'To the Left, To the Left"
A study of the 'irreplaceable' Poet-Narrator
Mary Watson
Issue date: 12/9/08 Section: Arts & Entertainment
Every year, it seems, there is one song that defines the generation. These truly great songs transcend class differences and speak to the individual, regardless of race, creed, income, color of hair or length of skirt. On my way to school this morning, I was feeling a bit of nostalgia for the days of yore, so I scrolled through my iPod in search of one of those truly great songs, the kind that would transport me back to a more innocent and happier place. My search ended almost as soon as it began when I came upon that name of names, Beyonce. Yes, simply Beyonce. She has joined Cher, Madonna and Britney at that pinnacle of stardom, that modern day mode of deification, at which last names become no longer necessary.
Although Mrs. Jay-Z's list of fantastic hits is marvelously prodigious, "I thanked God for granting me this moment of clarity," as I made the easiest decision of my life. I quickly selected the jam and then allowed myself to be drawn in, like so many others before me, by the riveting power of the song's opening lyrics:
To the left
To the left
To the left
To the left
Mmmmmm. (1-5)
Yes, "Irreplaceable." As I listened to the words, I felt that there was something deeper, something truly poetic that Beyonce wished to impart in this heart-wrenching ballad of female empowerment. Beyond the catchy lyrics of this glorious song is a woman aching with the wounds of love's labor's lost as she hides behind a steely façade both of apathy and of aphrodisial optimism.
Beyonce's pathos is immediately evident as she mechanically utters the first words of the song: "To the left / To the left" (1-2). Initially, the full meaning of these words is ambiguous. What is she asking of me? Does she want me, her captivated listener, to move in a sinistral direction? Is she trying to conduct my attention to my left? Or should I be looking to her left? The impassioned songstress does not leave her audience in the dark for long:
Although Mrs. Jay-Z's list of fantastic hits is marvelously prodigious, "I thanked God for granting me this moment of clarity," as I made the easiest decision of my life. I quickly selected the jam and then allowed myself to be drawn in, like so many others before me, by the riveting power of the song's opening lyrics:
To the left
To the left
To the left
To the left
Mmmmmm. (1-5)
Yes, "Irreplaceable." As I listened to the words, I felt that there was something deeper, something truly poetic that Beyonce wished to impart in this heart-wrenching ballad of female empowerment. Beyond the catchy lyrics of this glorious song is a woman aching with the wounds of love's labor's lost as she hides behind a steely façade both of apathy and of aphrodisial optimism.
Beyonce's pathos is immediately evident as she mechanically utters the first words of the song: "To the left / To the left" (1-2). Initially, the full meaning of these words is ambiguous. What is she asking of me? Does she want me, her captivated listener, to move in a sinistral direction? Is she trying to conduct my attention to my left? Or should I be looking to her left? The impassioned songstress does not leave her audience in the dark for long:
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