Holly Thomas is a writer and editor based in London. She is morning editor at Katie Couric Media. She tweets @HolstaT. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author. View more opinion on CNN. CNNBeyoncés new song Break My Soul is here to remind us that yes we all feel dreadful -- but since were all in the same overworked underslept boat the beat reverberating through our headphones may as well slap.
Holly Thomas
The track is Beys first single from her seventh solo album Renaissance and its precisely on-vibe for her stressed-out post-pandemic audience. Damn they work me so damn hard work by nine then off past five she chants atop an agitated instrumental redolent of the hysterical anxiety familiar to anyone whos committed to too many projects then found themselves gasping for air as deadlines come crashing down around them.
As always Beyoncés got her finger on Americas racing pulse and in the grand tradition of burnout anthems shes conversely produced a song bursting with energy. Like Dolly Partons 9 to 5 and David Bowies Under Pressure theres no suggestion of stopping to rest. With a sound designed for heaving clubs at 2 a.m. Break My Soul acknowledges what a nightmare it is to power through amid overwhelming pressure and offers up a rhythm to keep you awake while you do.
The song marks a sharp U-turn from Beyoncés 2016 hit Formation which exemplified the rise and grind mentality that dominated the 2010s with lyrics like I dream it I work hard I grind til I own it. As famous for her unrelenting work ethic as her talent Beyoncé was the perfect figurehead for that decades hustle culture -- typified by the meme You have the same amount of hours in a day as Beyoncé. If you worked with Beyoncé this was literally true In the 2011 short film Year of 4 which documented the making of the singers fourth album Beyoncé declared proudly If Im not sleeping nobodys sleeping.
Beyoncés "Formation"
Yet despite a level of wealth and celebrity that entirely insulates her from the real world Beyoncé seems to have caught on to the fact that its inhabitants are sick of the grind. The fantasy that were only ever a certain number of sleepless nights away from realizing our ambitions has curdled and we dont want to be roused to action by the rare freaks of nature or privilege who chased their dreams and actually caught them.
When Kim Kardashian told Variety in March that the secret to success was to Get your expletive expletive up and work her cranky underslept audience raged in response. Kardashian later insisted that the quote was taken out of context but the damage was done. The soundbite came as a slap in the face to the millions who already work hard but whose success is obstructed by sexist racist systems that ensure that for some the race to the top is significantly smoother than it is for others.
This is why burnout music has to be animated and defiant. Floaty exhortations to slow down and take care of yourself would be unbearable when for many of us downing tools to rest isnt a viable option. You can tell within the first 10 seconds of Break My Soul that Beyoncé -- and no doubt everyone who worked with her -- sweated blood over this record. Even if shes moderated her philosophy on paper since Formation one suspects that in reality producing music for a fan base acclimated to nothing but hits still requires a gritty willingness to work until the job is done.
David Bowie and Queen shared that fanaticism when they produced their 1981 hit Under Pressure in a haze of competition nitpicking and -- as Far Out Magazine put it -- amid animosity wine cocaine and vocal battles. Never one to under-perform Dolly Parton wrote her iconic 1980 single 9 to 5 on the set of the film it was the soundtrack to rapping the baseline with her nails in-between takes playing a put-upon secretary. Its no accident that both these songs inject energy and life into the listener -- its a much more useful outcome than wallowing in the fatigue and relentlessness of it all.
Everyone listening to Break My Soul understands that Beyoncé lives an enchanted life. She belts out that she quit her job and we know that if she actually had shes already got enough money to fund a thousand retirements. But burnout songs arent instruction manuals. Theyre expressions of frustration that are by necessity created by people with far more energy and resources than the people intended to hear them. It would be agonizing if Beyoncé produced a record about being tired that actually sounded tired complete with earnest suggestions that we all just take a bubble bath. Whos got time Were powering through -- so bring on the caffeinated adrenalized beat and well yawn and stretch and try to come to life.
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