Why I don't buy Beyonce's $ongs of heartache

[tsull1]

One thing a singer has to get me to buy is that what they're singing is true. When Levi Stubbs sings, I'm buying what he's selling, particularly the heartache songs.

For women singers, Betty Wright really gets me to buy into what's going on in her love life, be it true or not, she sells it to me.

With Beyonce, I just don't buy anything, perhaps because I know the backstory. Her hubby is richer than God, and she's singing about breakups? And if this references an earlier time in her life, well, her dad is rich, too, and he basically created Destiny's Child. I don't get that she's suffered at all. Perhaps she has, but really? If there was a break-up in her life, I'm guessing [[based on her fabulous looks) that she did the dumping, and if she didn't, there were plenty of guys ready to be next in line.

I know her tunes are geared for teenage girls, and that's fine. But whenever I hear one of her breakup or "woe is me" songs, sorry Beyonce, I ain't buying your story. You've been set for life for a very long time.

[daddyacey]

I understand your point tsull. But in the case of Levi ,I don't have any knowledge of his history of love and break ups ,that would have the reason that he was able to express and convey the feelings of those issues as well as he did when he sang about them. It was all about his talent of delivery and making you believe what he was saying and hitting that nerve that you the listener could identify with if you had been there yourself or not. With saying that ,how is it that a very young Michael Jackson was able to do the same thing ,[[Who's Loving You , I'll be There ,Never Can Say Goodbye, Doggin Me Around and even Ben), at 11/12 years old. What did a 12 year old know about the feelings of those songs to be able to tear them up and deliver as well as an adult could. It's all about the talent ,and believe me I aint no rabid Beyonce fan. But I do respect how she has developed her voice and delivery. Some of her material is not so thrilling to me and thats because of the fact that she attempts to cover a wide range of age groups and styles. As one who has lived and enjoyed the likes of Thornton ,Washington ,Holiday ,Vaughan,Simone thru Franklin,Wright, Knight, Ross, Linda Jones, Kahn , Mills, Baker thru Badu, Blidge, Bell ,Angie and Joss Stone ,thru and up to Jill Scott, [[who's last album was a woe is me, man done me wrong album ,but she can sing ,so get over it ) ,I have filtered out the external personal issues and I have to respect the qualities of her voice and delivery and development in certain tracks of hers.
"Because I know the backstory" ,That is what influences many of our perceptions of artists ,and that is unfair to a certain extent???
A sign of the times maybe???

[smark21]

Wealthy people can have their hearts broken hard as well. I"m not a big fan of Beyonce's heartache songs except Irreplaceable, which is more of an attitude song.

As for Levi Stubbs, I can only take his singing in small doses. Amazing voice, but just too overwrought and hysterical for my taste.

[paladin]

Interesting.....not so much Beyonce , but how its inherent in our collective nature to justify what we like and what we don't. Its all good no matter how you cut it.

Once again DA, you make some valid points and most of the women you mention are really good to great singers, I suspect that you are referring to Big Mama Thornton [[ jeez are we really that old?) .

I liked Destiny's Child [[ for a hot minute- like SWV and others), but never really cared for Beyonce. There may have been one or two songs that I liked but in my entire record collection I may have one Beyonce CD and I cant recall the name. Beyonce to me is what I'd call a "American Idol type star". An instant money train that someone decides is the best thing since sliced bread. No doubt she is talented, beautiful and says all the right things, but she doesn't move me in the least. But neither does Lady Gaga, Amy Winehouse or Joss Stone. I would prefer to listen to and spend my hard earned dollars on Jill Scott and Ledisi, both on recorded music and live shows. Like it or not its the way of this new world order and the days of Motown/Philly are fading away.........

[tsull1]

Beyonce example: In one song, I think "Irreplacable" she says she could get another guy like the dude "in a minute" and THAT I believe. In no way, shape, or form, do I believe she's every struggled in the love department, unless a 6th grade boy once broke her heart.

She did sell me that she could get another guy in a minute, THAT is the truth, and that's why I don't buy any of her other heartbreak songs at all. Sorry, it's not working for me, too rich, too blessed with great looks.

* Good point on MJ, some of the early songs about heartbreak sung at age 11-12 I'd question, but I liked his delivery, and I actually believed that he was a heartbroken middle school kid. I ain't buyin' Beyonce. She's rarely had adversity, even pulled off singing for a Libyan dictator without much backlash. Free pass in life.

[Kamasu_Jr]

Wealthy people can have their hearts broken hard as well. I"m not a big fan of Beyonce's heartache songs except Irreplaceable, which is more of an attitude song.

As for Levi Stubbs, I can only take his singing in small doses. Amazing voice, but just too overwrought and hysterical for my taste.

I agree. Just because someone is attractive and wealthy does not mean they can't get dogged out by love or life. Look at Halle Berry. She's beautiful, rich and would seemingly have no problems. . But she can't keep a man, they say. She gets stalked by nuts and rejected in Hollywood too.
Levi Stubbs could have just had a flair for the dramatic and melodrama. Just because he sang songs of heartbreak doesn't mean he lived everthing he sang. I can only take him in small doses as well. He was not perfect.
Neither is Beyonce, but many feel threatened by her.
Why?
Beyonce is human and feels emotions like everyone else. She feels lonliness, sadness, hurt and all those other things... like we all do.
This is just another "I don't like Beyonce" thread.

[tsull1]

Actually, I don't mind Beyonce. It is not a "I don't like Beyonce" thread, it's that I'm not buying her songs of woe. Interestingly, I've rarely had that feeling from an artist before, rich or poor, tough upbringing or not. This is the first one, which means it's better to not have so much information. There's an article in this week's Newsweek saying that since she had a falling out with her father, she's not been as popular, the magazine questioning if pops is pulling all the strings.

