On this day in 2016, an industry-shaking visual album was released: Beyoncщ’s LEMONADE. The album was delivered via a 65-minute-long film that found the album’s 12 songs woven together by striking visuals and poetic, spoken-word musings.

Indeed, there is a lot to be said about Beyoncщ’s LEMONADE. Below, I’ve put together a list of my favorite spoken word lines alongside selected lyrics from the accompanying song, for each of the album’s twelve “chapters.” Each of these 12 selections showcase the importance of thematic message on Beyoncщ’s LEMONADE. Essentially, the album’s story arc is summarized in these 12 paired quotes.

1. Poignantly acknowledging the curse that plagues herself and other Black women, Intuition finds Beyoncщ exploring her instinct that her state of conflict feels all too familiar.

“You remind me of my father, a magician/ Able to exist in two places at once.”
“You can taste the dishonesty/ It’s all over your breath as you pass it off so cavalier.”
— “Pray You Catch Me”

2. In Denial, Beyoncщ struggles to accept the reality of being cheated when she feels like she’s given him her all.

“I bathed in bleach and plugged my menses with pages of the Holy Book/ But, still inside me coiled deep was the need to know… are you cheating on me?”
“How did it come down to this? Scrolling through your call list/ I don’t wanna lose my pride, but I’mma fuck me up a bitch.”
— “Hold Up”

3. Anger consumes Queen B, and she lashes out in a fit of rage and braggadocio.

“I think of lovers as trees/ Growing to and from one another/ Searching for the same light/ Why can’t you see me?/ Everyone else can.”
“Who the fuck do you think I is?/ You ain’t married to no average bitch, boy.”
— “Don’t Hurt Yourself”

4. In response to her antagonist’s own seeming lack of Apathy, Beyoncщ responds with a similarly unapologetically sorry-not-sorry rampage.

“Rest in peace, my true love, who I took for granted/ Most bomb pussy, who because of me, sleep evaded.”
“He always got them fucking excuses/ I pray to the Lord you reveal what his truth is.”
— “Sorry”

5. Consumed with the Emptiness that often follows a break-up, she entertains the notions of meaningless connections while donning 6 inch heels.

“Grief, sedated by orgasm/ Orgasm, heightened by grief.”
“Six inch heels, she walked in the club like nobody’s business/ Goddamn, she murdered everybody and I was her witness.”
— “6 Inch”

6. Reflecting on the cause for his infidelity, Beyoncщ assigns Accountability to the effects of patriarchy, a.k.a. daddy issues – a common behavior for women, but also for men she feels.

“Do his eyes close like doors?/ Are you a slave to the back of his head?/ Am I talking about your husband, or your father?”
“My daddy warned me about men like you/ He said, ‘Baby girl, he’s playing you, he’s playing you’.”
— “Daddy Lessons”

7. After rationalizing the circumstances, she makes the first steps toward Reformation amidst a love drought:

“Why are you afraid of love? You think it’s not possible for someone like you.”
“Ten times out of nine, I know youСre lying/ But nine times out of ten, I know you’re trying/ So I’m trying to be fair/ And you’re trying to be there and to care.”
— “Love Drought”

8. Next, comes Forgiveness, after deciding not to allow the curse to consume her any longer. Beyoncщ forgives him, but not before reminding him that he broke their promise. Luckily for him, she’ll break her own promise of leaving.

“Do you remember being born?/ Are you thankful for the hips that cracked, the deep velvet of your mother/ …and her mother/ …and her mother?/ There is a curse that will be broken.”
“And your heart is broken ’cause I walked away/ Show me your scars and I won’t walk away/ And I know I promised that I couldn’t stay, baby/ Every promise don’t work out that way.”
–“Sandcastles”

9. Following forgiveness, they must move forward, allowing the Resurrection of love in the face of all of the pain.

“So how are we supposed to lead our children to the future? What do we do? How do we lead them? Love.”
“Forward, best foot first just in case… It’s time to listen, it’s time to fight.”
— “Forward”

10. Despite life’s challenges, one must not lose Hope on the journey to freedom, because hope can sometimes be all we have to pass onto the next generation; or it can be turned into action.

