4 is one of Beyoncé’s best albums of all time. It’s a crucial piece of work in her discography that helped her get her where she is today creatively. It’s timeless and even without a Top 10 hit it has songs that everyone knows (LOT/RTW). Stop disrespecting 4.
"Cranes in the Sky" is EASILY one of the best-written songs about depression/heartbreak/loss ever. Despite all of her efforts to distract herself, the pain/loss was constant.
“The album is Mariah’s contemporary take on what she describes as “the war on love” and our collective duty to fight for it. She pictures herself, and most women, as toy soldiers who will lay their lives on the line for the sake of love— just to realize that men view them as nothing more than disposable playthings used strictly for entertainment.”