Silk and Soul in the way that the album "reach[es] out historically, connecting her personal pain to the trauma of American blackness".[141] Ray Rahman for Entertainment Weekly agrees, writing that Lemonade is "a raw and intensely personal plunge into the heart of marital darkness" as well as "a feminist blueprint, a tribute to women, African-Americans, and, especially, African-American women". Rahman further praises the diversity of the album: "[Beyoncé] can do rock, blues, country, avant-garde, whatever. Lemonade stands as Bey's most diverse album to date. Sinister strip-club-in-the-future R&B... sits right next to a slab of Texas twang. Led Zeppelin and Soulja Boy become bedfellows."[68]
Alexis Petridis of The Guardian wrote that the album "feels like a success" and that Beyoncé sounded "genuinely imperious". Petridis praises the musical arc of the album, commenting on how the music "slowly works itself up into a righteous frenzy of anger, shifting from the becalmed misery of opener "Pray You Catch Me" via the sparse simmer of "Hold Up"... before finally boiling over on the fantastic "Don't Hurt Yourself": a ferocious, distorted vocal as commanding as anything she's recorded".[69] The Daily Telegraph writer Jonathan Bernstein felt it was her strongest work to date and "proves there's a thin line between love and hate."[137] Nekesa Moody and Mohamad Soliman from The Washington Post called the album a "deeply personal, yet ... a bold social and political statement as well".[147] Writing for The New York Times, Jon Pareles praised Beyoncé's vocals and her courage to talk about subjects that affect so many people, and noted that "the album is not beholden to radio formats or presold by a single".[148] Greg Kot from the Chicago Tribune felt that "artistic advances" seem "slight" in context towards the record's "more personal, raw and relatable" aspects, where it came out as a "clearly conceived" piece of music, meaning it had a "unifying vision" for what may have lent itself to being "a prettily packaged hodgepodge".[65]
Reviewing the album in The Independent, Everett True wrote that it "is fiery, insurgent, fiercely proud, sprawling and sharply focused in its dissatisfaction", with Beyoncé "pick[ing] up the mantles of both" Prince and Nina Simone.[138] Writing for Slate, Carl Wilson describes Lemonade as "a spectacle to rival Thriller" and "a beautiful and often disturbing kaleidoscope of poetry, feminism, racial politics, history, mythology, emotional upheaval, family, and romance that can be watched again and again and will be for years to come".[149] Kitty Empire of The Observer writes that "female endurance and pragmatism are celebrated with warmth, anger and wit on this astounding visual album" and that "it's unlikely there will be many more albums this year that will unite high art and low in the same way as Beyoncé's jaw-slackening latest".[150] Jillian Mapes of Pitchfork wrote that "The increasingly signature cadence, patois, and all-around attitude on Lemonade speaks to her status as the hip-hop pop star—but this being Bey, she doesn't stop there... Lemonade proves Beyoncé to also be a new kind of post-genre pop star".[140] In The A.V. Club Annie Zaleski wrote that it was "yet another seismic step forward for Beyoncé as a musician" that "pushes pop music into smarter, deeper places".[67]
Shahzaib Hussain, writing for Clash, stated: "Lemonade is Beyoncé at her most benevolent, and her most unadulterated. Treating her blackness not as an affliction but a celebratory beacon, Lemonade is a long overdue, cathartic retribution."[151] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine wrote that the album "is her most lyrically and thematically coherent effort to date."[152] Maura Johnston of Time wrote that its tracks were "fresh yet instantly familiar" with an "over-the-top but intimate" sound.[153] Jamie Milton of DIY wrote that "there's so much more than an enthralling story to draw out of this all-slaying work", where "Beyoncé can count herself as a risk-taker breaking new ground, up there with the bravest."[154] Exclaim!'s Erin Lowers wrote that "If you've ever been handed lemons, you need Lemonade", calling it "an album in which millions will find their own struggles reflected back to them, as therapeutic as it is utterly dazzling".[155] Britt Julious of Consequence of Sound describes how "With nods to Voudou and Southern Black gothic storytelling, Lemonade, the visual album, wove chapters of emotional grief into a piece of art about the black woman... Separated from the visual, the album itself acts as dexterously as the film, exposing the rawest elements of Beyoncé's personal life while framing it against the universal — the machinations of internal paranoia, the all-consuming well of fury and anger, and the bottomless depths of sadness." Julious continues by praising the song cycle nature of the album: "Taken as a whole, we hear the threads of this from song to song on the record. If Lemonade is a record about dismantling the cycles of abuse, ripping open the secrets we keep hidden (especially within the closely guarded black community), and finding healing, purpose, and even greatness in the process, then it is personified in the arcs of each track... The songs stand as joined entities, two dichotomous halves of the grief process".[70] PopMatters writer Evan Sawdey felt few albums could ever be considered "as bold, complex, or resolute as Lemonade,"[71] and the BBC's Mark Savage, describing Lemonade as "an album with a complex narrative arc... that demands to be heard in one sitting", noted that Beyoncé had become an albums artist with a range extending beyond that of radio play.[156]
Accolades edit
At the end of 2016, Lemonade appeared on a number of critics' lists ranking the year's top albums. According to the BBC, it was the critics' top album of 2016,[157] while according to Metacritic, it was the second most prominently ranked record of 2016, and the album that was listed at number one by the most publications (37 publications).[158] Lemonade was ranked as the best album of the year by such publications as Rolling Stone,[159] Billboard,[160] Entertainment Weekly,[161] The Guardian,[162] Digital Spy,[163] The Independent,[164] The Associated Press,[165] The New York Times (Jon Pareles list),[166] Los Angeles Times (Mikael Wood list),[167] Pop Matters,[168] Pretty Much Amazing,[169] Idolator,[170] Stereogum,[171] Complex,[172] Consequence of Sound,[173] Wired,[174] and US Weekly.[175] Paste,[176] USA Today,[177] NPR also included the release on their list of best albums of 2016.[178] The album appeared within the top twenty of numerous publications year end lists including: Village Voice's,[179]Slant,[180] Exclaim!,[181] Spin,[182] NME,[183] FACT,[184] Drowned in Sound,[185] Uncut,[186] Mojo,[187] Q,[188] and Pitchfork.[189]
Lemonade was named the best album of the decade (2010s) by Consequence of Sound,[190] The Associated Press[191] and Spex.[192] Lemonade was also named the best music video of the decade by The Daily Beast,[193] as well as one of the best movies of the 2010s by Vox[194] and the eleventh greatest film of the decade by Hyperallergic.[195] Rolling Stone[196] The Independent,[197] New York Post,[198] Billboard,[199] Paste,[200] The A.V. Club,[201] WXPN The Key,[202] and Refinery29[203] declared Lemonade the second best album of the 2010s. Lemonade was named the third best album of the decade by Tampa Bay Times,[204] Insider,[205] and The Young Folks,[206] while the Genius community[207] and Chris Willman for Variety[208] named it the fourth best one. Uproxx,[209] Noisey,[210] The Independent,[211] and The Wild Honey Pie[212] named Lemonade the fifth best album of the decade. Pitchfork listed Lemonade as the 41st greatest album of the decade.[213] Time,[214] Paper,[215] Stuff,[216] and The Sydney Morning Herald[217] included the album in their lists of the best 10 albums of the decade. Lemonade was included in The Atlantic's "Time Capsule of the 2010s".[218] Lemonade was included in Triple J's top 15 biggest music moments of the decade list.[219]
Lemonade is the 26th best album of all time by Metacritic score.[220] In 2020, Parade named Lemonade the best music video of all time.[221] On Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, Lemonade was placed at number 32, citing the album's exploration of "the betrayals of American blackness" and "all of the country's music traditions".[222] BBC Radio 4's named Lemonade the eighth greatest risk in 21st century art, with the judges saying that Beyoncé "resisted the commercial pressure not to be political in order to stand up for what she believed in and let audiences into her personal life as never before".[223] The Guardian listed it at number 25 on their ranking of the 100 best albums of the 21st century.[224] On their list of the top 100 albums of the publication's existence, The Quietus named the project at number 9.[225] In 2017, the album was ranked at number 6 on NPR's list of the 150 Greatest Albums Made By Women.[226] Consequence of Sound named Lemonade the second best album of the last 15 years (2007–2022)[227] and the 18th best one of all time.[228]
Awards edit
