Jay Z, Solange Dedicate Songs to Beyonce in Poignant Birthday Post

Jay Z, Solange, Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams and other loved ones celebrated Beyoncé‘s 34th birthday Friday with a playlist of songs representing their “most cherished moments” with the singer. The post, which also includes reflections from Beyoncé’s parents and daughter, Blue Ivy, was posted Friday at her website. 

“This song reminds me of you and I on vacation,” husband Jay Z says of his selection, Coldplay’s alt-rock smash “Yellow.” “‘Look at the stars, look how they shine for you.’ So many legendary nights. It represents vulnerability; it’s us in our own world, away from work and totally lost in love. ‘For you, I’ll bleed myself dry.'”

“I think about one of the best moments in my life,” says Solange of Kim Burrell’s “Holy Ghost.” “My sister, humming this with me softly, being the calming beautiful spirit she is, making everything that resided in that moment filled with love.”

The post features poignant choices from Beyoncé’s former Destiny’s Child bandmates, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, that reveal the singer’s eclectic tastes. “I remember us listening to this song over and over the first time I stayed overnight at the house on Parkwood Street,” Rowland says of Mary J. Blige’s “What’s the 411?” “I felt like I had truly found a friend and what turned out to be a lifelong bond.” Williams recalls her friend’s fascination with a psychedelic soul classic: “I have a fond memory of us pulling up to Newark Airport to travel, and you would almost go into a trance listening to this entire Shuggie Otis album titled Inspiration Information.“

Beyoncé’s parents both draw from the singer’s early days. “I used to sing this song to you when you were in your mom’s stomach,” her dad says of Smokey Robinson & the Miracles’ “Here I Go Again.” “After you were born, you would stop crying immediately when I sang it to you, and your eyes would light up.” Her mom recalls how Stephanie Mills’ “Home” represents the determination of a young Beyoncé: “One of both our favorite songs,” she reflects. “I remember you singing at the Peoples’ Workshop when you were just nine years old. You brought the house down and got a standing ovation and all. You did a spin and wound up backwards, and then – in what would become ‘True Beyoncé Fashion’ – you made it part of your act. The show must always go on!”

And the cutest shout-out comes from Bey and Jay’s daughter, Blue Ivy, who selects Jodi Benson’s “Part of Your World,” from The Little Mermaid. “Mommy, you sung this to me all the time,” she says. “Happy birthday, Mommy!”

Jay Z also shared a video tribute to honor his wife’s birthday, as the Fader reports. The brief clip, titled “Happy B Day,” features footage from the couple’s “On the Run” tour, with Beyoncé performing and prepping for shows.