Scared of Beautiful

Album: Two Eleven (2012)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This ballad was penned by Frank Ocean. The R&B singer-songwriter previously wrote "1st & Love" and "Locket (Locked in Love)" for Brandy Norwood's 2008 album Human as well as "Quickly," a duet with John Legend from the same year. "We've always had that great chemistry, and we both understand music in the same ways," Brandy said of Ocean to Billboard magazine. "To work with him on this album was great as well, and I hope I can get in [the studio] with him some more because his music is just so moving; I'm inspired by him. I think he's a great artist and he hasn't even touched on what he will touch on in the future."
  • The song was originally conceived as a duet between Brandy and Ocean, but the final album version features just Norwood. Speaking on how the song came about Brandy told Rap-Up.com: "He had the song for a while and when I heard it, it really just spoke to me. Sometimes you get to a point in your life where you're scared to be great, you're scared to be beautiful, you're scared to be the best version of you and you talk to yourself and you try to get yourself back on track. I just remember feeling like that at a point in my life. I know there are so many people out there that go through that dark time and I felt like it could speak to a lot of people."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Intentionally Atrocious

Intentionally AtrociousSong Writing

A selection of songs made to be terrible - some clearly achieved that goal.

00s Music Quiz 1

00s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

Do you know the girl singer on Eminem's "Stan"? If so, this quiz is for you.

The Untold Story Of Fiona Apple's Extraordinary Machine

The Untold Story Of Fiona Apple's Extraordinary MachineSong Writing

Fiona's highly-anticipated third album almost didn't make it. Here's how it finally came together after two years and a leak.

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)Songwriter Interviews

Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai were two of Graham's co-writers for some '80s rock classics.

Grunge Bands Quiz

Grunge Bands QuizMusic Quiz

If the name Citizen Dick means anything to you, there's a chance you'll get some of these right.

John Waite

John WaiteSongwriter Interviews

"Missing You" was a spontaneous outpouring of emotion triggered by a phone call. John tells that story and explains what MTV meant to his career.