The Beyoncé Songs That NEED a RENAISSANCE
Let's go through thee discography of all time.
Today, September 4th, is the ultimate B’Day. The Bey Day itself. Beyoncé’s 42nd birthday.
On August 1st, I saw her. I saw Beyoncé. The Renaissance World Tour. A life-changing experience. I have spent every single day wishing I was seeing her again, but also content that I got to witness such greatness in person. In case you are somehow unaware, RENAISSANCE is my favorite album… probably ever now, but particularly of the 2020s decade. Beyoncé is my favorite artist of all time, there should be no surprise there. This is not an issue for people culturally unaware of who she is, like… you have access to the internet, you should be aware by now. I will not be applying context to her career, as the context should speak for itself. This tour was the best event I’ve ever been in attendance of. No amount of praise would ever accurately effectively amount to the feelings I experienced that day. It’s truly indescribable. Now that it is her birthday, I want to celebrate her with an issue dedicated to her music, which is of great personal importance.
Despite the tour being currently ongoing, there’s already discussion of what comes next. Specifically, the nature of the visuals, what Act II will be, if she’s going to tour more before the hypothetical Act II. I’m much less interested in answering or theorizing about any of that, because that just is not my business, and if she wants to take a break after touring, that is well within her right. I know how she gives performing her all every single show. However, I want to do a little playlist of songs. Songs that perhaps I think should make a reappearance on a setlist, songs that I want her to explore similar sounds of again, just songs that I want to have a RENAISSANCE of sorts.
A few disclaimers, I am NOT asking for Beyoncé to rush into another tour any time soon. We don’t even have visuals yet. We don’t know what the hypothetical ACT II is. I want her to get her rest. She’s a mother, she can get her vacation days in. This also isn’t me recommending literally all of these songs for any type of future setlist, that’d be pointless. She already did Beychella/Homecoming, she doesn’t need to do anything of the sort again. Some of these are staples that she’s performed plenty of times, others are songs I know are never seeing the light of day again but regardless, I want to put some respect on their names on this day. This is basically just my Beyoncé playlist with no actual criteria. The timeline has been doing their Top 10 lists of her discography and this is not that for me at all. Some of these are not even in my personal top tier at all. Songs on the current RWT set list are exempt from the playlist, and that has plenty of my all-time favorites as well. Think of these as just songs I am compiling together as a playlist to prepare for what ACT II may be. I just wanted to discuss Beyoncé. Don’t take this too seriously, I sure did not.
I will be going over each of her albums, and discussing the songs that made the playlist and why it got included. The explanations vary a lot, I’ve come to realize. Again, because I did not give myself too much criteria. I will not be including EVERYTHING IS LOVE by The Carters, or any of the Destiny’s Child albums, just because I needed to limit myself eventually just for the character limit. However, I will be including The Gift because you all did The Gift so dirty and she deserves her own moment. BLACK IS KING is arguably her best visual body of work yet, and I think we should have that conversation.
DANGEROUSLY IN LOVE
To start, let’s just acknowledge what a great solo debut album this is. Hit after hit, classic after classic. She came out of the gate with something to prove. This is not my favorite album of hers but cooking at this level of expertise so immediately in her solo career… a cultural moment. She set the tone of her solo career very well, you could tell that history was already being made.
Me, Myself & I
This is an iconic song. Truly, ICONIC. If I’m trying to get a friend into Beyoncé’s music, and they don’t already know much about her discography, this is always one of the first ones I recommend. I’ve never met someone who doesn’t like this song, I don’t think. It’s sort of just an anthem for all audiences, no? Like, so true. It is just me, myself and I… that IS all I’ve got in the end. That IS what I’ve found out. Thank you to this song. Listening to this during a break-up era, oh, a hit for a reason.
Speechless
She included a moment of this in her Virgo’s Groove performance on the RWT, and she has performed this several times throughout her career, but when I tell you… there’s always room for a SPEECHLESS moment, I don’t know what else to tell you. I consider this to be an early precursor for a lot of her later work and albums. A top tier vocal performance, as well. I’d love to hear it performed with her 2023 vocals.
The Closer I Get To You
I just love balladyoncé. Her vocals on this record especially are simply just resplendent. I also quite like coveryoncé, every cover she’s ever done has hit. I know she’s technically the featured artist here, and I can’t quite imagine this making a resurgence on any set list, but I would love for another duet of this liking. Not with Luther obviously, because… well… yeah. I actually don’t have any ideas for a romantic duet partner. For that matter, maybe she just needs to do it herself. That works, too.
