We already know that Beyoncé catalogues and archives her life with unrelenting precision (why shouldn’t she, she’s Beyoncé!) but the behind-the-scenes photos she revealed on her website in honor of National Lemonade Day (technically 8/20) are something else. Along with dictionary definitions for a number of words that seemingly correspond with the message of each song on Lemonade‘s tracklist, Bey shared dozens of stills from the different music videos that make up the visual album.
If you’re not quite won over by the idea of behind-the-scenes photos, let me stress to you that like all other things, Beyoncé takes the concept to her own flawless level. They are all available now via her immaculate website Beyonce.com, but here’s a peek at some she shared on Facebook:
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Because I too love using dictionary definitions to subtweet my husband — or I would if I had one — here’s the words and definitions Bey chose along with the corresponding song. (I wonder if she made a flashcard set of these and gave them to Jay Z to study each night?)
1. “Pray You Catch Me” — Intuition / noun / hunch, inkling, gut feeling: a natural ability or power that makes it possible to know something without any proof or evidence; a feeling that guides a person to act a certain way without fully understanding why; something that is known or understood without proof or evidence
2. “Hold Up” — Denial / noun / refutation, rebuttal, repudiation: a statement saying that something is not true or real; a statement in which someone denies something; (psychology) a condition in which someone will not admit that something sad, painful, etc., is true or real
3. “Don’t Hurt Yourself” — Anger / noun / animosity, fury, outrage: a strong feeling of displeasure and usually of antagonism; a strong feeling of being upset or annoyed because of something wrong or bad; the feeling that makes someone want to hurt other people, to shout, etc.
4. “Sorry” — Apathy / noun / indifference, detachment: the feeling of not having emotion or interest; an apathetic state; lack of feeling or emotion; absence or suppression of passion, emotion, or excitement
5. “6 Inch” — Emptiness / noun / void, hollowness, lack: the state of containing nothing; the lacking of meaning or sincerity; devoid of reality; substance, meaning, or value
6. “Daddy Lessons” — Accountability / noun / responsibility, liability: an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility; the fact or condition of being accountable; an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s actions
7. “Love Drought” — Reformation / noun / change, overhaul, improve: the action or process of reforming an institution or practice; make changes in something in order to improve it
8. “Sandcastles” — Forgiveness / noun / grace, mercy, compassion: the act of forgiving someone or something
9. “Forward” — Resurrection/ noun / birth, revival, reawakening: the revitalization or revival of something, the act of rising again to life of all human dead before the final judgement
10. “Freedom” — Hope / noun / belief, faith, promise: to cherish a desire with anticipation
11. “All Night” — Redemption / noun / recovery, reclamation, return: the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil; an act of redeeming or atoning for a fault or mistake; the act of making something better or more acceptable
Yes, she probably just released the photos in honor of National Lemonade Day, but given the rumors that were circulating last week about a possible VMA performance from Bey, I can’t help but wonder if these photos are a hint toward further Lemonade-related announcements in our near future? Even in a weekend packed with Frank Ocean, there’s still plenty of time to make room for more excitement about Beyonce’s movements. Go see all the photos here.
