Sensational singles provoke as much as they entertain

BEYONCÉ. Doesn’t suffer ignorant fools gladly. Beyoncé Foundation

BEYONCÉ may not be as outspoken as Kanye West but, make no mistake, she likewise doesn’t suffer ignorant fools gladly—especially when the issue involves race or, in the case of her bouncy latest single, “Formation,” police brutality.

The black-consciousness anthem may evoke a Janet Jackson vibe garnished with a sassy Texas drawl, but its galloping, booty-shaking swagger is bolstered further by lyrics that denounce racial stereotyping and police brutality (“I twirl on them haters/ Albino alligators”) as Beyoncé pays moving homage to her Texan roots: “My Daddy Alabama, Momma Louisiana/ You mix that negro with that Creole make a Texas bama/ I like my baby heir with baby hair and Afros/ I like my negro nose with Jackson Five nostrils!”

The gritty street anthem, initially released as a free download on the streaming online service, Tidal, is accompanied by a music video showing Beyoncé singing on top of a sinking police car—and a cameo of Blue Ivy, her lovely daughter with Jay Z, dancing and playing with other little girls. —Queen Bey’s 4-year-old princess is a star in the making!

The 1975 is No. 1

The 1975 also has sensational singles that entertain as much as they provoke. In the British pop-alternative rock quartet’s sophomore album, “I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet Unaware of It,” which bows at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 this week, keyboardist Adam Hann, drummer George Daniel, bass guitarist Ross MacDonald and vocalist Matthew Healy take their followers on a trippy ride as they field an alluring mishmash of moody tracks and ’80s adult-contemporary-style love anthems.

The atypical ballad, “A Change of Heart,” where Healy sings about what happens when the thrill of infatuation begins to fade, is reportedly about his ill-fated “friendship” with Taylor Swift—and other women who broke his heart: “I wasn’t told you’d be this cold/ Now it’s my time to depart/ I just had a change of heart.”

HEALY. Trippy ride.

You can groove to “The Sound” as Matty muses about a shallow relationship and his contradictory feelings about an ex: “You’re so conceited/ I said, ‘I love you’—what does it mean if I lie to you?/ It’s not about reciprocation, it’s just all about me—a sycophantic, prophetic, Socratic junkie wannabe…Well, I know when you’re around ‘cause I know the sound of your heart!”

The group’s alluring retropop sound recalls the vibrant wail of Simon Le Bon in Duran Duran’s New Wave/synthpop anthems (the cheeky “Love Me,” about self-awareness), Five Star’s hook-heavy dance charmers (“She’s American”) and the seductive allure of Fleetwood Mac’s unintrusive harmonies (“Paris”).

For something more personal, the folksy patter of the stripped-down “Nana” captures Matty’s vulnerable side as he longingly pours his heart out about grieving over someone dear: “I wish you’d walk in again/ Imagine if you just did/ I’d fill you in on the things you missed…/ Made in my room, this simple tune will always keep me close to you/ The crowds will sing, their voices ring/ And it’s like you never left!”