Back in February, Beyoncé surprised the world with yet another music video without any forewarning and brought popular culture to its knees. Except the video and the message behind “Formation” went further than her previous self-titled release – for the first time, Beyoncé was political about the message she delivered.
She embraced her black heritage during Black History Month, empowered women of color to “get in-formation” and stimulated a controversial conversation across the country. She pushed this message further by bringing it to the NFL Super Bowl Halftime Show and into the homes of millions of Americans.
Beyoncé is an iconic woman of few words. Contrasting her solo embark from Destiny’s Child attitude in 2003, she has not been on the face of every ad campaign and has avoided starring in blockbuster film franchises like Austin Powers; rather, she remains mysteriously behind her curtain of fame.
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Earlier this month was her first extensive interview in three years, appearing as the cover star of Elle magazine. Even then, her interview could not compare to what her full-length visual album release would reveal – about her musical inspirations, her upbringing, her parents, her view on herself and black female power, and most popularly interpreted her marriage to Jay Z – after airing this past Saturday night on HBO.
As Pitchfork reported, “‘Lemonade’ was reported to be a ‘docu-style special’ in the same vein as HBO’s 2013 ‘Life is But a Dream.’” However it emerged as a story, following a sweeping narrative journey from romance to rage to redemption.
The project is an expansion of the original message behind “Formation” as well as a collection of cultural references, featuring black artists woven throughout the film being lifted on to an international platform.
Beyoncé recited the poetic excerpts of 27-year-old Somali-Brit Warsan Shire in between album tracks to guide her narrative forward. Since Saturday, Shire has reached worldwide recognition for her poetry. Her words escalate the music from existing as one woman’s struggle and expand the meaning to the trials experienced by generations of women.
Prominent black women like Serena Williams, Zendaya and Amandla Stenberg make cameos throughout the film to contribute to its artistry. “Lemonade” exists as a piece of spoken word combined with striking visuals and music, allowing a look into the exclusively private world of an icon who has mastered privacy as an art form itself in order to connect universally with others.
“The videos, heavy on Southern gothic imagery, are broken up with title cards that play on the Kübler-Ross model of grief — intuition, denial, anger, apathy, emptiness, accountability, reformation,” according to the New York Times.
Fans have speculated much of the inspiration behind “Lemonade” stems from her relationship with husband Shawn Carter, popularly known as rapper Jay Z; outwardly appearing as a divine union of power and familial happiness, but in reality existing as a painful journey torn apart from infidelity channeled into an artistic drive.
“You can taste the dishonesty/It’s all over your breath” are the first words she sings in “Pray You Catch Me,” before transitioning into “Tonight I regret the night I put that ring on” in “Sorry,” which stands as the antithesis of an actual apology.
However, Beyoncé’s father Mathew Knowles said he believes her meaning is different.
“Let me tell you who she’s talking about, can I tell you who she’s talking about? She’s talking about you,” Knowles said to E! News. “You put that in context for you personally. She’s talking about you and everybody that is you, that’s who she’s talking about.”
The album title originates from a family gathering that is displayed in the video and heard on a track: the 90th birthday of Hattie White, Jay Z’s grandmother, who says, “I was served lemons but I made lemonade.”
J. Tyler Holmes 
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