Queen (and Slim) is Life
Ever since I saw the trailer for the upcoming film Queen and Slim I have been eager for its release so I can see yet another masterpiece from sister Lena Waithe. As I said I am on board and have been ever since day one. How could one not want to see a Bonnie and Clyde with Black characters and Black issues. Today the soundtrack was released and I am overwhelmed with the waves of emotions from each of the tracks. The soundtrack makes me feel like I watched the movie, the track list took me on a ride, which evoked feelings I figured I would experience while watching the film. Here I'll attempt to give my projection of the relevance of the songs and what I think I'll see in the film based on each song. After viewing the film later this month I'll come back with an assessment and corrections of my thoughts. The songs and the picture painted for me are discussed below.
My boo and everyone's favorite "Hot Girl" Megan Thee Stallion and VickeeLo open up the soundtrack with "Ride or Die". It is a New Orleans bounce song filled with hot girl lingo such as "I ain't shy, bust it wide, cuz I been that bitch". I can see this song being the get ready scene of the movie. Queen is finally able to go out on a date, or spend some free time for the night. She needs the ultimate hype song for the night so insert "Ride or Die". Why not "bust it wide, cuz I been that bitch" as a mood for the night. This provides some insight into the clips in the trailer where Queen seems a bit dismissive of Slim while they are on their date. Maybe the song got her too hype and Slim couldn't match her energy. Think about it, if you are too hyped for the evening and your energy isn't matched, then this makes for a long night. Then of course I am totally biased and I am pretty much a fan of anything that includes Meg.
Totally switching gears the next track is "Soul Sista" remix by Bilal and Raphael Saadiq. It is everything that those two names invoke. The track is sultry, sweet, and wonderfully crooned. It gives you a D'Angelo vibe from "Cruising". This song makes me think Slim will be smitten with Queen. There will be a part in the movie during the date when he makes a breakthrough and ignites an attraction to and from Queen. He makes her think maybe he "can get it" at some point, maybe not the first date. I am assuming it's a progressive film so no judgment if it is an intention of the first date. This song could also be the soundtrack to a scene of love making or some sort of intimacy. Just listening to the song it could also just be the way that Slim felt about Queen. He has been bitten by the love bug. Whatever the event it is intimate for sure.
After the intimacy has been established, the next song "Yo Love" continues the theme of love, attraction, and those things that are healthy and unhealthy in infatuation. This song is brought to us by 6lack, Vince Staples, and Mereba. The song might be right after the event which has the two of them together for the rest of their forever. This song is definitely the minds' thoughts of replaying what happened. "I would probably swing a knife for your love/Go against everything right for your love..." Love, reflection, and a smooth ride/vibe is in this song. It definitely gives off the an impression of movement and lucidity.
Now that everything seems surreal to the characters the next song is "Collide" by Tiana Major9 and EARTHGANG. This song exactly representative of the title. It is about the (im)perfect timing of Queen and Slim and the officer's shooting and how the thing they found in each is so beautiful but it is from a place of chaos. Something so grave came out of their wonderful night. The action was violent like a collision. They are smitten and those feelings hit them like a collision. The question which is brought up is would these feelings still be here without the trauma?
"Getting Late" by Syd is the feminine croon track. Syd sings about security and safety in her love. Queen is truly down for Slim. She is his safe place and is ready for this ride. Maybe prior to this part in the movie she thinks about how can she/they find a way out of this situation. Maybe Slim's love for her was encouraging her to leave. This song makes it seem like Queen put that all to rest and (wo)manned-up for whatever was to come.
"Queen and Slim" by Coast Contra and BJ the Chicago Kid, is the track that puts the two characters among the people. They take on their new personas as they come to the realization that this is irreversible. Their names will live on forever. They wanted some sort of immortality and this event does that for them and the people love them for it. Their names are made, people know their names, and they accept their names and place among the people and as their heroes. This feels like the climax of the movie based on this song. In this track they use audio from the movie and trailer when one of the male characters says, "Y'all really gave us something to believe in." This is important because it is confirmation for the two of them that this is bigger than them and it was all in purpose. They have their second wind so they can continue on their run.
The next song has an instrumental intro which is representative of the ride continuing. The instrumental lasts for about a minute and a half, almost of third of the song. This song is titled "Frame" and it is by Choker. Maybe they get a new car and some other refueling, but it almost has a sense of new beginnings. There is a new frame of mind and understanding of their continued journey. This song makes it seem like this point of the movie is when they stop worrying about running from the police and care more about living during the time they have left. They make the best of each other, their "love, and their circumstances.
Lil' Baby's track "Catch the Sun" is next up and I like Lil' Baby more and more these days. This song has a faster tempo when compared to the other songs. This song makes it seem like the ride is getting a little more eventful, the pressure is building tensions might be rising and maybe the two of them start to think of the end game. What happens now, how do Queen and Slim control the narrative? "If we take off now maybe we can catch the sun". Maybe they can get one more day and elude capture. Maybe they can catch a new ride, wave, or feeling.
Up next Queen Lauryn Hill comes with "Guarding the Gates". At this point in the movie the characters are further removed from the climax. The police are getting closer and it is getting harder to evade capture. In this song Ms. Lauryn Hill perfectly depicts the conflicts within the characters at this time. They are feeling the weight and severity of the outside forces but still within the car, and with one another all seems well. Even with all of the outside pressures is love enough, "Can you tell me where is love in anxiety". Can you imagine the weight the two of them feel and how it gets heavier as the time passes and the longer they survive knowing there are people looking for them with the worst intentions. With sinister plans to kill them. Despite it all the characters still have one another and to that Ms. Lauryn sings "You can laugh at me/But I'm in love". This is one of the longer songs on the soundtrack and I think this is because the song takes the couple to the last scene, to the last hurrah.
"My Money, My Baby" is by Burna Boy and this is a complement to the first song on the soundtrack for me. This song makes me think about "Set it Off" when Cleo lights her cigarette and hits the switches before she rides through the police and gets shot by what seems to be hundreds of bullets. So to me this song makes me think Queen and Slim find themselves in the place where they can go out with a bang or they can just go out and that is the end. The chorus almost seems like a car accelerating, so maybe this is the song they play as the soundtrack to their last act of defiance. I do wonder if there were other crimes committed along the way because Burna Boy says "My Money" repeatedly, but there were no clues of any bank robberies or anything of sort in the trailer. Either way, this song seems like the acceleration through the last act, the end.
The last song, "Runnin' Away" by Blood Orange, Ian Isiah, and Jason Arce paints a sad, melodramatic, ending. The horns are heavy, the emotions are scattered, it is almost like a panic, which could be the closing scene of them or one of them dying. This does not make me think there will be a happy ending to the movie at all. The lyric, "Can't keep running away" is repeated over and over until the end. The horns stop, the piano continues, and then it is over. Maybe they will die in each others' arms. Maybe one of them makes one last move and takes someone else out with them. Who knows what it will be, but it be worth it in the end. They will live on even in death.
After listening to this soundtrack and making it through all of these songs, I am only more eager to watch the movie. I wonder how many of my feelings are correct and how many are wrong. I know Lena Waithe is super talented and won't disappoint us. This soundtrack was definitely a hit and I give credit to those who are responsible for putting out the body of work to paint such a vivid picture of the movie without it being out yet.
Feel free to let me know your favorite track. Did you have the same feelings when listening to the album?
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