Beyonce’s self-titled fifth album, released by surprise on December 13, turned the music biz on its head, stole a lot of the year-end critical thunder from 2013’s other big-name releases (including her husband’s), and gave an unexpected jolt to a pop-music world that generally goes into hibernation after Thanksgiving. Both a bold and deeply rewarding artistic statement and the work of one of pop’s most reliable names at what seems like the peak of her powers, it managed to sell a million copies in under a week at a time when even major releases have trouble breaking seven digits. For the past three weeks it’s sat more or less unchallenged at the top spot on Billboard‘s Hot 200 albums chart, and looks to be there for a while.
There are any number of reasons why “Drunk In Love” hasn’t found significant traction on the pop charts. The song’s verses have a stoned, improvisational quality that probably meander too much to compete in a world where Dr. Luke has turned punchiness into a science, where not a second is wasted on anything that might take away from delivering hooks. The verses, which are supposed to be what sells a pop song, kind of jump in at unexpected times without much clear delineation between them and the other parts.
