Solange – Cranes In The Sky – Video
Introduction
At the end of September 2016, Solange’s third solo album was released. A Seat At The Table truned out to be a globally acclaimed masterpiece that asked difficult questions, challenged, comforted, and confronted its listeners. The album was, and still is, regarded as a mirror to “white” society.
Solange
Solange Piaget Knowles was born on June 24, 1986, in Houston, Texas. She is the younger sister of Beyoncé Knowles. Both sisters would later become known simply by their first names. Like her sister, Solange quickly found music to be an important form of expression. She started writing songs at the age of nine. Four years later, she decided she wanted a career in music. Beyoncé had already begun her career as a member of Destiny’s Child, and Solange occasionally joined the group on tour and performed with them. From 2001 onward, she began contributing to various albums and songs.
Solange began recording her first solo album, Solo Star, at the age of fourteen. It was released in Japan on December 26, 2002, followed by a US release in January 2003. The album received mixed reviews. She subsequently shifted some of her attention to acting in television and film. Perhaps more importantly, she started a family with her partner, whom she had been dating since she was 13. Their son was born in October 2004. The couple divorced in 2007.
After writing songs for Destiny’s Child and the solo albums of Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams, it was time for Solange’s second solo album, Sol-Angel And The Hadley St. Dreams. Released on August 26, 2008, it was well received by the press and sold considerably better than her debut. Solange decided to pursue her career as an independent artist and released the EP True on November 27, 2012, working closely with her friend Dev Hynes, better known as Blood Orange. True was very well received by both critics and audiences. It features plenty of uptempo, new wave-influenced music and sounds both original and warm. Solange herself described it as “a dance record, but the lyrics can get pretty dark at times”. She appeared to have found her niche, something that is particularly evident on the beautiful single Losing You.
Solange – Instagram post 09/21/2016
In May 2013, Solange launched her own record label, Saint Records, with distribution handled by other companies. On May 15, 2015, she performed the first preview of her third album in public. Rise was a response to the police killings of Michael Brown and Freddie Gray, as well as the major protests in Ferguson and Baltimore.
Solange is an activist associated with the Black Lives Matter movement. Following yet another mass shooting in the US, a racially motivated attack on a Black church in Charleston, South Carolina, on June 17, 2015, in which nine people were killed, Solange posted a response: “Where can we be safe? Where can we be free? Where can we be Black?” She took part in numerous protests against police violence. Black consciousness, the celebration of Black identity, and the systemic marginalization, discrimination, and violence experienced by Black communities in the US would profoundly shape the tone of her forthcoming album.
For me it was about [asking], How can I exist with all of this rage and all of this pain and all of this anger? How can I possibly exist every day out here in the world with that? How do I turn that into glory? How do I turn that into power? How do I transcend with all of that facing me so closely?
Solange interview, Surface Magazine, 01/11/2018
Solange – A Seat At The Table
A Seat At The Table
On September 27, 2016, Solange announced her upcoming album on Twitter:
I am overwhelmed with gratitude & excitement to share this work I’ve written and created, with you… #ASeatAtTheTable
Solange, Twitter, 09/27/2016
Three days later, on September 30, 2016, Solange released her third solo album. It was initially only available as a digital download and through streaming services. The CD was released on November 18, followed by the vinyl edition on December 9. The album was accompanied by a digital book of poems, lyrics, and photographs, titled A Space At The Table, which was available through her own website, Solange Music, via the now-defunct “digitalbook” subsite. The book was later also released in physical form.
Solange described A Seat At The Table as “a project on identity, empowerment, independence, grief, and healing.” She sought to channel her anger, grief, and frustration into music and lyrics that together represent an auditory journey away from those negative emotions and towards Black pride, Black consciousness, and Black empowerment, much like Chuck D had done years earlier with Public Enemy.
