Beyonce’s Act II: Cowboy Carter is now out! Beyonce dropped all of the lyric videos on YouTube, and you can stream or download the album on all of the platforms. You can see Beyonce’s YouTube page here. I’m just highlighting some of the big collabs and most-talked about songs below.
Beyonce’s cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” is not a traditional, by-the-books cover. Beyonce updated the lyrics, which was kind of unnecessary? But it’s still a good song.
“YA YA” is amazing – it reminds me of Tina Turner, and I love the Nancy Sinatra throwback.
People are all over “Levii’s Jeans” – her collab with Post Malone. People always act like Post Malone doesn’t have a good voice – that man rocked up to the mic with Beyonce and said “watch this!”
This is “II Most Wanted” – a slow, bluesy duet with Miley Cyrus. I have to admit, their harmony sounds amazing.
Beyonce did a pretty traditional cover of The Beatles’ “Blackbird.” It sounds beautiful but, if I’m being honest, it sounds overproduced? The beauty of “Blackbird” is that it’s much more powerful with a simple arrangement.
Photos courtesy of Beyonce’s Instagram.
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- Screenshot of Beyonce, latest post on social media, 5th February 2024.,Image: 843686245, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** SOCIAL MEDIA IMAGE for EDITORIAL USE ONLY! * NB: Fees charged by Avalon are for Avalon’s services only, and do not, nor are they intended to, convey to the user any ownership of Copyright or License in the material. Avalon does not claim any ownership including but not limited to Copyright or License in the attached material. By publishing this material you (the user) expressly agree to indemnify and to hold Avalon and its directors, shareholders and employees harmless from any loss, claims, damages, demands, expenses (including legal fees), or any causes of action or allegation against Avalon arising out of or connected in any way with publication of the material. * Handling Fee Only ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: B4859 / Avalon
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- Screenshot of Beyonce, latest post on social media, 5th February 2024.,Image: 843686343, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** SOCIAL MEDIA IMAGE for EDITORIAL USE ONLY! * NB: Fees charged by Avalon are for Avalon’s services only, and do not, nor are they intended to, convey to the user any ownership of Copyright or License in the material. Avalon does not claim any ownership including but not limited to Copyright or License in the attached material. By publishing this material you (the user) expressly agree to indemnify and to hold Avalon and its directors, shareholders and employees harmless from any loss, claims, damages, demands, expenses (including legal fees), or any causes of action or allegation against Avalon arising out of or connected in any way with publication of the material. * Handling Fee Only ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: B4859 / Avalon
Neither country nor Beyoncé are my cup of musical tea but I am ABSOLUTELY loving the meltdown over this album as it skyrockets to the top of the charts. Leaving my hotel today I heard a brief snippet on a morning show that this album will break records and I am for it. After all the white nationalist misogynistic fiascos that have been in the headlines over the last few years for country music (looking at you Jason Aldean, John Schneider) this is beyond amazing and I hope it gets even better.
Beyoncé has dragged the whole of the Beyhive over to country music. You’d think they’d be celebrating that but I am rimming my margarita glass with their tears.
I could not have said it better HeatherC
Seriously.
💯 In total agreement. I’m gonna sit back and watch in glee as pale male minds get blown🤯
I am 100% in agreement, I am cheering for this project in my mind so hard. please let this be her album of the year grammy win.
Oh yes! Speak on it.
Ya Ya is my favourite!!! I love it!
Mine too! So much fun
I’m a little disappointed by the Jolene cover. Don’t get me wrong, she sounds incredible as always.
However, part of the reason I personally like Dollys Jolene was that it was a total reinventing of the “other woman song” which was lyrically groundbreaking at the time. Instead of insulting the Jolene, Dolly is complementing and begging her to not take her man. In Beyonces version, she’s back to insults and threats. As you can tell, I’m a bit of a student of Dollys lyrics lol so I was hoping it would be a straight cover.
For what I’m loving so far, Blackbird and Protector!
I realized my comment focuses on the one thing I didn’t like as much…so I came back to add that what I truly love about it. It strikes me the most is this isn’t a country album as country exists now – its more of an example of what country music could be if African Americans continued to have the influence of the genre that they did at its inception. As she says it’s a Beyonce album, not a country album. No matter what, it’s incredible.
💯 Ray Charles changed country music with his album release in the 1960’s. I’m hoping Beyoncé’s album does the same and reclaims the origins of the music genre.
I don’t know that I mind the line change so much. Beyoncé changing the lyrics makes it a different story. A different reaction to Jolene. It’s just funny bc not everyone is going to be as sympathetic to Jolene as dolly was in her lyrics. A lot of people hear that song and think oh hell no Jolene. It does change the sentiment. The song is a story and Beyoncé is putting a different spin on it. Both can exist but I get if some prefer dolly’s lyrical story.