B’DAY
This is a crowd pleaser album. To an outsider it may not seem as such, considering self-titled, Lemonade, and RENAISSANCE have become such cultural milestones in Beyoncé’s career, but B’Day is a fan favorite in the Hive. It’s also her LOUD era. She went into the studio and made sure you could HEAR HER on this record. Three of the songs on this album have been my alarm clock noise at one point or another and let me tell you!! They work.
Déjà Vu
This is a classic, this is a classic. This is my favorite Jay Z collaboration, if not tied with ‘03 Bonnie and Clyde. She also just performs it so insanely well. It very well may be one of my favorite songs to watch performances of. Every time she’s ever sang this song, it was as if she had something to prove. The bridge and the final (pre-)chorus will just never not hit.
Irreplaceable
An instantly recognizable song within her discography. I know it’s counterproductive to be doing this issue while exclusively naming HITS, but this was a childhood favorite for me. This was on the American Idol Wii game I used to play, and every time I would play it I would choose this song every time they would allow me to. This was before I was even a part of any fandom, I was probably 7. This song was just integral to my upbringing. During the concert when she said, “how you doing to the left, to the left?” I was screaming, because I was, in fact, to the left, to the left of her. This was a nostalgia pick, but I also believe it to be a very excellent empowering break-up pop song. Don’t YOU ever for a second get to thinking YOU’RE irreplaceable. Facts.
Listen
This really shouldn’t be listed. It isn’t technically even a part of this album, really. It’s on the tracklist, yes, but it is a Deena Jones song for the Dreamgirls soundtrack. Now, my problem is that Dreamgirls is my favorite film of all time. I would watch or listen to anything related to Dreamgirls. I am literally rewatching the movie as I write this. I think Beyoncé should just go out on stage and perform the entirety of Dreamgirls from start to finish one day. It is so dead serious to me. That is all I have to say for the matter, but let it be known this is one of the best vocal songs ever recorded, and I think The Voice contestants need to either find the note or put it down all together.
I AM… SASHA FIERCE
Culturally speaking, this album was a moment. The era was serious. Everybody was talking about Beyoncé. You could not miss her. The World Will Not Have Fun. But it’s also widely considered to be her weakest body of work, for a variety of reasons which do not concern me today. I’m not quite an apologist, it is actually the album I revisit the least. However, it is the first album of hers I had listened to, and very much got me into her discography. This album radicalized me, in a way, and I think experiencing it first is why I don’t write it off as much as others do. Full disclosure, I do still consider it to be lower tier for her.
Disappear
This originally was NOT listed here, but I revisited her full discography for Bey Day and… THE BRIDGE? Are you KIDDING? You’re kidding. People who skip this are missing vision. They’re missing foresight. Their third eye is closed. There’s not much more to say about the matter, but this is a bit of an album track gem for an album known for the singles.
Smash Into You
When this plays at the end of the film Obsessed? Oh, film history was made. Another stunning vocal performance, I would love to hear her sing it again now, just to hear how it would sound now.
That’s Why You’re Beautiful
I feel as though people will see me list this song and get confused. I’m sure somebody has to get my vision, though? This is less of a song I would need to hear on a set list, and more just a style I want to hear more from Bey. I love the instrumental for it, that sound is really just something I love but specifically from her. I can’t think of anything else that has quite that specific vibe, perhaps Don’t Hurt Yourself? But they’re also just insanely opposite in vibe, and very obviously opposites in lyrical content, That’s Why You’re Beautiful can be its chill tethered.
Ego
Another nostalgia pick, I played this every day back in 2015 specifically, but “Ego so big, you must admit I got every reason to feel like I’m that bitch!!!” changed lives. A great spin song. If you’re ever on a spin bike, just put on this and it’s kind of life changing. I think a Peloton instructor played it once, and it changed my worldview. This is another song I recommend to a lot of people just getting into her discography for the first time, because I think it plays into her pop persona the most effectively. It’s one of her most Sasha Fiercest songs, I believe.
Poison
Oh, this might start some unserious allegations, but NOBODY gets this song the way I do. If I were to rank every Beyoncé song, this would be so high that a lot of people would be genuinely confused. To that I say… you might not get it… but I DO. I don’t actually think she’s ever performed this live, but research says it was a hit in Korea so let’s band together to come up with a plan? Nicki Minaj also liked it, I guess. My “research” is just reading the Wikipedia page for the song, but they cite their sources, I’m sure. Either way, it’s one of the best bonus tracks ever crafted, I’m fearing. Boo me all you want, that’s just my truth.
