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Pretty Hurts
"Pretty Hurts" is a song by American singer Beyoncé for her eponymous fifth studio album (2013). It impacted mainstream radio in the United States on June 10, 2014, as the fourth single from the album. The song was written by Sia, Ammo and Beyoncé and its production was handled by Beyoncé and Ammo. It is a power pop and soul ballad, instrumentally complete with a sparse background honed with the use of synths, minor chords and a "booming" drum beat. The track's lyrical content deals with subjects of third-wave feminism, self-empowerment and body image. Additionally, the song's lyrics deal with the consequences of society's high standards of beauty, and in "Pretty Hurts" eating disorders are depicted as one of the subjected results.
"Pretty Hurts" won in the category for Best Video with a Social Message at the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards and was named the best track of 2014 by the Associated Press. Following the release of Beyoncé, the track charted in the lower regions internationally. It failed to enter the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number 63 on the UK Singles Chart. However, the song became Beyoncé's 21st number one on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart, and was placed at number four on its 2014 year-end chart.
The accompanying music video for "Pretty Hurts" was directed by Melina Matsoukas, and features the singer competing in a beauty pageant. The clip was made available at iTunes Stores as part of the album's release on December 13, 2013. It also won a category for Best Cinematography along with Best Video with a Message at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards. Rolling Stone included the clip in their year-end list of the 10 best music videos of 2014. Beyoncé performed "Pretty Hurts" during her co-headlining On the Run Tour (2014).
"Pretty Hurts" was initially written by Australian musician Sia at her apartment in Angelino Heights, Los Angeles. She completed the song with American musician Ammo on the same day she recorded French DJ David Guetta's "Titanium" in 2011. Sia wrote "Pretty Hurts" with American singer Katy Perry in mind, and later e-mailed the song to her. However, Perry failed to read the email, and in what Sia described as an "awkward situation," she then sent the track to the management of Beyoncé and Barbadian singer Rihanna. The song was put on hold for eight months by Rihanna's management, who failed to pay the track's fee, and as a result Beyoncé "slid into home base and threw the money down" to secure "Pretty Hurts" for herself. Rihanna later decided to record another composition by Sia, "Diamonds", instead. In 2012, American producer Dr. Luke received Beyoncé's cut of "Pretty Hurts" and played it to Perry, who later text messaged Sia, saying, "I'm pretty hurt you never sent me this song". Sia then responded, stating, "Check your e-mail," to which Perry replied, "It was meant to be with Beyoncé of course".
During an interview with iTunes Radio in December 2013, Beyoncé said, "The second I heard the song, I'm like, 'I have to sing this song, I don't care how hard I have to fight for this song, this is my song'!" The singer also decided to record "Pretty Hurts" because she wanted to shift her focus to the beauty industry, which she felt was "the most humiliating, judgmental place you can be as a woman". She saw the track's theme as representation of "finding that thing in the world that makes you truly happy," and felt that the song was in line with the album's theme of "finding beauty in imperfections". Speaking to iTunes Radio, Beyoncé explained: "I feel like sometimes the world is a big contest, we're all being judged. I wanted to capture how humiliating and insecure that makes you feel."
Sia later mentioned online, in reply to a fan lamenting that her song "Elastic Heart" would have been a good single for Beyoncé, that she gave the singer "Pretty Hurts", her "other best song". The final version of the song was written by Sia, Beyoncé and Ammo, and its production was handled by the latter two, with Beyoncé also handling the vocal production. Sia sang background vocals. Rob Suchecki engineered and recorded the song's instrumental and intro synthesizer with Derek Dixie. Beyoncé's vocals were recorded by Stuart White who also handled the mixing of the song. "Pretty Hurts" was recorded in three studios: Kings Landing in Bridgehampton, and Jungle City Studios and Oven Studios in New York City. In the United Kingdom, the song was added to the playlist of BBC Radio 1 on June 2, 2014, and later impacted mainstream radio in the country on June 23. In the United States, "Pretty Hurts" impacted rhythmic radio on June 10, 2014, as the fourth single from Beyoncé.
