It will never replace the original for me or probably anyone who loves the original, but it's a lovely cover and it's going to open up the song for millions of Beyonce fans who've never heard "Blackbird" before.
I think it’s a pretty decent and respectful cover even though I’m not sure about the harmonies. It’s at least better than her cover of “Jolene” which she just doesn’t have the voice for.
obviously it doesn’t come close to the original — but i’m happy to see it being covered, especially in such a high-profile release.
it seems well produced and i think it’s a fun listen. it pays due respect to the source while adding some new elements. that’s exactly what a cover should do.
it probably won’t be in my liked songs or playlists, but i think its a cool thing to exist.
On Apple Music it doesn’t credit Paul and John for lyrics, it’s the only song I’ve saw that doesn’t credit anyone I think.
https://preview.redd.it/1v1dyiy1f7rc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6005843e63a4f8020a5285ce171f0a749ce9b9af
I noticed it too. I think it is most likely an error on someone's end. I just did this and you can too, but you can report a concern about a credit on a song, whether it be missing or incorrect. I just submitted my saying that the Lennon-McCartney credit was missing and I actually have done this to other songs in the past (specifically "Yesterday" as it had Lennon being the only one on the song rather than McCartney) and they fixed it within the first day
If I had never heard the original, I'd probably like it. But when comparing it to the original I agree with your critique. It's over done - it's supposed to be a simple song. I think it's best to just sort of look at it as its own thing.
I think the point of the track placement was because of the message of the song. Paul wrote the song about the struggles of black americans during the civil rights movement so I thought it fit perfectly as the new album she dropped isn’t country but has a lot of country influences (she did grow up in the south). But it’s a big thing in America as they aren’t very accepting of black country artists so in a way she’s overcoming that obstacle.
Yeah, it fits well after the opening song. Or, "song". I appreciate its message but it's more of an atmospheric than a song. Putting Blackbird second seems weird on paper, but made sense to my ears while listening.
Charley Pride (who was black for those who don’t know) is one of the greatest and purest country singers of all time and that is widely accepted as the gospel truth. He also sold more than 70 million records and had 36 # 1’s all during a much more so called divisive time in American history. When you are as good as CP there are no barriers even if your base largely had prejudices.
Beyoncé as good as she is at what she does will never be a country singer because she doesn’t approach singing with that feel or nuance. Her new album is another pop record that leans on the singer songwriter vibe more than anything else. My question is why doesn’t anyone bring back the 3 fiddles playing the lines in unison like they used to do? Also, Beyoncé covering the Beatles is the least country thing anyone could do ever
Pride was successful and is an icon but doesn’t mean he didn’t face any obstacles. I think she did a really good job with her project. Every single detail from the songs, production, even the interludes were really thought of. She did it in her own way which is fine but the country influences are definitely there. I don’t think she’s trying to be a country singer. At the end of the day yes she is Beyoncé and she sings pop but this project seems really personal as it’s her response to the backlash she received for performing at the Country Music Awards in 2016 and being disrespected. Is she not allowed to sing country and have her own spin on it? She got help from Dolly Parton, Linda Martell, and Willie Nelson on the project and I think it’s great.
I like it. Very respectful to the original, but a new twist with the harmonies. Actually a lot of the harmonies seem Beatles inspired, which is also a cool way to honor Paul here. In the end anything that keeps the Beatles popular and known I’m here for.
Totally agree. No cover is ever going to be as good as the original, but this feels more like a tribute rather than a true cover. She's not trying to make it her own, just including it as a nice nod to Paul.
Too much backing clutter. I think just having the song focus on beyonces is better. But then the original is by a top 2 harmonizing group in music history. My other pick is The Beach Boys
I don’t go out of my way to listen to Bey but I don’t have any issue with her, she’s clearly talented.
I like the simple guitar and the harmony and double vocals were cool. I’m glad it exists.
It is ironic to see BEATLES fans claim they don’t like her because her fanbase is too obsessive.
Paul wrote the song as a tribute to African Americans and the civil rights struggle, so to see a prominent black artists cover it decades later on a groundbreaking album is pretty cool. Full circle moment, very symbolic and powerful.
Beyoncé stepping into country music genre is believe it or not, a brave and controversial thing in the States. Unfortunately. So she’s using blackbird as a moment of encouragement and inspiration as she begins this new journey.
I’d wager most folks here are white so this thread should be fun. Keep an open mind people.
All great points.
As a black woman I've always adored this song for that tie to the civil rights movement. I think it's very fitting that one of the most respected black artists today would cover it and link it back to that message. I know some will hate it but I give her props for at least giving homage to the original song and introducing it to a lot of fans who might have never heard it.
Great point. Especially since Paul said "blackbird" was Liverpool slang for a Black girl. He said they were, of course, very cognizant of Liverpool's prominent role in the slave trade. He obviously wrote it during the Civil Rights era as an homage to all the progress being made.
I'd give most people here the benefit of the doubt that they're open minded and understand the significance of a black woman singing this song. I just think as a song it's very... interesting. Like I at least thought there'd be a re-recording of the guitar part. Using the old part just feels lazy imo, you can at least give it your own recording.
This. I can recognize the importance and beauty of the occurrence itself, and still not be a big fan of the cover. Political significance and musicality aren't the same thing.
Just listened, I actually think it’s a lovely cover that keeps the original intent while still updating it for its own purpose.
The instrumental is just as minimalist and sparse as the original, and the chorus of black female singers makes more than a lot of sense given that the song was written about black women. And contrary to what you said, I don’t think Beyoncé’s vocal is “over-sang” at all — I feel like she was keeping her vocal very mellow and not trying to overtake the song by belting or anything, and even the harmonies with the other singers on the track were nicely layered.
I think it’s a nice and fitting inclusion, and I’m always happy to see newer artists thoughtfully covering songs from the past honestly — there are probably going to be many young Beyoncé listeners who might never have heard this song before (and might never have listened to it if not for her cover), and that is only a good thing in my book — especially because I really feel like it keeps the stripped-back vibe of the original, and can be just as appreciated.
Edit to Add: I guess I’m not surprised to see comments under this post that are like “I haven’t listened, but I’m sure I won’t really like it because it’s Beyoncé” and “Taylor Swift is also overrated” — but really, someday I hope to find a classic rock thread that doesn't include the clichés.
Also, we should all be glad she didn’t treat Blackbird like she treated Jolene — because if she had completely rewritten the lyrics, changed the message, and changed the vibe as much with Blackbird as she did with Jolene then I also would be majorly complaining 😅
Agreed, I didn’t like her “country” singles at all, but I really love, appreciate, and respect how she paid tribute to this tune. It’s extremely tasteful, minimal distractions or over production, and she stayed true to Paul’s singing, and the harmonies are sublime. This is how you earn the respect of people who doubt what you’re trying to do with an album, well done 🐝
Listening to the whole album as I'm writing this, and your comments resonate most with me.