“The nail technician pushes my cuticles back……turns my hand over, stretches the skin on my palm and says: ‘I see your daughters, and their daughters.'”
“I break chains all by myself/ Won’t let my freedom rot in hell”.
— “Freedom”

11. Redemption is the last step in the healing process, and here Beyoncщ embraces it with a jug of lemonade and an all-night romance.

“Grandmother, the alchemist/ You spun gold out of this hard life/ Conjured beauty from the things left behind/ Found healing where it did not live/ Discovered the antidote, in your own kitchen/ Broke the curse with your own two hands/ You passed these instructions down to your daughter/ Who then passed it down to her daughter.”
“With every tear came redemption/ And my torturer became my remedy.”
— “All Night”

12. Finally, Beyoncщ calls for her black women to unify, to get in Formation, in order to battle the many obstacles that come along with being a black woman.

“Okay, ladies, now let’s get in formation/ You know you that bitch when you cause all this conversation/ Always stay gracious, best revenge is your paper.”
— “Formation”

LISTEN TO Beyoncщ’s LEMONADE:

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April 3, 2007.

Beyoncé released her sophomore album, B’Day, on her birthday in 2006 (if you don’t know it, then log-out). However, that was hardly the last hurrah for the album. Seven months later, on April 3, 2007, Beyoncé unleashed the B’Day Anthology visual album. The DVD featured a music video for 10 of the 11 songs from the original release of B’Day. In addition, of the newly added Deluxe version tracks also received music videos.

The B’Day Anthology doesn’t get nearly as much credit as it deserves. When Beyoncé dropped her self-titled visual album in December of 2013, you would think it was the first time she made a video for every song on an album. Everyone seemingly forgot about B’Day. Sure, in hindsight, the B’Day videos pale in comparison to that of Self-Titled or LEMONADE, but they still slay in their own way. Obviously, B’Day‘s case was a bit different in that the videos came months after the album. However the method of releasing an album in the manner of Self-Titled was more or less unheard of at the time. B’Day deserves its due credit. It was Beyoncé’s trial run for a format she would come to perfect six years later.

B’Day Anthology, the Context

The B’Day videos do not have a story-line woven throughout. Nor do they have much of a unifying theme (except for perhaps female empowerment), or visual similarities. All 13 of the videos on the B’Day Anthology are uniquely different (intentionally) from the rest and for that, should be celebrated. I remember being so impressed that Beyoncé pulled off such a feat.

At the time, the way we consumed music videos was so drastically different from now. There was no VEVO, and posting music videos on YouTube was still a relatively new idea. The iPhone had not been released yet (it would come later in 2007), but people did watch music videos on their iPod Videos, purchased from iTunes. I remember ripping the B’Day Anthology from the DVD to put onto my iPod. I watched the videos incessantly. Indeed, what she accomplished was unheard of, yet it did not receive the fanfare it truly deserved.

Naturally, the set featured previously released videos for singles “Déjà Vu,” “Ring the Alarm,” “Irreplaceable,” “Listen,” and Deluxe Edition lead single, “Beautiful Liar” with Shakira. Aside from those five, Beyoncé filmed eight more videos.

B’Day Anthology, the Videos

My personal favorite from the set is “Get Me Bodied.” Part of this is because of the guest appearances from Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams and Solange Knowles. Beyond that, it was simply well-done and an all-around fun video. However, all of the videos have notable moments. “Kitty Kat” features an enlarged cat crawling with Beyoncé, who dons a leopard print leotard. “Green Light,” meanwhile, is a simple yet fierce video showcasing Beyoncé’s all-female band and some intense fashion stylings.

On “Upgrade U,” Beyoncé tries her hand at impersonating her then-secret-fiancé Jay-Z, who features on the track, which makes for a hilarious moment. Continuing the comedy is “Flaws & All,” an old school looking video that features Beyoncé playing around, making silly faces in front of the camera. It is a charming, smile-inducing video for an equally heart-warming song. The hilarity reaches its peak, though, on “Suga Mama.” What is otherwise a rather sexy video – with Beyoncé slaying a stripper pole – turns hilarious at the very end. Beyoncé rides a mechanical bull and gets thrown off, tumbling to the floor.

