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Beyoncé’s New Song ‘Ring Off’ Isn’t About Her Marriage After All

3 minute read

When it was announced, the title of Beyonce’s new song “Ring Off” was widely interpreted as a potential explanation of the ongoing rumors around her marriage to Jay Z. What the singer has produced instead is a moving tribute to her mother, Tina.

“Ring Off” is one of two new songs on the re-release of Beyoncé (both are streaming at Spin). That album’s middle-of-the-night release last year was almost as surprising as its complex, adult themes, dealing with themes of marriage and motherhood. Beyoncé was about, well, Beyoncé, within the context of her relationship. “Ring Off” expands the focus, addressing “Mama” in the first verse and telling her “I understand your many sleepless nights / When you sit and you think about Father / Or how you tried to be the perfect wife.”

Tina and Mathew Knowles, Beyoncé’s parents, separated in 2009 and are now divorced; Beyoncé has since severed professional ties with her father, who’s gone on to make provocative statements about his daughter’s personal life. But “Ring Off” isn’t about intra-family strife, despite the fact its very title references ending a marriage. It’s a celebration of Tina Knowles’s newfound independence, telling her to put her “love on top,” a witty reversal of Beyoncé’s own song of the same title. The song “Love on Top,” a fan favorite, is a celebration of prioritizing marital love; Beyoncé telling her mother “it’s your time to put your love on top” is an encouragement to put herself and her own happiness first.

Beyoncé’s first album, Dangerously in Love, concludes with “Daddy,” a saccharine tribute to Matthew Knowles that includes the lyric “I want my unborn son to be like my daddy / I want my husband to be like my daddy.” It’s a sign of the singer’s evolution in the eleven years since “Daddy” that she now ends the Beyoncé era with a tribute to her mother: “Always know that you’ve got a daughter / That’s so, so proud you took the high road,” she sings in “Ring Off.” What her father is or is not like doesn’t enter the equation, here; what’s most important is a woman’s own happiness and independence. It’s the musical equivalent of the message sent by the most memorable photo from Solange Knowles’s recent wedding, in which rows of staunch-looking woman stare down the camera. In the Knowles family, now, gender equality is paramount.

“7/11,” Beyoncé’s other new song, is less apt for analysis: It’s a ready-made club hit whose clear influences from Southern rap are more interesting than the lyrics. But with “Ring Off,” Beyoncé’s made a big step forward. Her album was about how fulfilling, if frustrating, it is to be in a long-term monogamous relationship. That album now features an examination of the circumstances under which it’s better to be alone, and an amplification of the album’s theme. The fulfillments of marriage, and of single life, both stem from putting herself first.