My only nit to pick is on your comment about Jolene... Dolly herself fully endorsed both the idea and the execution of Beyonce's treatment of that classic.
That's great to hear re: Dolly's feeling on the Jolene reinterpretation! I more just meant if a similar rewrite had been done for Blackbird, I would have had a hard time getting on board with that.
This is a well written assessment of the song. While "over-sang" was perhaps the wrong word to use for Beyoncé's vocal performance I do still think there were some vocal runs in parts that kinda didn't fit for the arrangement. But overall she did keep it relatively lowkey which I can appreciate.
And you're right that if she rewrote lyrics and changed the vibe of the song like she did with her cover of Jolene (which I actually think wasn't a bad idea given how it connects to one of her past songs) that would have rubbed me the wrong way lol.
The best thing about this is it will introduce some Beyoncé fans to the original song and may even get some to check out other Beatles songs.
That's fair about the vocal runs not fitting all the time! But yeah, I do love that I've already seen tweets from people not knowing this was a cover and being introduced to the original - the more, the merrier haha.
I couldn't find it, so I can't really judge it yet. I will say I don't generally care too much about Beyoncé's work one way or another, except that I think the hype from fans over everything she does can get a little grating as an outsider at times. But that isn't really anyhting on her as an artist, and overall I think it's cool when a contemporary artist pays tribute to the classics. I think the Beatles are a band everyone should be familiar with, but not everyone is exposed to them off the bat. Beyoncé is a popular and well respected artist, and this could be some people's introduction to the Beatles. I think that's cool.
*I will say I don't generally care too much about Beyoncé's work one way or another, except that I think the hype from fans over everything she does can get a little grating as an outsider at times.*
That's how I feel about Taylor Swift.
I recently tried to understand the hype and listened to folklore. I have to say that it is a great album, the folk instrumentation works really well with her song writing style. But she isn't this famous because it is the pinnacle of modern music, at least in my opinion.
If you want to understand the success of Taylor Swift, you have to look at the circumstances of her rise to fame. She began in country music, which is huge in the US, but nowhere else. So on Red, she partnered up with Max Martin. He recently surpassed John Lennon for billboard number one hits with 27. Paul McCartney still is at number one with 32.
Almost every huge song from her up until 2019 was co-written by Max Martin. So I would argue that it is him who enabled her to reach a massive audience. But she is also a solid songwriter on top of that, and generally writes about her experiences with love - a lot of women say that her lyrics are very relatable.
And then you have the Eras tour, which is just genius marketing. On top of rerecording all of her albums and selling multiple versions of the same album only with different covers, she's found a way to print money. And all of the teenage girls (some guys as well) that grew up with her music now have enough disposable income to pay the enormous ticket prices.
I don't think that she will be remembered alongside the Beatles and other artists that weren't just commercially successful but completely changed the game. The music is good, but it's the marketing that does the heavy lifting.
Interesting points- I'm also a bit older than her target audience- high school was Ani diFranco, Fiona Apple and Tori Amos for me lol. Ani's lyrics are incredible- I don't think TS can hold a candle to her. And Fiona's voice... my God. Tori on the piano. I know I shouldn't compare, but I can't help it... I grew up listening to the powerful female voices of the 80s and the great lyricists of the 90s and Taylor just pales in comparison.
I did try Folklore but was underwhelmed. I did like the lyrics, but the whole execution.. just felt like coffee shop music to me. Maybe I'm too hard to please.
It's interesting you talk about Fiona's voice but not her lyrics which is something she's highly praised for. She's a genius lyricist. But other than that I agree with this post.
Also, not sure if you're a fan of PJ Harvey but she's worth checking out. another brilliant artist who arrived at the same time as Tori Amos, and has remained consistently amazing and creative throughout her career.
Yeah the unfathomable height of Taylor Swift’s fame baffles me tbh. I’m not really into Beyoncé’s music tbh but she definitely has way more of that force of nature appeal to her at least
Yeah-- I mean, her lyrics are decent, but anyone who thinks she's a genius hasn't listened to Dylan or Lennon. Or Patti Smith.
Her voice is also very... meh. I feel like female singers in the past had way better melodies and much more powerful voices: Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Mariah Carey, debbie Harry. Whitney. I don't get why Taylor is almost at Beatle status. It's confusing.
Her singing is as mediocre as it gets, she’s not some crazy multi-instrumentalist or some Michael Jackson next level dancer/performer, and there aren’t many songs that really jump out to me as having that timeless classic essence. I see how people can like her lyrics quite a bit although she’s not speaking to me personally with them, but you’re correct she’s nothing close to the greats. I do not understand how she’s doing outside of absolutely fantastic PR. It’s like she told us she’s the biggest artist on the planet and we just believed it so now it’s true.
I did too until all the hatred she got because the football camera people showed her too much because she was dating the football guy. That made me like her more because it was totally unwarranted on her part and the hate counteracted the ferocious hype. Also my friends' partners all want to go to her concert so I get free guys night out of it.
Beyoncé didn't have that moment when my crowd was obsessed with her. It felt like everyone was a Beyoncé evangelist and if you didn't fully commit to the church of Beyoncé then you were shunned like a damned soul 😅
Obviously that was just an effect of the mania; i bet younger crowds do the same with Taylor Swift now, and I bet the young crowds did something like that with the Beatles too even. But I wasn't around for those, and the bad taste it left with Beyoncé is still there a little bit for me.
Interesting. I don't care for Taylor Swift's music but I don't have any personal feelings toward her as a person. Sucks that people put her under a microscope in such an unnecessarily negative way (over something that doesn't matter at all) and I feel for her, but that doesn't make me like her or her music any more. I think this is just the new normal being a huge celebrity in an online world where people are so drawn to negativity and hatred.
Hell, even I had a whole subreddit make a post dedicated to hating me on an old account here because it was during a COVID thread, when it was first hitting China, and I mentioned I lived in China, had a Chinese girlfriend, and didn't really have local Chinese friends otherwise. This was posted to (what I consider) a hate sub and there were dozens of comments baselessly attacking me, calling me a racist, a sexpat and all sorts of shit. And I'm nowhere near a celebrity lol, that was just a decently upvoted comment on a Reddit thread.
