Ten percent of all known pregnancies end in miscarriage. So why does the subject still feel so taboo? For women dealing with the complicated grief of miscarriage, it’s not the stat that’s comforting—it’s the knowledge that they’re not alone, that there is a space to share their story. To help end the culture of silence that surrounds pregnancy and infant loss, Glamour presents The 10 Percent, a place to dismantle the stereotypes and share real, raw, stigma-free stories.
When I think about Pink’s and Beyoncé’s music, the word vulnerable doesn’t immediately come to mind. That’s not to say their songs aren’t personal—both artists have expansive catalogs of powerful music—but I associate their work with strength, not sadness. It turns out, though, both Beyoncé and Pink have tracks in their libraries that couldn’t be more vulnerable. Sandwiched in between the bops and bangers, both artists have songs about miscarriage.
They’re not the only ones, either: Lily Allen, Ed Sheeran, and Jay Z have also written about miscarriages. For Allen, it was her own; for Jay Z, it was Beyoncé’s; and for Sheeran, it was a close friend’s. It’s a topic most people don’t talk about, much less put to music. And that’s powerful. If that’s not strong, I don’t know what is.
Pink, “Happy”
Pink is arguably the most vulnerable she’s ever been on the song “Happy,” from her most recent album, Hurts 2B Human. She sings, “Since I was 17, I’ve always hated my body, and it feels like my body’s hated me.” Those lyrics, as it turns out, partially derive from Pink’s having had a miscarriage at 17 years old. “The reason I said [that lyric] is because I’ve always had this very tomboy, very strong gymnast body, but actually at 17 I had a miscarriage,” the singer told USA Today last year. “And I was going to have that child. But when that happens to a woman or a young girl, you feel like your body hates you and like your body is broken, and it’s not doing what it’s supposed to do.”
Jay Z, “Glory”
Jay Z released “Glory” in 2012 to celebrate the birth of his and Beyoncé’s daughter, Blue Ivy. But in the song he also sings about the miscarriage the couple experienced before becoming parents. “Last time the miscarriage was so tragic. We was afraid you’d disappear. But nah, baby, you magic,” he raps on the track. This comes after he alluded to the situation at the top of the song: “False alarms and false starts. All made better by the sound of your heart. All the pain of the last time. I prayed so hard it was the last time.”
