About the Song:
Beyoncé released her seventh studio album, Renaissance, in 2022. It maintained a perfect record for her – all seven albums reached #1 and achieved platinum status. The album’s lead single, “Break My Soul,” marked her twelfth time topping the Billboard Hot 100. She reached the throne four times with Destiny’s Child, six times as a solo artist, and two times as a guest artist. It had been fourteen years since she last reached #1 as a solo artist. “Break My Soul” also topped Billboard’s R&B and dance charts.
Pitchfork’s Matthew Strauss called it “a dance song that is intended to mark the start of a new era with new anthems.” WK The song takes a vocal sample from 2014’s “Explode” by Big Freedia, a New Orleans bounce veteran. She also appeared on a spoken interlude for “Formation,” the lead single from Beyoncé’s Lemonade album. SF
“Break My Soul” also samples the synth-melody from the 1990 song “Show Me Love,” a #5 hit for Robin S. The singer said it was “one of the highest compliments ever” to have Beyoncé use her song. WK She said, “Thank you so much for giving me my flowers while I’m still alive.” SF Crystal Waters, known for house music in the ‘90s, expressed gratitude to Beyoncé for shining “a light on underappreciated house singers.” WK
Lyrically, Beyoncé “refuses to let the stresses of work and the pandemic era break her soul.” SF As she said, “With all the isolation and injustice over the past year, I think we are all ready to escape, travel, love, and laugh again.” SF Rolling Stone ranked it one of the top 200 dance songs of all time. WK It was nominated for Grammys for Record and Song of the Year. It won the Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Recording.
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First posted 2/18/2024; last updated 10/17/2024.
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