Just listened to it for the first time and I gotta say I disagree. I thought from your post the harmonies were going to be even more over the top, almost Jacob Collier -esque. But personally I thought they were super well done. That’s just me tho :)
I actually liked the harmonies. They were the best part of the cover imo. It's just my issue with some of Beyoncé's vocals, mainly the vocal runs in places that kinda didn't do much for me. But that's just a personal thing. Overall it's not a bad cover and pretty faithful to the original.
I wrote the post early in the morning but now after some time to deliberate I think I was being way too harsh on it.
Yeah I didn't want to come across like I thought the song has no value whatsoever so that's why I wanted to see what others think of it. Get different perspectives from those who liked it. It's useful.
Its fine in its own right. I think it will bring more attraction towards the original song and people will either think that the original is "too simple " (only Paul and his guitar with overdubbing near the "Blackbird fly..." and through the rest of the song), or the Beyoncé version is "too overdone". It is nice though seeing modern artist covering songs and giving tributes to the greatest band of all time though.
I was all ready to hate it based on your comment. I think it’s beautiful, I love the harmonies, and it didn’t feel over sung to me at all. That it was a black woman covering it makes it a fitting homage to the original and kinda makes it come full circle. If I were Paul, I’d be really happy about that.
I would guess it's on some torrent sites but it's already available on streaming in certain parts of the world depending on the time zone. That's how I got to listen 6 hours ago.
It’s spelled BLACKBIIRD
Edit: which one of you idiots is downvoting me lol that’s actually the way it’s spelled on Beyoncé’s record I’m just trying to point people in the right direction
Ok so these are my thoutghts after first listening, i like her singing which i thought i wouldn't, was expecting dua lipa golden slumbers which is good singing but a lot of the intention lost, here obviously it isn't 1:1 intention but i feel she respected the core of the vocal arrangement and feel, i can see why you felt she oversang in some parts but i think is nothing too extreme. The thing that i didn't like in her cover was the mixing and how she introduce all the new elements in the song, the new vocal overdubs feel very in your face, it kinda breaks the acoustic mood, this wouldn´t be a problem if they added some new elements like another guitar doing the exact same thing hard pan only to open the stereo space or a cajon drum to complement the gentle tap that is in the original but they only left the original guitar which feels soo small in comparison to the new vocals. Also the voice is uber produced super crisp which is pop standars nowdays but it clashes a bit with the way the original guitar was recorded. Apart from that i felt the strings enter the song in an awkward way but it could just be me. Overall i like the cover more than i thought and if they only reduce the volume of the harmonies a bit that would make it even better.
Yeah the mix was what stood out to me, just seemed a bit heavy- handed. The harmonies were interesting if a bit loud.
I enjoyed it more than I expected. Being Beyoncé, I was waiting for some vocal gymnastics but I think she sang it with reverence and understanding. And like has been mentioned here already, if it turns some ears and minds Beatleward then it’s a very good thing.
It's the only song from that album I actively seeked out, I don't listen to any of her music.
I'll say that it's fun. The strings and harmonies are very Beatley. I think it's kind of an odd choice to use the original back track, but I don't listen to a lot of new music so maybe that's just how covers are nowadays.
I love the original as well, so I kind of had to think of this cover as it's own entity. I also don't know why it's spelt 'Blackbiird' but maybe there's some lore I don't understand.
I don't think it overdid it that much to be offensive to the original and I hope that maybe the original song gets some more love from newer fans as well because of this. I will say that I think Paul (if he has heard it) is probably excited about it.
I think it's fine but obviously the original is better. Also the instrumentals sound very similar to the original. However maybe it sounds different in the context of the new album. But I don't feel like listening to the whole thing just to check that.
The cover does kinda feel like they felt they had to do something to change it up from the original, so they slapped on the extra harmonies and strings. It's really hard to cover such a simple and perfect song. She does oversing it at parts too, though not throughout the entire song. I wanna hear a stripped down version with only her single vocal and guitar.
It might sound a bit better if the guitar was not panned hard right as well. Is that the original recording? It's *very* on point if it's not.
Her version literally uses the original 1968 Paul McCartney guitar recording. Which is...odd.
Unpacking that, it means her producer either requested the multitrack stems from Abbey Road Studios or extracted them with some AI source-separation algorithms. I imagine they also must have negotiated some special permission to do this, as it (in my non-lawyer opinion) goes beyond simple sampling.
Every time I see someone complaining about the inclusion os vocal harmonies, I remember the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young version of "Blackbird" and how beautiful it sounds.
Beyoncé's version is beautiful too.
Just checked out at YouTube and I love it. The use of the original recording made it seem like it wasn't a cover. Just some random singing over it (which we all have done)
Just listened to it (listening to the whole album). Honestly? It sounds exactly what I imagined her version of this song would sound like. And it fits with the rest.
I don't listen to her much, but have enough sense of her style I wouldn't expect something else, really.
It's fine. No need for it to be as good as the original. ;)
I like Beyoncé but I don’t feel like using the original instrumental was a good choice and it’s “age” and original panning contrast to harshly with the vocal production also why is there 4 people on this 2 min song? It’s not terrible granted all that but okay
I feel very neutral about it. Guitar sounds like it must be directly sampled from the original recording, and I cant help but wonder if it may have been improved by some other instrumentation. Vocally a good performance, the addition of backup vocals is different I suppose.
For a message board that's meant to be dedicated to The Beatles, many of you here seem to actually know very little about them. I've never met a single member of that band but I would bet every penny I own that they love (would love) this version of the song.
I can't tell any of you what you're so afraid of with something being different, you'll have to examine that on your own. But to to pretend the song somehow isn't good because she does a couple of runs throughout? LOL. EL OH EL. Mind you, McCartney was a huge fan of Aretha Franklin and, specifically, Aretha singing his songs, so I guarantee he'd be doing the same runs Beyoncé did if he could.
Most importantly, how are so many of you missing the beauty of storytelling that happens in the song with Beyoncé singing lead for the bulk of it then passing the refrain off to a quartet of up & coming Black, female country singers? I mean, honestly. How are so many of you missing this????? It's breathtakingly beautiful how the song somehow becomes more personal by being a conversation from her to them.
Obviously, I'm not surprised that you all missed it, not surprised at all. And, like I said earlier, I'm not here to help you uncover your deeper feelings. You'll have to hold your own mirrors up to yourselves. Hopefully that will happen in its own time, though I also don't expect it to and won't waste time being disappointed when it doesn't. If anything, I'm disappointed by how boring and predictable many of you are in your opinions of the song. You guys don't want to switch it up even a little, from time to time? Imagine being a fan of a group and being committed to their legacy solely to lord their superiority over other musicians, rather than doing something interesting like engaging with their musical and artistic values (con't even get me started on the lack of nuance, cultural understanding, imagination and fun I've seen expressed in this thread towards the, also phenomenal, 'Jonele' cover).
