Beyoncé Explains 'Bow Down': 'It Was The Beyoncé That Was Angry'

When Beyoncé first released a clip of “Bow Down” earlier this year, fans were confused as to why she was angrily chanting “Bow down, b----.” Many assumed she was taking advantage of her position as a world-renowned singer and being arrogant about her success over the years.

It certainly is a drastic change from her anthems promoting female power and independence, such as “(Girls) Run the World” and “Irreplaceable.” However, the 32-year-old has finally cleared the air and revealed the meaning behind the song, which is now titled “Flawless” on her latest self-titled album.

During an interview with iTunes Radio, she explained, “The reason I put down out ‘Bow Down’ is I woke up, I went to the studio, I had a chant in my head, it was aggressive, it was angry, it wasn’t the Beyoncé that wakes up every morning. It was the Beyoncé that was angry. It was the Beyoncé that felt the need to defend herself. And if the song never comes out…OK! I said it! And listened to it after I finished, and I said, ‘This is hot! I’mma put it out [sic]. I’m not going to sell it. I’m just going to put it out. If people like it, great. If they don’t, they don’t. “

But don’t expect Beyoncé to wake up angry every day. “But I won’t do it every day because that’s not who I am. But I feel strong. And anyone that says, ‘Oh that is disrespectful,’ just imagine the person that hates you. Imagine a person that doesn’t believe in you. And look in the mirror and say, ‘Bow down, b----’ and I guarantee you feel gangsta!

“So listen to the song in that point of view again if you didn’t like it before,” she added with a laugh.

Meanwhile, Bey certainly has the right to call herself the queen of the music industry. She set a new Guinness World record by releasing the fastest-selling album ever on iTunes, which sold 828,773 copies worldwide online in less than five days.