Beyonce: "Why Don't You Love Me?" (Video)
"Why Don't You Love Me" - Beyoncé from Beyoncé on Vimeo.
The Snob is at home sick today. My allergies are so bad that I wish I could just detach my head from the rest of my body. My eyes are watering. My face is swollen. It's unpleasant. On that note: Here is Beyonce's new video for "Why Don't You Love Me?" I actually like the song quite a bit. As for the video ... the verdict is still somewhat out.
I think I get what she was going for here: The feeling you sometimes have in a relationship, that despite doing your best it's never enough and there are still problems. In the video Beyonce acts out various gender stereotyping (while wearing different variations of onsies) in a 1950s setting. When not going through the motions a la Karen White (Her track and video for "Superwoman" comes to mind), she is drunk on martinis and chain-smoking while yelling over a phone. The makeup and dancing are garish on purpose, as she performs in a way she hopes will make her significant other happy -- even though none of this will. To me the video was about the futility of the "superwoman" stereotype White tried to murder in her song of the same title. A lot of women attempt to take on this role to sometimes disastrous results.
A friend of mine thought the video was for Beyonce's mother, Tina Knowles, who has had the misfortune of her husband cheating on her and impregnating another woman after their many years of marriage. I'm sure I'm not the first woman who's heard the tales of someone who jumped through hoops to please their partner only to learn that nothing they could have done could have stopped the relationship from going bad. You could take from it that you need to hold on to some of your own identity when in a relationship OR you could turn off the sound and marvel at Bey and her many tiny outfits and heels as she goes through the motions of a cheesecake model. I've been critical of Beyonce in the past. Mostly because while I think she's talented, I often feel the material she works with is bland and kind of annoying. I actually thought this song was clever and it was more relatable for me. Maybe because of some of my own past relationships where I realized that being the best of me with someone didn't always translate into domestic bliss.
Still, the onsies. So tired of the onsies. Between her, Rihanna and Lady Gaga does ANYONE wear pants anymore?
What do you think?
RnB, beyonce, music, music videos, pop culture, video 
Reader Comments (116)
I love this video. Maybe it's because I don't like pants. (Do skirts count?)
I love this video as well. I think her material is getting better with time. I can't say anthing negative about this one.
At first I didn't understand why she was dressing skank 1950ish but after I read your review, it makes more sense. The music is great. Beyonce is back to form from her former flops. Who knows if it will last though.
Liz...what were her former flops? Just curious because so many people love love love love love her and they play her music non-stop to the point of annoying. Alot of her songs I dont even like but I hear them so much on the radio that I start to like them.
Anyways, I have not seen the video yet, but will watch. To me she seems to do the same thing over and over but it seems to work for her, so....
I thought the video was cute. Nostalgic…playing the ‘good’ housewife and sex pot and STILL can’t get any love. She has worn out the 1950's theme, though, but like I said the video fits the song and told a worthy ’story’.
And also didn't hurt that I am in lusting after those patent blue shoes she has on.
The one thing that did bother me is the fact that she was smoking (It's the public health in me). And she appeared to be a ‘pro’. Be a sex pot, but please don’t smoke.
The video is like Bey watched a Mad Men marathon right after the Lady Gaga 'Telephone' video.
Stacey,
Perhaps I shouldn't have said flops, since her former songs have been successful commercially but they were flops for me.
The video was inspired/bit from the underground stag films of the 1950's starring Betty Paige, check em out on youtube.com. She was pretty fly.
As for Bey Bey, it's nice to see her doing something with a bit more range, deeper and a little darker. However, given the superfluous nature of her image, she is becoming the Samuel L. Jackson of pop music (it's just a matter of time before she makes a song or fashion statement out of one thing or another). I'm not hating just saying the girl could let us miss her a lil.
Overall the video was rife with great fashion finds and I expect to see plenty of us gals harnessing our inner 50's pin-up doll in the upcoming seasons.
Peace,
Philly SouledOut
Old School Flava for a New Wave Generation
Maybe I am getting old but I am tired of her being paraded around looking like a tramp. I don't know, it just hurts me to continually see her like this. Isn't she talented and successful enough now that she doesn't have to have her tits and ass on display all the time?
I LOVE THE VIDEO AND THE SONG A LOT BEY IS SO TALENTED GOD BLESS OUR BEY JAY THEIR FAMILIES AND A EVER LASTING LONG HAPPY MARIEDBEY BEY YOUR VIDEO SAID IT ALL YOU ARE THE BEST
I LOVE THE VIDEO AND THE SONG A LOT BEY IS SO TALENTED GOD BLESS OUR BEY JAY THEIR FAMILIES AND A EVER LASTING LONG HAPPY MARIEDBEY BEY YOUR VIDEO SAID IT ALL YOU ARE THE BEST
I agree G.
Eh. Nothing much to love or hate about it. Another disposable ear worm from B.
The toddlers will be singing it on YouTube before the month is out.
