The Black Eyed Peas have long been among the most creative and influential songwriters of our time. Classics like "My Humps" and "Let's get Retarded" captivate audiences not just with their catchy hooks and upbeat rhythms, but through the crafting of thought-provoking lyrics. Perhaps none of their songs are as worthy of lyrical analysis as their latest hit, "I'm a Bee" from the album “The E.N.D.” I haven't gotten a chance to review the written lyrics, but the song is ostensibly the band's imaginative effort to personify the experience of insects thriving in the music industry. The song's chorus echoes the assertion that the singer is a bee, and the verses offer make-believe situations of how said bee is "living that good life".
Curiously absent from the lyrics are any references to traditional bee life. Pollination is never mentioned. Words like sting and buzz are not employed. Fergie even resists the temptation to call herself the Queen Bee. (Although this could simply be out of respect for Lil Kim).
Jerry Seinfeld’s “Bee Movie” lived up to its title by delivering plenty of bee-themed hive-jinks. (See Taboo, even I can write a bee pun). It remains curious then why these artists attribute only human desires like fame and fortune on these Apoidean creates. Aside from Fergie's cursory mention that she's spreading her wings, a feature bees aren't particularly known for, there is no further evidence throughout the song that any of the speakers posses any qualities of Apis mellifera or the like.
Clearly these creative geniuses posses the song writing ability to capture the life of a drone. This is, after all, the same group that provided us with such unforgettable lines as "And all those things we use to use to use to do", and "beats so big I'm stepping on Leprechauns"-- a feat that's admittedly cruel and less impressive considering their diminutive nature. Still, the words heard in “I'm a bee” leave much to be desired from lyricists of their caliber.
I must admit I did smile at the humorous mental picture of a bee up on that stage. What's that little bee going to do up there, I wondered to myself and imagined an out of place little bugger fluttering around, performing his little heart out to thousands of people who can barely see him. But this bee character became considerably less endearing when I learned of his other pursuits. “I'm a bee up in the club doing whatever I like,” “I'm a bee poppin' that bubbly.” Clearly this is not a worker bee.
In this piece the band opens their song writing up for discussion by suggesting, "Why don't you put it on a blog?” which I've elected to do here. This is a daring step for a song-writing team who once wrote a song almost completely in onomatopoeia (Boom Boom Pow) and is eager to incorporate Geography into music whenever possible. (We get it William, you've heard of the seven seas!)
The Black Eyed Peas surely had some reason for ignoring bee type references and puns. Let us once again consider the line, "I'm a bee up on that stage". Perhaps the song is not about the hymenopterous insect, but about the communal competition sort of bee. i.e., a spelling bee. Or in the Pea's case, a rapping bee. There is even less evidence for this kind of bee, however, and it seems unlikely the group could be writing from personal experience. Despite Fergie’s proven ability to spell her own name in “Fergalicious”, I doubt her band mate’s spelling of tasty (T, to the A, to the S-T-E-Y) would have been acceptable at Scripps.
I must admit the possibility that I misheard the lyrics and song title altogether. But what other bee could there be? That’s it! The verb “to be”! But that lyric seems to make the least sense of all, especially considering the copula that precedes it is just another form of that same verb. Let us ponder the claim, “I am a be.” Now the Peas seem to be making a philosophical claim reminiscent of Descartes. Only the Blacked Eyed Peas’ assertion is an even bolder commentary on solipsism. Their assertion is simple yet profound: I am, therefore I am. Phunk logic, phunk any claims to the contrary. They exist because they say so. End of Discussion. “The E.N.D.” End. Or is it?
We may never get to the bottom of these enigmatic lyrics here at logophiladelphia. But long after other music fans cease to be abuzz with curiosity, I know I’m going to be.
