Beyonce Controversy: "Challenger Shuttle Explosion" Audio Sample Used In New Single

[Zatanna]

I will admit, I do not like and have never liked her voice.

If I'm in a minority, well so be it, but I do not think her voice is as great as people try to say it is.

 

[Nell2ThaIzzay]

Always hated Beyonce. How she has so many fans, I'll never know. I find her to be unpleasant in every way, and her lyrics are absolutely terrible. She's always singing about having guys treat her wrong, yet she often seems like the reason from them treating her wrong in the first place. She's ugly, made-up to be pretty because she has money (and she's with Jay-Z) and her lack of personality is unbelievable. That song "If I Was A Boy" explains it all (as to why I hate her so bloody much). I would almost say that she's worse than Justin Bieber and One Direction combined because she's been around for so long, almost.

I'm glad I'm not alone in this.

I despise Beyonce with every fiber of my being. I think she's a ****** human being that sends an absolutely terrible message to young women in her music.

I can't stand her. I've never bought a piece of Beyonce music, and I never will. I didn't know anything about this alleged controversy until this thread, but it sounds like just one more reason to add to the very long list of things I hate about Beyonce.

 

[charl_huntress]

I will admit, I do not like and have never liked her voice.

If I'm in a minority, well so be it, but I do not think her voice is as great as people try to say it is.

Beyoncé is classically trained as a singer. Don't let her pop tunes fool you. The girl can blow. She also has incredible vocal range.

 

[Ant-manic]

I'm glad I'm not alone in this.

I despise Beyonce with every fiber of my being. I think she's a ****** human being that sends an absolutely terrible message to young women in her music.

please tell me that you feel the same way about Brittney Spears.

 

[Nell2ThaIzzay]

please tell me that you feel the same way about Brittney Spears.

I don't have the same hatred of Brittany Spears as I do for Beyonce, but I don't believe that Spears is a positive role model, if that's what you're asking.

 

[SuperT]

I think she's a ****** human being that sends an absolutely terrible message to young women in her music.

A message that tells girls they can be comfortable in their own skin and own their sexuality no matter how they look? That they aren't "sl**s" because they enjoy sex? Not to mention, more recently the message on her current album with being a new mother and how that shouldn't stop you from focusing on yourself and fulfilling your own personal goals and dreams?

How is that a terrible message to send to girls?!

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

were you going to buy her surprise album, before this?

Yes, I was. I already have 3 of her CDs and several singles.

I'm sitting this album out though. To buy it knowing what I know is rewarding insensitivy--or ignorance at best. I can't.

 

[Nell2ThaIzzay]

A message that tells girls they can be comfortable in their own skin and own their sexuality no matter how they look? That they aren't "sl**s" because they enjoy sex? Not to mention, more recently the message on her current album with being a new mother and how that shouldn't stop you from focusing on yourself and fulfilling your own personal goals and dreams?

How is that a terrible message to send to girls?!

More like the message that women should only date rich men that can buy them fancy clothes and jewelry, and take care of them and pay all their bills for them, and "put a ring on it", and that relationships are about the material things the man can do for you, not about who the person is.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

My mom cried also during the Challenger explosion.

It was one of the only times I've seen her cry.

As far as Beyonce, her fanbase is too young to remember the tragedy so I doubt any backlash impacts album sales.

 

[SuperT]

More like the message that women should only date rich men that can buy them fancy clothes and jewelry, and take care of them and pay all their bills for them, and "put a ring on it", and that relationships are about the material things the man can do for you, not about who the person is.

Whaaaat? You got that from Beyoncé?! I mean, I can see from her Destiny's Child days but from her solo career? Nah. She was incredibly well off and "rich" in her own right before she even met her current husband.

I guess we can agree to disagree on the message of "Single Ladies." I don't see what's wrong with asking for commitment from someone and if they don't want to offer that to you than moving on...?

 

[danoyse]

Um...has anyone else heard this news today?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...io-from-challenger-disaster-on-her-new-album/

Apparently, Beyonce's new album has a single called "XO" which features actual speaking audio from the captain of the Challenger, just seconds before he (and six other NASA astronauts) died in an airborne explosion.

I remember being a student in 1986 when this tragedy happened. Everyone in my class was so hyped about Terry McAulliffe--the first "ordinary" woman who was also a school teacher--going up in space with other trained astronauts. I also recall clearly MY own teacher bursting into tears as we all watched Terry's life tragically end live on television in our classroom. My teacher couldn't even get it together enough to explain to us children what we had just witnessed. It was so shocking.

I know this happened 28 years ago. But for those families who lost loved ones it no doubt still is incredibly painful to reflect on. That said, I can't think of a sane reason why Beyonce would use an audio from this tragic moment in American History on a love song? Not only have the head honchos at NASA criticized her, but so have the survivors of those lost.

Frankly I find Beyonce's decision to use this sample disgusting and insensitive. There are certain lines you just don't cross--I don't care how badly you want an album to sell. That would be like a singer like Justin Bieber using footage or audio from the September 11th Attacks in New York for a music video or something lame like that. You just don't do it. Beyonce's getting a lot of heat for it and now she's claiming it was a "tribute" to the astronauts who died but when you listen to the lyrics it really has nothing to do with them.

I remember this event vividly as I was also in class watching it on TV. It was really the first shocking thing I had ever seen on TV. There was a lot of hype surrounding Terry McAulliffe because she was a teacher, which really made her cool IMO.

To be fair though, Beyoncé is notoriously hands on with her music and personal image, but it has been said by some (not me) that she's not that bright. I believe she was homeschooled and spent most of her life training to be the star her father wanted her to be. Usually producers who create the tracks add stuff like that, and it's very likely she had no idea the recording was from that tragedy. It's also likely the producer didn't either. That's no excuse, but considering how concerned Beyoncé is about personal image as a celebrity then I believe she'll do the right thing and remove the track from her album.

edit:

I missed the comment she made, but that really sounds like CYA mentality so she doesn't sound like an A-hole. I still have trouble believing any of them really knew how offensive it would be.