“Freakum Dress” is essentially a Miss Tina Knowles fashion show. In the video Beyoncé and her dancers model a slew of dressed sewn by her fashion-designer mother. It becomes a little mind-blowing as Beyoncé and crew’s dresses keep switching from one style to the next. I can’t think of a better video for the song, all things considering. I sure feel for the editor, and director Melina, though; it must’ve been quite the task getting all of those shots to line up properly.

B’Day Anthology, the Effect

In short, the B’Day Anthology was ultimately a stepping stone or Beyoncé. It was a creative experiment that wet her feet for an art form she would later perfect and shake up the music industry in the process. The set deserves respect and acclaim, not because any one of the videos were particularly groundbreaking, but because of the effort Beyoncé put into it. She dared to challenge herself and make a visual album. Had she not done so in 2007, who’s to say that she would have done so in 2013 (and so masterfully)? It takes time to perfect greatness. Beyoncé went on to make plenty more videos between 2007 and 2013, but the B’Day Anthology laid the groundwork for Beyoncé to become the pioneering visual artist she is revered as today.

Listen to Beyoncé’s B’Day Anthology:

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February 12, 2007.

In 2007, America’s “Shakira” teamed up with Latin America’s “Beyoncé” to gyrate their way into the top of the charts. Naturally, they stepped on a useless man — err, a “Beautiful Liar,” in the process. But how did such a perfect pairing come about?

The Colombian Meets America

In 2001, Colombian sensation Shakira released her first English language album, Laundry Service, and had her breakthrough single with “Whenever, Wherever,” becoming one of the only female artists from South America to take America by storm in such a way. That same year, Destiny’s Child announced they would pursue solo projects, and the media and music world put lead singer Beyoncé Knowles on a pedestal from which she has never left.

The American Goes Caribbean

Shakira’s next album did not come until 2005, and while she was away, Beyoncé rose to superstardom as a result of her 2003 debut solo album, Dangerously In Love. On the album’s second and fourth singles, “Baby Boy” and “Naughty Girl,” Beyoncé displayed a new penchant for Caribbean and Middle Eastern inspired sounds, looks, and dances in her music and videos (belly dancing in “Baby Boy,” anyone?). Her 2003 MTV VMA performance seemed particularly Shakira-esque. Perhaps a coincidence, or perhaps she was indeed inspired by her peer, Shakira (who is of Caribbean and Middle Eastern descent), the comparisons began to form between the two dyed-golden-haired artists.

The Stars Align in 2006

Shakira returned to prominence in America with her second English language album, Oral Fixation, Vol. 2, released in November 2005, and the massive hit single “Hips Don’t Lie,” featuring Wyclef Jean, in early 2006. (Side note: Beyoncé got her first hit, with Destiny’s Child, via a Wyclef Jean production, “No, No, No Part 2”). It was Shakira’s biggest hit to date and, naturally, she became a hot commodity once again. Later that same year, Beyoncé released her second album, B’Day, with which she seemed to be targeting the Latin American market. Beyoncé recorded Spanish language versions of her singles, “Listen” and “Irreplaceable,” with unreleased Spanish language demos of “Ring the Alarm” and “Deja Vu” surfacing on the internet as well. In 2006, Beyoncé and Shakira were two of music’s hottest names.

The Rumors, The Demo

At the end of that year, rumors began to swirl that the pair were planning a duet. Then, a demo of would-be duet, “Beautiful Liar” leaked onto the internet. In the leaked demo, Beyoncé sang the entire song solo. The parts Shakira would eventually sing in the final version were sung by Beyoncé in Spanish, playing the character of “Sasha.” Based on this, it was assumed the final version of the song would be sung by Beyoncé in English and Shakira in Spanish.