Solange’s approach to achieving this same goal, however, is deeply personal. The interludes in particular bring the story to life, with the interviews with Solange’s mother (“It’s such beauty in black people, and it really saddens me when we’re not allowed to express that pride in being black, and that if you do, then it’s considered anti-white”) and father (“And seeing all of those parents, and also KKK members having signs and throwing cans at us, spitting at us. We lived in the threat of death every day”) standing out as particularly powerful, direct, and deeply moving. The struggle that has taken place, and continues to this day, becomes tangible and easier to understand. The stories about the Ku Klux Klan, Black History Month, and the double (white) standard when it comes to Black history and cultural expression are important. For Black communities, these are points of recognition; for many non-Black people, they can be confronting and difficult to hear, but they are essential to fostering and nurturing mutual understanding.
The album also served as a form of catharsis for Solange herself.
I had to make this album to become a better me, but also a better mother… That is the biggest blessing of this album: that I was able to channel that through my work and not bring it home. … Although I wanted the album to have those moments of grief, and being able to be angry and express rage, and trying to figure out how to cope in those moments. I also wanted it to make people feel empowered and [that] in the midst of all of this we can still dream, and uplift, and laugh like we always have.
Solange interview, The Fader, 09/30/2016
Solange – A Seat At The Table – Inner sleeve
Title
In an interview with NPR published on November 11, 2016, Solange said, “By the way, I’ve always had a seat at the table.” She was then asked to explain the album’s title.
We’ve always had a seat at the table. I think that title has a lot of different subtexts. I think one of the seats at the table is also saying that, you know, I’m inviting you to have a seat at my table. And it’s an honor to be able to have a seat at our table and for us to open up in this way and for us to feel safe enough to have these conversations and share them with you. … And so that was also my way of saying I am opening myself up to everyone to have a seat at this table.
Solange interview, NPR, 11/11/2016
Solange – Cranes In The Sky – Video
Cranes In The Sky
The first thing I heard from the album was Cranes In The Sky. A track that once again proved that innovative, exciting, and above all deeply moving music is still being made. Cranes In The Sky is a deeply personal story about how to deal with loss, in this case the end of a relationship. Solange wrote the song during the recording sessions for her second album in late 2008/early 2009. A few years later she finished it with the chorus that refers to the cranes in Miami. The reference to the cranes thematically opposes the rest of the song, in which Solange tries everything to avoid the elephant in the room: intense grief.
I tried to drink it away
I tried to put one in the air
I tried to dance it away
I tried to change it with my hairI ran my credit card bill up
Thought a new dress would make it better
I tried to work it away
But that just made me even sadderI tried to keep myself busy
I ran around in circles
Think I made myself dizzy
I slept it away, I sexed it away
I read it away
Away© 2016, Solange Knowles, Cranes In The Sky
Solange sings the song in a restrained, heartfelt way, supported by truly beautiful and intense background vocals, which she recorded before laying down the lead vocal. In the chorus she more decisively speaks out for (or rather against) the solution many prefer instead of facing their sadness and working through the pain.
I remember looking up and seeing all of these cranes in the sky. They were so heavy and such an eyesore, and not what I identified with peace and refuge. I remember thinking of it as an analogy for my transition-this idea of building up, up, up that was going on in our country at the time, all of this excessive building, and not really dealing with what was in front of us.
Solange interviewed by her sister Beyoncé, Interview magazine, 01/10/2017
Every time I hear the song, I have to listen to it all the way through, the wonderfully laid-back yet inventive rhythm, the swelling strings, and the playful bass; it’s all beautiful. And when jazzy piano motifs and inventive background vocals are added on top, it becomes absolutely heavenly. In February 2017, Solange deservedly won her first Grammy in the category Best R&B Performance with the unparalleled Cranes In The Sky.
On October 3, 2016, Solange released two music videos, directed by Solange and her then-husband Alan Ferguson. One of them was for Cranes In The Sky, the other for the single Don’t Touch My Hair.
Solange – A Seat At The Table – #1
Success
A Seat At The Table was a resounding success. The album entered at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200. In 2019, the album was certified gold. It was also the first Solange album to sell well outside the United States. But perhaps even more important was the album’s artistic value. All around the world, it was received with overwhelming enthusiasm by music experts and critics. The album ranked highly in many year end lists and “best of the 2010s” lists. It has also been included in multiple “greatest albums of all time” lists.
