Pretty Hurts Lyrics
Ms. Third Ward, your first question:
What is your aspiration in life?
Oh, well, my aspiration in life would be
To be happy
[Verse 1]
Mama said, "You're a pretty girl
What's in your head, it doesn't matter
Brush your hair, fix your teeth
What you wear is all that matters"
[Pre-Chorus]
Just another stage
Pageant the pain away
This time, I'm gonna take the crown
Without fallin' down, down, down
[Chorus]
Pretty hurts
We shine the light on whatever's worst
Perfection is a disease of a nation (Pretty hurts, pretty hurts)
Pretty hurts
We shine the light on whatever's worst
We try to fix something
But you can't fix what you can't see
It's the soul that needs a surgery
Blonder hair, flat chest
TV says bigger is better
South Beach, sugar-free
Vogue says thinner is better
[Pre-Chorus]
Just another stage
Pageant the pain away
This time, I'm gonna take the crown
Without fallin' down, down, down
[Chorus]
Pretty hurts
We shine the light on whatever's worst
Perfection is a disease of a nation (Pretty hurts, pretty hurts)
(Pretty hurts)
Pretty hurts (Pretty hurts)
We shine the light on whatever's worst
We try to fix something
But you can't fix what you can't see
It's the soul that needs the surgery
[Bridge]
Ain't got no doctor or pill that can take the pain away
The pain's inside and nobody frees you from your body
It's the soul, it's my soul that needs surgery
(It's my soul that needs surgery)
Plastic smiles and denial can only take you so far
Then you break when the fake façade leaves you in the dark
You're left with shattered mirrors and the shards of a beautiful past
Pretty hurts
We shine the light on whatever's worst (Pretty hurts)
Perfection is a disease of a nation (Pretty hurts)
Pretty hurts (Pretty hurts)
We shine the light on whatever's worst
Tryna fix something (Pretty hurts)
But you can't fix what you can't see
It's the soul that needs a surgery
[Outro]
When you're alone all by yourself (Pretty hurts, pretty hurts)
And you're lyin' in your bed (Pretty hurts, pretty hurts)
Reflection stares right into you (Pretty hurts, pretty hurts)
Are you happy with yourself? (Pretty hurts, pretty hurts)
You stripped away the masquerade (Pretty hurts, pretty hurts)
The illusion has been shed (Pretty hurts, pretty hurts)
Are you happy with yourself? (Pretty hurts, pretty hurts)
Are you happy with yourself? (Pretty hurts, pretty hurts)
Yeah, yes (Ah, ah, ah)
About
A frank and very personal take on what beauty is, the opening track of Beyoncé’s groundbreaking self-titled album offers the very first point of social relevancy in the record: perfection and the impossible standard of beauty set in society is corrupting the nation. We all try so hard to reach that singular, narrow-minded idea of “perfection” despite the fact that beauty itself is subjective.
Directed by Melina Matsoukas, the first video in the so-called “visual album” has Bey playing a beauty pageant contestant who does everything in her power to look flawless — but still can’t achieve perfection.
“Well I think we definitely wanted to speak to as many women as we could and all the pain and struggle that we go through as women to maintain this impossible standard of beauty,” Matsoukas explained to MTV News. “We wanted to give it a darker edge and take it there and not give you the Disney version of that struggle. And Beyoncé was more than willing to go that far with it. And I applaud her for that.”
At one point, a frustrated Bey knocks down her wall of trophies, which is supposed “to represent knocking down those beauty standards and falling into a victim of that.”
In the end, even as hard as Miss Third Ward tries to beat out her competition, she loses. That idea came straight from the pop star.
“[Originally,] I had her win and I had it mean nothing,” she said. “And then she didn’t want to win. And then, actually, the woman who wins is an albino woman. And we thought it was really important and interesting to break those ideas of what the classic beauty standards would be and to do this with this beautiful albino woman, I thought was really great. And to show ‘Yeah she’s not perfect, she doesn’t always win and you put your best foot forward and you may still lose.’”
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
It’s really difficult to find a song with such a strong message that doesn’t feel preachy. Sia is such a genius. The second I heard the song, I’m like, ‘I have to sing this song, I don’t care how hard I have to fight for this song, this is my song! I immediately saw the vision and I thought about pageants, the most humiliating, judgmental place you can be as a woman. I feel like sometimes the world is a big contest, we’re all being judged.
— via iTunes Radio
On August 8, 2022, “Pretty Hurts” was certified platinum by the RIAA.
The song reached a peak of #13 on the US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. The song also reached a peak of #36 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.