The song is played later in the short as they’re performing it at the On the Run tour, making you wonder if being “drunk in love” isn’t simply filled with drunk sex as the hit suggests, but drunk fights as well.Īll of this sets up the backdrop of the film and what it claims to be about: JAY Z’s change, love and relationships, and how that relationship went completely south. These might actually reference JAY Z and Beyonce’s hit, “Drunk In Love”, and even more literally to their relationship. What seems to be at complete juxtaposition, follows 2 clips of domestic fights happening in front of liquor stores. This clip is then followed by another, with the well-known interview by Eartha Kitt as she speaks on her viewpoints about falling in love. With “4:44” speaking exclusively about the wrongs he’s done to Beyonce throughout the many years of their relationship, growth seems to be a reoccurring theme in the video. In this case, it feels as if JAY is declaring that he’s changed or in the process of changing.
Let’s start with the beginning of the short as a young black boy beautifully sings Nina Simone‘s “Feeling Good”, the ultimate anthem of rebirth and overcoming. I warned you, this breakdown is definitely for the overly analytical… This seems to make the most sense, considering the video itself seems to have shots serving as interludes themselves. In order to cover the video coherently instead of simply rambling of the symbolism throughout, I’ll break down the description of the short into four parts: Part 1-The Backdrop, Part 2-The Crash, Part 3-Realization, and Part 4-Blue. Nonetheless, I haven’t really seen anyone take the time to break it down and give answers to the confusion, hence why I have and I’m truly impressed by the work after doing so. I, myself have waited a couple of days to see if anyone was going to take a wack at deciphering the 8 and a half minute video, and still nothing other than a few articles glossing over it to report new content or simply not understanding it. With that being said, a good portion of you reading this have already seen the short visual created for the album’s title track, and are in the vast majority who are completely confused. Many of you have more than likely heard JAY Z‘s new album, 4:44, with brand new TIDAL subscriptions in tow.