"Formation" won in three categories at the 2016 BET Awards for Video of the Year, the Centric Award, and the Viewers Choice Award.[229] At the 2017 BET Awards Beyoncé was nominated in 7 categories and won 5, including Album of the Year, Video of the Year for "Sorry" and Best Female R&B/Pop Artist.[230] The Lemonade film was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Variety Special and Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special. From the four categories, Beyoncé was nominated in the two mentioned.[231] The album's visuals received 11 nominations at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards. They included Breakthrough Long Form Video for Lemonade, Video of the Year, Best Pop Video, Best Direction, Best Editing, and Best Cinematography for "Formation", Best Female Video and Best Art Direction for "Hold Up", and Best Choreography for "Sorry" and "Formation".[232] Beyoncé went on to win eight of her nominations, including Video of the Year and Breakthrough Long Form Video.[233]
She received two nominations at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards Japan for Best Album of the Year for Lemonade and Best Female Video International for "Formation", eventually winning for Best Album of the Year.[234][235] At the 2016 Soul Train Music Awards, Beyoncé was nominated for eight awards including Best Female Artist, Lemonade for Album of the Year, and "Formation" for Song and Video of the Year. Beyoncé went on to win all four awards. Lemonade won Best TV Show – Special or Limited Series at the African American Film Critics Association.[236] At the 2017 NAACP Image Awards, Lemonade was nominated for Outstanding Album and Outstanding Variety – Series or Special, "Formation" was nominated for Outstanding Song and Outstanding Music Video, and "Freedom", featuring Kendrick Lamar, was nominated for Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration and Outstanding Song. The album received four awards, including Outstanding Album, Outstanding Song and Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration for "Freedom" and Outstanding Music Video for "Formation".[237] At the 2016 ADG Excellence in Production Design Awards, Lemonade received the award for Best Awards or Event Special, as well as "Hold Up", "6 Inch" and "Denial" all being nominated for Best Short Format: Web Series, Music Video or Commercial.[238]
At the 59th Annual Grammy Awards, Lemonade received three nominations: Album of the Year, Best Urban Contemporary Album and Best Music Film. "Formation" received three as well: Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Music Video. "Hold Up" was nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance, "Don't Hurt Yourself" for Best Rock Performance and "Freedom" for Best Rap/Sung Performance.[239] Beyoncé went on to win two awards, Best Urban Contemporary Album and Best Music Video for "Formation".[240] Lemonade won Outstanding Television Documentary or Special at the 2017 Black Reel Awards.[241]
Lemonade won a Peabody Award in Entertainment, along with the following description by the board of jurors:[242]
Adroitly bringing together stories about betrayal, renewal, and hope, Lemonade draws from the prolific literary, musical, cinematic, and aesthetic sensibilities of black cultural producers to create a rich tapestry of poetic innovation. Defying genre and convention, Lemonade immerses viewers in the sublime worlds of black women, family, and community where we experience poignant and compelling stories about the lives of women of color and the bonds of friendship seldom seen or heard in American popular culture. This innovative and stunningly beautiful masterpiece challenges us to readjust our visual and sonic antennae and invites a reckoning with taken for granted ideas about who we are. For the audacity of its reach and the fierceness of its vision in challenging our cultural imagination about the intimacies and complexities of women of color, we recognize Lemonade as a Peabody Award winner. —The George Foster Peabody Awards Board of Jurors
Commercial performance edit
In the United States, Lemonade debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, with 653,000 album-equivalent units, out of which 485,000 were pure album sales. This made the highest opening-week sales for a female act of the year. Subsequently, she broke the record she previously tied with DMX, by becoming the first artist in the chart's history to have their first six studio albums debut at number one.[243] In the same week, Beyoncé became the first female artist to chart twelve or more songs on the US Billboard Hot 100 at the same time, with every song on the album debuting on the chart.[244] Additionally, Lemonade was streamed 115 million times via Tidal, setting a record for the most-streamed album in a single week by a female artist.[245]
The album slipped from number one to number two in its second week, selling 321,000 album-equivalent units, out of which 196,000 were pure album sales. It remained at number two in its third week selling 201,000 album-equivalent units, out of which 153,000 were pure album sales. Lemonade was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in June 2016. According to Nielsen's 2016 year-end report, it had sold 1,554,000 copies and 2,187,000 album-equivalent units in the United States.[246] Following its April 23, 2019 release on all streaming services, Lemonade returned to the top ten on the Billboard 200 at number nine,[247] while its only added song, the original demo of "Sorry", debuted at number four on the US R&B Songs.[248] On May 20, 2019, the album was certified double platinum for shipments of two million copies, and triple platinum on June 13, 2019, for shipments of three million copies. In Canada, the album debuted at number one with sales of 33,000 copies.[249]
The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart selling 73,000 copies in its first week of release, with 10,000 equivalent sales (14% of the total sales) accounting for streaming, marking the largest ever for a number-one album since the chart began including streaming.[250] The album marked the singer's third number-one album on the chart and was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on September 9, 2016, for shipments of 300,000 copies.[250] All of the album's tracks also debuted within the top hundred of the UK Singles Chart.[251] As in the US, 2020 is the first year since release that the album has not appeared on the UK Chart. In Australia, Lemonade sold 20,490 digital copies in its first week, debuting atop the Australian Albums Chart and becoming Beyoncé's second consecutive number-one album in the country.[252] It received a double platinum certification from the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) in 2023, for sales of 140,000 equivalent units.[253]
Lemonade also peaked atop the charts in numerous European and Oceanic countries including Ireland and Belgium, where it spent five and seven weeks at the summit, respectively, Croatia, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Scotland and Sweden.[254] In Brazil, it debuted at number one and received a platinum certification from Pro-Música Brasil.[255]
Impact and legacy edit
Music industry edit
Lemonade has been credited with reviving the concept of an album in an era dominated by singles and streaming, and popularizing releasing albums with accompanying films. Jamieson Cox for The Verge called Lemonade "the endpoint of a slow shift toward cohesive, self-centered pop albums", writing that "it's setting a new standard for pop storytelling at the highest possible scale".[256] Megan Carpentier of The Guardian wrote that Lemonade has "almost revived the album format" as "an immersive, densely textured large-scale work" that can only be listened to in its entirety.[257] Myf Warhurst on Double J's "Lunch With Myf" explained that Beyoncé "changed [the album] to a narrative with an arc and a story and you have to listen to the entire thing to get the concept".[258] The New York Times' Katherine Schulten agreed, asking "How do you talk about the ongoing evolution of the music video and the autobiographical album without holding up Lemonade as an exemplar of both forms?"[259] Joe Coscarelli of The New York Times describes how "some brand-name acts are following Beyoncé's blueprint with high-concept mini-movies that can add artistic heft to projects," with Frank Ocean's Endless and Drake's Please Forgive Me cited as examples of artists' projects inspired by Lemonade.[260] Other projects said to have followed the precedent that Lemonade set include Lonely Island's The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience, Thom Yorke's Anima, Sturgill Simpson's Sound & Fury, and Kid Cudi's Entergalactic, which were all albums released with complementary film projects.[261]
Beyoncé's use of various genres on Lemonade has been credited with setting the precedent for music to transcend genre, with NPR writing that the album "leads us to this moment where post-genre becomes a thing".[262][263] The use of various genres has also been credited with kickstarting the reclamation of certain genres by black people. "Daddy Lessons" has been credited as starting a trend of "pop stars toying with American West and Southern aesthetics,"[264] as well as setting the precedent for "The Yeehaw Agenda", the trend of reclaiming black cowboy culture through music and fashion.[265][266] "Don't Hurt Yourself" has been credited with the reclaiming of rock by black women, with Brittany Spanos for Rolling Stone writing that "the re-imagination of what rock can be and who can sing it by Beyoncé and her superstar peers is giving the genre a second life – and may be what can save it."[267]