“Beautiful Liar,” The Final Product

That, however, was not the case, and, the final product was rather disappointing. “Beautiful Liar,” the lead single from Beyoncé’s reissue of B’Day, was poised to become an iconic collaboration, but fell short. Duets between two big name artists often do – especially, for whatever reason, when both artists are of the same sex. Yes, it had everything that everyone expected from Beyoncé and Shakira: a dance floor ready beat, sassy drama, a girl-power message, Latin flavor, and a touch of Middle Eastern flair. Still, the song felt a bit chintzy and simply could have been so much better. Fans felt a bit let down.

And then the video dropped.

“Beautiful Liar,” The Video

While the song was lackluster, the video rendered the song’s shortcomings irrelevant. Perfectly, the two budding divas owned the similarities and comparisons between their styles and appearances and appeared to be two best friends playing dress up from the same closet. They rocked similar outfits, hairstyles, and slayed their complimentary choreography. Not only did they reinforce the girls vs. boy message of the song, but they showed us how damn amazing it would be if Beyoncé and Shakira actually were twins. Belly dancing and twirling in the rain, America and Latin America’s biggest female stars united not in competition but in unison. With so much talent and beauty, they were an undeniable force together on camera. We only wish they performed the song together.

“Beautiful Liar,” The Legacy

While the song itself may be forgettable, the video for “Beautiful Liar” will live on as iconic piece of pop culture. The VEVO version of the video, uploaded two and a half years after its February 2007 release, in October 2009, has amassed over 236 million views, and sits as the #9 most viewed video on Beyoncé’s VEVO account. For comparison’s sake, “Irreplaceable” is from the same album, has been uploaded for the same amount of time, was #1 on the Hot 100 for 11 weeks, and is 12 million views behind “Beautiful Liar,” which spent just one week at #2 on the Hot 100. “Beautiful Liar” is the highest ranking song from B’Day on VEVO.

So, “Beyoncé, Beyoncé… Shakira, Shakira” — we’ve waited 10 years, and can’t wait any longer. When will you two collaborate again?

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When she dropped her sophomore album, Beyoncé still had a lot to prove. Hot off the heels of her debut solo album, Dangerously In Love, the pressure was on for Beyoncé to deliver yet another album of its caliber both in quality and success. It may sound hard to believe now, but in 2006, Beyoncé was viewed sort of as a new artist. However, with B’Day, she began to cement her status as a force to be reckoned with – both creatively and commercially.

Lead by the Darkchild-produced “Déjà Vu,” B’Day was, according to Beyoncé, recorded in just a few weeks after she finished filming “the film of [her] life,” Dreamgirls. “I was saying all the things I wish she would’ve said in the film.” In case you missed it, Dreamgirls is the story of Deena Jones who, like Beyoncé, was the lead singer of a girl group. The difference is that Deena’s manager turns out to be her controlling-husband (not her father), who also ends up cheating on her. So, Beyoncé gave us B’Day, an anthemic album of mostly uptempos, filled with passionate emotions and dance anthems.

However, she ended up giving us way more than that. In many ways, B’Day was the precursor for Lemonade. For starters, B’Day’s album art photoshoots and the “Déjà Vu” video were both shot and inspired by New Orleans and Beyoncé’s Creole heritage. Lemonade is too. Not only that, but the topic of infidelity appears on both albums, in many forms – Intuition, denial, and anger (“Ring the Alarm,” “Lost Yo Mind”), apathy (“Kitty Kat”), and a song about donning something fierce from her closet (“6 Inch” vs “Freakum Dress”). However, where they differ is that B’Day implies she kicks his ass to the curb with the one-two punch of “Irreplaceable” and “Resentment.”

Not only that, but B’Day was also Beyoncé’s first foray into creating a visual for every song. For the re-release of the album, the Queen B decided to film a music video for every song on the original release (except “Resentment” – for legal reasons, apparently) and for several of the new songs she recorded for the new version. While unlike Lemonade or even Self-Titled, the B’Day videos don’t really connect or tell a story, they laid the blueprint for Beyoncé uniting her albums with visuals – not just the singles. With B’Day, though, the videos were more in the vein of your traditional music video – they were not artsy, or particularly unique or visually striking. Still, they are an enjoyable collection that without we may have never gotten to the point of her releasing Lemonade, a united, art film.

