Lemonade cover art

  Studio Album · No. 6

Lemonade Songwriting Credits by Beyoncé

2016 Parkwood / Columbia 12 tracks 46 min

Produced by Beyoncé, Kevin Garrett, Jeremy McDonald, Diplo, Ezra Koenig, Jack White, Derek Dixie, MeLo-X, Diana Gordon, Hit-Boy, HazeBanga, Stuart White, DannyBoyStyles, Ben Billions, Boots, Alex Delicata, Mike Dean, Vincent Berry II, James Blake, Jonny Coffer, Just Blaze, King Henry, Mike Will Made-It, Pluss  ·  Engineered by Stuart White

Parkwood / Columbia R&BArt PopPop
100%
Authorship
Complete Artist

Beyoncé wrote 12 of 12 documented tracks

Authorship Breakdown 12 / 12 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 12 tracks with documented writers, by whether Beyoncé carries a lyricist or composer credit.

100%
12 trackswritten by Beyoncé 0 tracksoutside writers
Beyoncé's roles on this album

Share of the 12 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist100%
Composer0%
Producer100%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

12
Tracks
60
Lyricists
24
Producers
1.55 million
US Copies Sold
2016
Released

Awards & Recognition 2

Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album (2017)
Grammy Award for Best Music Video (2017, 'Formation')
Data Insight

Lemonade has the longest and most varied writing credits of any Beyoncé album, because its genre-hopping pulls in interpolation writers from Led Zeppelin to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to Burt Bacharach and Hal David. She co-wrote all twelve tracks and executive-produced the project, but several songs carry a dozen or more names once the samples are cleared. The concept and voice are unmistakably hers, while the underlying music is assembled from a sweeping range of borrowed and collaborative sources.

Lemonade is the sixth studio album by Beyoncé, released in April 2016 as a visual album with an hour-long film, and built around a narrative of infidelity, betrayal, healing, and Black womanhood. It is her most genre-spanning and sample-dense record, moving through rock, country, blues, reggae, and soul, which is why the credit lists swell with interpolation and sample writers from Led Zeppelin on 'Don't Hurt Yourself' to an Alan Lomax field recording on 'Freedom.' Beyoncé co-wrote every track and steered the project as executive producer, working with a wide cast including Diplo, Jack White, James Blake, Just Blaze, and the songwriter Diana Gordon. Guests include Jack White, The Weeknd, James Blake, and Kendrick Lamar, each adding their own writing credits. The album won two Grammy Awards in 2017 and is widely regarded as one of the defining records of the decade.

