Guys, guys. It's Monday. SXSW just ended, the U.S. is nursing a St. Patrick's Day hangover, and March is unseasonably cold...but Beyoncé just released a new song, which somehow un-Garfields all of our Monday woes, and wholly cheers the heart.
Yet, "Bow Down/I've Been On" isn't a "Halo"-style ballad or a "Girls" pop banger. Here, Beyoncé reminds you that, despite singing at the inauguration, killing it at the Super Bowl, and stealing our hearts on HBO, she still has H-Town street cred for days. Produced by rap's of-the-moment technician Hit-Boy (he worked on Watch The Throne), Bey gets, well, chopped and screwed. She wants us to know that, while she "took some time to live my life, don't think I'm just his little wife..." and then she drops a lot of "B"-words — and we don't mean "Beyoncé."
This tune incorporates Bey's southern roots in a way we've never heard before — which, for fans back from the Destiny's Child-era, might feel a little strange. Hearing Beyoncé say "trill" and reference UGK could be a little off-putting for anyone hoping for a "Countdown" or "Love On Top" pick-me-up. Still, we're not complaining.