Episode 9: "Why Don't You Love Me"

Episode 9: "Why Don't You Love Me"

Episode nine finds Beyoncé at home in 1957, ironing, scrubbing, washing dishes in bright blue rubber gloves, and drinking so many martinis that we see our Stepford wife glitching and, finally, breaking. "Why Don't You Love Me" is as much Beyoncé's take on her relationship to culture as on 50 years of American matrimony. Our analysis takes you from Los Angeles to Rio de Janeiro, with special help from Betty Friedan, Mr. Clean, Solange, Nina Simone, James Brown, and, naturally, B.B. Homemaker herself.

Episode 8: “Sandcastles” with Mikaela Dery

Episode eight is special for two reasons: We discuss our first song off Beyoncé’s 2016 album Lemonade, and we are joined by our first ever special guest — the writer and critic Mikaela Dery! "Sandcastles" comes down to three queens (with three accents) sitting on a beach and tracing bloodlines, matrimonial lineages, curses, betrayal, anger, forgiveness, and redemption. Cameos include Adele, Dolly Parton, Moira Rose, a conspicuously chastened Jay-Z, and lots of classically contemplative Bey.

Episode 7: "Upgrade U"

Episode seven finally brings in Beyoncé's decades-long collaborator, lover, business partner, and homemaker, JAY-Z. "Upgrade U" wasn't one of B'Day's big singles, and yet it marked the duo's official manifesto as a joint powerhouse — as well as Beyoncé coming out of the closet as a rap artist. It might also have been her first foray into drag, something we see about two and a half minutes into the song's music video. Cameos include Betty Wright, Destiny's Child, and lots & lots of HOV.

Episode 6: "Texas Hold 'Em"

Episode six features two giddy cowboys riding Reneigh the horse through Beyoncé’s latest single, her ninth number one hit, 2024’s “Texas Hold ‘Em!” We talk about our Houston girl’s longstanding country credentials and the colorful but fraught relationship between African American musicians and Nashville tastemakers. Needless to say, we pay tribute to the song’s forefather, “Daddy Lessons,” and lasso in special guests, including Ray Charles, Reneé Rap, John Mayer, Rhiannon Giddens, and Tony Hale.

Episode 5: "Me, Myself & I"

Episode five is really about the holy trinity: Beyoncé, Beyoncé, and Beyoncé. "Me, Myself & I” was the third single off her 2003 debut solo album, Dangerously In Love, and it epitomized the smooth, aching, pining R&B that defined pop in the early aughts. We talk young Beyoncé, feminist manifestos, octave jumps, and, of course, red panties. Cameos include Usher, Twista, Mario, and, best of all, Princess Diana.