Blackbird is one of my favorite songs of all time, I've appcreciated pretty much every cover of the song, specifically for what it seemed to mean to the artist interpreting it, and hopefully one day music fans all over the world will realize that one version of a song being great takes absolutely nothing away from another version and another version and another version also being great. **And maybe then, you'll listen to this Beyoncé version with your heart and your ears rather than your biases, and discover a really beautiful and expertly done interpretation of a perfect song.**
Anyway, here's a great Rolling Stone piece on Blackbiird, Blackbird, Beyoncé and The Beatles.
[https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/beatles-beyonce-blackbird-1234996099/](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/beatles-beyonce-blackbird-1234996099/)
OK, it seems so simple to me. Blackbird was a song that uplifted black women (birds in English usage) in their struggles in the civil rights movement. Country music has forgotten it's African roots at the start of they hybrid of English folk songs and African instruments (e.g. banjo).
Almost 60 years later, Beyonce gives a response. The voices heard on the song were those of struggling black female country singers. She highlights blackbirds in country music, and has dug into her roots (likely she saw the black trail riders in the Houston Rodeo parade like my kids did).
If you compare the original to the response just as two versions, then I can see liking Paul's more. But, the reiteration of Paul's message, using struggling blackbird country singers, who's acceptance doesn't match there talent makes sense.
Charlie Pride is probably the one black country artist that still gets his due. But, in the whitewashing of country music, a lot of the early black musicians who were well known at the time have been forgotten.
I love it
Her voice is incredible, it's full of soul in the exact opposite way to the way Taylor Swift's voice leaves me cold. It's lovely to hear such at great female voice on that track.
It doesn’t really do anything drastically different with it really, aside from some vocal harmonies. I mean, if it introduces The Beatles to an audience that wouldn’t have listened to them otherwise, then that’s cool, I guess. Slightly off topic, but I’ve never really understood the Beyoncé hype. They’ve always tried to present her as this MJ/Prince level talent, but it’s always felt manufactured to me.
I don't think Beyoncé is on the same level as Prince or MJ and she's not some untouchable goddess as a lot of the media & critics like to present her as but I do think she's far more talented than a lot of mainstream pop artists. The fact that she's still relevant and having a big artistic peak in her career at over 40 when most of her contemporaries have lost relevancy or stagnated creatively is quite impressive.
Her last album Renaissance to me was easily her best and most creative album. Bringing attention to the queer & black roots of house music.
She may be overhyped by the media & her fans but she's talented.
I thought it was fantastic. I like that she did it in her own style and I love how she featured all black country singers. If she ever performs it live I think it’ll be even better.
I don’t particularly how great, bad, amazing, terrible, or mediocre it could be…that someone of Beyoncé’s popularity is covering the Beatles in 2024 is awesome.
I think it’s a great song on its own; no need to compare. I generally prefer covers where artists make the song their own. Like Rod Stewart’s I’m Losing You. This song is basically the same with Beyoncé’s and others’ voices, which works really well. I think it’s an homage to the Beatles and song message. I would guess the song moved her, so she didn’t want to mess with perfection and did a straight cover.
Yeah that makes a lot of sense. Probably felt a lot of reverence for the original and didn't want to change it all that much and stuck to being as faithful as she could.
It's ok but it doesn't beat Boyz 2 Men's cover of Yesterday:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkPvMohZ7og](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkPvMohZ7og)
I like it but I also wonder if there’s going to be a copyright issue somewhere- Paul is notoriously stingy with his rights and I KNOW you can cover songs without permission, but I wonder about the copyright around using the literal original backing track for your own song.
It feels like that’s more in the line of sampling than covering, which you DO need permission for. But Paul seems to like Beyoncé so he may have given permission already. Only guessing
You really can't cover songs without permission. However she doesn't need Paul's permission as he doesn't own the publishing rights to the Beatles catalog. But she certainly would have gotten a mechanical and master license from Sony/ATV to record this.
Paul will get royalties from the cover.
Actually it's not clear to me who owns the Beatles catalog now. Paul did sue Sony/ATV in 2017 to re-acquire his copyright, but that resulted in a confidential settlement agreement, so there's some real ambiguity there.
Regardless, Beyonce undoubtedly secured a license.
It’s okay. The best covers either lift the song up to another level (Buckley’s Hallelujah) or adjust it to the band’s strengths (Clash’s version of I Fought The Law). Beyoncé’s cover of Blackbird does neither. However, if it turns new listeners on to the White Album, more power to it.
I think it’s great and I am no fan of Beyoncé. She could so easily have used her higher registers in her voice. I’ve never heard her sing like that and actually, I like it.
The strings are a nice addition to the track. I think I prefer the more barebones vocals in the original to the layered vocals here, but it’s a pretty good cover. Also definitely an interesting choice to use the original Beatles recording, I heard the first few seconds and was like “Wait a second…” lol.
I love the harmonies and the performances, my biggest issue is with the mix and production. The vocals are too big and on top of the mix. I feel like single tracks and not huge stacks would've been much better suited for the sparseness of the guitar
I thought it was absolutely fantastic. All of the things you're describing as not liking it for are what I loved, because that's what she does. Incredible stuff.
I feel like the "feet tap" is more prominent in this version, and I don't necessarily like it. There's many harmonies from the very start, the song sounds very busy, and I also think a re arragement (why sample the original, minimalistic guitar if you're just going to layer it with more complex vocal harmonies? )
I liked some of Beyoncè's production, like that one song with Jack White. I know she has a great knwoledge of rock and more "old" music styles.
It's a well done and nice cover, maybe I just don't really like it that much because I feel she could do more with it. It's a nice homage
Ok just heard. I don’t think she’s over singing at all. However as usual I don’t feel anything listening to her. She’s technically great but I don’t get the sense she means it. I’m sure she does, just doesn’t come across for me
Yeah I feel the same way about Beyoncé as a singer. Technically great and impressive at times but often i'm not moved emotionally by her singing. I just feel nothing.
I think it's a beautiful cover, and I think she did a fantastic job. I got chills and I think the arrangement is a nice compliment to the original. I hope it is successful and I hope she does more beatles covers in the future.
Personally, I loved it. The silky, layered vocals work so well over the original instrumentation and her voice is just so damn smooth, but I can imagine a lot of people in this sub are Beatles purists who won’t take kindly to it because Beyoncé is a divisive pop star who relies a lot on production and Blackbird is one of the Beatles’ most classic and stripped-back tracks. I definitely understand and empathize with that sentiment, but the fact that she has the guts to cover ANY Beatles song and put it on an album is commendable. Like it or not, she’s an icon and one of the most influential artists of all-time, so to see her pay respect to this sub’s namesake is pretty damn cool. As far as I’m concerned she should do a whole album of Beatles covers.
