"Don't Hurt Yourself" is a song recorded by the American artist Beyoncé for her sixth studio album, ''

Lemonade Lemonade is a sweetened lemon-flavored beverage. There are varieties of lemonade found throughout the world. In North America and South Asia, cloudy still lemonade is the most common variety. There it is traditionally a homemade drink using ...

''. The song was produced by

Jack White John Anthony White (; born July 9, 1975), commonly known as Jack White, is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the duo the White Stripes. White has enjoyed consistent critical and popular success and is widely c ...

, Beyoncé, and

Derek Dixie Derek James Dixie is an American musician, record producer, and musical director best known for his work with Beyoncé, Chloe x Halle, and The Carters. He has five Grammy nominations and one Emmy nomination. Early life and education Dixie gre ...

, and written by White, Beyoncé, and Diana Gordon. The song contains samples of "

When the Levee Breaks "When the Levee Breaks" is a country blues song written and first recorded by Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy in 1929. The lyrics reflect experiences during the upheaval caused by the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. "When the Levee Bre ...

" written by Jimmy Page, Robert Plant,

John Paul Jones John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-American naval captain who was the United States' first well-known naval commander in the American Revolutionary War. He made many friends among U.S political elites ( ...

, and

John Bonham John Henry Bonham (31 May 1948 – 25 September 1980) was an English musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band Led Zeppelin. Esteemed for his speed, power, fast single-footed kick drumming, distinctive sound, and feel for groove ...

, and performed by

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

. Some critics compared the song to Beyoncé's "

Ring the Alarm "Ring the Alarm" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé for her second studio album, ''B'Day'' (2006). It was written by Knowles, Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean, and Sean Garrett. Columbia Records released "Ring the Alarm" as the second sin ...

" (2006). The song received a nomination for the 59th Annual Grammy Awards in the category of Best Rock Performance. '' Billboard'' ranked "Don't Hurt Yourself" at number 61 on their "''Billboard''s 100 Best Pop Songs of 2016" list.

Background

said of the song's origin in an

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

interview:

"You know, I just talked to her and she said, "I wanna be in a band with you." aughs.I said, "Really? Well, I'd love to do something." I've always loved her voice — I mean, I think she has the kind of
soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...
singing voice of the days of
Betty Davis Betty Davis (born Betty Gray Mabry; July 26, 1944 – February 9, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, and model. She was known for her controversial sexually-oriented lyrics and performance style, and was the second wife of trumpeter Mile ...
or Aretha Franklin. She took just sort of a sketch of a lyrical outline and turned into the most bodacious, vicious, incredible song. I don't even know what you'd classify it as — soul,
rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm a ...
, whatever. "Don't Hurt Yourself" is incredibly intense; I'm so amazed at what she did with it."

The song's music video is part of a one-hour film with the same title as its parent album, which originally aired on HBO.

Critical reception

Writing for ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

,'' Jillian Mapes argues that Beyoncé is "giving the world a modern-day ' Respect' in 'Don't Hurt Yourself'". Mapes continues, writing "Even on an album stacked with some of Beyoncé's best recorded vocal performances to date, 'Don't Hurt Yourself' has her belting to a whole other dimension—specifically, that of Janis Joplin and late-

'60s File:1960s montage.png, Clockwise from top left: U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam War; the Beatles led the British Invasion of the U.S. music market; a half-a-million people participate in the 1969 Woodstock Festival; Neil Armstrong and Buzz A ...

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the " Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue before ...

". Tim Guillot, from ''

Medium Medium may refer to: Science and technology Aviation *Medium bomber, a class of war plane *Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design Communication * Media (communication), tools used to store and deliver information or data * Medium of ...

'', says that "Don't Hurt Yourself" is "one of the best

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

songs of recent years", continuing by stating that the track "is full-on rebellion, emotional and stylistic."

Chart performance

After the release of ''

'', "Don't Hurt Yourself" debuted on the '' Billboard'' Hot 100 chart at number 28 and the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart at number 16. As featured artist on the song, Jack White notched his first solo top 40 Hot 100 hit. In a prior appearance as a soloist, White reached number 81 in 2008 with the duet "

Another Way to Die "Another Way to Die" is a song by American musicians Jack White and Alicia Keys. Written and produced by White as the theme song to the 2008 James Bond film ''Quantum of Solace'', it was released as a single in the United States on September 30 ...

" with

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...

, the theme from the

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

film '' Quantum of Solace''.

Live performances

"Don't Hurt Yourself" is part of the set list for

The Formation World Tour The Formation World Tour was the seventh concert tour by American singer Beyoncé in support of her sixth studio album, ''Lemonade'' (2016). The all-stadium tour was announced following her guest appearance at the Super Bowl 50 halftime show. T ...

with the first performance taking place in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

Marlins Park LoanDepot Park is a retractable roof stadium located in Miami, Florida. It is the home of Major League Baseball's Miami Marlins. It is located on on the site of the former Miami Orange Bowl in Little Havana about west of Downtown Miam ...

on April 27, 2016. Beyoncé also performed this as part of her medley at the 2016 MTV VMA. Writing for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

,'' Caroline Sullivan noted how during the performance of "the bitterest songs" off ''Lemonade'', " Sorry" and "Don't Hurt Yourself", "she's a pillar of rage". Beyoncé also performed the song on her setlist for her 2018 Coachella performance, as well as co-headlining

On the Run II Tour The On the Run II Tour was the second co-headlining stadium tour by American singer Beyoncé and rapper Jay-Z. The tour began on June 6, 2018, in Cardiff and ended on October 4, 2018, in Seattle. This is their first tour together since On the Ru ...

with Jay-Z. Jack White opened his October 10, 2020 performance on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...

'' with a portion of "Don't Hurt Yourself" as part of a medley.

Charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Don't Hurt Yourself (Beyonce song) 2016 singles 2016 songs Beyoncé songs Song recordings produced by Beyoncé Songs written by Beyoncé Songs written by Jack White Songs written by John Bonham Songs written by John Paul Jones (musician) Songs written by Jimmy Page Songs written by Robert Plant Songs written by Wynter Gordon