Totally! I understand why she changed the lyrics, but I suppose my critique would be that there are hundreds of songs about the “other woman” that have the same tone as Beyoncé’s new lyrics that she could have covered, instead of completely changing what was special and unique about Jolene.
See, I like Beyonce’s version better because of the new lyrics. Dolly’s song always bugged me & I could never figure out why everybody, particularly women, loved it so much. Have some self-respect, stop begging! Dump the guy & move on!
That was my feeling as well when I heard it. I’m sure you listened to it but there’s a podcast about Dolly Parton called ‘Dolly Parton’s America’ (and if by some chance you haven’t listened to it, run thy butt over to Spotify right this second ma’am!) and one of the episodes is dedicated to Jolene and how it subverted that genre of song.
Oh man, at first I cringed at the Beyoncé version of Jolene because it’s told from such a painfully, embarrassingly delusional point of view, truly the sort of thing you could not beat out of me (‘I raised *that man*, I raised his kids’ right after ‘We’ve been deep in love for twenty years’ absolutely kills me, ahaha, oh my GOD), but on second listen, it’s just SO openly, dedicatedly pathetic that I’m not entirely sure it ISN’T a dazzling subversion of the genre anyway, the sort of thing where instead of relating to or even simply insulting and threatening the other woman, the narrator is continually confronting the listener with just how empty her bluster and bravado truly are, in fact how the very fact of their emptiness makes her commit to them EVER MORE, EVER HARDER, UNTIL DEATH DO HER PART (just, like, truly Edgar Allan Poe-intense and -obvious unreliable narration, how could I not be somewhat mesmerised).
Some of the changed lyrics make it sound as though Bey and Jolene are fighting over who gets the garbage. Can we get a third version where the singer and Jolene both leave his ass and ride away into the sunset to build a log cabin in the woods and adopt a mini horse?
@bears Ahaha, oh definitely, and that’s the cisheterosexual womanhood Beyoncé mostly plays straight but occasionally comes so, SO close to effectively satirising: raccoons perpetually shouting ‘stay away from MY garbage, THANKYOUVERYMUCH’.
I listened to Jolene, at first wondering why Beyonce would cover it because it’s been done so much. However, once I heard it, I LOVED it! A fresh new Jolene, that damn hussey. I’m not particularly a Beyonce or country fan, but I sincerely LOVE her Jolene. I hope she finally gets album of the year for this one.
Just started it but I absolutely love Shotgun Rider with Miley Cyrus.
That is a beautiful song (Most Wanted) but me being the age I am, I’m loving Ya Ya because it references the sound & feel of so many great 60s era songs & artists.
Ya Ya!!!
I like Jolene so far.
From just listening to these songs here, I’ll say “II Most Wanted” is my favorite. I’m not sure about what she did with “Jolene” – it reminds me of how people will take a Shakespeare play and twist it around to tell a different message. But that’s OK, as long as the original still exists, people can do what they want. And I really don’t like what she did with “Blackbird’ – she turned it into bland elevator music with no consciousness of the lyrics, something I never expected from her.
But I’ll check out the rest – she’s always an event.
“II Most Wanted” is my favorite, too! Sublime.
I listened the minute it got released at midnight. It is a heavy album that needs to be listened to many times to get the full experience. Here are my favs at first listen:
. AMERIICAN REQUIEM => this will be the one of the highlights of Beyonce’s career
. DAUGHTER => Her voice killed me. This is a BEYONCE album like she said.
. II MOST WANTED => I appreciated Beyonce for giving Miley her moment to shine. Both of their voices are amazing harmonized together and separately. I listened to Miley’s SNL live vocals of Plastic Heart song repeatedly many many times. She is an amazing performer and I am so glad Beyonce didn’t make her just sing a few lines and back vocals.
. YA YA => Just perfect dance song.
. TYRANT => Another amazing song.
. BODYGUARD => It sounds like a movie, not just a song. Loved it.
These are my favs so far, but I loved all of it. I saw people talking sh*t about JOLENE. I liked it as a Becky diss song. Beyonce doesn’t ask Jolene nicely to get away from her man, she talks sh*t all over the song. It is a shame because of Jay Z, it gets to be a story bigger than the art of it.
Thanks, I have to take the time to listen to everything in order, rather than a song here and there – the order gives the full story and experience.
I only got to listen to about half the album at 6am as I got ready for a soccer tournament, but American requiem blew me away. Absolutely amazing. I don’t have a favorite yet because I need to finish listening, but I also loved protector.
It’s incredible. I didn’t think it was going to be for me but I was wrong. I’m honestly speechless right now
II Most Wanted is my favourite.