She may have broken up with someone, who hasn't? But song after song after song is like she's had it sooooooo bad. I've read too much on other stars who seriously grew up impoverished and had to fight their way to the top, without a slick father pulling the strings.

I don't mind her voice and I like some of her music, liked Destiny's Child better than her solo stuff. It has absolutely nothing to do with me liking her or not.

What it has to do with is me not buying what she's singing. JayZ is close to a billionaire, she needs to go cry on her satin sheets, I guess.

[smark21]

Tsull, why are so fixated on Beyonce's Jay-Z's wealth?

[tsull1]

I'm not fixated on their wealth, but THEY told me to be fixated on it. THEY show it 24/7/365, they talk about it, have their mansions on TV. It's hard to escape. In magazine features, their wealth is talked and bragged about. It's in your grill all the time, how much they're making, how much they're investing, and finally having the gall to perform in front of Khadafi, for of course millions.

That is why I'm not buying the songs of woe. If she wants to believe her, quit showing off your money all the time, quit talking about, and quit bragging about it?

I actually believe Gladys Knight and Aretha weren't brought up millionaires and therefore, can buy their sad songs. Even after they struck it rich they didn't put it in front of you night and day. Seriously, can anyone escape the JayZ/Beyonce money machine? That's all Jay Freaking Z talks about: his bank account.

[soulster]

Wealthy people can't have heartbreak and turmoil in their lives?

Sounds like someone has a bias against wealthy people to me.

[marv2]

I'm not fixated on their wealth, but THEY told me to be fixated on it. THEY show it 24/7/365, they talk about it, have their mansions on TV. It's hard to escape. In magazine features, their wealth is talked and bragged about. It's in your grill all the time, how much they're making, how much they're investing, and finally having the gall to perform in front of Khadafi, for of course millions.

That is why I'm not buying the songs of woe. If she wants to believe her, quit showing off your money all the time, quit talking about, and quit bragging about it?

I actually believe Gladys Knight and Aretha weren't brought up millionaires and therefore, can buy their sad songs. Even after they struck it rich they didn't put it in front of you night and day. Seriously, can anyone escape the JayZ/Beyonce money machine? That's all Jay Freaking Z talks about: his bank account.

That is done in poor taste. I think in the case of Jay-Z it really has more to do with his lack of self esteem as he was coming up and being made fun of by dudes in projects/apts. where he once lived.

[tsull1]

Poor taste? They're the ones who want me fixated on their wealth, not me. I didn't request it, and I have the right to not buy the songs of deep hardship and sadness from multi-millionaires if I want. Sorry. Not everyone in this world -- even if you're rich -- gets a free pass. BTW, who didn't get made fun of when they were younger? Join the club Jay-Z.

[arrr&bee]

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa,as fine as beyonce is i'll buy anything she's singin!!

[marv2]

Poor taste? They're the ones who want me fixated on their wealth, not me. I didn't request it, and I have the right to not buy the songs of deep hardship and sadness from multi-millionaires if I want. Sorry. Not everyone in this world -- even if you're rich -- gets a free pass. BTW, who didn't get made fun of when they were younger? Join the club Jay-Z.

Tsull1, relax! What I meant was what Jay-Z does in his records, bragging about his wealth and success is in poor taste!

[marv2]

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa,as fine as beyonce is i'll buy anything she's singin!!

I don't think anyone in the World cannot deny that she is absolutely phynnneee....!

[tsull1]

Sorry, Marv, misunderstood. There's no argument from me on Beyonce's looks. She's one of the more fabulous looking women on the planet.

[marv2]

Sorry, Marv, misunderstood. There's no argument from me on Beyonce's looks. She's one of the more fabulous looking women on the planet.

Yes she is. I've spoken to people that find it hard to believe her dumb country gal act. LOL!

[daddyacey]

Beyonce looks like an old girlfriend of mine. More so now than when she was with D.C. She is fine ,no question of that. She sings O.K.
J.Z. , well what else would a kid from the projects ,who made a name for himself and made all that money talk about ,when his core audience was from the same environment. Lipstick on a pig. But don't hate the players ,hate the game..........

[smark21]

I'm not fixated on their wealth, but THEY told me to be fixated on it. THEY show it 24/7/365, they talk about it, have their mansions on TV. It's hard to escape. In magazine features, their wealth is talked and bragged about. It's in your grill all the time, how much they're making, how much they're investing, and finally having the gall to perform in front of Khadafi, for of course millions.

That is why I'm not buying the songs of woe. If she wants to believe her, quit showing off your money all the time, quit talking about, and quit bragging about it?

I actually believe Gladys Knight and Aretha weren't brought up millionaires and therefore, can buy their sad songs. Even after they struck it rich they didn't put it in front of you night and day. Seriously, can anyone escape the JayZ/Beyonce money machine? That's all Jay Freaking Z talks about: his bank account.

There are hundreds of channels and millions of websites and media outlets out there. I rarely hear about them. Just make a change in the types of media and websites you consume if this is getting on your nerves and causing you to obsess about them and adversely effect your thought processes and larger mental health.

[kalisa]

Sometimes knowing the artist's backstory may not be such a good thing. For singing artists, it is vocal story-telling ability, not their personal lives or attributes, that should "sell" the song and whether it touches us or not. Maybe teenage girlie songs just don't move you... that's ok. Then again, maybe her delivery isn't selling it for you because her story-telling style isn't believable. That is as it should be, but not because of her personal [[amazing) good looks, bazillion and two bucks, and otherwise fabulous life.

Bill Withers does a fantastic job story-telling, but I've had to work hard to erase images of domestic abuse from my mind when I hear "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Lean on Me". It took time but I got there and can enjoy the songs and artistry again.