Contemporaries edit
Several musicians were inspired by Lemonade. American rapper Snoop Dogg named his fourteenth studio album Coolaid (2016) after Lemonade.[268] British girl group Little Mix cited Lemonade as an inspiration for their album Glory Days (2016).[269] American rapper Cardi B was inspired by Lemonade for her upcoming album, which she says is "going to have my Lemonade moments".[270] Naming Lemonade one of her favorite albums ever, English singer-songwriter Ellie Rowsell of Wolf Alice said that it helped her to "put in more thought to what makes a good album flow".[271] American singer The-Dream wrote a response to Lemonade titled "Lemon Lean" in his EP Love You to Death, saying that the album changed the way people think about their relationships.[272][273] American comedian Lahna Turner released a visual album entitled Limeade in homage to Lemonade.[274] American singer Matt Palmer was inspired by Lemonade to create his visual EP Get Lost.[275] American musician Todrick Hall's second studio album Straight Outta Oz was made as a visual album due to Lemonade.[276] British singer-songwriter Arrow Benjamin was also inspired by Lemonade for his 2016 EP W.A.R. (We All Rise), saying: "Every piece on this project was created from a visual, so that's why I was extremely inspired when I saw Lemonade."[277]
Ann Powers for NPR opined that Fiona Apple was influenced by Lemonade when implementing black musical traditions on her 2020 album Fetch the Bolt Cutters,[278] while Jenna Wortham for The New York Times drew a parallel between both albums as "blueprints for how to take in all that emotion and kind of how to push it back out in a way that's cathartic and constructive".[279] Dan Weiss of Billboard wrote that Shania Twain's Now "couldn't have existed without" Lemonade, as an album that "completely changed the course of breakup album history" in which the artist is "someone at their full creative peak pushing herself into new niches, dominating new musical territories."[280] Kadeen Griffiths from Bustle states that Lemonade, as an album that deals with issues related to black women, "paved the way" for Alicia Keys' Here and Solange's A Seat at the Table.[281] Danielle Koku for The Guardian stated that Lemonade aided the return of African mysticism to pop music, writing: "By taking African mysticism to the world stage, Beyoncé stripped it of its ancient pagan labels."[282] Many critics have noted that Jay-Z's thirteenth studio album 4:44 (2017) is a response to Lemonade, with Jay-Z referencing lines from Lemonade, such as the "You better call Becky with the good hair" line on Beyoncé's "Sorry", with Jay-Z retorting: "Let me alone, Becky" in "Family Feud".[283]
At the 59th Annual Grammy Awards (2017), Adele dedicated her Album of the Year award to Beyoncé and said: "The artist of my life is Beyoncé... the Lemonade album, is just so monumental."[284] In a 2021 interview with Vogue, Adele claimed that Beyoncé should have won the said award instead of her. After the show, she went into Beyoncé's dressing room and "said to her, like, the way that the Grammys works, and the people who control it at the very, very top—they don't know what a visual album is. They don't want to support the way that she's moving things forward with her releases and the things that she's talking about." She revealed that the award she received in the mail was broken and that she wedged a lemon into the broken part, and went on to claim that, "[f]or [her] friends who are women of color, [Lemonade] was such a huge acknowledgment for them, of the sort of undermined grief that they go through."[285] American musician Stevie Wonder called Lemonade "a great work, a great art piece".[286] U2's Bono included "Freedom" in his "60 Songs That Saved My Life" project to celebrate his 60th birthday, writing: "In my 60 years, I was served many platters but rarely one like the Queen Bey's album Lemonade."[287]
Popular culture edit
Art and literature edit
Lemonade has inspired artists in media other than music, including art, literature, film, television, and theatre. Misha Green, creator of the 2020 television series Lovecraft Country, described how Lemonade inspired the direction and flow of the show's score, saying: "What Beyoncé did on Lemonade, with bringing in the poems and taking us on this collage of a journey, that wasn't just music and visuals. [It was] also words and using those words as a score."[288] Bill Condon, director of the film Beauty and the Beast (2017) says the visuals behind Lemonade inspired him for the movie: "You look at Beyoncé's brilliant movie Lemonade, this genre is taking on so many different forms… I do think that this very old-school break-out-into-song traditional musical is something that people understand again and really want.".[289]
The Royal National Theatre's 2018 production of Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra featured a costume inspired by Lemonade, with costume designer Evie Gurney describing how she wanted to draw a parallel between Cleopatra and Beyoncé, as the latter is "a woman in the public eye who was subject to a lot of scrutiny [and] actually created a platform for herself to take back the narrative of her own story, and it was an extraordinary act of power."[290] The character of Catherine of Aragon in the West End and Broadway musical Six was inspired by "Lemonade-era Beyoncé".[291][292] Ellie Kenrick's 2018 play Hole at the Royal Court was described by its directors as "a stage version of Beyoncé's Lemonade album", as an artwork about feminism and historical oppression of women that consists of song, dance and spoken word.[293]
Fashion stylist Salvador Camarena paid homage to Lemonade by designing a room dedicated to the album during Modernism Week, saying "That album is such a visually stunning album. There are so many iconic looks from the video, I kind of wanted to implement that world into that room."[294] The young adult anthology A Phoenix First Must Burn edited by Patrice Caldwell, which explores "the Black experience through fantasy, science fiction, and magic", has the aim of "evoking Beyoncé's Lemonade for a teen audience".[295] A 2017 video game titled "Lemonade Rage" was created in homage to Lemonade and the "Hold Up" music video.[296] The cover of Marvel's 2017 America comic book paid homage to the "Formation" music video, with its illustrator saying "America is a comic that is all about representation, feminism and fighting for what's right... I could think of no better parallel than Beyoncé."[297]
Trends edit
Sales for Warsan Shire's chapbook "Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth" increased by 700 to 800% after her poetry was included in the Lemonade film.[298] Beyoncé's mention of Red Lobster in "Formation" increased sales at the restaurant chain by 33%, which made employees rename popular menu items after Beyoncé and call the effect the "Beyoncé Bounce".[299] Designers of the costumes that Beyoncé wore in the Lemonade film spoke with Complex about the impact that this had on their careers; for example, Natalia Fedner, who designed Beyoncé's dress for "Hold Up", stated that because of the dress's inclusion in Lemonade, "I was on 'Entertainment Tonight' being hailed as a 'designer to watch'."[300] The inclusion of imagery from the 1991 film Daughters of the Dust in the visuals for Lemonade helped bring the film back to theatres, with director Julie Dash stating that Lemonade "just took me places that I had not been seeing in a long, long time. It just re-confirmed a lot of things that I know to be true about visual style and visual metaphors. And the use of visual metaphors in creating, redefining, and re-framing a Creole culture within this new world."[301]
The popular "Lemonade braids" hairstyle worn by black women is named after a hairstyle that Beyoncé wore in Lemonade.[302][303] Georgia Murray for Refinery29 sourced the 2020 fashion trend of wearing yellow to Lemonade, writing that Beyoncé's yellow dress in "Hold Up" "kickstarted an obsession with yellow that we're still seeing the effects of today".[304] The use of the lemon and bee emojis increased due to the release of Lemonade, with a Twitter spokesperson telling Time: "Before Lemonade, the lemon emoji had no meaning. Since the launch of Lemonade, the emoji has taken on a meaning of its own".[305] The MTV Video Music Award for Breakthrough Long Form Video, which Beyoncé ultimately won at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, was reintroduced after 25 years due to the Lemonade film.[306]
Parodies and homages edit
Lemonade was parodied and was paid homage to in various media. In an episode of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt titled "Kimmy's Roommate Lemonades!", character Titus Andromedon parodied the videos for "Hold Up", "Sorry" and "All Night" after he suspects his boyfriend of infidelity, coining the term "Lemonading".[307] This episode was subsequently nominated for two Emmy Awards: Outstanding Original Music And Lyrics for the "Hold Up" parody "Hell No", and Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series for Tituss Burgess.[308] The "Hold Up" music video was also paid homage to in The Simpsons,[309] Making a Scene with James Franco,[310] The Ellen DeGeneres Show,[311] The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,[312] and The Daily Show.[313]
