Increase the volume. Queen Bey and the Queen of Pop have reunited for a remix of this summer’s disco anthem, “Break My Soul.” Beyoncé and Madonna surprised music fans by releasing “Break My Soul (The Queens Remix)” on August 6, marking the first time the Queens have officially collaborated on a song. The remix included clips from Madonna’s 1990 hit “Vogue,” but updated to give shoutouts to a roster of black women in music, including Beyoncé’s sister, Solange Knowles.
Since Queen Bey’s “Break My Soul” was released on June 20 as the lead single from her new album Renaissance, a tribute to the history of dance music with roots in house music, 70s disco and hyperpop, it rocketed up the charts. The album is poised to take No. 1 on the Billboard charts days after its July 29 release.
Beyoncé released remixes of “Break My Soul” with artists will.i.am, Terry Hunter, Honey Dijon and Nita Aviance on August 3, but the collaboration with Madonna was extra special. A few hours after his fall, he is already in the Top 10 songs on iTunes in the United States, according to the chart data. Madonna tweeted on August 6, “Don’t F*** with the Queens” to announce the song’s arrival.
In the song’s third verse, Beyoncé pays tribute to black women in music, including her sister and former Destiny’s Child members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. She sings “Rosetta Tharpe, Santigold, Bessie Smith, Nina Simone, Betty Davis, Solange Knowles, Badu, Lizzo, Kelly Rowl’, Lauryn Hill, Roberta Flack, Toni, Janet, Tierra Whack, Missy, Diana, Grace Jones, Aretha, Anita, Grace Jones, Helen Folasade Adu, Jilly from Philadelphia, I love you, boo,” while lines from Madonna’s “Vogue” can be heard in the mix.
She continues to name iconic celebrities, as well as prom houses and fashion houses: “Mother of the House, Michelle, Chlöe, Halle, Aaliyah, Mother of the House, Alicia, Whitney, Riri, Nicki, House of Xtravaganza , House of Revlon, Maison LaBeija, Maison Amazon, Maison Aviance, Maison Balmain, Maison Ninja, Maison Lanvin, Maison Telfar, Maison Ladosha, Maison Mugler, Maison Balenciaga, Maison Mizrahi. The specific inclusion of various ballrooms is significant, given that vogue originated in the ballroom scene before Madonna made the dance mainstream with “Vogue.”
This queen duo is a match made in music heaven, and all of these screams will have almost anyone feeling the love.