Solange – A Seat At The Table – Digital book
Review
Black power translated into the present day. Despite its heavy themes, the album never sounds depressing. A Seat At The Table is infused with optimism, which is quite an achievement. There is a sense of hope, for a better future and for recognition. Funk, (neo)soul, and R&B carried by stories of (childhood) trauma, pride, violence, anger, and despair. A beautiful, deeply moving mix of storytelling, emotion, and – yes, truly – uplifting joy.
The production, the structure, the compositional richness, it all contributes to an album that is historically relevant, unfortunately even to this day. A Seat At The Table is best listened to from beginning to end; its message and beauty shine most clearly that way.
Despite titles like F.U.B.U., which stands for “for us by us”, A Seat At The Table is not an album aimed solely at the Black community. It is also for someone like me, a white man of 60, who knows that white privilege exists. It starts with listening, being open, and continuing to listen. To be clear: this is in no way meant in a sarcastic or insincere manner.
Music has healing powers, and A Seat At The Table is the ultimate proof of that.
Solange – A Seat At The Table – Back cover
Songs
All songs written by Solange Knowles, unless stated otherwise.
- Rise
- Weary
- Interlude: The Glory Is In You
- Cranes In The Sky
- Interlude: Dad Was Mad
- Mad (Solange Knowles, Dwayne Carter)
- Don’t You Wait
- Interlude: Tina Taught Me
- Don’t Touch My Hair (Solange Knowles, Sampha Sisay)
- Interlude: This Moment
- Where Do We Go
- Interlude: For Us by Us
- F.U.B.U. (Solange Knowles, Terius Nash)
- Borderline (An Ode To Self Care) ft. Q-Tip
- Interlude: I Got So Much Magic, You Can Have It
- Junie
- Interlude: No Limits
- Don’t Wish Me Well
- Interlude: Pedestals
- Scales
- Closing: The Chosen Ones
N.B.:
The full title on the album cover of Mad is Mad ft. Lil Wayne; for Don’t Touch My Hair it is Don’t Touch My Hair ft. Sampha; for F.U.B.U. it is F.U.B.U. ft. The Dream & BJ The Chicago Kid; for Interlude: I Got So Much Magic, You Can Have It it is Interlude: I Got So Much Magic, You Can Have It ft. Kelly Rowland & Nia Andrews; and for Scales it is Scales ft. Kelela.
Borderline (An Ode To Self Care) contains a sample of More Than A Woman, written by Stephen Garrett and Tim Mosley.
Solange – A Seat At The Table – Recording sessions
Musicians
- Solange Knowles – lead artist
- Raphael Saadiq – bass on Rise, Don’t Touch My Hair, Borderline (An Ode To Self Care); additional vocals on Rise
- Patrick Wimberly – bass on Don’t You Wait; synthesizers on Rise
- Sir Dylan – synthesizers on Rise
- Rogét Chahayed – synthesizers on Cranes In The Sky
- John Kirby – synthesizers on Cranes In The Sky, Junie; piano on Borderline (An Ode To Self Care)
- Lil Wayne – feature on Mad
- The Dream – feature on F.U.B.U.; additional vocals on Mad
- Adam Bainbridge, Dave Longstreth – guitar on Don’t You Wait
- Troy “R8dio” Johnson – bass on Don’t You Wait
- Olugbenga – bass, additional vocals on Don’t You Wait
- Bryndon Cook – bass, cowbell on Don’t Touch My Hair
- Sam Robles – saxophone on Don’t Touch My Hair
- Sampha – feature on Don’t Touch My Hair
- Todd Simon – trumpet, flugelhorn on Don’t Touch My Hair
- Rostam Batmanglij – piano, organ, shaker on F.U.B.U.
- BJ The Chicago Kid – feature on F.U.B.U.