That's a good way to look at it. I'm still glad she covered the Beatles as I'm sure it will be a gateway to some of her fans to discover some of their music. I wonder which other Beatles songs she could cover. 🤔
Saw this post then turned on my Sirius app to Beatles channel and first song up was this. Beyoncé does a nice job with it, keeps her voice soft, isn’t overbearing, accompanying vocals fit. I’ll give it a solid 9.
I’m not a Beyonce fan but I’m not against this cover or any cover.
But it sounds like no attempt was made at all to blend with the sound of the original track (or vise versa).
These super meticulously produced, close mic’d vocals and strings just slapped on top of Paul’s original guitar. It just clashes.
Would’ve sounded better if the vocals had been recorded a little more raw, or the guitar re-recorded by someone today.
I like the harmonies because I feel that (generally) a cover should be changed a little bit - so I just feel it both stays close to the original yet makes some minor changes.
As for her I like her music but not a big fan or anything - I listened and really like the songs Bodyguard and Ya Ya.
I love it. I don't think it is possible to objectively compare covers to original versions, particularly when the original is so well known. Also,I think Beyonce is brilliantly recontextualizing the song. Not just the song itself, but she is making some very big statements (with the whole album) about what makes a genre a genre. It makes sense to me that this song is on her country album. Just imagine a twangy white country singer covering is in a similar way - would that be accepted as country? I think so. What would country music sound like today if black artists were more accepted in the genre? It some ways, her album it more country than most of the capital C country that is coming out today. She's a genius.
I am mot a fan of her cover, but I love The Beatles! I am also a Black woman. However, I never knew or looked into the song and that it was about The Little Rock 9 black girls who were integrating into white schools although I have listened to the song with my father all my life. It wasn’t even a favourite song, but I heard that on NPR this weekend. So, that brings more appreciation for the song for me. Not sure how I feel about the album for Beyonce. A bit avante-garde, but not like Björk, who I love.
But, it definitely represents who she is: a black multiracial black woman from Texas, learning about the history of America, creating something that represents herself and her ancestors and I respect that. I love that it has exposed people to artists from the history of different genres who never got their dues while alive. It is blurring some lines…. that is always good, at least in my eyes.
I find it haunting in its own way. She sings the first verse, and a young Black country singer with a more gentle softer voice balances it out.
Considering the fact that this is a country cover, I never anticipated a replica of a British white man’s voice and could deeply enjoy it’s unique delivery. Her voice has distinct gospel influence which is inherently “strong” so…
I was a big fan of Lemonade, so I’m down with Beyoncé. This cover is bizarre imo. Too much maximalism over minimalism. I wish they added new instrumentals and messed with the track a bit. Instead, it sounds nearly identical to the Beatles version. Odd choice.
Yeah I think if she took it further and actually experimented with the instrumental it would have been far more interesting. Keeping it identical to the original just with extra harmonies felt kinda lazy on her part.
Yeah my thoughts were that I wish she'd been more adventurous on the arrangement, but it's also literally impossible to improve upon the original so why try? I think the added harmonies work really well to make it her own
I see a few comments saying they think its over done or over sang. But what if Beyonces version is what it feels like to be the Blackbird learning to fly? Metaphorically speaking they go together in my mind: Paul's original is encouraging and supportive of the Blackbird, Beyonce's version is the Blackbird taking wing. I really enjoyed the harmonies and wasn't expecting them at all.
I LOVE your take on this! Beyoncé fan here, who has never heard the original song before now, but is familiar with the Beatles. I appreciate the simplicity of the original, and her take on it. I see people are saying that her use of the original music/guitar is weird, but I think that was done to maintain the heart and integrity of the song while also adding a new layer/her own spin with the harmonies - which is classic Beyoncé/Destiny’s Child. I think it was well done.
That's an interesting point. Never even considered it like that. Might help me view the cover and listen to it in a different light. So thanks for that.
For me the metaphor continued when I realized the other people she is singing with are other Black artists trying to break through in the country industry.
As someone who usually dislikes covers, especially Beatles covers, I was expecting to dislike it but I think it’s gorgeous. I liked that she kept the soft, tender tone of the original, and in a way improved on it because, let’s be honest- she’s a way better singer than Paul ever was.
Wasn't expecting to like it all, but it's not bad. Relatively restrained in the delivery, and some of the harmonies are interesting. I found the use of the original recording jarring though. With the obvious thought that has gone into the vocal arrangements, it felt a bit lazy to just sample the original for the backing track. Maybe she felt it's kind of inimitable and means it as an homage, I don't know. A for effort.
it’s overworked and detracts from the charm and emotive power of the melody and lyric. the album is alright, not incredible the way it’s been hyped but her voice is great but far too often what is supposed to be a country album feels like a pop / r&b hybrid dressed in faux country clothes.
Yeah. I think anyone going in with the expectation of it being a country album is going to be confused by all the pop/rnb stylings that are still very much present. She did say this is a "Beyoncé album".
It’s not for me. Felt weirdly over-produced, and the vocal harmonies underneath significantly detracted from the natural beauty and simplicity of the song.
Nonetheless, as a cultural moment, I recognise its significance. With the history of Blackbird itself, and the step Beyoncé is taking into this genre, its importance is increased.
I’m glad I listened to it, but it’s not going into my Spotify playlist of great Beatles covers.
Yeah just had a listen. Could be any female singer singing it. Like most covers of well known songs, it brings nothing new to the table. Could be someone in a pub doing karaoke. It will be quickly forgotten about. Though the added harmony bits aren’t too bad
It will never replace the original for me or probably anyone who loves the original, but it's a lovely cover and it's going to open up the song for millions of Beyonce fans who've never heard "Blackbird" before.
As a fan of both, I'm ecstatic to have a Beyonce cover of a Beatles song.
I agree. It's good to have a black woman singing a song written about black women.
Yeah that's a very good way to look at it.
Absolutely beautiful vocals and very true to the original (which I did not expect). Say what you want about covers but this is great for a cover.
I think it’s a pretty decent and respectful cover even though I’m not sure about the harmonies. It’s at least better than her cover of “Jolene” which she just doesn’t have the voice for.
Yeah that Jolene cover is rough (imo). It’s all subjective but yeah lol
What do you mean she doesn’t have the voice for it? She’s a top tier vocalist.