Visuals aside, B’Day was a fantastic album musically and a certain improvement from her debut. It featured a variety of sounds, from the Jazzy horns on the lead single, bonus tracks “Creole” and “Back Up,” and Neptunes-produced “Green Light,” to the ferocious fire of Swizz Beatz helmed Hip-Hop bangers like “Ring the Alarm,” “Upgrade U” and dance anthem “Get Me Bodied,” the strut-ready Rich Harrison productions “Freakum Dress” and “Suga Mama,” or the poppy guitar of “Irreplaceable” and “Resentment,” B’Day was a fearless exploration of sound, and Beyoncé’s personality.

Not only was it fearless musically, but vocally, too. B’Day‘s vocals are raw, unfiltered, and gritty. Of course, while it lends to the content of some of the songs perfectly, B’Day found Beyoncé shedding the confines of the sweet, refined, polished sound of Dangerously In Love. With B’Day, she challenged herself musically and vocally. While sadness and vulnerability may not be her forte, ferocity certainly is. Her powerful voice reigned unrestrained throughout the album, but not in a messy, un-trained, nonmusical way (a la Christina Aguilera ad-libs) – Beyoncé is a trained, skilled vocalist. It’s just that on B’Day, she was not afraid to make you feel a little scared of the sheer force of her powerful vocal wrath. If “Listen” doesn’t send chills down your spine, then it might be because Beyoncé had already disintegrated it over the course of the first 10 tracks.

With B’Day, Beyoncé changed as an artist – commercially and artistically. Gone were the days where Beyoncé really gave a damn about having a hit single – though, she still did. “Irreplaceable” perched at #1 for 11 weeks, but the rest of the singles did not do much individually. Though, collectively, they became essential parts of pop culture: “Get Me Bodied” is, among her core audience anyway, now cemented as one of those songs that gets played by a DJ to get the crowd dancing at a wedding, ala the Electric or Cha-Cha Slides.

“Upgrade U” was a hit at Urban radio, and Beyoncé dressed up as Jay in the video was an unforgettable moment. “Ring the Alarm” sparked rumors abound of Jay cheating on her, with Rihanna with the Forehead. “Déjà Vu” had an unforgettable performance at the 2006 BET Awards where Beyoncé lost her damn mind, and “Listen” is now a staple for contestants on singing competition shows like American Idol and The Voice. And, while admittedly the song was a bit lackluster, who can forget seeing Beyoncé and Shakira twin it up in the video for “Beautiful Liar”? How about Beyoncé cutely falling off the mechanical bull in “Suga Mama”? If that’s not enough proof for you, well, just go to a gay club and wait for “Freakum Dress” to come on…

Finally, B’Day also gave us The Beyoncé Experience World Tour. It was her first worldwide headlining tour as a solo artist, and here she completed the transformation that began with Dangerously In Love, and was perfected during the Destiny Fulfilled tour. With The Beyoncé Experience, Beyoncé officially became the tour de force on the stage that we know today. She took over every stage at all 96 tour dates, across all 6 inhabited continents, and commemorated it with a DVD. If you don’t own it, please direct yourself to Amazon.com or your local retailer and do yourself the favor of purchasing it. On Bluray, because why would you want to watch and listen to Beyoncé at anything less than the highest quality available? Anyway, one of the best moments of The Beyoncé Experience was her performance of “Flaws and All,” which she dedicates to her fans. One of the best songs to come from the album, for its lyrics and vocals in particular, was made all the more great with this phenomenal performance. “I don’t know why you love me, and that’s why I love you… You catch me when I fall, accept me flaws and all, and that’s why love you.”

Not sure of the flaws she speaks of, to be honest, but ten years later, we still celebrate the milestone of your most glorious B’Day, Beyoncé. Happy birthday, and Happy B’Day.

Listen to Beyoncé’s B’Day:

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