4
Until RENAISSANCE, 4 was my single favorite Beyoncé album, and that is something I stand by. I actually think some of the sounds she experimented with here lead her to the albums she crafted afterwards and helped her reach the undeniable legend status she, in my opinion, has already reached. This was an album that was ahead of its time, truly. It was her “flop” era, 4closure, but you look at the track list and several of her /most iconic recognizable songs now are from this era. People know every lyric to Love on Top, it is basically a signature song for her now, yet none of these songs charted in the top 10. That just goes to show that charts really do not measure impact. I actually could’ve chosen almost every song on this track list, because I am quite biased towards it. I kind of overcorrected and chose very selectively. This is also the case for Self-Titled and Lemonade.
Schoolin’ Life
I Tweete-----sent an X* about this just a few weeks ago and found all of my fellow Schoolin’ Life truthers! Everyone who interacted with that X understood the vision. They understood what she was really doing there. It feels so nostalgic and reflective, while also just being such a total hit. The beat is hot. She cooked a serious recipe here. This should really be a classic Beyoncé song, it’s just so good. I called it top 10, and I mean it. I don’t even think it would be a stretch to fit this onto the current setlist, genuinely. At least a snippet of it. She is still on her Current Tour, so I’m not really saying anything, but depending on the tone it could easily fit on a future tour set list. A major reason for me wanting to do this issue was me wanting this to have its own renaissance, I worked from there.
Dance For You
Another song that got a shoutout during Virgo’s Groove. This song definitely feels like it could fit on (some of) her other albums, but in such a good way. It sounds fresh to this day, in that way. It’s fitting it got a shoutout on her RENAISSANCE tour for that reason. The video is also quite iconic to me, at least. I still think she sings, “This is Beyoncé” in the bridge, but that’s aside the point.
End of Time
This is just a huge rush of energy put into a track and given the 4 songs that were chosen for the RWT set list, I wouldn’t have been surprised if this had made the cut as well. Clearly it didn’t, but if it had been it would’ve been welcome. This is a PERFORMANCE song, in the truest sense of the word, and for that reason it always eats. I perform it for her every time I listen to it. I can’t help but MOVE!!!
BEYONCÉ (self-titled)
One of the SEVERAL cultural resets of her career. 2013 was a weird year for me. The trauma of it all made it so that I genuinely don’t remember any of it. However, I do remember watching the XO video for the first time, and wow… THAT changed my life. I understand the hysteria this surprise drop had on people, because I only remember a fraction of it, yet it was still equally as life changing to me. Not only did this change the trajectory of Beyoncé’s career, providing a clear shift in her sound and her brand, it changed the music landscape entirely.
Jealous
This is just one of the best sounding songs ever crafted, I’m genuinely convinced. The music video is flawless. This is kind of a Hive favorite, but at the same time feels all too underrated. Let’s give a woman her 10s!!!
Rocket
Justin Timberlake, I do not give you much… but you helped create this song… and for that, I will give you your 6s. You ate this one thing. Jokes aside, this is a song brought to life by Beyoncé’s vocal delivery. This entire song, from beginning to end, she is just mesmerizing. This was another one I feel as though could’ve seamlessly fit onto the RWT set list, at least in fragments.
XO
It’s illegal for me to make a Beyoncé playlist without including this song. Sorry, I don’t make the rules. It’s nostalgia in a song. I don’t know how, but everybody I have ever spoken to has core memories of this song. I believe it to just be a universal experience, and this song is just universally important. It’s culturally relevant in the same way as The Passion of Christ.
Ring Off
This is both another top tier bridge, and also a song that could very accurately encapsulate her career, both at that point in time, and what would be to come. Another song that I have seen called a skip and I think that’s kind of crazy? I actually definitely think this could’ve fit onto the RWT setlist seamlessly, completely separated from recent events.
LEMONADE
An iconic album in every sense of the word. It marks a clear place in both Beyoncé’s personal life and career, but also in culture, while also remaining timeless. One of, if not the, best album of the 2010s decade, and also accompanied by an equally as masterful visual short film. However, I can’t be upset that she decided to sort of overlook this album on the tour set-list. I mean, for starters, it’s the RENAISSANCE World Tour. The Formation World Tour has already happened, she got a lot of love during Beychella. They are also very different albums, particularly thematically, and mostly sonically as well, though both do span a lot of different genres and sounds. As I mentioned, it marked a clear place in Beyoncé’s personal life, which was nearing a decade ago now. I can see why she didn’t make too much room on the set list for Lemonade era.
