Posted by Katherine St Asaph on 11/08/2011 at 3:06 PM News

The Popdust Files: 4, beyonce, music videos

Start doing detective work, people: Beyonce’s going to record yet another video for 4–specifically, for the live release of Live at Roseland on Nov. 2. Six tracks already have videos, leaving six remaining. Billboard says the video won’t be for “End of Time” (side note: it’s really bizarre how much that track’s been shrugged away, considering it’s better than lots of 4). That leaves five. Which will it be? Let’s go over them:

“I Care”
Pros: An absolute standout–we called it the album’s best. It’s also got a killer dramatic structure. It’s even near the beginning of the album–traditionally a prime location for potential singles.
Cons: None, really. We’re rooting for this more than any of the others.

“I Miss You”
Pros: This is the Frank Ocean track, and even if he doesn’t sing on the track, you imagine Beyonce’s team would want to showcase their collaborators’ work. That’s why “Party” got a video, you imagine.
Cons: It’s a bit sedate, isn’t it? Great as an interlude, maybe a bit muted as a standalone.

“Rather Die Young”
Pros: A love song would fit what Bey’s going for.
Cons: It’s a bit old-fashioned, isn’t it? “Countdown” got so big precisely because it’s the opposite of old-fashioned.

“Start Over”
Pros: Um, Ester Dean helped write it? She’s been involved in hits, right?
Cons: It’s the opposite of a standout; in fact, it took us a while to remember what this sounded like. If this gets the video, we will be confused and disappointed.

“I Was Here”
Pros: It’s a big song. It could support a big video. You can probably already imagine the opening shot: Beyonce’s silhouette, a landscape, anything dramatic like that.
Cons: On the context of 4, it works; outside 4, the Diane Warren-isms get to be a bit much. But then again, the DVD already practically has an EP’s worth.

Predicted a song choice yet? Great. Now it’s time to predict the video. Maybe it’ll be the capping video, one that ties all the previous videos together. OK, it probably won’t, but it’s an interesting thought, no? Let’s look at what came before:

“Run the World (Girls)“: Post-apocalyptic gender carnage.
“Best Thing I Never Had“: Marriage and schadenfreude.
“1+1“: Oil. Lots of it.
“Countdown“: Your Tumblr dashboard.
“Love on Top“: New Edition, swanked out.
“Party“: Hanging out with Solange and Kelly at the pool.

???: All of the above in one video. As for what that’d look like, we’re at a loss. Post a comment and help us!

(EDIT: Oh hey, it could be a bonus track too! In that case, “Schoolin’ Life.” No. 1 request. Let’s see it.)