Pretty hurts is the first track and forth single off Beyoncé's fifth album 'BEYONCÉ'.
It impacted mainstream radio in the United States on June 10, 2014, as the fourth single from the album. The song was written by Sia, Beyoncé and Ammo, and its production was handled by the former two. "Pretty Hurts" was initially written for Katy Perry and then offered to Rihanna; both artists failed to record the track and as a result it was sent to Beyoncé instead. It is a power pop, soul ballad, instrumentally complete with a sparse background honed with the use of synths, minor chords and a "booming" drum beat. The track's lyrical content deals with subjects of third-wave feminism, self-empowerment and body image. Additionally, the song's lyrics deal with the consequences of society's high standards of beauty, and in "Pretty Hurts" eating disorders are depicted as one of the subjected results.
"Pretty Hurts" won in the category for Best Song with a Social Message at the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards and was named the best track of 2014 by the Associated Press. Following the release of Beyoncé, the track charted in the lower regions internationally. It failed to enter the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number 63 on the UK Singles Chart. However, the song became Beyoncé's 21st number one on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart, and was placed at number four on its 2014 year-end chart.
The accompanying music video for "Pretty Hurts" was directed by Melina Matsoukas, and features Beyoncé competing in a beauty pageant. The clip was made available at iTunes Stores as part of the album's release on December 13, 2013. It won in the categories for Best Video with a Message and Best Cinematography at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards. Rolling Stone included the clip in their year-end list of the 10 best music videos of 2014. Beyoncé performed "Pretty Hurts" during her co-headlining On the Run Tour (2014).
The music video for "Pretty Hurts" was directed by Melina Matsoukas. It was filmed at Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, between August 11 and August 13, 2013. The filming of the clip saw an extended schedule surface with a variety scenes and concepts being developed during the ongoing shoot. As a result, several members of the crew quit the shoot, leaving Matsoukas with a limited team to work with. The small school in which the video's filming took place was intended to showcase "a small-town kind of pageant".According to Matsoukas, the location created a 1980s atmosphere combined with pin-up themes inspired by Blake Lively's character in the film The Town (2010). Several of the actresses portraying the beauty contestants in the video were models professionally, and shared their expertise for the clip's premise. The visual also sees a cameo appearance from American actor Harvey Keitel.Speaking about Keitel's involvement in an interview with New York Magazine, Matsoukas said that she wanted to use a "greasy, Vegas-type pageant character," and felt Keitel was well-suited for the role.