People. The teacher's name was Christa McAuliffe, not Terry.

Terry McAuliffe is the governor of Virginia.

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

People. The teacher's name was Christa McAuliffe, not Terry.

Terry McAuliffe is the governor of Virginia.

Oops, my bad chile! Editing now!

It was 28 years ago.

 

[charl_huntress]

People. The teacher's name was Christa McAuliffe, not Terry.

Terry McAuliffe is the governor of Virginia.

LOL...I just copied the name Lightning put in... I don't even remember her name tbh, but I'm glad you corrected that. I want to get her name right for the future. Thanks!

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

LOL...I just copied the name Lightning put in... I don't even remember her name tbh, but I'm glad you corrected that. I want to get her name right for the future. Thanks!

It's so funny, one of the online articles I was reading this morning called her Terry too! That's where I got it from. Damn. Way to honor the dead.

 

[Ant-manic]

I don't have the same hatred of Brittany Spears as I do for Beyonce, but I don't believe that Spears is a positive role model, if that's what you're asking.

i mentioned her because she's done similarly insensitive stuff, in the past. plus she's also a lip sync'er.

http://www.nme.com/news/britney-spears/74027

 

[Ant-manic]

More like the message that women should only date rich men that can buy them fancy clothes and jewelry, and take care of them and pay all their bills for them, and "put a ring on it", and that relationships are about the material things the man can do for you, not about who the person is.

someone just got a visit from the waaayyy back machine.

 

[danoyse]

More like the message that women should only date rich men that can buy them fancy clothes and jewelry, and take care of them and pay all their bills for them, and "put a ring on it", and that relationships are about the material things the man can do for you, not about who the person is.

What? No.

That song is about a woman dancing with a new man post-heartbreaking breakup, and now the old boyfriend is watching jealously and she's saying too bad. You had your chance, "if you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it," too bad for you, and now you know how it feels to miss her.

The actual lyrics of the song:

"Don't treat me to the things of the world
I'm not that kind of girl
Your love is what I prefer, what I deserve
Here's a man that makes me, then takes me
And delivers me to a destiny
To infinity and beyond
Pull me into your arms
Say I'm the one you want
If you don't you'll be alone
And like a ghost, I'll be gone"

It's not about material things at all. It means, love me and respect me, or I'm gone and it's your damn loss. There is nothing about demanding to be bought things in that song. The ring means marriage and commitment, not a big expensive ring.

 

[Slushy]

She's a b****. Is anybody really surprised?

 

[danoyse]

LOL...I just copied the name Lightning put in... I don't even remember her name tbh, but I'm glad you corrected that. I want to get her name right for the future. Thanks!

It's so funny, one of the online articles I was reading this morning called her Terry too! That's where I got it from. Damn. Way to honor the dead.

No prob! I was in 6th grade when the Challenger exploded. A teacher who was showing the launch in her class came in and told us what happened. I remember hearing on the radio a few days earlier that she was planning a pop quiz from the shuttle.

 

[Tanin]

I was 5 when that shuttle disaster happened and to be honest... I don't remember it at all.
As for her using a sound clip from it.... Bad Call... who in the world put it in?

 

[danoyse]

I haven't heard the song yet. I read the song is supposed to be about loss and recovery and so it fit. But...I don't think it was necessary to include audio from an actual disaster. That's kinda terrible.

 

[Nell2ThaIzzay]

i mentioned her because she's done similarly insensitive stuff, in the past. plus she's also a lip sync'er.

http://www.nme.com/news/britney-spears/74027

I hadn't heard of that before now.

Doesn't sound like the same thing tho. From the way I read that article, she was wearing a VT hoodie, and then at a separate time when she wasn't wearing the hoodie, was brandishing a gun on the video set.

All of this 6 years after the incident and not directly referencing it and making light of it like Beyonce's situation.

 

[SuperT]

I haven't heard the song yet. I read the song is supposed to be about loss and recovery and so it fit. But...I don't think it was necessary to include audio from an actual disaster. That's kinda terrible.

Absolutely. As I said, I love Beyoncé and definitely see what she was trying to do with the song (it is a good song) but the addition of the audio is too much.

 

[danoyse]

Absolutely. As I said, I love Beyoncé and definitely see what she was trying to do with the song (it is a good song) but the addition of the audio is too much.

I just read the lyrics. It fit within the context. It's basically a song about being strong and going on after the loss of a loved one. But again, I don't really think it needed the audio.

The audio it used was the controller saying "Obviously a major malfunction'', which if you're old enough to remember the Challenger explosion, was the audio clip that ran on the news over and over.

It really shouldn't be there.

 

[charl_huntress]

No prob! I was in 6th grade when the Challenger exploded. A teacher who was showing the launch in her class came in and told us what happened. I remember hearing on the radio a few days earlier that she was planning a pop quiz from the shuttle.

I was watching it live on TV with my entire 3rd grade class. I remember our teacher crying out in shock, but other than that it was just dead silence as we watched. Truly it was one of the most shocking things I had seen at that point in my young life.

I...want to give Beyoncé the benefit of the doubt on this and believe she truly didn't understand how offensive it would be and was just trying to be...artistic. I'm willing to give her a pass as long she apologizes and donates some money to Space Camp. Is that still around?

Anyhoo, I don't understand why people hate on her so much. She is incredibly talented and tries to be a good role model for young women. She's not half as bad as some of these other no-talent singers, but she gets 3x as much hate. People need to stop drinking the Haterade!