Pretty Hurts

"Pretty Hurts" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé for her eponymous fifth studio album (2013). It impacted mainstream radio in the United States on June 10, 2014, as the third single from the album. The song was written by Sia, Ammo and Beyoncé and its production was handled by Beyoncé and Ammo. "Pretty Hurts" was initially written for Katy Perry and then offered to Rihanna who subsequently co-penned the song; but was unfit to record the track due to management drawbacks and as a result both Sia and Rihanna’s management teams then sent it to Beyoncé instead. It is a power pop and soul ballad, instrumentally complete with a sparse background honed with the use of synths, minor chords and a "booming" drum beat. The track's lyrical content deals with subjects of third-wave feminism, self-empowerment and body image. Additionally, the song's lyrics deal with the consequences of society's high standards of beauty, and in "Pretty Hurts" eating disorders are depicted as one of the subjected results.

"Pretty Hurts" won in the category for Best Video with a Social Message at the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards and was named the best track of 2014 by the Associated Press. Following the release of ''Beyoncé'', the track charted in the lower regions internationally. It failed to enter the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and peaked at number 63 on the UK Singles Chart. However, the song became Beyoncé's 21st number one on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart, and was placed at number four on its 2014 year-end chart.

The accompanying music video for "Pretty Hurts" was directed by Melina Matsoukas, and features the singer competing in a beauty pageant. The clip was made available at iTunes Stores as part of the album's release on December 13, 2013. It also won a category for Best Cinematography along with Best Video with a Message at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards. ''Rolling Stone'' included the clip in their year-end list of the 10 best music videos of 2014. Beyoncé performed "Pretty Hurts" during her co-headlining On the Run Tour (2014).

Background and recording

"Pretty Hurtss" was initially written by Australian musician Sia at her apartment in Angelino Heights, Los Angeles. She completed the song with American musician Ammo on the same day she recorded French DJ David Guetta's "Titanium" in 2011. Sia wrote "Pretty Hurts" with American singer Katy Perry in mind, and later e-mailed the song to her. However, Perry failed to read the email, and in what Sia described as an "awkward situation," she then sent the track to the management of Beyoncé and Barbadian singer Rihanna. The song was put on hold for eight months by Rihanna's management, who failed to pay the track's fee, and as a result Beyoncé "slid into home base and threw the money down" to secure "Pretty Hurts" for herself. Rihanna later decided to record another composition by Sia, "Diamonds", instead. In 2012, American producer Dr. Luke received Beyoncé's cut of "Pretty Hurts" and played it to Perry, who later text messaged Sia, saying, "I'm pretty hurt you never sent me this song". Sia then responded, stating, "Check your e-mail," to which Perry replied, "It was meant to be with Beyoncé of course".

During an interview with iTunes Radio in December 2013, Beyoncé said, "The second I heard the song, I'm like, 'I have to sing this song, I don't care how hard I have to fight for this song, this is my song'!" The singer also decided to record "Pretty Hurts" because she wanted to shift her focus to the beauty industry, which she felt was "the most humiliating, judgmental place you can be as a woman". She saw the track's theme as representation of "finding that thing in the world that makes you truly happy," and felt that the song was in line with the album's theme of "finding beauty in imperfections". Speaking to iTunes Radio, Beyoncé explained: "I feel like sometimes the world is a big contest, we're all being judged. I wanted to capture how humiliating and insecure that makes you feel."

Sia later mentioned online, in reply to a fan lamenting that her song "Elastic Heart" would have been a good single for Beyoncé, that she gave the singer "Pretty Hurts", her "other best song". The final version of the song was written by Sia, Beyoncé and Ammo, and its production was handled by the latter two. Rob Suchecki engineered and recorded the song's instrumental and intro synthesizer with Derek Dixie. Beyoncé's vocals were recorded by Stuart White who also handled the mixing of the song. "Pretty Hurts" was recorded in three studios: Kings Landing in Bridgehampton, and Jungle City Studios and Oven Studios in New York City. In the United Kingdom, the song was added to the playlist of BBC Radio 1 on June 2, 2014, and later impacted mainstream radio in the country on June 23. In the United States, "Pretty Hurts" impacted rhythmic radio on June 10, 2014, as the fourth single from ''Beyoncé''.

Composition

A power pop and soul ballad, "Pretty Hurts" runs for a duration of four minutes and 17 seconds (4:17). It contains "mellow" R&B undertones, and a hip hop groove. Musically, the track's sparse background is honed with the use of synths, minor chords, and a "booming" drum beat. "Pretty Hurts" is set in the time signature of common time, with a slow tempo of 65 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of B major, with Beyoncé's vocals spanning the tonal nodes of F₃ to E₅. The song follows a basic sequence of B-Cm-Gm-F as its chord progression. Beyoncé's vocal performance in "Pretty Hurts" was likened by music critics to that of her 2008 single, "Halo". Una Mullally of ''The Irish Times'' commented that the track's sound recalled the works of American singer Pink. Writing for ''New York Magazine'', Jody Rosen felt that "Pretty Hurts" was reminiscent of a more "robust" Barbra Streisand song. Jed Gottlieb of the ''Boston Herald'' likened the track's beat to the works of New Zealand singer Lorde. Chris Bosman from ''Consequence of Sound'' described "Pretty Hurts" as a "cinematic reach of modern Top 40 pop with the patience and melancholy of post-'' 808s & Heartbreaks'' hip-hop." ''USA Today'' writer Korina Lopez opined that the song showcased a "darker side" to the singer.

