4
9.5087
11 x 2
@Artemisia
@R27
HIGHEST SCORE: 10 x 47 (
@aux,
@Solenciennes,
@Joe.,
@CorgiCorgiCorgi,
@Sanctuary,
@fatyoshi,
@eatyourself,
@Dangerous Maknae,
@Dynamo,
@boom bazooka joe,
@BubblegumBoy,
@GimmeWork,
@-M-,
@Jersey,
@RetroPhysical,
@Blond,
@Daniel_O,
@Ashling92,
@Cutlery,
@Ana Raquel,
@daninternational,
@Purple,
@Maria,
@Scab,
@aaronhansome,
@Sail On,
@Remorque,
@klow,
@Slice of Life,
@Babyface,
@BTG,
@Mushroom,
@SlowGinFizzzz,
@nikkysan,
@TéléDex,
@K94,
@reputation.,
@Laurence,
@Stradiwhovius,
@Trinu 3.0,
@Music Is Life & Death,
@papatrick,
@Ensnare,
@Petty Mayonnaise,
@Trouble in Paradise,
@heavymetalgaga)
LOWEST SCORE: 6 x 1 (
@Verandi)
MY SCORE: 10
And with this, the Grammy™ Award winning track leaves the rate. To be honest, I adore this song, but I didn't want it to get into the miraculous top three: "ALIEN SUPERSTAR", "VIRGO'S GROOVE" and "PURE/HONEY". This is, one of, if not the best top three in a rate ever. I don't know about you, but all I have left are 10s.
This is one of Beyoncé's most joyful anthems. The song is such a hoot and you just can't help to feel entranced in happiness when this plays. This feels like a party classic, an essential, something that will always get the crowd going. I think this in part what really lets this song shine. It just feels like everyone was having an absolute blast working on this song in the studio. It was recorded in different studios, as most music is these days, but it feels like it had a whole band and Bey in the same booth just jamming out and having an amazing time.
This energy of the track
really translated live. This got an
insane reaction on tour. I thought "ALIEN SUPERSTAR" was going to get the biggest energy from a non-single, but the girls were really here for "CUFF IT". The track did indeed go omega viral on TikTok, got some radio airplay, received a remix and peaked at #6 in the Billboard Hot 100. It felt like the biggest song from the record, alongside "BREAK MY SOUL" on the night of. It's a hit! It could've hit #1 with a push from a music video, probably.
In terms of talent behind the boards, this track has instrumentation from the legendary Nile Rodgers. He is behind the guitar riff that is all the way across the track. Moreover, "CUFF IT" interpolates Teena Marie's "Ooo La La La". The interpolation is most noticeable after Beyonce sings "Can I sit on top of you?". Yes, I had to look this up since I didn't clock it at first. Again, it's so cool seeing the greats behind songs like these: bringing the past, to the future.
I will finish this post with the lovely words from
@R27, who pours their love of this song into some beautiful words:
"“I feel like falling in love / I’m on the mood to fuck something up.” What a mission statement, especially for the year 2022. The need in Beyoncé's delivery, particularly at the end of the second chorus, when she sings about wanting to fuck something up is palpable and maybe the most relatable Beyoncé, a star who’s appeal is largely rooted in how untouchable she appears (she is the Alien Superstar after all), has ever sounded. Or maybe after a rough and confusing couple of years, I just needed a banger about going out dancing and partying. One that understands that such things aren’t just trivial ways to fill our time, but something that can elevate us to the point where we feel like we can touch the sky and reach a higher power.
Last year, when I gave “Happier Than Ever” my 11 I said that the catharsis of the song was contagious and Billie’s screams were arguably the most relatable moment in pop last year. Despite being two very different songs, a lot of what I was trying to express then also applies to ”CUFF IT” now. Rather than rage and hurt, “CUFF IT” vibrates with joy and excitement. Has the word fuck ever been used so gleefully before? Was there a more relatable sentiment this year than wanting to fuck something up? Than wanting to feel like you can go out and anything is possible? To know you could still go out and fuck shit up like the night is still yours? To know you can still have fun? After 2+ years of uncertainty that saw the world shut down and reopen multiple times, with various lockdowns and ever-changing health regulations, 2022 was, personally, a year of trying to relearn what it was like to go out and be around people again. And no song this year made me more excited about this prospect than “CUFF IT.” A song that made me feel like I could not only have “fun like this” but that maybe the best was yet to come. So, here’s to the weird ass year that was 2022, and to “getting fucked up tonight.” Cheers."