SNL produced two sketches on Lemonade: one entitled "The Day Beyoncé Turned Black" after Beyoncé released the "unapologetically black" "Formation",[314] and the other entitled "Melanianade" which parodied the "Sorry" music video featuring impersonations of Donald Trump's female family members and aides.[315] In a Late Night with Seth Meyers sketch titled "Beyoncé Lemonade Late Night Aftermath", females staffers empowered by Lemonade paid homage to the visuals, costumes, songs and poetry featured in the film.[316] The Late Late Show with James Corden produced a parody entitled "Lemonjames: A Visual Monologue", where James Corden gave his monologue by recreating parts of the Lemonade film such as the "Pray You Catch Me", "Don't Hurt Yourself" and "6 Inch" music videos.[317] Actress Goldie Hawn and comedian Amy Schumer produced a parody of "Formation".[318] The Season 2 premiere of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend featured a musical number that was an homage to Lemonade, including parodies of "Formation" and "Pray You Catch Me".[319]
For Beyoncé's 36th birthday, various black female public figures recreated a costume that Beyoncé wore in the "Formation" music video, including Michelle Obama and Serena Williams.[320] The first episode of British comedian James Acaster's 2020 podcast titled Perfect Sounds (in which Acaster discusses why 2016 was the greatest year in music with various comedians) featured Romesh Ranganathan and focused on "the genius of Lemonade".[321][322]
Intellectual response edit
Lemonade has also received notable attention from scholars and authors outside the music industry. In partnership with the Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities, a talk at Seminole State College "discussed how Beyoncé embodies the conjure woman in her iconic audiovisual work Lemonade as a contemporary revision of Zora Neale Hurston's groundbreaking study of conjure and its place in Black women's spirit work."[323] Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) announced "The Lemonade Project", a twelve-month series of conversations centered around the visual album. The series will explore the themes of race, gender and class addressed by the album.[324]
Kinitra Brooks and Kameelah Martin have produced "The Lemonade Reader", described as "an educational tool to support and guide discussions of the visual album at postgraduate and undergraduate levels, [which] critiques Lemonade's multiple Afrodiasporic influences, visual aesthetics, narrative arc of grief and healing, and ethnomusicological reach."[325] University of Texas at Austin professor Omise'eke Tinsley wrote a book entitled Beyoncé in Formation: Remixing Black Feminism that was released in 2018, which "analyzes Beyoncé's visual album, Lemonade, in relation to the sexuality and gender of Black women".[326] University of Albany professor Janell Hobson produced a lesson plan based on her class on Lemonade, saying "Beyoncé's Lemonade stimulates class discussions and assignments as a highly visible pop project striving to create deeper conversations on the meanings of Blackness, womanhood, and feminism."[327] Dissect Podcast have since dedicated their sixth season to "Beyoncé's masterwork Lemonade."[328] The host, Cole Cuchna and cohost Titi Shodiya, "make leaps of interpretative wonder, fusing insights, music theory, instrumentation, and lyric interpretation with social analysis to empower fans to build deeper connections with Beyoncé's artistry."[329]
Race and identity edit
In a 2020 New York Times article titled "The African-American Art Shaping the 21st Century", which contained 35 prominent black artists talking about the work that inspires them most, American actress Kerry Washington relayed about Lemonade as a game changer "visually, musically, but also sociopolitically, and anthropologically.[330] The release of "Formation" and the consequent performance at the Super Bowl 50 halftime show caused both conversation and controversy due to its "unapologetic Blackness". Many articles and think pieces were produced discussing the importance and meaning of the song and performance, such as the BBC, who produced an article entitled "Beyoncé's Super Bowl performance: Why was it so significant?",[331] and TheWrap, who produced an article entitled "Why Beyoncé's 'Formation' Matters So Much: A Perfectly Choreographed Political Debut Before 112 Million."[332] Lemonade as a whole also inspired many think pieces, particularly written by black women, that analyze the messages and significance of the album,[333][334][335] such as Miriam Bale for Billboard who named Lemonade "a revolutionary work of black feminism".[333]
Megan Carpentier of The Guardian named the album "a pop culture phenomenon" and wrote: "It is not an exaggeration to say that there is no other living musical artist who could ignite such a broad and unavoidable conversation just by releasing a new album – even a visual one."[336] Writing in the same publication, Syreeta McFadden noted that the "Formation" video depicts archetypal southern Black women "in ways that we haven't seen frequently represented in popular art or culture".[337] Melissa Harris-Perry of Time magazine said that "Beyoncé publicly embraced explicitly feminist Blackness at a politically risky moment."[338]
Academic study edit
Since its release, the album has spawned a large syllabus of literature and academic studies.[339] The University of Texas at San Antonio offered a class in the Fall of 2016 based on the album. The course, titled "Black Women, Beyoncé and Popular Culture", explored how the visual album "is a meditation on contemporary Black womanhood," before advancing and diving into the "theoretical, historical, and literary frameworks of Black feminism," according to the syllabus.[340] The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga hosted a "Lemonade Week" in April 2017, which featured discussions on feminism, theatrical performances, celebrations of African-American women writers and poets, and choreography tutorials.[341] Harvard University hosted "The Lemon Drop": a discussion that explored the nuances of Lemonade.[342] University of Arkansas offered a course that analysed the influence of Black feminism on Beyoncé and Lemonade.[343] University of Pennsylvania ran two courses that explored politics, race and gender through the study of Lemonade.[344][345]
Michigan State University hosted a discussion on Lemonade as part of their series for "exchanging ideas and exploring the lived experiences of underrepresented and marginalized communities".[346]Chatham University based a writing class on Lemonade, where "students get to examine how they fit into the power systems around them".[347] Valdosta State University offered a course on Lemonade, "unpacking the many themes found in "Lemonade", including Black identity, feminism, marital infidelity, sisterhood, and faith."[348] The College of Charleston hosted a discussion by Black feminist scholars, exploring "Beyoncé's use of southern landscape, Black women, music, and African-based spirituality".[349] University of North Georgia offered a class entitled "Okay, Ladies, Now Let's Get in Formation: Intersectional Feminism in Beyoncé's Lemonade" that explored the music, lyrics and visuals of Lemonade.[350]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Director(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Formation" (choreography version) | Melina Matsoukas | 4:22 |
| 15. | "Lemonade Film" |
| 65:51 |
| Total length: | 119:26 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lemonade Film" | 65:22 |
- Notes
- ^[a] signifies a co-producer.
- ^[b] signifies an additional producer.
- ^[c] signifies an additional director.
Sample credits edit
- "Hold Up"
- contains elements of "Can't Get Used to Losing You", performed by Andy Williams, written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman
- embodies portions of "Turn My Swag On", performed by Soulja Boy, written by DeAndre Way, Antonio Randolph and Kelvin McConnell
- contains elements of "Maps", performed by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, written by Brian Chase, Karen Orzolek and Nick Zinner.
- "Don't Hurt Yourself"
- features samples from "When the Levee Breaks", performed by Led Zeppelin, written by James Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham.
- "6 Inch"
- embodies portions of "My Girls", performed by Animal Collective, written by Dave Portner, Noah Lennox and Brian Weitz
- contains samples from "Walk On By", performed by Isaac Hayes, written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David.
- "Freedom"
- contains a sample of "Let Me Try", performed by Kaleidoscope, written by Frank Tirado
- contains a sample of "Collection Speech/Unidentified Lining Hymn", performed by Reverend R.C. Crenshaw, recorded by Alan Lomax
- contains a sample of "Stewball", performed by Prisoner "22" at Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman, recorded by Alan Lomax and John Lomax, Sr.
- "All Night"
- contains elements of "SpottieOttieDopaliscious", performed by OutKast, written by André Benjamin, Antwan Patton and Patrick Brown.
- "Sorry (original demo)"
- interpolates "Young, Wild & Free", as performed by Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa and Bruno Mars.
- Lemonade
- contains a sample of "The Court of the Crimson King", performed by King Crimson, written by Ian McDonald and Peter Sinfield.