I can't help but compare the new crop of videos by women icons in the music biz. When i see Beyonce in yet another performance showcasing her butt cheeks & pelvic muscles i yawn, cuz i think they are her crutches. But
when i see a video like Sade in her BabyFather video i'm like whoa, who knew Sade has rack and back like that!!! That is sexy to me because it's not expected (along with the lady's talent)-not Bey simply relying on her ass-ets, no matter how cool the art direction/styling might be.
Sex sells. Every artist, talented or not, will display varying degrees of sexuality because that's what makes money after the music stops playing. I'll even go a step further and saying a gorgeous woman selling sex sells even more (Rihanna, anyone?) But by now everyone should know that Beyonce has the talent, beauty AND sex and that's why she keeps blowing other artists out of the water...that, and she's always changing her sound so her audience increases. Her I AM 2-disc set was genius because she didn't lose her hip hop/ rnb fans and gained a totally new sort of neo soul, rock, contemporary, indy audience at the same time. My favorites were the ones that weren't over-exposed on the radio: 1. Disappear 2. Hello 3. Brokenhearted Girl 4. Scared of Lonely.
I think Bey is a bad role model and I feel sorry for her that she feels the need to always be half naked. Money cannot by happiness or class. In my opinion she is coming across like a well paid stripper to the world. She now has enough fame and fortune that she can afford to exhibit a little class and be a better role model for the children instead of aiding in their moral decay. I love Sade and Jennifer Hudson for their talent class and beauty.
The video was painful to watch. Beyonce is such a talent -- it is a shame that she feels the need to reduce herself to Glorified Stripper Status. The song is okay -- I don't love it or hate it; the video I abhor. Quite vulgar to grab one's breasts and jiggle them around (just as she did in the Video Phone video). Parading around half naked while drunk and smoking is also over kill. Perhaps if this video were not the typical, half naked, sexually suggestive Beyonce that we normally see I wouldn't be so critical. But, it's more of the same (in a different setting). It angers me when men reduce women to sexual objects in rap and R&B videos and hurts me to my soul when women reduce themselves to tacky, eye candy.
Also, dusting off the Grammy's? That is obnoxious -- we know you won and commend you...but, humility is a beautiful trait, while arrogance is an ugly character flaw. Why stoop to such low self promotion. It came across as desperate and insecure. Beyonce's first album had incredible songs that were timeless, this one...not so much, hence, why I Am... has spawned so few #1 hits.
Makes me want to go Bam, Bam! That woman is hot!
The video was okay nothing great about it. Same stuff over and over...show my body off, shake my money maker....whatever. When she truely does something out of the box (her box that is) then I will be impressed. She still has a long way to GROW.
I do like the song.
As for the smoking that someone mentioned...she smoked in one of her videos from the B-day album and was very convincing, so that does not shock me. I think she smokes in her personal life. She handles it all to well. She just may not smoke ciggies. Just sayin'.
I agree with a few of the earlier post. I am frnakly tired of her prancing around in next to nothing. She also seems to have lost a lot of weight. I have to problem with people wanting to be in shape, healthy but she looks like she is not eating much at all. She does have the same sounding songs and I wish should would try something different. Granted she has her fans that are die hard so they will like 98 percent of the songs she writes/sings but lately it seems she has fallen off just a little. I say that because right now Gaga is hot and Bey shows up in her video. Alicia is hot and touring and Bey shows up in her video too. Just saying.
omg! i cant believe all of the intelligent comments written on this blog post! the rubbish i read on the other sites are ridiculous and extremley low brow ( brainwashed/ beyonce worshiping/ ignorant/ etc.). to everyone except the guy saying bam bam, thank you for brightening my day with your independent thoughts!!!
Love the video, the vintage, the onesies and of course, Ms. B! I understand many feel she's overexposed in every way, particularly because of the music industry's treatment of women and its impact on our youth and culture. But look at it this way, beauty and curves don't last forever;) Her creative talent is so much more than curves, clothes and hair. I think she's sexy, hot and still evolving in her prime as a performer... she's having fun and growing. It's fun to watch her be sexy and own it!
I wish more women would own their power as sexy!
Luckily for Beyonce, it's not the 1950s and she can shake her fanny and show her can all she wants. I understand people's disagreement with her choices in presentation but I ain't her momma so I can't tell that grown woman how to dress. As always if you don't like the type of role model Beyonce is portraying, which lets face it is a realistic one (at the end of the day talent only gets you so far), make sure you are the kind of role model you'd like to see. Hell maybe one day you'll get a platform to stand upon and show all your moral and fashion superiority from. But don't get angry when some just as talented woman or man who does whatever you do knocks you off because they weren't ashamed to whip out the onesie.
It's getting really old now.
The reason why this song is lyrically good compared to most of her songs is because Solonge wrote it (Solonge admitted this on twitter). Beyonce may have talent, but it is heavliy overshadowed by her always showing off her body. I still can't believe she got into ASCAP's songwriter hall of fame. Most of her hits are songs she didn't even write. Poor Solange. Maybe someday she'll be able to get out of Mrs. Joe Camel's shadow.