In the early 2010s, the world was recovering from a financial recession. "Beautiful People" arrived as an antidote to anxiety. The lyrics explicitly reject materialism and social hierarchy.
But for the listener, it remains a sanctuary. When the kick drum hits and Brown shouts, "We are, we are, we are..." there is only one response. You raise your hands. You forget your troubles. You become, for three minutes and forty-five seconds, one of the beautiful people. Chris Brown ft. Benny Benassi - Beautiful People
In the summer of 2011, the landscape of pop music was a battlefield of contrasting sounds. On one side, you had the brooding synth of dance-pop; on the other, the rise of electro-house was beginning to infiltrate mainstream radio. Dropping right into the center of this sonic storm was a track that felt less like a song and more like a four-minute vacation: "Beautiful People" by Chris Brown featuring Benny Benassi. In the early 2010s, the world was recovering