Analysis of Beyoncé’s “Hold Up”

In delivering the message of a song the musical techniques employed play a significant role. These are the ways that musicians through the instruments and vocals produce the exact musical effects they desire. They help the audience to decipher and understand the themes and main ideas songwriters intend to put across. In her song “Hold Up,” Beyoncé applies various musical techniques to communicate her ideas to listeners. In this song, Beyoncé expresses her rage and resentment for loving her man. The man referred to in the song seems not to take her seriously and which makes Beyoncé furious. She indicates that she has done everything to impress the man by making herself look beautiful. However, the man fails to notice her. She states that she intended to figure out his loyalty. In the song “Hold Up” by Beyoncé, tempo, articulation, intonation, and dynamics are the main musical features play a significant part in putting across the song’s message and emotional impact.

Beyoncé utilizes music dynamics to signify the major points in the song. Dynamics are the volume levels of a sound or a note in a song. Dynamic in music plays a vital role in revealing the moods and feelings of the singer and also in spurring emotions to the listeners. Usually, loud dynamics signify high energetic events or high emotions such as vigor, victory, or anger. In the song “Hold Up,” Beyoncé uses loud dynamics in the chorus. In this instance, she indicates her frustration and anger. In particular, the dynamic becomes loudest in the fifth and sixth line of the chorus where she says, “Can’t you see there’s no other man above you? What a wicked way to treat the girl that loves you” (line 5-6). In these lines, he reveals her anger due to the way her lover treats her. This dynamic level also invokes feelings of frustration in the listeners. The verses are sung at a soft dynamic level. Although the words in the verses are sad, the dynamic shows calmness and patience. In this way, she puts forth all the issues making her angry, and the listener understands. In verse one, she says that “Something don’t feel right because it ain’t right, especially comin’ up after midnight. I smell your secrets, and I’m not too perfect to ever feel this worthless” (verse 1). In the calm dynamic, she explains herself just as a person would express their concerns in a conversation. This helps in understanding the song.

The song employs a varying tempo to signify the variation in the emotions. The tempo of a song indicates the pace or the speed at which a musician plays the different sections. It serves as the speedometer in a song, and it is measured in beats per second. A part of a song with a slow tempo infers that the beats are low. In this song, Beyoncé applies a slow tempo while singing the verses. In this case, the slow pace illustrates regrets and remorse. To the audience, this makes them develop a feeling of sympathy. While singing the chorus, tempo changes, and the beats increase. In this case, Beyoncé insists her point. The central message which is embedded in the chorus comes out. Intonation is another musical feature present in the song. It refers to how accurately a musician matches the vocals with the pitch of the instruments. As she sings, Beyoncé raises her pitch with the variations of musical instruments. For instance, in the chorus where the tempo of the song is high, the pitch of her voice is high. The rise in the pitch is used to insist her main points in the chorus and revealing anger. Articulation is another musical technique that is evident in the Beyoncé’s song. Articulation refers to the way in which a musician connects the notes or sounds in music to express intentions. Articulation affects the transitions or continuity of notes and hence the flow of the song. In this song, the notes are smoothly connected with no breaks. Each note in the lines combines well with the other. The song indicates remorse and sadness. The slow connected notes successively reveal these feelings. The manner in which the song progresses indicates that the singer has suffered for long, and is expressing a lot of concern.

In conclusion

The main musical features the song “Hold Up” by Beyoncé are tempo, articulation, intonation, and dynamics. These musical techniques are significant in putting across the song’s message and evoking emotions in the listeners. Tempo indicates the pace of the song while intonation reveals the levels of the pitch. The chorus of the song has a high tempo and pitch to reveal the anger of the artist. Dynamics are the volume levels used by the singer. In this case, Beyoncé applies soft tones for the verses and loud dynamics for the chorus. Beyoncé seems to emphasize the chorus which carries the emotions of the song.

Work Cited

Beyonce. “Hold Up.” Lemonade, Parkwood Entertainment, 2016.