Personnel edit
Credits from the album's liner notes,[351] Beyoncé's official website,[352] and Spotify[355]
- Musicians
- Beyoncé – vocals (all tracks)
- Jack White – vocals & bass guitar (track 3)
- The Weeknd – vocals (track 5)
- James Blake – vocals & piano (track 9); jupiter bass (track 1)
- Kendrick Lamar – vocals (track 10)
- MeLo-X – background vocals (track 2)
- Ruby Amanfu – background vocals (track 3)
- Chrissy Collins – background vocals (track 4)
- Belly – additional vocals (track 5)
- Arrow Benjamin – background vocals (track 10)
- Diplo – background vocals (track 11); drum programming (tracks 2, 11)
- King Henry – background vocals, drum programming & guitar (track 11)
- Jr Blender – drum programming & guitar (track 2)
- Derek Dixie – drum programming (tracks 3, 6, 11); additional instrumentation (track 5, 11); drums & band session leading (track 6); horns arrangement (tracks 11, 12)
- Mike Dean – drum programming & keyboards (track 7)
- Patrick Keeler – drums (track 3)
- Jon Brion – string arrangements (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- Eric Gorfain – strings & orchestrations (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- Daphne Chen – strings (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- Charlie Bisharat – strings (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- Josefina Vergara – strings (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- Songa Lee – strings (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- Marisa Kuney – strings (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- Neel Hammond – strings (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- Susan Chatman – strings (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- Katie Sloan – strings (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- Amy Wickman – strings (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- Lisa Dondlinger – strings (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- Terry Glenny – strings (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- Ina Veli – strings (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- Gina Kronstadt – strings (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- Yelena Yegoryan – strings (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- Radu Pieptea – strings (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- Crystal Alforque – strings (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- Serena McKinney – strings (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- Leah Katz – strings (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- Alma Fernandez – strings (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- Rodney Wirtz – strings (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- Briana Bandy – strings (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- Anna Bulbrook – strings (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- Grace Park – strings (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- Richard Dodd – strings (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- John Krovoza – strings (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- Ira Glansbeek – strings (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- Vanessa Fairbairn-Smith – strings (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- Ginger Murphy – strings (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- Adrienne Woods – strings (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- Denise Briese – strings (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- Ryan Cross – strings (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- Geoff Osika – strings (tracks 1, 3, 11)
- Fats Kaplan – strings (track 3)
- Lindsey Smith-Trestle – strings (track 3)
- Mark Watrous – strings & hammond organ (track 3)
- Randolph Ellis – horns (tracks 6, 11)
- Peter Ortega – horns (tracks 6, 11)
- Christopher Gray – horns (tracks 6, 11)
- Richard Lucchese – horns (tracks 6, 11)
- Patrick Williams – harmonica (track 6)
- Eric Walls – guitar (track 6)
- Courtney Leonard – bass (track 6)
- Marcus Miller – bass (tracks 10, 11)
- Jack Chambazyan – synths (track 8)
- Boots – synth arrangement (track 8); additional programming (track 10)
- B. Carr – additional programming (track 4)
- Too Many Zooz – additional instrumentation (track 6)
- Myles William – additional programming (track 10)
- Matt Doe – trumpet (track 12)
- Swae Lee – ad-libs (track 12)
- Big Freedia – additional background ad-libs (track 12)
- Kevin Garrett – piano (track 1)
- Vincent Berry II – piano (track 8)
- Canei Finch – additional piano (track 10)
- Technical
- Beyoncé – vocal production (all tracks); executive production
- Greg Koller – string engineering (tracks 1, 3, 11); keyboard engineering (tracks 1, 11); bass engineering (track 11)
- Stuart White – recording & engineering (all tracks); mixing (tracks 1-4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13); additional production (track 4)
- Vance Powell – recording (track 3)
- Joshua V. Smith – recording, additional overdubs & Pro Tools editing recording (track 3)
- Ramon Rivas – second engineering (tracks 1-7, 9-11)
- Mike Dean – engineering (track 7)
- Derek Dixie – assistant recording engineering (track 6)
- Eric Caudieux – Pro Tools editing recording (tracks 1, 3, 11); keyboard recording (tracks 1, 11)
- Jon Shacter – engineering assistance (track 2)
- Lester Mendoza – additional instrumentation recording (track 3); band recording engineering (track 6); horn recording (track 11)
- Ed Spear – additional studio assistance (track 3)
- Tony Maserati – mixing (tracks 5, 8, 11)
- Jaycen Joshua – mixing (track 12)
- John Cranfield – assistant recording engineering (track 1, 9, 11), assistant mix engineering (tracks 2–4, 6, 7, 10)
- Tyler Scott – assistant mix engineering (tracks 5, 11)
- James Krausse – assistant mix engineering (track 5)
- Miles Comaskey – assistant mix engineering (track 8)
- Arthur Chambazyan – assistant mix engineering (track 12); studio assistance (tracks 1-4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12)
- David Nakaji – assistant mix engineering (track 12)
- Maddox Chhim – assistant mix engineering (track 12)
- Dave Kutch – mastering (all tracks)
- Teresa LaBarbera Whites – A&R executive
Charts edit
Weekly charts edit
| Year-end charts edit
Decade-end charts edit
|
Certifications and sales edit
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[253] | 2× Platinum | 140,000‡ |
| Belgium (BEA)[427] | Gold | 15,000* |
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[428] | Platinum | 40,000‡ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[430] | 2× Platinum | 101,000[429] |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[431] | Platinum | 20,000‡ |
| France (SNEP)[432] | Gold | 50,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI)[433] | Gold | 25,000‡ |
| Netherlands (NVPI)[434] | Platinum | 40,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[435] | Gold | 7,500^ |
| Poland (ZPAV)[436] | Platinum | 20,000‡ |
| South Korea | — | 2,861[437] |
| Sweden (GLF)[438] | Platinum | 40,000‡ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[439] | Gold | 10,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[441] | Platinum | 484,000[440] |
| United States (RIAA)[443] | 3× Platinum | 1,554,000[442] |
| Summaries | ||
| Worldwide | — | 2,500,000[444] |
| * Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history edit
| Region | Date | Formats | Labels | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | April 23, 2016 | Streaming (Tidal exclusive) | [445] | |
| April 24, 2016 | Digital download | [446][447] | ||
| May 6, 2016 | CD+DVD | [448][449][450] | ||
| South Korea | May 18, 2016 | Sony Music | [451] | |
| Japan | July 6, 2016 | [452] | ||
| Various | September 15, 2017 | LP |
| [453] |
| April 23, 2019 | Streaming | [75][355] |
See also edit
- Album era
- List of Billboard 200 number-one albums of 2016
- List of Billboard number-one R&B/hip-hop albums of 2016
- List of number-one albums of 2016 (Australia)
- List of number-one albums of 2016 (Belgium)
- List of number-one albums of 2016 (Canada)
- List of number-one albums of the 2010s (Czech Republic)
- List of number-one albums of 2016 (Ireland)
- List of number-one albums in Norway
- List of number-one albums of 2016 (Portugal)
- List of number-one singles and albums in Sweden
- List of UK Albums Chart number ones of the 2010s
- List of UK R&B Albums Chart number ones of 2016
References edit
- ^ Wilson, Carl (April 25, 2016). "Beyoncé's "Lemonade" is incredible as a visual album. But how is it as just music?". Slate. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
...contemporary R&B album
- ^ a b Hogan, Marc. "Exit Music: How Radiohead's OK Computer Destroyed the Art-Pop Album in Order to Save It". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
There were still great art-pop albums, but, increasingly, they weren't necessarily rock albums. Across the last 20 years, monumental rap, R&B, and pop records like D'Angelo's Voodoo, Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and Beyoncé's Lemonade have filled the void of full-length statements with both artistic seriousness and mass appeal that was formerly largely occupied by guitar bands
- ^ Drake, David (April 26, 2016). . Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 27, 2016. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
- ^ Savage, Mark (December 22, 2016). "Beyonce tops 2016 album 'poll of polls'". BBC News. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
- ^ "'Lemonade' by Beyoncé is named the AP's album of the decade". AP NEWS. December 12, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
- ^ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
- ^ "Drake's 'Views' Is Nielsen Music's Top Album of 2016 in the U.S." Billboard. January 5, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
- ^ (PDF). IFPI. April 25, 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 26, 2017. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
- ^ Bartleet, Larry (February 6, 2016). . NME. Archived from the original on February 7, 2016. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
- ^ "The Beyoncé video for 'Formation' is still unlisted on YouTube". The Daily Dot. March 17, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
- ^ "Beyoncé - Formation (Official Video)". YouTube. December 9, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
- ^ "Beyoncé unleashes Black Panthers homage at Super Bowl 50". The Guardian. February 8, 2016. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
- ^ Scott, Ellen (February 8, 2016). "Beyoncé announced a new world tour after her Super Bowl halftime performance". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
- ^ "People have actually organised an Anti-Beyoncé protest rally". The Independent. February 10, 2016. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "Beyonce's Super Bowl Halftime Show Criticized by Rudy Giuliani as "Attack" on Police". The Hollywood Reporter. February 8, 2016. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "Why was Beyonce's Super Bowl show significant?". BBC News. February 8, 2016. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "People are trying to boycott Beyoncé after her 'Formation' video". The Independent. February 8, 2016. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- ^ "Anger: Anti-Beyoncé Rally Planned For Next Week At NFL Headquarters". CBS New York. February 9, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
- ^ France, Lisa Respers (February 16, 2016). "Only fans in 'Formation' at planned anti-Beyoncé rally". CNN. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
- ^ Lockett, Dee (June 10, 2016). "The Formation Tour Is Beyoncé at Her Most Humanly Infallible". Vulture. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
- ^ Gottesman, Tamar (April 4, 2016). "Beyoncé Wants to Change the Conversation". ELLE. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
- ^ "Engineering the Sound: Beyoncé's 'Lemonade'". December 20, 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
- ^ Wass, Mike (November 27, 2018). "MNEK On 'Language,' Representation & Working With Beyoncé: Interview". Idolator. Archived from the original on April 22, 2020. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
- ^ a b Tencic, Nat (April 26, 2018). "MNEK unpacks three of his biggest hits". Triple J. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
- ^ a b Strauss, Matthew (April 25, 2016). "Beyoncé's Lemonade Collaborator MeLo-X Gives First Interview on Making of the Album". Pitchfork. from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
- ^ Tingen, Paul (September 22, 2016). "MIX MASTERS: MAKING LEMONADE WITH BEYONCE'S RIGHT-HAND MAN, STUART WHITE". AudioTechnology. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
- ^ "Jay-Z admits to cheating on Beyonce and says music was their 'therapy'". BBC Newsbeat. November 30, 2017. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
- ^ a b Peisner, David (April 28, 2016). "Making 'Lemonade': Inside Beyonce's New Masterpiece". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
- ^ Hogan, Mark (April 28, 2016). "Beyoncé's Lemonade Collaborator MNEK Talks Lending "Hold Up" a Key Line". Pitchfork. from the original on April 6, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
- ^ "Jack White On Detroit, Beyoncé And Where Songs Come From". NPR. September 10, 2016. from the original on February 5, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
- ^ Russonello, Giovanni (February 12, 2017). "Beyoncé's and Adele's Grammy Speeches: Transcripts". New York Times. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
- ^ Cox, Jamieson (April 25, 2016). "Beyoncé's 'visual album' Lemonade sets a new standard for pop storytelling". The Verge. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- ^ Richards, Chris (April 24, 2016). "Beyoncé's 'Lemonade' turns life's lemons into furious pop". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ^ a b Okeowo, Alexis (February 27, 2017). "The Provocateur Behind Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Issa Rae". The New Yorker. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
- ^ Mitchell, Tyler (August 6, 2018). "Beyoncé in Her Own Words: Her Life, Her Body, Her Heritage". Vogue. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- ^ Solway, Diane (September 21, 2016). "The Secret to Being a Modern Pop Star? A Creative Director Pulling the Strings". W. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
- ^ Kim, Michelle (April 25, 2016). "A Brief History Of Beyoncé And Her Father, Mathew Knowles". FADER. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- ^ a b Hawkes, Rebecca (April 24, 2016). "Beyoncé's new album: why is it called Lemonade, what do the lyrics mean, plus all you need to know". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ "Beyonce's 'Lemonade' Is a Revolutionary Work of Black Feminism: Critic's Notebook". Billboard. April 25, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
- ^ a b The Lemonade reader : Beyoncé, black feminism and spirituality. Brooks, Kinitra Dechaun., Martin, Kameelah L., 1978-. London. 2019. ISBN 978-0-429-48745-3. OCLC 1102593084.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ "Examining Lemonade with a Beyoncé studies professor". Dazed. April 26, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
- ^ Webster, Sina H. (2018). "When Life Gives You Lemons, "Get In Formation:" A Black Feminist Analysis of Beyonce's Visual Album, Lemonade". Senior Honors Theses.
