The hard-hitting eleventh track from Bey’s self-titled record, “Flawless” is among Beyoncé’s most experimental and influential records. Perhaps the most culturally relevant track on Beyoncé, “Flawless” is largely responsible for pushing the word “feminism” back into the mainstream, and the ubiquitou...
[Intro: Star Search excerpt]
Your challengers are a young group from Houston
Welcome Beyoncé, Lativia, Nina, Nicky, Kelly, and Ashley
The hip-hop-rappin' Girls' TYME!
Part I: "Bow Down"
[Chorus]
I'm out that H-Town, comin', comin' down
I'm comin' down, drippin' candy on the ground
H-H-Town-Town, I'm comin' down
Comin' down, drippin' candy on the ground
[Verse 1: Beyoncé & JAY-Z]
I know when you were little girls
You dreamt of being in my world
Don't forget it, don't forget it
Respect that, bow down, bitches (Crown)
I took some time to live my life
But don't think I'm just his little wife
Don't get it twisted, get it twisted
This my shit, bow down, bitches
[Bridge: Beyoncé & JAY-Z]
Bow down, bitches, bow, bow down, bitches (Crown)
Bow down, bitches, bow, bow down, bitches (Crown)
H-Town vicious, H-H-Town vicious
I'm so crown-crown, bow down, bitches
[Chorus]
I'm out that H-Town, comin', comin' down
I'm comin' down, drippin' candy on the ground
H-H-Town-Town, I'm comin' down
Comin' down, drippin' candy on the ground
Part II: ***Flawless
[Intro: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie & Beyoncé]
We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller
We say to girls: "You can have ambition, but not too much
You should aim to be successful, but not too successful
Otherwise, you will threaten the man"
Because I am female, I am expected to aspire to marriage
I am expected to make my life choices always keeping in mind that marriage is the most important (C-Candy on the ground)
Now, marriage can be a source of joy and love and mutual support (Dum-da-dee-da)
But why do we teach girls to aspire to marriage and we don't teach boys the same? (Do-da-da, do-do, do-do-do-da)
We raise girls to see each other as competitors
Not for jobs or for accomplishments, which I think can be a good thing (Com-com-comin' down, drippin' candy on the ground)
But for the attention of men
We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings in the way that boys are (Dum-da-de-da)
Feminist: A person who believes in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes (Do-da-da, do-do, do-do-do-da)
[Chorus: Beyoncé]
You wake up (Flawless), post up (Flawless)
Riding 'round in it (Flawless), flossin' on that (Flawless)
This diamond (Flawless), my diamond (Flawless)
This rock (Flawless), my Roc (Flawless)
I woke up like this, I woke up like this
We flawless, ladies, tell 'em
I woke up like this, I woke up like this
We flawless, ladies, tell 'em
Say, "I look so good tonight"
Goddamn, goddamn
Say, "I look so good tonight"
Goddamn, goddamn, goddamn
[Bridge: Beyoncé]
My mama taught me good home-trainin'
My daddy taught me how to love my haters
My sister told me I should speak my mind
My man make me feel so goddamn fine, I'm flawless
[Chorus: Beyonce]
You wake up (Flawless), post up (Flawless)
Riding 'round in it (Flawless), flossin' on that (Flawless)
This diamond (Flawless), my diamond (Flawless)
This rock (Flawless), my Roc (Flawless)
I woke up like this, I woke up like this
We flawless, ladies, tell 'em
I woke up like this, I woke up like this
We flawless, ladies, tell 'em
Say, "I look so good tonight" (Right, right, right, right)
Goddamn, goddamn
Say, "I look so good tonight" (Right, right, right, right)
Goddamn, goddamn, goddamn
[Outro: Star Search excerpt]
The judges give champion Skeleton Crew 4 stars, a perfect score
The challenger, Girls' TYME, receives... 3 stars
Skeleton Crew, champions once again
Congratulations, we'll see you next week
***Flawless was written by Beyoncé & The-Dream & Hit-Boy & HazeBanga & Rey Reel.
Beyoncé released ***Flawless on Fri Dec 13 2013.
The star symbols stand for the vote Girl’s Tyme, Beyoncé’s former girl group, received, when they participated to the talent show Star Search. In fact, as can be seen in this song’s official video, the judges of the show gave Girl’s Tyme 3 star, while the winners received 4 star.
In October 2016, three years after the release of “***Flawless,” Adichie sat down with Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant and gave her first public comment on the song. She first started by commending Beyoncé’s artistry, saying:
In the first place: of course Beyoncé asked permission to use my texts, and...
On August 8, 2022, “***Flawless” was certified 3x multi-platinum by the RIAA.