Beyoncé Thanks Sir Paul McCartney for ‘One of the Best Songs Ever Made'
Beyoncé closed out the final night of her Cowboy Carter tour's six-show run at London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday (June 16) with a heartfelt message to fans and a tribute to one of England's most iconic songwriters.
'Thank you, Sir Paul McCartney, for writing one of the best songs ever made. Every time I sing it, I feel so honored. And it is a full circle moment to wear your beautiful daughter's design,' Beyoncé wrote in an Instagram post, referencing her Cowboy Carter rendition of the Beatles' 1968 classic 'Blackbird.'
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'Thank you, London, for creating unforgettable memories for me and my family,' she continued. 'Holla at 'ya when I come on tour again!'
Her version of the song, stylized as 'Blackbiird,' reimagines the original with string flourishes and vocal contributions from four rising Black female country artists: Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Reyna Roberts and Tiera Kennedy. The cover is one of two reinterpretations featured on Cowboy Carter, alongside her take on Dolly Parton's 'Jolene.'
McCartney praised Beyoncé's version earlier this year, calling it a 'magnificent' interpretation that reinforces the civil rights message that inspired him to write it. 'I think Beyoncé has done a fab version and would urge anyone who has not heard it yet to check it out,' he wrote on Instagram. 'You are going to love it.'
The Beatles' 'Blackbird' was originally written in response to the Little Rock Nine, a group of Black students who faced violent resistance while integrating an Arkansas high school in 1957. McCartney has said the song was written as a message of hope and encouragement to Black women facing injustice.
McCartney, whose original master recording is used in Beyoncé's version, according to Variety, also revealed that he had the chance to speak with the pop icon about her take on 'Blackbird.'
'I spoke to her on FaceTime and she thanked me for writing it and letting her do it,' wrote McCartney, who attended Beyoncé's record-breaking Renaissance World Tour last year. 'I told her the pleasure was all mine and I thought she had done a killer version of the song. When I saw the footage on the television in the early 60s of the black girls being turned away from school, I found it shocking and I can't believe that still in these days there are places where this kind of thing is happening right now. Anything my song and Beyoncé's fabulous version can do to ease racial tension would be a great thing and makes me very proud.'
Released in March 2024, Cowboy Carter debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and made Beyoncé the first Black woman to top the Top Country Albums chart. The project also won her the Grammy for album of the year and best country album earlier this year.
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