“I have diamonds under my thighs, where his ego will find happiness.”
Beyoncé on “Ego,” the 15th track from “I Am… Sasha Fierce (Deluxe).”
Beyonce/YouTube
song: “Alien Superstar”
The third track of “Renaissance” is when Beyoncé starts to get really horny.The line seems to refer specifically to her own 2009 single “self,” It uses the title as a pun on the penis.
Interestingly, it also seems to reference Maya Angelo’s famous feminist poem “I still rise” (“Does my sexiness bother you?/Is it surprising/I dance like I have diamonds/Where my thighs meet?”).
“Supersonic, porn/On my body, boy, you get the idea/ Hit them ‘draulics while I’m riding it/ Make me perform ‘hella thotty.'”
“Cuff It” is the fourth track from “Renaissance”.
Mason Poole
song: “cuffed”
You know this album is going to be a wild ride when Beyoncé inadvertently throws out the words “sex erotic” and “hella totty” on track four.
“It has to be cash because it’s not your face/It has to be cash because it’s not your face.”
Jay-Z and Beyoncé at the 2020 Roc Nation event.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Roc Nation
song: “Church Girl”
As if the line wasn’t disruptive enough, Beyoncé decided to repeat it twice in a row.
This may be a cheeky reference “Family Feud,” Beyonce’s 2017 collaboration with husband Jay-Z, he said: “Not an ugly billionaire, I’m cute.”
It’s also an episode of DJ Jimi’s 1992 song “Where They At”, who is credited as co-author of “Church Girl” (“It must be a cat because it’s not your face”).
“Jetski, baby, spinning/slow motion coming out of my shirt.”
“Virgo’s Groove” is the ninth track from “Renaissance”.
Mason Poole
song: “Virgo’s Groove”
The longest song in “Renaissance” is also one of the most vivid. “Virgo’s groove” likes certain sexual acts, such as “motorboat”which celebrates intimate physical pleasure (or, as Beyonce puts it, “nudity and ecstasy”).
“Only a real man can tame me/Only a radio can play me/Oh, now you want me to be complacent.”
Beyoncé on “Don’t Hurt Yourself” on Lemonade’s third track.
tidal
song: “heating”
In a rare Venom moment, Beyoncé appeared to reference the betrayal she detailed on her last album.
Refusing to be tamed, played or complacent, she recalls “Don’t Hurt Yourself” and “I’m Sorry,” the third and fourth tracks on “Lemonade,” the bubbly kiss anthems aimed at cheating husbands.
“I have dimples on my hips, stretch marks on my nipples/Drink my water, watch my business/Monday, I’m overrated, Tuesday, on my dick.”
“Heated” is the eleventh track from “Renaissance”.
Mason Poole
song: “heating”
It’s always exciting when Beyoncé goes into full-on flex mode, and “Heated” has her best swipe at the tabloids and critics since “Formation” opened (“You all hate the Illuminati mess/paparazzi, catch Live my flies, and my arrogance fresh.”)
The lyrics also contain cheeky nods to growth and motherhood, conflating stretch marks with strength, like the earlier song “Cozy” (“Kiss my scars because I love what they do”).
“Take your money, money, chick, Henty.”
“Pure/Honey” is the 15th track from “Renaissance”.
Karin Jacobs
song: “pure/honey”
Although “cunty” and “hunty” are both common words in drag, dancehall, and queer music (“Pure/Honey” is a sample of Kevin Aviance’s “Cunty” and Moi Renee’s “Miss Honey”), it’s still Felt like a little word I was electrocuted the first time I heard Beyonce use them.
“If you let my body talk, I’ll make you trance/limp you, bet this body will make you dance.”
“Summer Renaissance” is the 16th and final track from “Renaissance.”
Mason Poole
song: “Summer Revival”
Beyoncé ends the album with a disco song that changes gender roles from the first line: “I want to place you so you can be named after me.”
Beyoncé promises to make her lover ‘limb’ before chorus, subverting a Common Phrases Take on the submissive role of women in sexuality.
