James Blake Hold Up Analysis

When I used "acutely desolate" as a description earlier, I meant it. Part of why many believe this LP is autobiographical is because Beyoncé genuinely sounds like she is at the crest of brokenness and/or rage. It 's almost painful to listen to; depressing in the least. This is especially the case with "Sandcastles," a song about a hesitant heart sitting in an pool of broken promises. She roughly growls, wavers off key and, finally, when her voice cracked singing, "What is it about you that I can 't erase, baby, when every promise don 't work out that way?" I started crying. Then, the ominous lower register piano keys of "Forward" dong in like a second kick to the stomach, with the haunting voice of English electronic artist James Blake. The

It 's quite sad, really. Selling herself, she reminds him of her devotion, backseat antics and how the other women he may be entertaining would ignore him if he wasn 't successful. In a similar vein, on "Love Drought" she pouts "Tell me, what did I do wrong?...Am I not thirsty enough?...Spend my life in the dark for the sake of you and me...Them old bitches so whack, I 'm so tough, what 's up?" The part of me that goes to Bey to feel unaffectedly invincible can 't deal with all of this pleading, playing the comparison game and what I call "auditioning" (i.e. selling yourself; if your value isn 't immediately seen and always respected, you probably shouldn 't be around), but I digress. "All Night" is widely viewed as the sunny, hopeful and redemptive conclusion to this woeful tale, but I construe it as anything but a happy ending: A) "Found the truth beneath your lies, and true love never has to hide..." B) "I 'll trade your broken wings for mine, I 've seen your scars and kissed your crime...Beyond your darkness, I 'm your light...Baptize your tears and dry your eyes..." C) "They say true love 's the greatest weapon to win the war caused by pain...nothing real can be threatened..." D) "My torturer

"Don 't Hurt Yourself" with Jack White (yeah, White Stripes band Jack White) is just as match-stick evoking. It 's "Ring the Alarm" on ecstasy pills and it 's bloody-fantastic. Angry, "woman thou art loosed" Bey is one of my favorite things. I love the lyrical double-connotations. In one of the few instances where palpable confidence is exuded (sheesh!), the protagonist proclaims super-human status. Cheating is not only appalling as it 's mendacious, but because it 's been done to a goddess, to which the antagonist is inferior. She avers that her lover doesn 't function on his own and she remains with him due to love, not because he 's worthy: "Motivate your a**, call me Malcolm X; your operator or innovator...You don 't love me deep enough, we 're not reaching peaks enough; blindly in love, I f***s with you 'til I realize I 'm just too much for you...When you hurt me, you hurt yourself, when you play me, you play yourself, when you lie to me, you lie to yourself, when you love me, you love yourself--love God herself." Underneath, the boasting could be a pep-talk to herself ("Hold Up" does precede "Hurt") and the falling lines could be indicative of a mindset of oneness with him. She begs for her romantic bubble to stay intact in the pre-chorus, auditions ("You know I give you life") and chooses not to leave in the end, despite her dismay (supporting my "All Night" bullet biting theory). This begs the question if "if you try this sh*t