Only halfway through but American Requiem and Bodyguard are standouts in that half. And I agree with the poster above this feels more like what country could be with promotion of the diverse smaller artists, rather than her trying to make a Loretta Lynn album. I’m not a country fan at all minus 90s Shania so I was shocked that I was enjoying so much. Also I think sixteen carriages got missed by Texas Hold Em being such a departure from her style, but I think that’s a really well crafted song lyrically.
The levels, the history, the meaning, the absolute obliteration and reimagining of genre constraints, and every song is somehow better than the last? Beyoncé is 1 of 1.
My fave is Daughter, that made me cry first listen, but sooo many good songs to choose from!
Btw I very much like the updated Jolene Lyrics
From “I’m begging you please don’t take my man”
to
“I’m warning you don’t come for my man”
Go Beyonce!
loving it all. Jolene is great Ameriican requiem is awesome. Levii’s jeans is fun
I LOVE that Willie is here for Beyonce.
Honestly Blackbird was the only slight disappointment for me. Gorgeous concept of making it a group/ choral piece given the history but it didn’t quite work for me. Will have to revisit it I think.
Brilliant features throughout the album though. Loved the rest of it. It doesn’t need to be full out banjo twanging to recognise the clear country stylings and narratives. I found it a really rich album. Even moreso after being so whelmed by Renaissance.
“Beyonce’s cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” is not a traditional, by-the-books cover. Beyonce updated the lyrics, which was kind of unnecessary? But it’s still a good song.“
OPINIONS vary. I think it’s a great update that flips the attitude and the versions sequentially is funny as hell.
On a first listen. II MOST WANTED is my favorite. I think it is the most accessible.
I was flipping back and forth on the first listen, but then realized Beyonce begging a red head not to steal her man would be kinda laughable. I mean, B would sell the hell out of it, but it would be just another cover. I liked this version and it made a hell of a lot more sense as a Beyonce song than a straight cover would have. Won’t be surprised if she does it with thé orignal lyrics, as a flex, at some point.
Dolly’s catalogue is so vast – she couldn’t find another song to cover? I love Beyonce, but I HATE the Jolene cover. I get the people talking about flipping a narrative, but the new lyrics are simply BAD. If it were better written, I probably wouldn’t mind it so much, but they’re not, so I do.
Beyonce gave us all a PhD dissertation on music history, black contributions to country (past and present), and her overall genius. 10/10. Also glad i was right that Miley would be fire as a feature. People treat her as a joke, but her vocals have never wavered.
So far I think it’s all just meh. To be honest I’m not a fan-girl and am kind of over her and her sketchy husband. I’m waiting for Jay-Z to get dragged for filth with the Diddy-adjacent bad behaviour.
Ok YA YA is gonna be on REPEAT!!!!! Can’t wait to see the TikTok dances.
now that ive listened to this whole thing, still rooting for this to be album of the year but if anyone updates jolene, I want to see the man kicked out on his loser behind.
I absolutely agree re the husband in Jolene. However! Beyoncé’s update reminded me of my mom, who essentially said “stay away from my man” to one of my dad’s coworkers in the 90s. My dad was the cute/oblivious type, and my mom was the scary hot lady 😂
I am loving it. Between this and the new Ariana Grande album Eternal Sunshine — I know, I’m garbage, but it is sooooooooooooooo good — us gays are absolutely feasting, honey!
I love it too! Downloaded as soon as I heard Matt Rogers freaking out over it on Las Culturistas!
I get why she wanted to change the Jolene lyrics but if you’re changing it that much can you call it Jolene? It’s not the same song with the same sentiment, so it feels a bit disingenuous :/
I’ve not listened to the album yet apart from snippets of the songs above but having heard Texas Hold Em’ over and over on the radio my view is that it is a very simple song with a couple of hooks and lots of lyrical repetition. If it was by another artist it would have come up and gone down very quickly because it’s pretty plain. That’s the case for so many singles that come out by established artists though, they ride on their fanbase rather than song quality.
I’ve only listened to a few of the tracks and not yet the whole album but I will soon.
Maybe THIS will get her album of the year at the Grammy’s!!! She’s deserved it soo many times over.
I was not expecting to like it as much as I do, but as a fellow Texan, I listened to it to support her as I guarantee she knows more about country than most people singing the genre today. It’s an incredible album. I love the little Dolly and Willie cameos.
It reminds me of the country in the 70s and 80s a lot. We are the same age roughly so I know she must have grown up on that kind of country too.
So far Bodyguard is my favorite, but really the whole album is so very good.
I hope she is very proud of this album.
Loving the vintage vibes of Ya Ya! I have not searched out what kind of reaction Kid Rock may have put out there, nor will I. However, if I see any posts about him negating her authenticity because “She’s from Texas but doesn’t live that cowboy life” I will break my rule of not engaging with idiots and call his fake rap fake country shit out at every opportunity. He has said some really dumb things about her in the past, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he steps in it again.
Beyonce’s Blackbird—Church!!!