Track Listing & Credits 12 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
Pray You Catch Me
Kevin GarrettBeyoncéJames Blake Kevin GarrettBeyoncé Knowles-CarterJames Blake Kevin GarrettBeyoncéJeremy McDonald Beyoncé (Lead Vocals)
2
Hold Up #13
DiploEzra KoenigBeyoncéEmile HaynieJoshua TillmanUzoechi EmenikeSean RhodenDoc PomusMort SchumanDeAndre WayAntonio RandolphKelvin McConnellBrian ChaseKaren OrzolekNick Zinner Thomas Wesley PentzEzra KoenigBeyoncé Knowles-CarterEmile HaynieJoshua TillmanUzoechi EmenikeSean RhodenDoc PomusMort SchumanDeAndre WayAntonio RandolphKelvin McConnellBrian ChaseKaren OrzolekNick Zinner DiploBeyoncéEzra Koenig Beyoncé (Lead Vocals)
3
Don't Hurt Yourself
Jack WhiteBeyoncéDiana GordonJames PageRobert PlantJohn Paul JonesJohn Bonham Jack WhiteBeyoncé Knowles-CarterDiana GordonJames PageRobert PlantJohn Paul JonesJohn Bonham Jack WhiteBeyoncéDerek Dixie Beyoncé (Lead Vocals)Jack White (Featured Vocals)
4
Sorry #11
Diana GordonSean RhodenBeyoncé Diana GordonSean RhodenBeyoncé Knowles-Carter MeLo-XBeyoncéDiana GordonHit-BoyHazeBangaStuart White Beyoncé (Lead Vocals)
5
6 Inch
The WeekndBeyoncéDanny SchofieldBen DiehlThe-DreamAhmad BalsheBootsDave PortnerNoah LennoxBrian WeitzBurt BacharachHal David Abel TesfayeBeyoncé Knowles-CarterDanny SchofieldBen DiehlTerius NashAhmad BalsheBootsDave PortnerNoah LennoxBrian WeitzBurt BacharachHal David DannyBoyStylesBen BillionsBeyoncéBootsDerek Dixie Beyoncé (Lead Vocals)The Weeknd (Featured Vocals)
6
Daddy Lessons
Diana GordonBeyoncéKevin CossomAlex Delicata Diana GordonBeyoncé Knowles-CarterKevin CossomAlex Delicata BeyoncéDerek DixieAlex Delicata Beyoncé (Lead Vocals)
7
Love Drought
Mike DeanIngrid BurleyBeyoncé Mike DeanIngrid BurleyBeyoncé Knowles-Carter Mike DeanBeyoncé Beyoncé (Lead Vocals)
8
Sandcastles
Vincent Berry IIBeyoncéMalik YusefMidian Mathers Vincent Berry IIBeyoncé Knowles-CarterMalik YusefMidian Mathers BeyoncéVincent Berry II Beyoncé (Lead Vocals)
9
Forward
James BlakeBeyoncé James BlakeBeyoncé Knowles-Carter James BlakeBeyoncé Beyoncé (Lead Vocals)James Blake (Featured Vocals)
10
Freedom #35
Jonathan CofferBeyoncéCarla WilliamsArrow BenjaminKendrick LamarFrank TiradoAlan LomaxJohn Lomax Sr. Jonathan CofferBeyoncé Knowles-CarterCarla WilliamsArrow BenjaminKendrick DuckworthFrank TiradoAlan LomaxJohn Lomax Sr. Jonny CofferBeyoncéJust Blaze Beyoncé (Lead Vocals)Kendrick Lamar (Featured Vocals)
11
All Night #38
DiploBeyoncéHenry AllenIlsey JuberTheron ThomasTimothy ThomasAkil KingJaramye DanielsAndré 3000Patrick BrownBig Boi Thomas Wesley PentzBeyoncé Knowles-CarterHenry AllenIlsey JuberTheron ThomasTimothy ThomasAkil KingJaramye DanielsAndré BenjaminPatrick BrownAntwan Patton DiploBeyoncéKing Henry Beyoncé (Lead Vocals)
12
Formation #10
Mike Will Made-ItKhalif BrownAsheton HoganBeyoncé Michael L. Williams IIKhalif BrownAsheton HoganBeyoncé Knowles-Carter Mike Will Made-ItBeyoncéPluss Beyoncé (Lead Vocals)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 80 contributors

More from Beyoncé

Frequently Asked Questions Lemonade

Who wrote Beyoncé's Lemonade?
Beyoncé co-wrote all twelve tracks with a wide range of collaborators including Diana Gordon, Diplo, Jack White, and James Blake, plus many sample and interpolation writers credited through clearances.
Why does Lemonade have so many songwriters per track?
The album samples and interpolates widely across genres, so legacy writers such as Led Zeppelin's members on 'Don't Hurt Yourself' and Burt Bacharach and Hal David on '6 Inch' are credited alongside Beyoncé and her co-writers.
Who are the featured artists on Lemonade?
Jack White on 'Don't Hurt Yourself,' The Weeknd on '6 Inch,' James Blake on 'Forward,' and Kendrick Lamar on 'Freedom.'
Did Lemonade win Album of the Year?
No. It won Best Urban Contemporary Album and Best Music Video at the 2017 Grammys but lost Album of the Year to Adele's 25, a result Adele herself questioned.
Is Lemonade a visual album?
Yes. It was released with a continuous hour-long film tying the songs into a single narrative of betrayal, anger, and reconciliation.
Who wrote Formation?
'Formation' was written by Beyoncé with Mike Will Made-It (Michael L. Williams II), Khalif Brown, and Asheton Hogan, and produced by Mike Will Made-It with Beyoncé and Pluss.

Sources