Following Sunday night's 2017 Grammy awards show, Beyoncé, Jay Z, and DJ Khaled gifted fans with a surprise new team-up titled "Shining." The upbeat track nearly mandates a head bob, but Beyoncé and Jay Z's "Shining" lyrics in particular show that it's more than just a radio hit: it's a song about being unabashedly proud. And, let's be real, Bey and Jay have a lot worth celebrating.
Music's strongest power couple spend the bulk of the single rightfully highlighting their accomplishments. Jay Z raps about buying "twin Mercedes," plus his 12 platinum albums and 21 Grammys, while Queen Bey sings about winning since '97, when Destiny's Child first formed:
Poppin' off after my thought, yeah boy
Came in '97, winnin' 20 years, boy, oh
All of this good, I don't feel bad for it, yeah
When you see me smile, you can't be mad at it, yeah
And you can't knock the pair for bragging. Despite being snubbed in major categories like Record of the Year, Beyoncé took home two more Grammys at the Sunday night ceremony, bringing her golden gramophone count to a total of 22, according to Mic.
Outside of the awards show circuit, her groundbreaking 2016 album, Lemonade, was lauded by critics and fans alike as a revolutionary work of black feminism. Even Adele, who bested her in the Album of the Year category with 25, honored the pop icon in her acceptance speech. But despite the loss, "Shining" shows Bey is still doing just that: shining.
She belts on the hook:
Shinin', shinin', shinin', shinin', yeah
All of this winnin', I've been losin' my mind
Oh, hold on
Don't try to slow me down.
Still, the pair make sure to assert that while they make no apologies for their success, it's not the money or the awards that drive them. As Beyoncé sings in the refrain:
Money don't make me happy (make me happy)
And a fella can't make me fancy (make me fancy)
We smilin' for a whole 'nother reason (whole 'nother reason')
It's all smiles through all four seasons
Three of those reasons are their children: 5-year-old daughter Blue Ivy and the twins Beyoncé is currently carrying. Jay Z shouts out his growing family in his verse:
Ran to the dealer, bought twin Mercedes
The European trucks for the twin babies
Don't let me have a son, I'm a fool
Send him to school in all my jewels
I want a boy and girl, I fight for truth
Whatever God give me, I'm cool
Even though "Shining" makes many references to superficial success, the conclusion is that it means nothing in the long run. Beyoncé and Jay Z know their worth, and they don't need top dollars or trophies to prove it.