- ^ a b McFadden, Syreeta (April 24, 2016). "Beyoncé's Lemonade is #blackgirlmagic at its most potent". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
- ^ a b McFarland, Melanie (May 4, 2016). "Beyoncé's Lemonade tears apart the most demeaning stereotype of black women". Vox. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
- ^ "Creator of UT's Famous 'Beyoncé Class' Combines Memoir and Study in New Book". The Alcalde. September 1, 2018. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
- ^ Lindsey, Treva (April 27, 2016). "Beyoncé's "Lemonade" Isn't Just About Cheating, It's About Black Sisterhood". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
- ^ Bradley, Regina; Hampton, Dream (April 26, 2016). "Close To Home: A Conversation About Beyoncé's 'Lemonade'". NPR. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
- ^ Horowitz, Steven J. (April 25, 2016). "Breaking Down Beyoncé's Lemonade Samples". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
- ^ Gaines, Zeffie (2017). "A Black Girl's Song Misogynoir, Love, and Beyoncé's Lemonade". Taboo: The Journal of Culture and Education.
- ^ Moore, Jamie (May 5, 2016). "Beyonce's Lemonade is Made for Readers". BOOK RIOT. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
- ^ "Ch. 5 – Emptiness (6 Inch) – Dissect". May 11, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- ^ "What Beyoncé teaches us about the African diaspora in 'Lemonade'". PBS NewsHour. April 29, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- ^ "Beyoncé's "Love Drought" Video, Slavery and the Story of Igbo Landing". Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- ^ Okwodu, Janelle (August 17, 2017). "Beyoncé Just Released the Most Stylish 600-Page Coffee Table Book". Vogue. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- ^ "Beyoncé's Lemonade Is Black Woman Magic". Time. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Lemonade: The hidden meanings buried in Beyoncé's visual album". FACT Magazine. April 27, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- ^ Collection, Nick Weldon | The Historic New Orleans (October 23, 2018). "The story behind the haunting ruins of Fort Macomb, featured in 'True Detective,' Beyoncé's 'Lemonade,' and more". NOLA.com. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- ^ Rosenbaum, S. I. (April 28, 2016). "Let's talk about Beyoncé's 'Lemonade' dress". The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- ^ "The Great Mississippi River Flood of 1927". National Museum of African American History and Culture. July 5, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- ^ Spanos, Brittany (April 26, 2016). "How Beyonce's 'Lemonade' Reclaims Rock's Black Female Legacy". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- ^ Hartmann, Johanna (December 22, 2017). "Sound, Vision, and Embodied Performativity in Beyoncé Knowles' Visual Album Lemonade (2016)". European Journal of American Studies. 12 (12–4). doi:10.4000/ejas.12415. ISSN 1991-9336.
- ^ a b Aswad, Jem (April 24, 2016). "Beyoncé's 'Lemonade': A Deep Dive Into the Star-Studded Album's Credits". Billboard. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (April 24, 2016). "Review: Beyoncé Makes 'Lemonade' Out of Marital Strife". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ^ Richards, Chris (April 24, 2016). "Beyoncé's 'Lemonade' turns life's lemons into furious pop". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ^ a b Kot, Greg (April 24, 2016). "Beyoncé's 'Lemonade' contains singer's most fully realized music yet". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ^ a b c Kellman, Andy. "Lemonade – Beyoncé". AllMusic. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
- ^ a b Zaleski, Annie (April 25, 2016). "Beyoncé's Lemonade pushes pop music into smarter, deeper places". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ^ a b c d Rahman, Ray (April 27, 2016). "Beyoncé's Lemonade: EW Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
- ^ a b c Petridis, Alexis (April 24, 2016). "Beyoncé – Lemonade review: 'A woman not to be messed with'". The Guardian. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
- ^ a b Julious, Britt (April 29, 2016). "Beyoncé – Lemonade". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
- ^ a b Sawdey, Evan (April 28, 2016). "Beyoncé: Lemonade". PopMatters. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
- ^ "Beyoncé ft Jack White – Don't Hurt Yourself ( Official Music Video ) Pre Promo". YouTube. Archived from the original on November 13, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
- ^ Lynch, Joe (August 7, 2023). "The 100 Best Album Covers of All Time". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
- ^ Owkodu, Janelle (August 17, 2017). "Beyoncé Just Released the Most Stylish 600-Page Coffee Table Book". Vogue. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
- ^ a b "Beyonce to Release Audio of 'Lemonade' Film across All Music Streaming Platforms (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
- ^ "Beyoncé's Choreographer Talks Grammys, Why Being a 'Great Mom' Informs Her Art — and If She'll 'Rock' Coachella". People. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
- ^ Caramanica, Jon (February 7, 2016). "Review: It's Coldplay, Starring Beyoncé, at Super Bowl Halftime Show". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
- ^ Needham, Alex (February 8, 2016). "Super Bowl half-time show review – Beyoncé easily steals the show from Coldplay". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ Bianco, Robert. "Review: Beyonce upstages Coldplay in Super Bowl halftime show". USA TODAY. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ Josephs, Brian (February 9, 2016). "The Revolutionary Politics Behind Beyoncé's Super Bowl Halftime Show". Vice. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ "Why was Beyonce's Super Bowl show significant?". BBC News. February 8, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ Morrison, Aaron (February 7, 2016). "Beyoncé 'Formation' Super Bowl Performance: 5 Think Pieces About Blackness And Singer's New Video". International Business Times. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ Jankins, Nash (June 26, 2016). "Watch Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar Destroy 'Freedom' At The BET Awards". Time. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
- ^ Syfret, Wendy (June 27, 2016). "beyoncé and kendrick lamar opened the bet awards with a surprise performance". i-D. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ Jones, Jaleesa M. "Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar open BET Awards with blazing rendition of 'Freedom'". USA TODAY. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ "Beyoncé Makes Epic Freedom Statement At The BET Awards". Grazia. June 27, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
- ^ Rosen, Christopher (August 28, 2016). "VMAs 2016: Beyoncé performs Lemonade tracks". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
- ^ "Beyoncé's VMA performance of "Pray You Catch Me" was an earth-shattering nod to BLM". Mic. August 29, 2016. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
- ^ De Maria, Meghan. "Beyoncé's VMAs Performance Included A Tribute To Trayvon Martin". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
- ^ "Relive Beyoncé's "6 Inch" Performance from the TidalX: 1015 Concert Right Here". Harper's BAZAAR. October 19, 2016. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
- ^ "Beyoncé's 'Daddy Lessons' Tops Billboard + Twitter Trending 140 Chart After CMA Awards Performance". Retrieved February 20, 2017.