A power pop and soul ballad, "Pretty Hurts" runs for a duration of four minutes and 17 seconds (4:17). It contains "mellow" R&B undertones, and a hip hop groove. Musically, the track's sparse background is honed with the use of synths, minor chords, and a "booming" drum beat. "Pretty Hurts" is set in the time signature of common time, with a slow tempo of 65 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of B major, with Beyoncé's vocals spanning the tonal nodes of F♯3 to E5. The song follows a basic sequence of B-C♯m-G♯m-F♯ as its chord progression. Beyoncé's vocal performance in "Pretty Hurts" was likened by music critics to that of her 2008 single, "Halo". Una Mullally of The Irish Times commented that the track's sound recalled the works of American singer Pink. Writing for New York Magazine, Jody Rosen felt that "Pretty Hurts" was reminiscent of a more "robust" Barbra Streisand song. Jed Gottlieb of the Boston Herald likened the track's beat to the works of New Zealand singer Lorde. Chris Bosman from Consequence of Sound described "Pretty Hurts" as a "cinematic reach of modern Top 40 pop with the patience and melancholy of post-808s & Heartbreaks hip-hop." USA Today writer Korina Lopez opined that the song showcased a "darker side" to the singer.
The lyrics of "Pretty Hurts" are related to third-wave feminism and self-empowerment. It confronts society's standards and stereotypes with regard to female beauty. The song opens with a recorded snippet of a beauty pageant judge questioning Beyoncé on her life aspirations, to which she replies, "My aspiration in life would be... to be happy". The sample is used to frame the song in the context of the singer's childhood. According to Michael Cragg from The Guardian, the snippets were used to question the singer's "drive and desire that's got her to where she is today, and whether the struggle was entirely worth it". The song then transcends into a depiction of Beyoncé as a beauty pageant contest awaiting judgment in the lyrics, "Mama said, 'You're a pretty girl, what's in your head, it doesn't matter. Brush your hair, fix your teeth. What you wear is all that matters". The second verse of "Pretty Hurts"—"Blonder hair, flat chest/ TV says bigger is better/ South Beach, sugar free/ Vogue says thinner is better"—serve as an analysis of female body image and society's obsession with physical perfection.
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Pretty Hurts
"Pretty Hurts" is a song by American singer Beyoncé for her eponymous fifth studio album (2013). It impacted mainstream radio in the United States on June 10, 2014, as the fourth single from the album. The song was written by Sia, Ammo and Beyoncé and its production was handled by Beyoncé and Ammo. It is a power pop and soul ballad, instrumentally complete with a sparse background honed with the use of synths, minor chords and a "booming" drum beat. The track's lyrical content deals with subjects of third-wave feminism, self-empowerment and body image. Additionally, the song's lyrics deal with the consequences of society's high standards of beauty, and in "Pretty Hurts" eating disorders are depicted as one of the subjected results.
"Pretty Hurts" won in the category for Best Video with a Social Message at the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards and was named the best track of 2014 by the Associated Press. Following the release of Beyoncé, the track charted in the lower regions internationally. It failed to enter the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number 63 on the UK Singles Chart. However, the song became Beyoncé's 21st number one on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart, and was placed at number four on its 2014 year-end chart.
The accompanying music video for "Pretty Hurts" was directed by Melina Matsoukas, and features the singer competing in a beauty pageant. The clip was made available at iTunes Stores as part of the album's release on December 13, 2013. It also won a category for Best Cinematography along with Best Video with a Message at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards. Rolling Stone included the clip in their year-end list of the 10 best music videos of 2014. Beyoncé performed "Pretty Hurts" during her co-headlining On the Run Tour (2014).
"Pretty Hurts" was initially written by Australian musician Sia at her apartment in Angelino Heights, Los Angeles. She completed the song with American musician Ammo on the same day she recorded French DJ David Guetta's "Titanium" in 2011. Sia wrote "Pretty Hurts" with American singer Katy Perry in mind, and later e-mailed the song to her. However, Perry failed to read the email, and in what Sia described as an "awkward situation," she then sent the track to the management of Beyoncé and Barbadian singer Rihanna. The song was put on hold for eight months by Rihanna's management, who failed to pay the track's fee, and as a result Beyoncé "slid into home base and threw the money down" to secure "Pretty Hurts" for herself. Rihanna later decided to record another composition by Sia, "Diamonds", instead. In 2012, American producer Dr. Luke received Beyoncé's cut of "Pretty Hurts" and played it to Perry, who later text messaged Sia, saying, "I'm pretty hurt you never sent me this song". Sia then responded, stating, "Check your e-mail," to which Perry replied, "It was meant to be with Beyoncé of course".