- Casey Benjamin – keyboards on Borderline (An Ode To Self Care)
- Josh David – bass on Borderline (An Ode To Self Care)
- Q-Tip – feature, keyboards, drums on Borderline (An Ode To Self Care)
- Chris Sholar – guitar on Borderline (An Ode To Self Care)
- André 3000 – additional vocals on Junie (uncredited)
- Kelela – feature on Scales
- Tweet – additional vocals on Weary, Mad, F.U.B.U.
- Moses Sumney – additional vocals on Mad
- Sean Nicholas Savage – additional vocals on Where Do We Go
Interludes
- Master P. – performer on Interlude: The Glory Is In You, Interlude: For Us by Us, Interlude: No Limits, Interlude: Pedestals, and Closing: The Chosen Ones
- Mathew Knowles – performer on Interlude: Dad Was Mad
- Tina Knowles – performer on Interlude: Tina Taught Me
- Master P., Kelsey Lu, Sampha, Devonte Hynes – performers on Interlude: This Moment
- Nia Andrews, Kelly Rowland & Solange Knowles – performers on Interlude: I Got So Much Magic, You Can Have It
- Leon Silva, Dontae Williams, Kevin Williams – horns on Closing: The Chosen Ones
Solange – North Sea Jazz 07/08/2016 (post dated 07/10/2016)
After A Seat At The Table
After the release of the album, Solange went on tour with her A Seat At The Table Tour, a visually and musically understated yet beautifully crafted concert series. Fortunately, it also brought her to the North Sea Jazz Festival in 2017. On July 8, 2017, I saw Solange perform in the festival’s second-largest hall. At the time, I wrote:
And then there was Solange. Her album A Seat At The Table is impressive, so expectations were high. They were more than exceeded. Such originality, innovation, and individuality. A kind of theatre set to perfectly executed and beautiful music, flawlessly sung and accompanied by strong choreography. A truly impressive achievement. The highlight of North Sea Jazz 2017 (perhaps even of the entire concert year 2017?). Unbelievable but true: by the end of the concert the hall had thinned out considerably. Perhaps understandable at a festival like North Sea Jazz, but completely undeserved – a magnificent performance!
After the tour, Solange directed the video for SZA’s The Weekend. In 2019 she played a number of shows and released her fourth solo album. The stunning When I Get Home turned out to be a kaleidoscopic mix of jazz, hip-hop, drum and bass, electronic music, and (psychedelic) soul. Shortly afterward, When I Get Home was also released as a visual album. Unfortunately, it was the last album she has released to date. When I Get Home once again convincingly proved that Solange is an artist who dares to take risks, has a message to convey, and knows how to move deeply with her music and voice.
But Solange did not sit still, far from it. She shifted her focus to visual media, performance art, composing for ballet, television programs (including the children’s show Yo Gabba Gabba!), and much more. In 2007 she launched Baby Jamz, a hip-hop toy line. Each item included a CD with hip-hop-inspired lullabies written by Solange.
Fashion was also added to her palette. She became a model for Armani Jeans, Ocean Pacific, Rimmel London, Puma, Calvin Klein, IKEA, Gucci, and House of Deréon (the Knowles family clothing line). In 2013, Solange launched what is perhaps her most prestigious, relevant, and important endeavor: the digital platform Saint Heron, a site dedicated to Black culture, including music, literature, film, dance, sculpture, and painting. The platform also serves as a curator for forgotten and/or hard-to-access milestones in Black art.
Solange – Instagram post 09/21/2026
But music never let her go. In 2025, Solange remixed Mariah Carey’s Say Somethin’ and accepted a three-year teaching position at the University of Southern California. On September 21, 2016, Solange posted a somewhat cryptic message on Instagram, accompanied by a short clip in which she sings. Could it be? Is new music coming?
In closing
What do you think of Solange and A Seat At The Table?
Video/Spotify
This story contains an accompanying video. Click on the following link to see it: Video: Solange and the impressive A Seat At The Table. The A Pop Life playlist on Spotify has been updated as well.
