Emily Carson Jeff Bain-Conkin Writing and Rhetoric: Rhetorical Analysis 17 October 2013 A Modern take on Old Music

Beyonc Knowles Love on Top, a Grammy Award recipient for Best Traditional R&B Performance in 2013, draws inspiration from feel-good pop songs of the 1990s, setting it apart from other songs on her fourth album. The song starts with the sound of snapping fingers and soft vocals. This beat instantly evokes energy within the opening seconds and it leads into Beyoncs first cueBring the beat in! The songs title and lyrics establish that Love on Top is a song about love and loves priority over other matters. It is womens empowerment to find and work to create the relationship she wants where love is the priority and a man will not run her down. Through its musical elements and powerful lyrics, Love on Top reminds its listeners of a time when relationships were easier to manage. Together, the retro soul style, lyrics, and music video, teach listeners that love, in all aspects of life, is the priority. Inspired by the 1990s, Love on Top uses retro musical techniques to remind listeners that life should not be as complicated as it is today. Drawing off the styles of the renowned Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder, and Jackson 5, the song echoes the ease of retro soul music. The retro soul style is all about simplicity for the listener. Its beats combine the elements of R&B and jazz. Most often songs categorized as retro soul have catchy rhythms that are stressed by handclaps or body movements. This is an important feature of retro soul music because these sounds are designed to make the listener want to move to the beat. Listeners are naturally inclined to feel happier and carefree with the musics upbeat tempo and swing. Beyonc deliberately picked this type of style to base her song off of because love should be simple like it was back in the 1990s. The songs retro elements remind listeners of a time when life was less complicated. The subtle finger snaps, melding of horns, and sweet backing harmonies in the bridge and chorus of Love on Top, are all elements that help emphasize the songs retro soul style. The enjoyable beats in the beginning seconds of the track set a tone of simplicity. When the downbeat drops in, it releases an upbeat tempo to compliment the already enjoyable euphoric sound. Full of a thumping bass line, a steady set of tribal drums, and a resilient choir of saxophones, the musical framework is lively. The sounds drive in and out based on the lyrics, fading into the background during each verse and slowly rising to the explosion of the chorus. Beyonc wants the listeners to realize how warped the process of loving has become. With all distractions of the modern era, people have forgotten the true meaning of love. Back in the day when there were fewer distractions, everything was simpler. Loving something or someone was an effortless emotion. Love is the feeling that drives everything in a persons life: the activities they pursue, the careers

they follow, and the relationships they build with others. Pleasure was found in lifes simplicities, for instance, music. The music of the 1990s was a common thread for many and it brought communities together by creating moments when memoires could be made. Beyonc wants her listeners to remember the past, when life was simple and everyone enjoyed each others company. Beyonc creates lyrics that are empowering to women and urging them to take charge of their loves and desires. Love on Top is an anthem for females about the forgotten importance of love. The song and its message are driven by Beyoncs energy. Her vocals are aggressive and unapologetic from the first cue to the final note. Initially singing in a lower register and building up her voice through four key changes, the versatility and strength of Beyonc's vocals mirror the songs lyrics. The songs two verses each correspond to a different set of memories a woman has with a man, beginning with the times they first met and then moving on to when the relationship escalated to a more physical level. They highlight how emotionally stable the woman feels around him: I can feel the sun whenever youre near/ Every time you touch me I just melt away. The beginning of the chorus that follows each verse denotes the struggle of relationships. The chorus expresses the womans impenitent nature for her feelings: Now everybody asks me why I'm smiling out from ear to ear (They say love hurts)/ But I know (It's gonna take a little work)/ Nothing's perfect, but it's worth it after fighting through my tears/ And finally you put me first.... It is in this chorus of the song where there is greater musical and emotional intensity. Listeners can hear the rise in Beyoncs vocals, the emotions she is putting behind her lyrics. The chorus hits its climax at the moment of exasperation when the woman realizes that love is now a shared priority for the couple, hence the songs title. The lyrics recap the womans reliance on the love she shares with her man; pulling together the womans power and drive throughout the song. Through her uncharacteristically simplistic music video, Beyonc brings out her message of the significance of love and makes it believable. The video starts and ends in a bare studio apartment, making Beyonc the focal point of the shot. Throughout the video, there is nothing busy to divert your attention away from Beyonc and her singing. It is through this simplicity that listeners can take the time to actually focus on the lyrics and beat. Her message is clear and easily understood. Not everything in life has to be so chaotic and busy, sometimes simpler is better. The simplicity of the shot encompasses everything Beyonc is trying to say through her lyrics, music choice, and video: the most important thing in our lives is love, and it has always been there, but lifes distractions make us forget about the little things that actually matter the most. As obvious as it may seem, the songs title says it all, Love on Top. Love should always be on top; we should be living our lives based off of what we love to do and whom we love to be around. It is something that will never abandon us and something that will always be there motivate us no matter how complicated things become. Love on Top demonstrates how sometimes we can become so preoccupied with irrelevant

matters, that we end up overlooking the more important issues are appearing right in front of our eyes. When you hear the song for the first time it immediately sends you back to the past, a time before society started to evolve and create unnecessary standards people were indirectly prompted to live by. Its euphoric and powerful in such a simple way. The mind wanders with the upbeat tempo and the lyrics speak to the soul about rising up and taking control on your love. Together, the components show how loves priority has been hidden and how it needs to resurface as one of the driving features of our lives. Its a simple yet powerful message conveyed though a modern day spin on old music.