When Beyoncé’s new song “Bow Down/I Been On” dropped on Sunday (Mar. 17), fans praised the track for its empowering lyrics and aggressive departure from the singer’s past pop hits. Right wing radio pundit Rush Limbaugh, however, got matters a bit twisted. On his Mar. 20 radio show, Limbaugh took a few minutes to harshly criticize Beyoncé’s recent career moves.
Limbaugh, ever the aspiring music critic, began with a little backstory. “Beyoncé used to be the lead for a three-girl group called Destiny’s Child. And their songs were attempts to inspire young women not to take any grief from men.”
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While Limbaugh got the message from hits like “Survivor” and “Independent Women,” his analysis of Bey’s latest track was far off from the general consensus.
Beyonce Drops New Hit Boy-Produced Track ‘Bow Down/I Been On’
“She’s got a new song, ‘Bow down, bitches,’ a total 180,” Limbaugh alleged. “Beyoncé’s now saying, ‘go ahead and put up with it.’ And you know why? I’ll tell you why. She married the rich guy. She’s even calling herself Mrs. Carter on the tour. She has shelved Beyoncé.”
Limbaugh likely missed lines like, “I took some time to live my life, don’t think I’m just his little wife.” Given the feminist tone of the new song, it is rather clear Bey was imploring others to bow down before her, not women to their husbands.
And although Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter was a rather wealthy bachelor, pre-marriage Beyoncé, who had recorded eight No. 1 singles (on her own and with Destiny’s Child), likely wasn’t searching for a sugar daddy.
Limbaugh went on to predict, “The thing that’s going to shake this country up is going to be Obama on an open mic dissing Timberlake’s latest CD or fashion line, or maybe saying something negative about Beyoncé.”
The tour Limbaugh referenced, Beyoncé’s Mrs. Carter Show World Tour, is scheduled to kick off April 15 in Serbia and wrap Aug. 5 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.