#1: Most Underrated Songs On “I Am … Sasha Fierce”
[A little late, but here’s the first edition of our weekly Friday Five. Whatever. It may not be a Friday anywhere in the world, but it’s Friday in my heart.]
1. Ave Maria
I’ve been alone
When I’m surrounded by friends
How could the silence be so loud?
But I still go home knowing that I’ve got you
There’s only us when the lights go down
Taking the well-known hook of the song and making it her own, this song is splendid. Her voice makes you dizzy with feeling and emotion, a longing caught in her throat. It’s gorgeous and she expands all the subtleties and refines them into something remarkable.
2. Disappear
And when I lie all by myself
I see your face, I hear your voice
My heart stays faithful
And time has come and time has passed
If it’s good it’s got to last
It felt so right
Starts with a tender note on the guitar, then guides it right there with Beyoncé’s deep, soulful voice. And the chorus. When she sings tried to reach you, her voice sounded like it wanted to reach me through the speakers, and when she sings you’re nearly here, you can here the almost palpable joy in her voice at the thought, and the crashing and then. It’s crazy what she can do with her voice, the way she can sing emotions into anything you give her.
3. Sweet Dreams
Clouds filled with stars cover your skies
And I hope it rains
You’re the perfect lullaby
What kind of dream is this?
Song of the day for me, no doubt. Love this song. I don’t actually have anything else to say about this. Just, love love love.
4. Smash Into You
I find myself in love racing the Earth
And I’m soaked in your love
And love was right in my path, in my grasp
And me and you belong
That feeling of running away, on the road, top down and cigarette dangling between your fingers. Love on the road. You think, This is it, this is where I belong, and so you run. You run and run and run, and you never look back because this is what’s important, the here, the present. It’s a beautiful moment.
5. If I Were A Boy
If I were a boy
I would turn off my phone
Tell everyone it’s broken
So they’d think that I was sleepin’ alone
I’d put myself first
And make the rules as I go
Cause I know that she’d be faithful
Waitin’ for me to come home (to come home)
Not actually underrated, but I couldn’t make a Beyoncé list about this particular album without including this song. This song. This song. The song that made her stand apart from all other pop singers in her time because she was talking about feminist issues in not so woman-friendly environment. Beyoncé makes you stop and wonder, “Would you treat me different if I was a boy? Why is that?” It’s such a poignant question to ask, especially in the industry she’s in that has always been so male dominated. The best part is that she doesn’t lay it heavy-handedly, but instead pokes at you gently, reminding you that, ‘Hey, listen to this, it’s important’. This is her unofficial feminist anthem. Don’t like it? Deal with it.
![Empire State of Mind (feat. Alicia Keys) // Jay-Z
I have a lot of things to say about 9/11, most of them are from anger and a place of bitterness, so I won’t share those feelings because, what good will they do? But every time I listen to this song, I get this rush of love and well of sadness in my throat over how much that this is a tragedy that should not have happened. Too many people died, too many people were affected. Some say that if you weren’t there, this isn’t yours to share. In a way, yes, they are right. But in another sense, we’re all Americans (and if you aren’t, well does it matter?) and this is ours to claim. This is a human tragedy that should not have happened. But it did, and every day, every month, every year, we have to remember those who lost their lives, those who are still fighting every day to move on from this tragedy, those who have lost loved ones.
We must never forget them. [photo]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lrgc0rBeRt1r2xuwqo1_1280.jpg)