It’s a lovely spin on the classic call and response of gospel songs.
She has kept the simple arrangement and layered it lightly with celestial harmony flitting like a bird around the lyrics.
I am not even a Beyonce fan but I love the sparks of this arrangement grounded by her soulful alto.
dhasi, I totally agree. I think she’s still kept it simple but added a little of her own texture. I loved it.
I am loving II Hands II Heaven and still love Texas Hold Em. I do like her version of Jolene a lot but also agree with some of the sentiments expressed above about the new lyrics and I don’t care for don’t steal my man lyrics generally, but that would be impossible to remove from the song altogether I think.
II Most Wanted is going to be HUGE for weddings and karaoke
Bodyguard and II Most Wanted
I’m only halfway thru but I have several thoughts – it’s meant to be taken in as a full album, front to back, at least when you first listen to it. It’s gorgeous. Love the cameos, collaborations, and attention paid to the history of black country artists. The elevation of some current black country singers that most of us probably haven’t even heard of is fantastic.
I like the covers…they’re not supposed to be like the originals and have been updated with intent. On their own they’re good songs, imo.
Just sliding in here to quietly note that II most wanted is going to be the stealthy lesbian anthem of the year. I read an article that said it was Miley and Beyonce’s tribute to their male partners and I was like, mmmmm, okay…
BLACKBIRD!!!!! I’m pretty sure they took the guitar and foot-taps from the Beatles original, which means that Paul McCartney is playing on the track!!!! And since he wrote it to support Black women in the civil rights struggle, it is so fitting that Beyoncé recruited Black women country singers to join her on the track. QUEEN B COVERS THE BEATLES YEE-HAWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!
“Hey, Sir Paul.”
“Hey, Queen.”
“Imma do Blackbird.”
“Sure thing B!”
🐦⬛ beautiful musica
bodyguard dos hands 🙌 all 🔥
how did planet 🌎 earth get Beyoncé is all I want to know 🎶 🎼 🎵
Luckiest 🍀 planet in the whole universe
Oooh and dance 💃
Dance is so good
I’ve been listening to it all day, a little at a time. I’ll preface that I like Beyonce and have since Destiny’s Child, but have never owned any of her albums, it just hasn’t been my style of music to listen to very much. Also, I work in the horse/western lifestyle space, and I am also a Texan. There’s been a lot of hype about this album in my communities (positive and negative), and we’ve seen a surge in interest in Western wear, Beyonce style–which to me, as an editor of a western lifestyle magazine, is a wonderful thing.
Y’ALL. This is so good. From beginning to end, I just was blown away. There are so many layers to the styles of music and nods to history, it’s fantastic. I will be listening on repeat.
My favorite songs:
American Requiem (Actual chills)
Daughter
Spaghetti (makes me want to get up and dance!)
Jolene
II Most Wanted
YA YA
And my overall favorite is Sweet Honey Buckin.’
I love everything about it except Jolene, lol. The lyrical changes magnify my issues with the original (as lovely as a song as it is) and that is that women (or any person) cannot take or steal a man (or any person). It’s not kidnapping, lol. I wish the changes had instead been more of a calling out of the man for being tempted and having a “wondering eye”. Other than that, I really enjoyed this and I think it’s one of her top three or four.
I love the fact that Beyonce decided that she’s going to snatch country music away from the racist, misogynistic gatekeepers who disrespected her when she performed with the Chicks. Revenge is a dish that is best served cold. She’s been holding on to her revenge for years and called them out for it. Let’s see how they compete on the charts against her.
My favorites are Daughter, Jolene, and II Most Wanted.
Her singing sucks
I am not a Beyonce fan, and not much into country. But her version of Blackbird is great!
I think the cover of Jolene is great it’s really beautiful, her voice suits it
But…I don’t understand the cover of blackbird. I don’t know why they put it second, it’s not a country song and it doesn’t sound like one and yeah I agree, it’s horrible, it’ should be sparse, like a blackbird, but at this point, I don’t understand it
Texas holdem also just seems a bit bland sadly.. and I’m a Beyoncé fan and a country music fan
First is not horrible and secondly you say your a fan of Beyoncé and of country music and you don’t have a clue why it’s on the album or why four black women country singers plus Beyoncé are singing the song? To call it a throwaway song is insulting.
Do you even know what the song is about or the roots of country music, and how it influenc6es other genres of music?
Re Jolene, her take was interesting. Y’all need to look up Chapel Hart. Their Jolene lyrics are the best response to the original. Beyonce’s are not as good, nor as fun, as Chapel Hart’s. Check it out.
It’s an interesting album and I am glad she made it the way she did. However I can’t say I am overwhelmed or at awe how she sounds or how the songs are carried out.
II Most Wanted sounds amazing (thanks to Miley) and went to my playlist right away.