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Partition (song). Music Review & Synopsis: "Partition" is a song recorded by American
singer Beyoncé, for her eponymous fifth studio album (2013). It was composed by her, "The
Dream", Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, Jerome Harmon, Dwane Weir, Mike Dean and the Boots.
The song consists of two parts, titled "Yoncé" and "Partition" itself. A hip hop, dancehall
and electro track, "Partition" also incorporates trap elements.
Partition (song) Critical reception: "Partition" was generally well received by
critics, who commended its experimental production and *** yet catchy lyrics. The line, "He
Monica Lewinsky-ed all on my gown", was covered in several reviews. Glenn Gamboa of Newsday
wrote that Knowles "channels her inner Prince, moving from a sweet, girl-group pop sound
to Dirty South hip-hop". Michael Cragg of The Guardian highlighted that Knowles gives
the best explanation of the album's raison d'etre through the line, "Radio say speed
it up / I just go slower". He further commended the way Knowles half-raps "with a delicious
snarl" in the first part of the song. Many critics, including Hardeep Phull of the New
York Post, Una Mullalay of The Irish Times and Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune welcomed
Knowles' rapping on "Partition" and compared it to the work of British recording artist
M.I.A. Andrew Barker of Variety magazine highlighted that among the songs that discuss sexuality
on Beyoncé, "none hold a candle to the absolutely scorching 'Partition'". He also praised how
Knowles "toss off a few old-school battle rhymes" with the line, "I sneezed on the beat,
and the beat got sicker", being a standout. Similarly, Miles Marshall Lewis of Ebony magazine
noted that lines like, "I sneezed on the beat and the beat got sicker / Yoncé all on his
mouth like liquor", would make listeners smile. He praised how Knowles "spills lyrics ... in
a confident flow" and concluded, "As a singing rapper, she's still way more precious than
ferocious." Andrew Hampp of Billboard magazine commended
the memorability of the lyrics and wrote that "'Partition' is yet another 'gettin’ freaky
with my baby' jam, with some of Bey’s most frankly *** lines yet." Similarly, Eliana
Dockterman of Time magazine hailed the lyrical content of "Partition"; she noted that it
suitably exemplifies "embodiment of modern feminism for a generation that has been reluctant
to claim the word" and further praised how Knowles "express her desire to please while
still projecting a fierce, independent persona". Melissa Locker, also writing for Time magazine,
suggested that Knowles work with Timbaland more often as "his sultry beats paired with
her R-rated lyrics and the catchy chorus 'It took 45 minutes to get all dressed up / And
we ain’t even gonna make it to this club', make a captivating combination". Chris Bosman
of the same publication wrote an extensive review of the song:
But Beyoncé is far from being all sentiment. Because a large part of being Beyoncé in
America in 2013 is being a *** creature and not only being unafraid of that fact,
but reveling — and reveling confidently — in it. The amorphous, shifting Houston-trap-meets-Noah
Shebib trunk rattler 'Partition' exemplifies this particular sentiment. On the track, the
Queen Bey tells her driver to put the partition up because 'I don’t need you seeing 'Yoncé
on her knees'; uses Monica Lewinsky as a euphemism for her man finishing on her clothing; reveals
that 'he like to call me Peaches when we get this nasty'; and repeats that it took her
'45 minutes to get all dressed up / and we ain’t even gonna make it to this club'.
And in maybe the wildest moment in an album full of bold moves, Beyoncé actually slips
in the French translation of Julianne Moore’s 'Feminists love sex' monologue from The Big
Lebowski. Ryan B. Patrick of Exclaim! noted that songs
in the vein of "Partition" effectively display genre diversity, Knowles' vocal range and
"a penchant of musical experimentation". Matthew Perpetua of BuzzFeed praised the French spoken
section on "Partition", comparing it to the Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie sample on "Flawless"
as she added: "It's good that these ideas aren't directly expressed by Beyoncé herself
– in context, these bits are like reblogged quotes that frame her artistic intentions
– because she knows she doesn’t need to be so didactic when she’s actually singing
about sex, and to do so would defeat her point about owning her pleasures." Caitlin White
of The 405 wrote extensively of "Partition" as a song that effectively shows that Knowles
"catapults herself out of her very femininity into personhood by positioning female sexuality
as a powerful, amorphous construct--one that transcends the female body even while uplifting
it." White concluded that the singer does not exalt herself to become "the highest sex
object or an egotistical pop princess" but anoints herself "as *** goddess, she is
at once desiring and desired, fulfilled and fulfilling". Mikael Wood of Los Angeles Times
wrote that "the spooky, almost perversely stripped-down 'Partition' reflect determination,
rare among superstars, to keep pushing creatively". That's all. Sing along with this Complete
Lyrics or Play this video along with Official Audio, for that read the description below.
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