Blow

Album: Beyoncé (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This Pharrell Williams and Timbaland-produced track finds Beyoncé in a dirty mood as she sings about oral sex. We hear the Texan Queen of Pop Music croon on the Prince-esque tune, "when you lick my skittles. It's the sweetest in the middle." We can assure you she's not talking about candy.
  • The song was Beyonce's first collaboration with Timbaland, who appears later for a call and response. However the Texan singer worked with Pharrell before when he produced "Green Light" and "Kitty Kat" from her B'Day album.
  • Justin Timberlake also contributed to the writing of the song; Beyoncé previously teamed up with the Mirrors singer when she appeared as a guest on his "Until The End Of Time" remix. Timberlake is also a serial collaborator with her husband, Jay-Z.
  • Beyoncé told GQ magazine of working with Pharrell and Timbaland and Justin Timberlake on this song. "We all started in the '90s, when R&B was the most important genre, and we all kind of want that back: the feeling that music gave us."
  • This was initially intended to be the lead pop single from Beyoncé. However, its release was cancelled at the last minute and the label decided to drop "XO" instead.
  • The Hype Williams-directed video was filmed in a roller skating rink in Houston, Texas where Beyoncé skated as a child. The TMZ website said that the surprise release of the Beyoncé album and music clips was kept a secret from nearly everybody who was involved in its production. A girl named Morgan Hebert was one of the dancers in the visual, which was filmed in September 2013, and the Texan and her team made sure no one truly knew what was going on. "She and a few other dancers from Beyonce's Super Bowl show flew to Houston for the two-day shoot and it was like Fort Knox," claimed the outlet. "No cell phones, no pictures, nothing. She also had to sign a scary confidentiality agreement. Morgan says she figured it was all for a music video, but didn't expect anything to be released until next year."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Eagles Lyrics Quiz

Eagles Lyrics QuizMusic Quiz

Lots of life lessons in these Eagles lyrics - can you match them to the correct song?

Tanita Tikaram

Tanita TikaramSongwriter Interviews

When she released her first album in 1988, Tanita became a UK singing sensation at age 19. She talks about her darkly sensual voice and quirky songwriting style.

16 Songs With a Heartbeat

16 Songs With a HeartbeatSong Writing

We've heard of artists putting their hearts into their music, but some take it literally.

Amy Lee of Evanescence

Amy Lee of EvanescenceSongwriter Interviews

The Evanescence frontwoman on the songs that have shifted meaning and her foray into kids' music.

Alice Cooper

Alice CooperFact or Fiction

How well do you know this shock-rock harbinger who's been publicly executed hundreds of times?

Band Names

Band NamesFact or Fiction

Was "Pearl" Eddie Vedder's grandmother, and did she really make a hallucinogenic jam? Did Journey have a contest to name the group? And what does KISS stand for anyway?