During an interview with iTunes Radio in December 2013, Beyoncé said, "The second I heard the song, I'm like, 'I have to sing this song, I don't care how hard I have to fight for this song, this is my song'!" The singer also decided to record "Pretty Hurts" because she wanted to shift her focus to the beauty industry, which she felt was "the most humiliating, judgmental place you can be as a woman". She saw the track's theme as representation of "finding that thing in the world that makes you truly happy," and felt that the song was in line with the album's theme of "finding beauty in imperfections". Speaking to iTunes Radio, Beyoncé explained: "I feel like sometimes the world is a big contest, we're all being judged. I wanted to capture how humiliating and insecure that makes you feel."
Sia later mentioned online, in reply to a fan lamenting that her song "Elastic Heart" would have been a good single for Beyoncé, that she gave the singer "Pretty Hurts", her "other best song". The final version of the song was written by Sia, Beyoncé and Ammo, and its production was handled by the latter two, with Beyoncé also handling the vocal production. Sia sang background vocals. Rob Suchecki engineered and recorded the song's instrumental and intro synthesizer with Derek Dixie. Beyoncé's vocals were recorded by Stuart White who also handled the mixing of the song. "Pretty Hurts" was recorded in three studios: Kings Landing in Bridgehampton, and Jungle City Studios and Oven Studios in New York City. In the United Kingdom, the song was added to the playlist of BBC Radio 1 on June 2, 2014, and later impacted mainstream radio in the country on June 23. In the United States, "Pretty Hurts" impacted rhythmic radio on June 10, 2014, as the fourth single from Beyoncé.
A power pop and soul ballad, "Pretty Hurts" runs for a duration of four minutes and 17 seconds (4:17). It contains "mellow" R&B undertones, and a hip hop groove. Musically, the track's sparse background is honed with the use of synths, minor chords, and a "booming" drum beat. "Pretty Hurts" is set in the time signature of common time, with a slow tempo of 65 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of B major, with Beyoncé's vocals spanning the tonal nodes of F♯3 to E5. The song follows a basic sequence of B-C♯m-G♯m-F♯ as its chord progression. Beyoncé's vocal performance in "Pretty Hurts" was likened by music critics to that of her 2008 single, "Halo". Una Mullally of The Irish Times commented that the track's sound recalled the works of American singer Pink. Writing for New York Magazine, Jody Rosen felt that "Pretty Hurts" was reminiscent of a more "robust" Barbra Streisand song. Jed Gottlieb of the Boston Herald likened the track's beat to the works of New Zealand singer Lorde. Chris Bosman from Consequence of Sound described "Pretty Hurts" as a "cinematic reach of modern Top 40 pop with the patience and melancholy of post-808s & Heartbreaks hip-hop." USA Today writer Korina Lopez opined that the song showcased a "darker side" to the singer.
The lyrics of "Pretty Hurts" are related to third-wave feminism and self-empowerment. It confronts society's standards and stereotypes with regard to female beauty. The song opens with a recorded snippet of a beauty pageant judge questioning Beyoncé on her life aspirations, to which she replies, "My aspiration in life would be... to be happy". The sample is used to frame the song in the context of the singer's childhood. According to Michael Cragg from The Guardian, the snippets were used to question the singer's "drive and desire that's got her to where she is today, and whether the struggle was entirely worth it". The song then transcends into a depiction of Beyoncé as a beauty pageant contest awaiting judgment in the lyrics, "Mama said, 'You're a pretty girl, what's in your head, it doesn't matter. Brush your hair, fix your teeth. What you wear is all that matters". The second verse of "Pretty Hurts"—"Blonder hair, flat chest/ TV says bigger is better/ South Beach, sugar free/ Vogue says thinner is better"—serve as an analysis of female body image and society's obsession with physical perfection.