Beyonce – 1+1

It’s interesting that the story line for the last two Queen B videos have been “Beyonce is is the most attractive woman on earth”. That it’s not so much a straight sexy girl dancing thing, it’s more like a study of what absolute physical and emotional perfection is, kind of like how her music, and her performances and everything she does, is actually somehow about what total, almost majestic, perfection actually is. Sasha Frere Jones called her the grade-A student of pop, but it’s more than that – she’s basically offering us glimpses of the absolute superlative, whether that’s headlining Glastonbury or dancing or looking like a bride or releasing jams that sound like Sam Cooke at the end of the world. Does that make sense?

We called this the best soul song of year by the best popstar of the year, and now it’s got a video. It’s not the best of the year by any stretch of the imagination, but if watching the (ahem) “story of love at its best”, as her website describes it, starring Her Imperial Beyonceness isn’t a good way way to pass a few minutes before lunch, I’m not sure what is.