| "Pure/Honey" | |
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| Song byBeyoncé | |
| from the albumRenaissance | |
| Released | July 29, 2022 (2022-07-29) |
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| Length | 4:48 |
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| "Pure/Honey" onYouTube | |
"Pure/Honey" is a song recorded by American singerBeyoncé. It is the fifteenth track on her seventh studio album,Renaissance (2022), which was released on July 29, 2022, throughParkwood andColumbia. It was written by Beyoncé,Nova Wav,BloodPop,Dixson,Michael Pollack,The-Dream andRaphael Saadiq, and produced by Beyoncé, Nova Wav and BloodPop.
It is a love letter. It's a love letter to my community, the Black gay community. And the gay community too, but I'm not going to be pussyfooting. I'm trying not to call people out or anything like that. All I'm saying is that it's a bit different [being] Black and gay in America. When someone like Beyoncé [sees you] ... it's incredible. There's so many kids that have a hard time. I'm very lucky. I have a beautiful mom, a beautiful dad, and they love me, I love them. But there are a lot of kids who don't have that and are kicked out of their homes. So if someone like Beyoncé can make their day better because she is embracing all of that and a bag of chips, Miss Thing, and just carrying and looking ovuh and amazing, very confident about it and not wish-washing, then that's beautiful.
— Kevin Aviance on "Pure/Honey"[1]
Similar to many songs in Beyoncé's career, the song consists of two parts, "Pure", a "steely and sexy"ballroom track, and "Honey", a "paisley and passionate"disco track.[2][3]
"Pure" samples "Feels Like" written and performed byMikeQ &Kevin Jz Prodigy as well as "Cunty (Wave Mix)", written by Eric Snead and Jerel Black and performed byKevin Aviance. This section features sharpsynth-bass-led instrumentation with Beyoncé rapping in the same vein as a ballroomemcee.[3][1][4]
"Honey" samples "Miss Honey" written by Andrew Richardson, Count Maurice and Moi Renee, and performed by Moi Renee. It features Beyoncé singing over a "soulful",funk-influencedbrass production, done byRaphael Saadiq.[3][4] This section was compared to Beyoncé's 2013 track "Blow".[5]
The track had additional production by Saadiq, The-Dream, Stuart White andMike Dean.
I had a tube in the 251 mic going bad during recording. It was noisy, and at first I was like: '[...] I'm gonna have to use noise reduction software and hope it still sounds right.' Then I realised that in the context of the song it was kinda cool, so I made it work. [...] I added compression, and this brought up the room sound, and I also added some McDSP FutzBox saturation, and it became part of the effect.
— Stuart White on producing "Pure/Honey".[6]
In a ranking made byBillboard, Kyle Denis ranked the song at number six, calling the second half of the song an "overall highlight" in Beyonce's career and praising her versatility of going from "full ball emcee" to a "funky, sultry vocal performance".[2]
Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, a writer atPitchfork, called the track "stunning", saying it braided together years ofballroom culture.[7] Jordan Danville ofThe Fader compared the second half of the song's vocal melodies and funkiness toJanet Jackson andPrince respectively.[3] In a review byRolling Stone, Will Dukes commended the song, deeming it a "vogue-friendly bop" that showcased Beyoncé's vocal abilities that was reminiscent ofEtta James andTina Turner.[8]
Craig Jenkins ofVulture wrote that along with many other songs on the parent album, "Pure/Honey" illustrated Blackdance music history, saying it "juxtaposed'80sradio pop, brash beats, braggadocious commentation ofballroom competitions, and rhythmic gymnastics ofNew York rap".[9]
In 2024 the song was use byRabanne for theMillion Gold For Her fragrance campaign directed byMert Alas and Manu Cossu, withGigi Hadid as ambassador.[10][11][12] Tamara Santillán ofElle Mexico wrote that the song " seems to be created for the perfume thanks to the verse that goes, “It should cost a billion to look this good.”"[13] Marie Claudel ofHarper's Bazaar France wrote that the song represented the message of the campaign about "the ultimate anthem of female empowerment and success".[14]
After the release ofRenaissance, "Pure/Honey" debuted on theBillboardHot 100 chart at number 64 and on theHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number 26.[15]
Performers
Musicians
Technical credits
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Beyoncé first performed "Pure/Honey" inStockholm, Sweden on the opening night of theRenaissance World Tour.[16] The song takes place in the "Mind Control" act of the tour, following "America Has a Problem". The performance begins with an introduction byKevin Jz Prodigy, calling Beyoncé the "Mother of the House of Renaissance".[17] During this introduction, afish-eye lensed selfie camera is brought to Beyoncé, which is then held by her while her and her dancers arevoguing. During the "Honey" portion of the performance, Beyoncé includes elements of "Blow".[18]
The "Honey" portion returned for theCowboy Carter Tour in 2025 in a mashup with "Sweet Honey Buckiin" and "Summer Renaissance."[19] Beyoncé sung the first verse of the song toCowboy Carter's "Honey" instrumental before transitioning to its originalRenaissance tune.
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
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| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[28] | 2× Platinum | 80,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[29] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
On "Pure/Honey" Beyoncé breaks through wall after wall until she gets to the chamber that holds all the cousins of her 2013 sizzler "Blow."
There was a sprinkle of "Blow" during "Pure/Honey"