See 34 Gorgeous Photos of Beyoncé

Beyonce met gala
Beyonce arrives at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating "China: Through the Looking Glass" on May 4, 2015, in New York City.Evan Agostini—Invision/AP
2014 MTV Video Music Awards - Roaming Show
Beyonce performs onstage during the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on August 24, 2014 in Inglewood, California. MTV/Getty Images
2014 MTV Video Music Awards - Rehearsals
Beyonce performs onstage during the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards rehearsals at The Forum on August 23, 2014 in Inglewood, California. Kevin Mazur—WireImage/Getty Images
2014 MTV Video Music Awards - Roaming Show
Beyonce performs onstage during the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on August 24, 2014 in Inglewood, California. Kevin Winter—Getty Images
2014 MTV Video Music Awards - Roaming Show
Beyonce performs onstage during the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on August 24, 2014 in Inglewood, California. Jeff Kravitz—FilmMagic/Getty Images
2014 MTV Video Music Awards - Roaming Show
Beyonce performs onstage during the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on August 24, 2014 in Inglewood, California. Kevin Winter—Getty Images
2014 MTV Video Music Awards - Roaming Show
Blue Ivy Carter, Jay-Z and Beyonce speak onstage during the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on August 24, 2014 in Inglewood, California. MTV/Getty Images
2014 MTV Video Music Awards - Fixed Show
Beyonce performs onstage at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on August 24, 2014 in Inglewood, California. Jason LaVeris—FilmMagic/Getty Images
"On The Run Tour: Beyonce And Jay-Z" - Houston
Beyonce performs during the "On The Run Tour: Beyonce And Jay-Z" at Minute Maid Park on July 18, 2014 in Houston, Texas. Larry Busacca—WireImage/Getty Images
"On The Run Tour: Beyonce And Jay-Z" - Pasadena
Beyonce performs during the "On The Run Tour: Beyonce And Jay-Z" at the Rose Bowl on August 2, 2014 in Pasadena, California. Larry Busacca—WireImage/Getty Images
2014 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival - Weekend 1 - Day 2
Beyonce performs with her sister Solange onstage during day 2 of the 2014 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club on April 12, 2014 in Indio, California. Jeff Kravitz—FilmMagic/Getty Images
56th GRAMMY Awards - Show
Beyonce performs onstage during the 56th Grammy Awards at Staples Center on January 26, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. Kevin Mazur—WireImage/Getty Images
Beyonce "The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour" - New York
Beyonce performs on stage during "The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour" at the Barclays Center on December 19, 2013 in New York, New York. Larry Busacca—WireImage/Getty Images
Beyonce "The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour" - New York
Beyonce performs on stage during "The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour" at the Barclays Center on December 22, 2013 in New York, New York. Kevin Mazur—WireImage/Getty Images
Beyonce "The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour" - Los Angeles
Beyonce performs on stage during "The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour" at the Staples Center on December 3, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. Larry Busacca—WireImage/Getty Images
Rock in Rio 2013
Beyonce performs on stage during a concert in the Rock in Rio Festival on September 13, 2013 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Buda Mendes—Getty Images
Beyonce "The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour" - New York
Beyonce performs on stage during "The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour" at the Barclays Center on August 3, 2013 in New York, New York. Kevin Mazur—WireImage/Getty Images
Beyonce "The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour" - East Rutherford
Beyonce performs on stage during "The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour" at the Izod Center on July 31, 2013 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Larry Busacca—WireImage/Getty Images
Beyonce "The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour" - Los Angeles
Beyonce performs on stage during "The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour" at the Staples Center on July 1, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. Kevin Mazur—WireImage/Getty Images
Pepsi Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show
Beyonce performs during the Pepsi Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Kevin Mazur—WireImage/Getty Images
Pepsi Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show
Beyonce performs during the Pepsi Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Christian Petersen—Getty Images
Pepsi Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show
Beyonce and Bibi McGill perform during the Pepsi Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Christian Petersen—Getty Images
Pepsi Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show
Beyonce performs during the Pepsi Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Win McNamee—Getty Images
Pepsi Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show
Beyonce performs during the Pepsi Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Ezra Shaw—Getty Images
President Barack Obama's 2nd Inauguration
Beyonce sings the National Anthem at the inauguration for U.S. President Barack Obama's second term of office. Chris Maddaloni—CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images
The Glastonbury Festival 2011 - Day Four
Beyonce headlines the Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 26, 2011 in Glastonbury, England. Samir Hussein—Getty Images
The Glastonbury Festival 2011 - Day Four
Beyonce headlines the Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 26, 2011 in Glastonbury, England. Samir Hussein—Getty Images
2009 BET Awards - Show
Beyonce onstage at the 2009 BET Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on June 28, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. John Shearer—WireImage/Getty Images
2007 Essence Music Festival - Day 2
Beyonce performs on the main stage at the 13th Annual 2007 Essence Music Festival presented by Coca-Cola in the refurbished Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. Skip Bolen—WireImage/Getty Images
The Beyonce Experience Tour - July 20, 2007
"The Beyonce Experince" Tour featuring Beyonce plays to Philips Arena on July 7, 2007 in Atlanta, Georgia. Rick Diamond—WireImage/Getty Images
Destiny's Child "Destiny Fulfilled" Tour in Los Angeles - September 2, 2005
Beyonce performs during the Destiny's Child "Destiny Fulfilled" Tour in Los Angeles - September 2, 2005 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.John Shearer—WireImage/Getty Images
Destiny's Child in Concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City - July 29, 2005
Beyonce performs during a Destiny's Child in Concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City, July 29, 2005.Theo Wargo—WireImage/Getty Images
Cannes - "Dreamgirls" - Portraits
Beyonce poses for a photo during a portrait session for the cast of "Dreamgirls" at the Carlton Hotel's Orange Lounge during the 59th International Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 20, 2006.Carlo Allegri—Getty Images
Rockin' the Corps Concert - An American Thank You Celebration for US Marines - Show
Beyonce performs during Rockin' the Corps Concert at Camp Pendelton in San Diego, California.J. Merritt—FilmMagic/Getty Images

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