The lyrics of "Pretty Hurts" are related to third-wave feminism and self-empowerment. It confronts society's standards and stereotypes with regard to female beauty. The song opens with a recorded snippet of a beauty pageant judge questioning Beyoncé on her life aspirations, to which she replies, "My aspiration in life would be... to be happy". The sample is used to frame the song in the context of the singer's childhood. According to Michael Cragg from ''The Guardian'', the snippets were used to question the singer's "drive and desire that's got her to where she is today, and whether the struggle was entirely worth it". The song then transcends into a depiction of Beyoncé as a beauty pageant contest awaiting judgment in the lyrics, "Mama said, 'You're a pretty girl, what's in your head, it doesn't matter. Brush your hair, fix your teeth. What you wear is all that matters". The second verse of "Pretty Hurts"—"Blonder hair, flat chest/ TV says bigger is better/ South Beach, sugar free/ Vogue says thinner is better"—serve as an analysis of female body image and society's obsession with physical perfection.

According to Tris McCall of ''The Star-Ledger'', the song implicates that "American women are flung from their cradles into competition with each other, and are coached to disguise their flaws and distrust any gesture toward solidarity." Additionally, the track's lyrics deal with the consequences of society's high standards of beauty, and in "Pretty Hurts" eating disorders are depicted as one of the subjected results. The track also sees Beyoncé denouncing "plastic smiles," and during the last verses she demands to "strip away the masquearede". Critics observed that "Pretty Hurts" promoted its listener's ambition for fame and personal growth. The song's lyrics garnered comparisons to TLC's "Unpretty" (1999), and Christina Aguilera's " Beautiful" (2002). Marc Hogan of ''Spin'' opined that "Pretty Hurts" resembled a speech accompanied by music and felt that it served as a political statement addressed to the beauty industry. Hogan's view was echoed by McCall of ''The Star-Ledger'' who wrote that had the song been performed by Phil Ochs in 1995, it "would have instantly recognized it as a protest number". McCall went on to opine that "Pretty Hurts" served a response to the criticism Beyoncé received for her performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" during American president Barack Obama's second inauguration in 2013.

Critical reception

Neil McCormick of ''The Daily Telegraph'' felt it was "a great opening track" for ''Beyoncé'' and lauded its "anthemic" chorus. Mesfin Fekadu of the Associated Press deemed the song "a supreme way" to open the album. musicOMH's Philip Matusavage wrote that "Pretty Hurts" manifested ''Beyoncé'' as a "definitive personal statement rather than just another Beyoncé album". ''The Guardian'' reviewer Michael Cragg listed the track as an "immediate" single choice on the album. Julia Leconte of '' Now'' opined that the song was "classic Beyoncé feminism" and quipped, "and if you're a sucker for girl-power hits like 'Irreplaceable', you'll have this one on repeat, too". While Claire Lobenfield of ''Complex'' stated, "What sounds like a classic Beyoncé female empowerment ballad cuts even deeper." Tim Finney of the same publication deemed the song a "heavy-handed future concert staple". Writing for the ''Los Angeles Times'', Mikael Wood felt that with "Pretty Hurts," Beyoncé created "razzle-dazzle pop out of small-scale sentiments that might've seemed on paper like fodder for hushed ballads". Drowned in Sound writer Robert Leedham stated the track was "impeccably sung".

Tris McCall of ''The Star-Ledger'' commended the track's production and complimented Beyoncé for sounding "on the verge of tears" with her "vulnerable" vocal delivery. ''Newsday'' writer Glenn Gamboa felt the song was "dynamic musically and bold lyrically". "Pretty Hurts" was lauded as the "best thing on the album" and an "undeniably noble attempt to boost female morale" by Andy Gill of ''The Independent''. Gill's view was shared by Consequence of Sound's Chris Bosman who felt the song's "dramatic and painful exploration of female beauty" made it a highlight on ''Beyoncé''. ''Billboard'' journalists Andrew Hampp and Erika Ramirez commented, "Unlike ingers_such_as_Celine_Dion,_Christina_Aguilera_and_Rihanna.html" ;"title="Celine_Dion.html" ;"title="ingers such as Celine Dion">ingers such as Celine Dion, Christina Aguilera and Rihanna">Celine_Dion.html" ;"title="ingers such as Celine Dion">ingers such as Celine Dion, Christina Aguilera and Rihanna Beyoncé doesn’t just re-sing a Sia demo – she fully makes this self-empowerment anthem fully her own, with a powerhouse 'Halo'-esque vocal, and a bridge that could take you from Houston to Brooklyn in five seconds flat". The lyric, "It's my soul that needs surgery," was dubbed an "admittedly catchy slogan" by Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani. Writing for ''Slate (magazine), Slate'', Dee Lockett called the track's introduction the "album's most empowering line". Jem Aswad of ''Spin'' called "Pretty Hurts" the ''pièce de résistance