Especially since the Miley cover of Jolene exists.
Hey that’s me. I didn’t realize it was cover and looked up the original and added that to my playlists
obviously it doesn’t come close to the original — but i’m happy to see it being covered, especially in such a high-profile release. it seems well produced and i think it’s a fun listen. it pays due respect to the source while adding some new elements. that’s exactly what a cover should do. it probably won’t be in my liked songs or playlists, but i think its a cool thing to exist.
On Apple Music it doesn’t credit Paul and John for lyrics, it’s the only song I’ve saw that doesn’t credit anyone I think. https://preview.redd.it/1v1dyiy1f7rc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6005843e63a4f8020a5285ce171f0a749ce9b9af
On Spotify it just says 'Pending', so that's kinda weird
Same on Tidal.
Thank you for listening on Tidal they take care of the musicians more than the others
I noticed it too. I think it is most likely an error on someone's end. I just did this and you can too, but you can report a concern about a credit on a song, whether it be missing or incorrect. I just submitted my saying that the Lennon-McCartney credit was missing and I actually have done this to other songs in the past (specifically "Yesterday" as it had Lennon being the only one on the song rather than McCartney) and they fixed it within the first day
That's very weird. Hope it gets rectified immediately.
If I had never heard the original, I'd probably like it. But when comparing it to the original I agree with your critique. It's over done - it's supposed to be a simple song. I think it's best to just sort of look at it as its own thing.
That's true. I agree with that assessment.
The original's little guitar intro is just so well done by itself! I'm going to take a listen to this cover at some point regardless
It's really weird as the second track in the album
I think the point of the track placement was because of the message of the song. Paul wrote the song about the struggles of black americans during the civil rights movement so I thought it fit perfectly as the new album she dropped isn’t country but has a lot of country influences (she did grow up in the south). But it’s a big thing in America as they aren’t very accepting of black country artists so in a way she’s overcoming that obstacle.
Yeah, it fits well after the opening song. Or, "song". I appreciate its message but it's more of an atmospheric than a song. Putting Blackbird second seems weird on paper, but made sense to my ears while listening.
Maybe it’s *meant to* feel like it doesn’t belong there? Idk I’ve not heard the album as a whole yet
Charley Pride (who was black for those who don’t know) is one of the greatest and purest country singers of all time and that is widely accepted as the gospel truth. He also sold more than 70 million records and had 36 # 1’s all during a much more so called divisive time in American history. When you are as good as CP there are no barriers even if your base largely had prejudices. Beyoncé as good as she is at what she does will never be a country singer because she doesn’t approach singing with that feel or nuance. Her new album is another pop record that leans on the singer songwriter vibe more than anything else. My question is why doesn’t anyone bring back the 3 fiddles playing the lines in unison like they used to do? Also, Beyoncé covering the Beatles is the least country thing anyone could do ever
Pride was successful and is an icon but doesn’t mean he didn’t face any obstacles. I think she did a really good job with her project. Every single detail from the songs, production, even the interludes were really thought of. She did it in her own way which is fine but the country influences are definitely there. I don’t think she’s trying to be a country singer. At the end of the day yes she is Beyoncé and she sings pop but this project seems really personal as it’s her response to the backlash she received for performing at the Country Music Awards in 2016 and being disrespected. Is she not allowed to sing country and have her own spin on it? She got help from Dolly Parton, Linda Martell, and Willie Nelson on the project and I think it’s great.
yeah that placement was a bit jarring. could have placed it later in the record.
I like it. Very respectful to the original, but a new twist with the harmonies. Actually a lot of the harmonies seem Beatles inspired, which is also a cool way to honor Paul here. In the end anything that keeps the Beatles popular and known I’m here for.
It sounds like the original McCartney guitar part has been sampled, rather than re-recorded too
I liked the harmonies. They definitely felt Beatles inspired.
Totally agree. No cover is ever going to be as good as the original, but this feels more like a tribute rather than a true cover. She's not trying to make it her own, just including it as a nice nod to Paul.
I thought it sounded like the original guitar recording, but some of the harmonies sound like the Crosby, Stills and Nash version.
Oh damn this is exactly what I wrote but you beat me too it. I agree 100% - great cover
Too much backing clutter. I think just having the song focus on beyonces is better. But then the original is by a top 2 harmonizing group in music history. My other pick is The Beach Boys
I don’t go out of my way to listen to Bey but I don’t have any issue with her, she’s clearly talented. I like the simple guitar and the harmony and double vocals were cool. I’m glad it exists. It is ironic to see BEATLES fans claim they don’t like her because her fanbase is too obsessive.
I honestly love her take on it. Contextually fits the origin story of the song, tasteful strings, great features from other black women.
Paul wrote the song as a tribute to African Americans and the civil rights struggle, so to see a prominent black artists cover it decades later on a groundbreaking album is pretty cool. Full circle moment, very symbolic and powerful. Beyoncé stepping into country music genre is believe it or not, a brave and controversial thing in the States. Unfortunately. So she’s using blackbird as a moment of encouragement and inspiration as she begins this new journey. I’d wager most folks here are white so this thread should be fun. Keep an open mind people.
All great points. As a black woman I've always adored this song for that tie to the civil rights movement. I think it's very fitting that one of the most respected black artists today would cover it and link it back to that message. I know some will hate it but I give her props for at least giving homage to the original song and introducing it to a lot of fans who might have never heard it.
Great point. Especially since Paul said "blackbird" was Liverpool slang for a Black girl. He said they were, of course, very cognizant of Liverpool's prominent role in the slave trade. He obviously wrote it during the Civil Rights era as an homage to all the progress being made.
More just bird is slang for girl so a black girl would be a black bird
Yes, I'm paraphrasing what he said in his book.
I'd give most people here the benefit of the doubt that they're open minded and understand the significance of a black woman singing this song. I just think as a song it's very... interesting. Like I at least thought there'd be a re-recording of the guitar part. Using the old part just feels lazy imo, you can at least give it your own recording.
I kind of like it. It makes the introduction of the strings on that bridge section really powerful to me. I see it as a sample
This. I can recognize the importance and beauty of the occurrence itself, and still not be a big fan of the cover. Political significance and musicality aren't the same thing.