- ^ Paulson, Dave. "Beyonce, Dixie Chicks wow CMA audience despite backlash". The Tennessean. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ Hight, Jewly (November 4, 2016). "Beyoncé And The Dixie Chicks Offer Up Lessons On Country Music's Past (And Future)". NPR. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ Kornhaber, Spencer (November 3, 2016). "Beyonce's CMAs Performance Was a Musical and Racial Olive Branch". The Atlantic. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ Abad-Santos, Alex (November 4, 2016). "Beyoncé, the CMAs, and the fight over country music's politics, explained". Vox. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ Coscarelli, Joe (November 3, 2016). "Beyoncé's C.M.A. Awards Performance Becomes the Target of Backlash". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ "Daddy Lessons (feat. Dixie Chicks) – Single". iTunes (US). November 20, 2016.
- ^ "Daddy Lessons – Beyoncé". Spotify. November 20, 2016.
- ^ "Grammys 2017: Watch Beyoncé's Incredible Performance | Pitchfork". Pitchfork. February 13, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
- ^ Raiss, Liz. "3 Art History Experts Explain Beyoncé's Epic Grammys Performance". MTV News. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
- ^ Todd, Morgan Baila, Carolyn L. "This Is Where You've Seen Beyoncé's Golden Goddess Performance Before". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Beyonce's Grammy Performance: The Cultural References Behind It". Billboard. February 14, 2017. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
- ^ a b Bein, Kat (April 28, 2016). "Beyoncé Stuns With 'Lemonade' Debuts, Rousing Hits at Tour Kickoff". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
- ^ "Live Design Magazine July 2016". Issuu. July 29, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
- ^ "BEYONCE Sells Out Dodger Stadium on The Formation World Tour! | All Access Music". September 15, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
- ^ "AMAs 2016: Complete Winners List". Billboard. November 20, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
- ^ Weingarten, Christopher R.; et al. (June 12, 2017). "The 50 Greatest Concerts of the Last 50 Years". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
- ^ "Top 25 Tours of the 2010s". Consequence of Sound. November 8, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
- ^ "Beyoncé Releases New Album Lemonade Featuring Kendrick Lamar, Jack White, the Weeknd, James Blake". Pitchfork. April 23, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
- ^ "'Game of Thrones' Premiere Draws 8 Million TV Viewers — Just Shy of Series High". Variety. April 26, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
- ^ Hall, Gerrad (April 23, 2016). "Lemonade: Best moments from Beyoncé's HBO event". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
- ^ Garcia, Patricia (April 25, 2016). . Vogue. Archived from the original on April 30, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
- ^ Leaf, Aaron (April 23, 2016). . Okay Africa. Archived from the original on April 25, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
- ^ Price, S.L. (December 14, 2015). "Serena Williams is SI's Sportsperson of the Year". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ^ . Essence. April 24, 2016. Archived from the original on April 25, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ^ Tinsley, Omise'eke Natasha. "Beyoncé's Lemonade Is Black Woman Magic". Time. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ^ "Beyoncé's new album: why is it called Lemonade, what do the lyrics mean, plus all you need to know". Telegraph. May 4, 2016. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
- ^ "Here's the Malcolm X Speech About Black Women Beyoncé Sampled in Lemonade". Mic.com. April 24, 2016. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
- ^ "The Best Music Videos of 2016". Pitchfork. November 28, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
- ^ "The best films of 2016". Sight & Sound. British Film Institute. December 2, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
- ^ Adams, Sam (December 2, 2016). "Beyoncé's Lemonade Makes Sight & Sound's Best Films of 2016". Slate. The Slate Group. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
- ^ Ehrlich, David (December 6, 2016). "The Best Movies Of 2016, According To IndieWire Critic David Ehrlich – IndieWire". indiewire.com. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
- ^ Yamato, Jen (December 14, 2016). "The 10 Best Films of 2016: Beyoncé, Killer Neo-Nazis, and a Modern-Day Masterpiece". thedailybeast.com. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
- ^ Legaspi, Althea (September 1, 2016). . Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 19, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
- ^ "Beyoncé Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
- ^ Caramanica, Jon (February 7, 2016). "Review: It's Coldplay, Starring Beyoncé, at Super Bowl Halftime Show". The New York Times. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
- ^ Trust, Gary (May 2, 2016). "Desiigner Holds Off Drake Atop Hot 100, Prince & Beyoncé Hit Top 10". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
- ^ . All Access. Archived from the original on May 2, 2016. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
- ^ Beyoncé – Sorry. Vevo on YouTube. June 22, 2016. Archived from the original on November 13, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
- ^ a b Mendizabal, Amaya (May 2, 2016). . Billboard. Archived from the original on August 14, 2016. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
- ^ . Westdeutscher Rundfunk (in German). Archived from the original on July 21, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
- ^ . BBC Radio 1. BBC. Archived from the original on May 16, 2016. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
- ^ . FMQB. Archived from the original on August 4, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
- ^ Beyoncé – Hold Up. Vevo on YouTube. September 4, 2016. Archived from the original on November 13, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
- ^ "Reviews for Lemonade by Beyoncé". Metacritic. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ^ "Lemonade by Beyoncé reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
- ^ a b Bernstein, Jonathan (April 24, 2016). "Lemonade is Beyoncé at her most profane, political and personal — review". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
- ^ a b True, Everett (April 26, 2016). "Beyoncé, Lemonade review: Fiery, insurgent, fiercely proud, sprawling and sharply focused". The Independent. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
- ^ Bartleet, Larry (April 25, 2016). . NME. Archived from the original on April 26, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ^ a b Mapes, Jillian (April 26, 2016). "Beyoncé: Lemonade". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
- ^ a b Sheffield, Rob (April 25, 2016). "Lemonade". Rolling Stone. from the original on May 31, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
- ^ a b Tate, Greg (April 28, 2016). "Review: Beyoncé Is the Rightful Heir to Michael Jackson and Prince on 'Lemonade'". Spin. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (May 20, 2016). "Baton Rouge, Big Beats, and Beyoncé: Expert Witness with Robert Christgau". Vice. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
- ^ "Op-ed: Why Beyoncé deserved the Grammy: How racism dictates success in the music industry". The Tufts Daily. July 2, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
- ^ "Happy Birthday Beyoncé: 5 Iconic Moments In Celebration Of Queen Bey". BET.com. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
- ^ Lemonade by Beyoncé, retrieved July 7, 2021
- ^ Moody, Nekesa (April 24, 2016). . The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 25, 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (April 24, 2016). "Review: Beyoncé Makes 'Lemonade' Out of Marital Strife". The New York Times. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
- ^ Wilson, Carl (April 25, 2016). "Beyoncé's Lemonade Is a Spectacle to Rival "Thriller." But How Is It as Strictly Music?". Slate Magazine. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
- ^ Empire, Kitty (May 1, 2016). "Beyoncé: Lemonade review – furious glory of a woman scorned". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
- ^ Hussain, Shahzaib (April 26, 2016). . Clash. Archived from the original on April 28, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
- ^ Cinquemani, Sal (April 25, 2016). "Beyoncé: Lemonade". Slant Magazine. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
- ^ Johnston, Maura (April 24, 2016). "Review: Beyoncé Makes Lemonade From Romantic Strife on Her New Album". Time. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
- ^ Milton, Jamie (April 27, 2016). "Album Review: Beyoncé – Lemonade". DIY. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
- ^ Lowers, Erin (April 28, 2016). "Beyoncé: Lemonade". Exclaim!. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
- ^ "How Beyonce became an 'albums artist' – and what radio is doing about it". BBC News. April 29, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
- ^ Savage, Mark (December 22, 2016). "Beyonce tops 2016 album 'poll of polls'". BBC News. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- ^ Dietz, Jason (November 28, 2016). "Best of 2016: Music Critic Top Ten Lists". Metacritic. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
- ^ Weingarten, Christopher R.; et al. (November 28, 2016). . Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 29, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
- ^ "Billboard's 50 Best Albums of 2016: Critics' Picks". Billboard. December 12, 2016. from the original on September 13, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
- ^ . Entertainment Weekly. December 8, 2016. Archived from the original on December 10, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
- ^ "The best albums of 2016: the full list". The Guardian. November 30, 2016. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
- ^ Corner, Lewis (December 29, 2016). "20 best albums of 2016: Who have we crowned No.1?". Digital Spy. from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
- ^ O'Connor, Roisin (November 30, 2016). "Best albums of 2016: Our 20 favourite releases from an incredible year of music". The Independent. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
- ^ "AP's top albums of 2016: Beyoncé, Rihanna, Solange, Bruno". Associated Press. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
- ^ "The Best Albums of 2016". The New York Times. December 7, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
