Beyoncé

Released: December 13, 2013

Songwriter: Beyoncé Ammo Sia

Producer: Beyoncé Ammo

[Intro: Harvey Keitel & Beyoncé]
Ms. Third Ward, your first question:
What is your aspiration in life?
Oh, well my aspiration in life would be... to be happy

[Verse 1]
Mama said, "You're a pretty girl
What's in your head, it doesn't matter
Brush your hair, fix your teeth
What you wear is all that matters"

[Pre-Chorus]
Just another stage
Pageant the pain away
This time I'm gonna take the crown
Without falling down, down, down

[Chorus]
Pretty hurts
We shine the light on whatever's worst
Perfection is a disease of a nation
Pretty hurts, pretty hurts
Pretty hurts
We shine the light on whatever's worst
Tryna fix something
But you can't fix what you can't see
It's the soul that needs a surgery

[Verse 2]
Blonder hair, flat chest
TV says bigger is better
South beach, sugar free
Vogue says thinner is better

[Pre-Chorus]
Just another stage, pageant the pain away
This time I'm gonna take the crown
Without falling down, down, down

[Chorus]
Pretty hurts
We shine the light on whatever's worst
Perfection is a disease of a nation
Pretty hurts, pretty hurts
Pretty hurts
We shine the light on whatever's worst
We try to fix something
But you can't fix what you can't see
It's the soul that needs the surgery

[Bridge]
Ain’t got no doctor or pill that can take the pain away
The pain's inside and nobody frees you from your body
It's the soul, it's the soul that needs surgery
(It's my soul that needs surgery)
Plastic smiles and denial can only take you so far
Then you break when the fake façade leaves you in the dark
You left with shattered mirrors and the shards of a beautiful girl

[Chorus]
Pretty hurts
We shine the light on whatever's worst
Perfection is a disease of a nation
Pretty hurts, pretty hurts
Pretty hurts
We shine the light on whatever's worst
Tryna fix something
But you can't fix what you can't see
It's the soul that needs a surgery

[Outro]
When you're alone all by yourself
And you're lying in your bed
Reflection stares right into you
Are you happy with yourself?
You stripped away the masquerade
The illusion has been shed
Are you happy with yourself?
Are you happy with yourself?
Yeah, yes (Ah, ah, ah)

In the twenty-first century, no pop star was as poised, as polished, or as generally fierce as Beyoncé. She scored early success with Destiny’s Child, who started out as a sexier and sassier (if less adult) version of TLC, then steadily became more and more of a vehicle for Beyoncé’s operatic vocals and general diva-tude, which may have been the plan all along.

Whether appearing in TV spots, co-starring in films like Dreamgirls, or killing it every night on stadium tours, Beyoncé was omnipresent in the 2000s. Almost everybody, Beygency member or otherwise, loved shiny, hip-hop-fueled hits like “Crazy in Love”, and “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”. Moving into the 2010s, Beyoncé fights on, gaining more and more traction in pop culture with her work and music.

She has made a significant impact upon the music landscape in general with her recent albums 4 and BEYONCÉ, which explored complex themes like motherhood, feminism, marriage, sexuality, and doubt in a greater depth. With Lemonade, she went a step further—the fierce, intimate exploration of marriage, infidelity, and forgiveness was her most personal and musically daring album yet.

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