Limbaugh's Sexist Misinterpretation Of Beyoncé's New Song

Host Claims Beyoncé “Understands It's Worth It To Bow Down” To Her Husband

Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh used lyrics from a recently-released song by Beyoncé to claim that the singer “now understands it's worth it to bow down” to her husband. On the March 20 edition of Premiere Radio Network's The Rush Limbaugh Show, Limbaugh claimed that Beyoncé's new track “Bow Down/I Been On” conveys the message that women should be submissive to their spouses, saying, “She got married, she married the rich guy, she now understands -- she now understands it's worth it to bow down.”

However, others have noted that Beyoncé's lyrics are directed at her critics. From Slate.com:

What's interesting about the better (and shorter) portion of the song, “Bow Down,” is not so much the grandiose, rap-style boasting, nor the repetition of “bitches” (or sometimes, “bishes”) in the chorus; Beyoncé's been trading on the “Queen Bey” thing for quite some time, on similarly styled tracks like “Diva” and “Run the World (Girls).” What's alarming is that it seems to be directed at a very specific audience: The women who have criticized her. The opening lyric begins, “I know when you were little girls/ You dreamt of being in my world/ Don't forget it, don't forget it/ Respect that: Bow down, bitches.”

From Jezebel.com:

“I took some time to live my life, but don't think I'm just his little wife / Don't get it twisted, get it twisted, this my shit, bow down bitches,” Beyoncé sings, sounding just like Beyoncé.

Limbaugh's pro-submission tirade is just the latest in a long history of anti-woman commentary -- most notably his sexist attacks against Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke -- that have resulted in a mass exodus of advertisers from his show.