- ^ Wood, Mikael (December 15, 2016). "The 10 best albums of a year defined by loss". Los Angeles Times. from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
- ^ "The 70 Best Albums of 2016". PopMatters. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
- ^ "The 60 Best Albums of 2016". prettymuchamazing.com. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
- ^ "The 10 Best Albums Of 2016". Idolator. December 6, 2016. Archived from the original on December 15, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
- ^ "The 50 Best Albums Of 2016". stereogum.com. December 1, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
- ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Complex. December 5, 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
- ^ "Top 50 Albums of 2016". Consequence of Sound. November 28, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
- ^ Lott-Lavigna, Ruby (December 17, 2016). "WIRED's top 16 albums of 2016". Wired. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
- ^ "Beyoncé's 'Lemonade' Is Us' Best Album of 2016: Read the Full List!". Us Weekly. December 15, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
- ^ Saunders, Hilary (November 30, 2016). "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Paste. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
- ^ "The 50 best albums of 2016". USA Today. December 6, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
- ^ "Best 50 Albums of 2016". NPR. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
- ^ . The Village Voice. January 25, 2017. Archived from the original on February 3, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
- ^ "The 25 Best Albums of 2016". Slant. December 8, 2016. Archived from the original on April 22, 2020. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
- ^ "Exclaim!'s Top 20 Pop & Rock Albums, Part Two Best of 2016 – Page 8 of 11". Exclaim!. December 1, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
- ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Spin. December 12, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
- ^ Bartleet, Larry (November 24, 2016). "NME's Albums of the Year 2016". NME. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- ^ "The 50 best albums of 2016". FACT. December 13, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
- ^ . Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
- ^ "The Best Albums Of 2016 – The Uncut Top 50 – Uncut". Uncut. December 20, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
- ^ "Rocklist.net...Mojo End Of year Lists..." rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
- ^ "Rocklist.net...Q magazine Recordings Of The Year". rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
- ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Pitchfork. December 13, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
- ^ "Top 100 Albums of the 2010s". Consequence of Sound. November 4, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
- ^ "'Lemonade' by Beyoncé is named the AP's album of the decade". Associated Press. December 12, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
- ^ "Die besten Alben 2010–2019: Platz 3-1". Spex. December 20, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
- ^ da Costa, Cassie (December 29, 2019). "The 10 Best Music Videos of the Decade". Retrieved December 30, 2019.
- ^ Wilkinson, Alissa (December 17, 2019). "Beyoncé's Lemonade is one of the best movies of the 2010s". Vox. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
- ^ "The Best Films of the Decade". Hyperallergic. December 23, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
- ^ "The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s". Rolling Stone. December 3, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ "The 50 best albums of the decade, from Frank Ocean's 'Blond' to Adele's '21'". The Independent. November 18, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ Arnold, Chuck (December 27, 2019). "Best albums of the decade: Kanye West, Beyoncé top the list". New York Post. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
- ^ "The 100 Greatest Albums of the 2010s: Staff Picks". Billboard. November 19, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ . Paste. October 9, 2019. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
- ^ "The 50 best albums of the 2010s". The A.V. Club. November 20, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ "The 25 Best Albums of the Decade, 2010–2019". The Key. December 2, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
- ^ Smith, Courtney E. "Women Ruled Music In The 2010s & The 10 Best Albums Of The Decade Prove It". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
- ^ "The 10 best albums of the 2010s: Kanye, Kendrick, Beyonce and more". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
- ^ Larocca, Courteney. "15 of the best albums of the decade, ranked". Insider. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
- ^ "The Young Folks' Top 50 Albums of the 2010s | The Young Folks". November 5, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
- ^ "The Genius Community's 100 Best Albums of the 2010s". Genius. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
- ^ Willman, Andrew Barker, Jem Aswad, Chris; Barker, Andrew; Aswad, Jem; Willman, Chris (December 20, 2019). "The Best Albums of the Decade". Variety. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "The 100 Best Albums Of The 2010s, Ranked". UPROXX. October 7, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
- ^ Jenkins, Alex (November 6, 2019). "The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s". Vice. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
- ^ "The 50 best albums of the decade". The Independent. November 18, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
- ^ P22.studio. "Top 50 Albums of the 2010s". The Wild Honey Pie. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s". Pitchfork. October 8, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
- ^ "The 10 Best Albums of the 2010s". Time. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
- ^ "PAPER's Top 10 Albums of the '10s". PAPER. December 21, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
- ^ "From Lorde to Kanye, via Billie Eilish – the 10 best albums of the decade". Stuff. December 8, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
- ^ Mathieson, Craig (December 7, 2019). "Kanye, Beyonce, Taylor, Billie: The albums of the decade". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
- ^ "A Time Capsule of the 2010s". The Atlantic. December 31, 2019. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
- ^ Newstead, Al (February 15, 2020). "Biggest music moments of the 2010s". triple j. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
- ^ "Best Music and Albums of All Time". Metacritic. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
- ^ Sager, Jessica (July 6, 2020). "Stop, Look and Listen—These Are the 71 Best Music Videos Of All Time". Parade: Entertainment, Recipes, Health, Life, Holidays. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
- ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 22, 2020. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
- ^ "BBC Radio 4 – Front Row – The 10 Biggest Risks in 21st Century Art". BBC. from the original on March 18, 2020. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
- ^ "The 100 best albums of the 21st century". The Guardian. September 13, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
- ^ Clarke, Patrick (October 3, 2018). "The Top 100 Albums Of The Quietus' Existence, As Picked By tQ's Writers". The Quietus. Archived from the original on October 27, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
- ^ "The 150 Greatest Albums Made By Women". NPR. July 24, 2017. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
- ^ "Top 75 Albums of the Last 15 Years". Consequence. September 19, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
- ^ "The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time". Consequence. September 12, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
- ^ "BET Awards 2016: Full BET Winners List". Variety. June 26, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
- ^ "Best Male R&B/Pop Artist – BET Awards: Beyonce Tops Winners With 5". hollywoodreporter.com. June 25, 2017. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
- ^ "68th Emmy Awards Nominations For Programs Airing June 1, 2015 including 2016" (PDF). The Television Academy. July 14, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
- ^ "Beyoncé, Adele Lead Nominees for 2016 MTV Video Music Awards". Billboard. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
- ^ "VMAs 2016 Winners List". Billboard. August 28, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
- ^ . MTV Japan. Archived from the original on September 5, 2016. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
- ^ . MTV Japan. Archived from the original on September 5, 2016. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
- ^ "'Moonlight' Named Best Picture by the African American Film Critics Association". The Hollywood Reporter. December 12, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
- ^ Lewis, Hilary; Washington, Arlene (February 10, 2017). "2017 NAACP Image Award Winners: Complete List". The Hollywood Reporter. Eldridge Industries. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
- ^ Hipes, Patrick. "Art Directors Guild Awards Nominations: 'Rogue One', 'Game Of Thrones' & More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
- ^ "Beyoncé leads 59th GRAMMY nominations with nine". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. December 6, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
- ^ "Beyoncé". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. March 22, 2013. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
- ^ . Black Reel Awards. February 17, 2017. Archived from the original on August 30, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
- ^ Blanchard, Margaret, "Entertainment winners named for Peabody 30", Peabody, April 20, 2017.
- ^ "Beyoncé Earns Sixth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Lemonade'". Billboard. May 1, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
- ^ "All 12 of Beyoncé's 'Lemonade' Tracks Debut on Hot 100". Billboard. May 2, 2016. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
- ^ Coscarelli, Joe (May 3, 2016). "Beyoncé's 'Lemonade' Debuts at No. 1 With Huge Streaming Numbers". The New York Times. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
- ^ "Drake's 'Views' Is Nielsen Music's Top Album of 2016 in the U.S." Billboard. January 5, 2017. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
- ^ "Beyoncé Chart History (Catalog Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
- ^