A Ray Of Sun

By: Gabriela Yareliz

Mature love. Beyoncé’s “Halo” is not about first love, in fact, the protagonist of the video sings, “I swore I’d never fall again, but this don’t even feel like falling.” We see a woman whose walls have come down (we all have those walls). I love when Beyoncé sings, “I found a way to let you win.” We have a way of rigging the game, when we want to.

We have a surprisingly vulnerable song in her album I am… Sasha Fierce. The song was written by Beyoncé and Ryan Tedder, of One Republic. Tedder wrote the majority of the song and dedicated it to Beyoncé and her husband, Jay-Z.

The video mostly takes place in a dance studio, and there is a lot of light. Light is a big theme in this song. She sings:

Hit me like a ray of sun
Burning through my darkest night
You’re the only one that I want
Think I’m addicted to your light

She likens this man’s presence in her life to an angel. She acknowledges that she is taking a big risk. (Isn’t all love a big risk?) At one point in the music video, we see her in what looks like a wedding dress, underwater.

This song marks a turning point in her music to me. It’s not longer just fluff tunes like “Single Ladies”— I cannot stand that song, as mentioned before. She starts to deliver more emotional songs. We had no idea Lemonade was coming, at this point.

“Halo” is a straightforward song about love’s divine attributes; how it wins us over and delivers us from the fortresses that keep us safe but captive. Despite the fact that the song is not as deep as the pool our wedding dress clad-Beyoncé seems to be submerged in— it’s a start.

The truth is, we are all hoping to have that love that burns through our darkest night.

Tune in for the next post, which will be the last in the Beyoncé mini series. See you there!