"Blackbird" on Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter was originally written by Paul McCartney: Everything to know about the track

Beyoncé's eighth studio album Cowboy Carter dropped on March 29. Through her album, the singer paid homage to The Beatles by covering their song Blackbird, which was originally written by band member Paul McCartney to highlight the American civil rights movement in 1968.

With her 27-track setlist and a bevy of stars from singers like Miley Cyrus and Post Malone, Beyoncé explored her country roots in Cowboy Carter. The album's co-lead single, Texas Hold ‘Em, hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 after it debuted during the Super Bowl in February, 2024. This feat has made Queen Bey the first Black woman to top the Billboard Country Music Chart.

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Beyoncé joined a quartet of Black country artists for a reimagination of Blackbird

Hailing from Houston, Texas, Beyoncé made her first foray into country music with Cowboy Carter. The iconic singer paid tribute to music giants like Dolly Parton and The Beatles through her new album.

Beyoncé was joined by fellow black country artists, Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, and Reyna Roberts, as they covered The Beatles' Blackbird on her new album. Stylized as Blackbiird, the song was a soulful rendition of the original written just weeks after Martin Luther King Jr's assassination.

According to Paul McCartney's official website, The Beatles' former member revealed the origin of the song in his 2021 book titled Lyrics, saying:

“At the time in 1968 when I was writing ‘Blackbird. I was very conscious of the terrible racial tensions in the US. The year before, 1967, had been a particularly bad year, but 1968 was even worse."

Paul continued:

"The song was written only a few weeks after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. That imagery of the broken wings and the sunken eyes and the general longing for freedom is very much of its moment.”

Paul also stated that he wrote the song with a black woman in his mind, as a means of having a dialogue with Black Americans to keep hope in the face of heightening racial tensions in the US during the civil rights movement. The song's impactful lyrics highlight:

“All your life, you were only waiting. For this moment to arise.”

Since then, Blackbird has had a deep connection in Black history, with several black artists co-opting the song to make it their own. Beyoncé's iteration of the song evokes the spirit of disco singer, Sylvester, whose 1979 version was proclaimed "the most outrageous and radical version ever."

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Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter is a continuation of her 2022 album, Renaissance

Queen Bey revealed on Instagram that Cowboy Carter is "Act II" of her 2022 hit album Renaissance, saying:

"I focused on this album as a continuation of RENAISSANCE…I hope this music is an experience, creating another journey where you can close your eyes, start from the beginning and never stop. This ain’t a Country album. This is a “Beyoncé” album. This is act ii COWBOY CARTER, and I am proud to share it with y’all!"

The singer also addressed the backlash she received when she ventured into country music genre. Her latest album took five years to make. The 42-year-old singer claimed the criticisms forced her "to propel past the limitations" she faced to "bend and blend genres to create this body of work."

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Cowboy Carter, released via Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records, is currently available for streaming on all music platforms.