Hold Up
This is literally my national anthem. I remember the first time I watched the Lemonade visual album, and this visual stuck with me immediately. I also believe it to be the single most iconic visual of the era, though it has some competition. The references that this stemmed are unreal. Its impact is hard to undersell in that aspect. It still holds up so flawlessly nearing a decade later. It just sounds very fresh, and it hasn’t lost its punch either. I’d consider it to be a fan favorite, and for a reason!
Don’t Hurt Yourself
As previously mentioned, this is a sound I really would love for the hypothetical Act II to emulate again. Jay Z may be going to hell for putting mother through this, but this is just such a well-crafted song. It sounds so fantastic. Rocker Bey is just such a MOMENT. The Beychella performance. It’s all just history. I know I said Hold Up was an iconic visual, but this puts up some major competition.
Daddy Lessons
I don’t know if this is true for the collective timeline, but before BREAK MY SOUL or RENAISSANCE got released people were predicting what the sound for the new era would be, and particularly what the different Acts meant, and some people suggested a country sound to be experimented with more. Some people hated the suggestion… However! If she were to put back on the cowgirl boots and get back in the studio and give me a Daddy Lessons part 2… I would NOT be opposed. She’s not the fan favorite, but she does have a cult following, I feel. She’s a bit of a classic in a way. The Chicks performance at the CMAs will be in HERSTORY books.
All Night
This is one of the best sounding songs ever created. I believe that. There are some people who love the first half of Lemonade but hate it when it shifts to being about forgiveness and while I can understand where they are coming from, forgiving cheaters isn’t in my personal vocabulary, I still find it to be stunning through and through, with this song being… genuinely, one of the best songs ever made!!!!! I don’t know what to tell you, my torturer became my remedy!!! Shakespeare!!! You have to kind of separate the haterisms from the art for a second, because the art is just tooooooo good.
THE LION KING : THE GIFT
I mentioned this earlier, but The Gift was a misunderstood masterpiece. Perhaps it was because The Lion King live action was so less than good, or perhaps it was because it was a collaborative “soundtrack” album, so some Hive didn’t go up for it as much as they should’ve, but this is a GREAT album and I’m going to SAY THAT. I know I said I wasn’t upset that Lemonade didn’t get too much of a moment, but I was silently hoping for The Gift to get a little love on this tour, though I’m also not upset that it only got one song on the set list - two if we’re counting Les Twins dance break. It goes without saying that I am very pleased that the RENAISSANCE World Tour was about RENAISSANCE. That is what tours should be, after all, especially when the music is that good. I just mourn the prospect of The Gift era getting its things.
BIGGER
I sent an X once that basically said that I wish she had a chance to perform BIGGER live, before realizing she literally did in Dubai. She sounded amazing, by the way. This is one of my favorite songs of hers, particularly vocally. The bridge is some top-of-the-line work, I’m content we got at least one live performance on the record but imagining her opening a tour with this is just… woah, chills. This was probably my most streamed song of 2019, maybe even 2020. The lyrics are stunning as well, I just think the message is so well conveyed, and made The Lion King live-action worth it.
FIND YOUR WAY BACK
The visuals of this song in the BLACK IS KING short film are historic peak of her catalog, but I also just generally have always loved this song. Since day one, I was a founding member of FIND YOUR WAY BACK hive. When the ‘Memories Run Through My Wires’ interlude included this, oh I celebrated! I took those scraps.
MOOD4EVA
I kind of just include this solely because Beyoncé’s 2 verses are very excellent to me. “I know my enemies prey on me, so pray for me” and “I’m so unbothered, y’all be so pressed while I’m raising daughters” and then going on to say “Why would you try me? Why would you bother? I am Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter.” Oh, history books. I just have to put some respect on those bars, thank you for your time.
BROWN SKIN GIRL
The Grammy Award Winning video for this is just some of her best work to date. Let’s appreciate her real quick. I definitely thought this was going to be included, but maybe next time? We love you Grammy winner Blue Ivy Carter!!!
SPIRIT
I really wish we got to hear this live. At least we have the Making The Gift documentary, but the vocal performance of this song is just begging for a live performance. The bridgeeeeeeee!!! Do you hear the bridge??? I will say, the way it was used in the context of The Lion King was very underwhelming, just like everything else in that movie. It was stunning in BLACK IS KING, yet again proving to be the only redeemable part of The Lion King live action. I did not like The Lion King live action if you can’t tell, but… thank god for Beyoncé. She made SURE she did that shit for a reason!
Okay, that’s all. If you want to stream my Playlist, here it is :