I miss Beyoncé's Sasha Fierce era. When she was promoting that album, I felt as though she was simply jumping on the GaGa bandwagon, sporting shoulder pads and all types of pantless-stilleto ferociousness. But now that she's past all that, I want it back! Sasha Fierce was her strongest, most popular iteration, and unsurprisingly so. Beyoncé took sonic risks (Single Ladies and Diva sounded like nothing we'd ever heard before, yet, they've become her signature) but also satisfied the mainstream, all while keeping the gays happy. This brings me to Radio, the most gaytastic track from the I Am...Sasha Fierce collection! Produced by Jim Jonsin (who also produced the second most gaytastic song on the album - Sweet Dreams), this song's heavenly, angelic atmosphere is created by Jonsin's genius synthy soundscape. Radio perfectly captures everything Beyonce's about - it has a hip-hop beat, but it's sped up and surrounded by electronic blips that make her the dance diva who us gays love to WERK IT to in da club (whilst pretending to be her). The lyrics possess the same balance. Beyoncé is ghetto-fabulous one second, singing
I be on the hotline, like erryday
Makin' sure the DJ know what I want him to play
You know I got my top back and my beat low-oh
Rockin' my Styna shades and turnin' up my radio-oh
Turn up my radio, radio, radio....
And a romantic waxing poetic the next,
He's the only one that Papa allowed to hang out in my room
With the door closed we'd be alone
And mama never freaked out when she heard it go BOOM
'Cause she knew we were in the zone
Hold him in my arms and look out of my window
(Under the moonlight)
And he be keepin' me calm so I'd never let him go
He's got a place in my heart
Okay, so there's still a little swagger in there, but you get what I'm saying. One moment, she's utterly casual, and the next, she's the most elegant woman in the room. That dichotomy is what I love about Bey!
This song is so good, it's still begging to be a single. I mean, seriously, it's called RADIO for heaven's sake! Instead of the atrocious Video Phone (which I respect for it's sonic experimentation, all while acknowledging how bad of a song it is) or the mediocre Ego, Bey and her team should have released Radio and done up a gorgeous single cover and video with hip-snapping choreography. (Can you snap your hips? I can...I think...Reese?)
Enjoy!
Unapologetically,
Gregory