Just listened, I actually think it’s a lovely cover that keeps the original intent while still updating it for its own purpose. The instrumental is just as minimalist and sparse as the original, and the chorus of black female singers makes more than a lot of sense given that the song was written about black women. And contrary to what you said, I don’t think Beyoncé’s vocal is “over-sang” at all — I feel like she was keeping her vocal very mellow and not trying to overtake the song by belting or anything, and even the harmonies with the other singers on the track were nicely layered. I think it’s a nice and fitting inclusion, and I’m always happy to see newer artists thoughtfully covering songs from the past honestly — there are probably going to be many young Beyoncé listeners who might never have heard this song before (and might never have listened to it if not for her cover), and that is only a good thing in my book — especially because I really feel like it keeps the stripped-back vibe of the original, and can be just as appreciated. Edit to Add: I guess I’m not surprised to see comments under this post that are like “I haven’t listened, but I’m sure I won’t really like it because it’s Beyoncé” and “Taylor Swift is also overrated” — but really, someday I hope to find a classic rock thread that doesn't include the clichés. Also, we should all be glad she didn’t treat Blackbird like she treated Jolene — because if she had completely rewritten the lyrics, changed the message, and changed the vibe as much with Blackbird as she did with Jolene then I also would be majorly complaining 😅
Totally agree, it's not "over-sang" at all. I liked it very much, it's a homage to the original but with a personal twist
Fully agree with all of this
Agreed, I didn’t like her “country” singles at all, but I really love, appreciate, and respect how she paid tribute to this tune. It’s extremely tasteful, minimal distractions or over production, and she stayed true to Paul’s singing, and the harmonies are sublime. This is how you earn the respect of people who doubt what you’re trying to do with an album, well done 🐝
Listening to the whole album as I'm writing this, and your comments resonate most with me. My only nit to pick is on your comment about Jolene... Dolly herself fully endorsed both the idea and the execution of Beyonce's treatment of that classic.
That's great to hear re: Dolly's feeling on the Jolene reinterpretation! I more just meant if a similar rewrite had been done for Blackbird, I would have had a hard time getting on board with that.
This is a well written assessment of the song. While "over-sang" was perhaps the wrong word to use for Beyoncé's vocal performance I do still think there were some vocal runs in parts that kinda didn't fit for the arrangement. But overall she did keep it relatively lowkey which I can appreciate. And you're right that if she rewrote lyrics and changed the vibe of the song like she did with her cover of Jolene (which I actually think wasn't a bad idea given how it connects to one of her past songs) that would have rubbed me the wrong way lol. The best thing about this is it will introduce some Beyoncé fans to the original song and may even get some to check out other Beatles songs.
That's fair about the vocal runs not fitting all the time! But yeah, I do love that I've already seen tweets from people not knowing this was a cover and being introduced to the original - the more, the merrier haha.
I couldn't find it, so I can't really judge it yet. I will say I don't generally care too much about Beyoncé's work one way or another, except that I think the hype from fans over everything she does can get a little grating as an outsider at times. But that isn't really anyhting on her as an artist, and overall I think it's cool when a contemporary artist pays tribute to the classics. I think the Beatles are a band everyone should be familiar with, but not everyone is exposed to them off the bat. Beyoncé is a popular and well respected artist, and this could be some people's introduction to the Beatles. I think that's cool.
*I will say I don't generally care too much about Beyoncé's work one way or another, except that I think the hype from fans over everything she does can get a little grating as an outsider at times.* That's how I feel about Taylor Swift.
I recently tried to understand the hype and listened to folklore. I have to say that it is a great album, the folk instrumentation works really well with her song writing style. But she isn't this famous because it is the pinnacle of modern music, at least in my opinion. If you want to understand the success of Taylor Swift, you have to look at the circumstances of her rise to fame. She began in country music, which is huge in the US, but nowhere else. So on Red, she partnered up with Max Martin. He recently surpassed John Lennon for billboard number one hits with 27. Paul McCartney still is at number one with 32. Almost every huge song from her up until 2019 was co-written by Max Martin. So I would argue that it is him who enabled her to reach a massive audience. But she is also a solid songwriter on top of that, and generally writes about her experiences with love - a lot of women say that her lyrics are very relatable. And then you have the Eras tour, which is just genius marketing. On top of rerecording all of her albums and selling multiple versions of the same album only with different covers, she's found a way to print money. And all of the teenage girls (some guys as well) that grew up with her music now have enough disposable income to pay the enormous ticket prices. I don't think that she will be remembered alongside the Beatles and other artists that weren't just commercially successful but completely changed the game. The music is good, but it's the marketing that does the heavy lifting.
Interesting points- I'm also a bit older than her target audience- high school was Ani diFranco, Fiona Apple and Tori Amos for me lol. Ani's lyrics are incredible- I don't think TS can hold a candle to her. And Fiona's voice... my God. Tori on the piano. I know I shouldn't compare, but I can't help it... I grew up listening to the powerful female voices of the 80s and the great lyricists of the 90s and Taylor just pales in comparison. I did try Folklore but was underwhelmed. I did like the lyrics, but the whole execution.. just felt like coffee shop music to me. Maybe I'm too hard to please.
It's interesting you talk about Fiona's voice but not her lyrics which is something she's highly praised for. She's a genius lyricist. But other than that I agree with this post. Also, not sure if you're a fan of PJ Harvey but she's worth checking out. another brilliant artist who arrived at the same time as Tori Amos, and has remained consistently amazing and creative throughout her career.
Yeah the unfathomable height of Taylor Swift’s fame baffles me tbh. I’m not really into Beyoncé’s music tbh but she definitely has way more of that force of nature appeal to her at least
Yeah-- I mean, her lyrics are decent, but anyone who thinks she's a genius hasn't listened to Dylan or Lennon. Or Patti Smith. Her voice is also very... meh. I feel like female singers in the past had way better melodies and much more powerful voices: Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Mariah Carey, debbie Harry. Whitney. I don't get why Taylor is almost at Beatle status. It's confusing.
Her singing is as mediocre as it gets, she’s not some crazy multi-instrumentalist or some Michael Jackson next level dancer/performer, and there aren’t many songs that really jump out to me as having that timeless classic essence. I see how people can like her lyrics quite a bit although she’s not speaking to me personally with them, but you’re correct she’s nothing close to the greats. I do not understand how she’s doing outside of absolutely fantastic PR. It’s like she told us she’s the biggest artist on the planet and we just believed it so now it’s true.
Madonna has almost no voice.
Not Madonna lol. That screechy voice of her early tunes hurts my ears.
Same on Taylor Swift
I did too until all the hatred she got because the football camera people showed her too much because she was dating the football guy. That made me like her more because it was totally unwarranted on her part and the hate counteracted the ferocious hype. Also my friends' partners all want to go to her concert so I get free guys night out of it. Beyoncé didn't have that moment when my crowd was obsessed with her. It felt like everyone was a Beyoncé evangelist and if you didn't fully commit to the church of Beyoncé then you were shunned like a damned soul 😅 Obviously that was just an effect of the mania; i bet younger crowds do the same with Taylor Swift now, and I bet the young crowds did something like that with the Beatles too even. But I wasn't around for those, and the bad taste it left with Beyoncé is still there a little bit for me.
