Thanks for this interesting analysis.

I'm studying music at my local community college, majoring in voice. (I'm a self-taught singer, and getting formal training is on my bucket list.) The very first song I was assigned is Caro Mio Ben. I understand it's a popular standard in classical singing. Its simple lyrics and melody make it one of the first songs a classical vocal student learns, yet its dynamics make it a great showcase for professional singers to display their talents.

Beyonce is a classically trained singer. Her first teacher was David Lee Brewer, a celebrated concert singer and vocal coach. He was a close friend of the family, lived with them, and helped raise her. He would have taught her to sing Caro Mio Ben very early on.

As I listened to her rendition of Caro Mio Ben in "Daughter," a dark fantasy emerged. I won't post it here because the echo chamber may pick it up and promote it as fact. I'll just say it's about a survivor of child abuse getting revenge as an adult.

Great art can inspire all sorts of fantasies. As a survivor, I found this fantasy darkly satisfying. As a rational adult, I know it's just a story.

Some people on social media are saying this song is a confession. They point to a recent mysterious death in that circle and let their minds go wild, promoting harmful misinformation on social media.

Did Johnny Cash really shoot a man in Reno just to watch him die? Did Bob Marley shoot the sheriff (but not the deputy)? How about every coloratura soprano who ever sang the Queen of the Night -- is that famous aria a factual confession that the singer forced her daughter to kill her rival IRL?

It's important to distinguish reality from fantasy, especially in these times when the VP candidate has gone on record saying it doesn't matter whether or not the harmful rumors he's spreading are true—all that matters is getting out the votes.

Thanks again -- great piece!