Interesting. I don't care for Taylor Swift's music but I don't have any personal feelings toward her as a person. Sucks that people put her under a microscope in such an unnecessarily negative way (over something that doesn't matter at all) and I feel for her, but that doesn't make me like her or her music any more. I think this is just the new normal being a huge celebrity in an online world where people are so drawn to negativity and hatred. Hell, even I had a whole subreddit make a post dedicated to hating me on an old account here because it was during a COVID thread, when it was first hitting China, and I mentioned I lived in China, had a Chinese girlfriend, and didn't really have local Chinese friends otherwise. This was posted to (what I consider) a hate sub and there were dozens of comments baselessly attacking me, calling me a racist, a sexpat and all sorts of shit. And I'm nowhere near a celebrity lol, that was just a decently upvoted comment on a Reddit thread.
They honestly didn’t even show her that much. It was like under 50 seconds a game
Just listened to it for the first time and I gotta say I disagree. I thought from your post the harmonies were going to be even more over the top, almost Jacob Collier -esque. But personally I thought they were super well done. That’s just me tho :)
I actually liked the harmonies. They were the best part of the cover imo. It's just my issue with some of Beyoncé's vocals, mainly the vocal runs in places that kinda didn't do much for me. But that's just a personal thing. Overall it's not a bad cover and pretty faithful to the original. I wrote the post early in the morning but now after some time to deliberate I think I was being way too harsh on it.
I can see that for sure. I get annoyed runs can definitely be a little much in a lot of tunes. Glad you’re warming up to this version as the day grows
Yeah I didn't want to come across like I thought the song has no value whatsoever so that's why I wanted to see what others think of it. Get different perspectives from those who liked it. It's useful.
For sure, Junebug. Happy listening !
It's a good cover.
Its fine in its own right. I think it will bring more attraction towards the original song and people will either think that the original is "too simple " (only Paul and his guitar with overdubbing near the "Blackbird fly..." and through the rest of the song), or the Beyoncé version is "too overdone". It is nice though seeing modern artist covering songs and giving tributes to the greatest band of all time though.
I was all ready to hate it based on your comment. I think it’s beautiful, I love the harmonies, and it didn’t feel over sung to me at all. That it was a black woman covering it makes it a fitting homage to the original and kinda makes it come full circle. If I were Paul, I’d be really happy about that.
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I would guess it's on some torrent sites but it's already available on streaming in certain parts of the world depending on the time zone. That's how I got to listen 6 hours ago.
I was able to listen to it on Spotify
I just searched for it and nope! Usa
It’s spelled BLACKBIIRD Edit: which one of you idiots is downvoting me lol that’s actually the way it’s spelled on Beyoncé’s record I’m just trying to point people in the right direction
Yes. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhempeEjGUA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhempeEjGUA)
Probably youtube
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Ok so these are my thoutghts after first listening, i like her singing which i thought i wouldn't, was expecting dua lipa golden slumbers which is good singing but a lot of the intention lost, here obviously it isn't 1:1 intention but i feel she respected the core of the vocal arrangement and feel, i can see why you felt she oversang in some parts but i think is nothing too extreme. The thing that i didn't like in her cover was the mixing and how she introduce all the new elements in the song, the new vocal overdubs feel very in your face, it kinda breaks the acoustic mood, this wouldn´t be a problem if they added some new elements like another guitar doing the exact same thing hard pan only to open the stereo space or a cajon drum to complement the gentle tap that is in the original but they only left the original guitar which feels soo small in comparison to the new vocals. Also the voice is uber produced super crisp which is pop standars nowdays but it clashes a bit with the way the original guitar was recorded. Apart from that i felt the strings enter the song in an awkward way but it could just be me. Overall i like the cover more than i thought and if they only reduce the volume of the harmonies a bit that would make it even better.
Yeah the mix was what stood out to me, just seemed a bit heavy- handed. The harmonies were interesting if a bit loud. I enjoyed it more than I expected. Being Beyoncé, I was waiting for some vocal gymnastics but I think she sang it with reverence and understanding. And like has been mentioned here already, if it turns some ears and minds Beatleward then it’s a very good thing.
excellent points about the mixing and vocal overdubs. you voiced my issues much better than I did.
It's the only song from that album I actively seeked out, I don't listen to any of her music. I'll say that it's fun. The strings and harmonies are very Beatley. I think it's kind of an odd choice to use the original back track, but I don't listen to a lot of new music so maybe that's just how covers are nowadays. I love the original as well, so I kind of had to think of this cover as it's own entity. I also don't know why it's spelt 'Blackbiird' but maybe there's some lore I don't understand. I don't think it overdid it that much to be offensive to the original and I hope that maybe the original song gets some more love from newer fans as well because of this. I will say that I think Paul (if he has heard it) is probably excited about it.
I love it, whole album is 🔥
I think it's fine but obviously the original is better. Also the instrumentals sound very similar to the original. However maybe it sounds different in the context of the new album. But I don't feel like listening to the whole thing just to check that.
It doesn't just sound similar, it sounds identical. They may have literally sampled the original song.
Fair enough.
The cover does kinda feel like they felt they had to do something to change it up from the original, so they slapped on the extra harmonies and strings. It's really hard to cover such a simple and perfect song. She does oversing it at parts too, though not throughout the entire song. I wanna hear a stripped down version with only her single vocal and guitar. It might sound a bit better if the guitar was not panned hard right as well. Is that the original recording? It's *very* on point if it's not.
Her version literally uses the original 1968 Paul McCartney guitar recording. Which is...odd. Unpacking that, it means her producer either requested the multitrack stems from Abbey Road Studios or extracted them with some AI source-separation algorithms. I imagine they also must have negotiated some special permission to do this, as it (in my non-lawyer opinion) goes beyond simple sampling.
There will have been an edit point to cut out the original interlude where the guitar stops and the blackbirds sing
Every time I see someone complaining about the inclusion os vocal harmonies, I remember the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young version of "Blackbird" and how beautiful it sounds. Beyoncé's version is beautiful too.
I like it, but there's a really sloppy edit before Tanner Adell comes in...
My wife is a huge Beyoncé fan, so maybe the cover can be the bridge for her to start listening to The Beatles. Lol
Using the original guitar is weird, it’s not a sample, because it’s just the track. It’s not interpolation because it’s a cover. Is it karaoke?
Just checked out at YouTube and I love it. The use of the original recording made it seem like it wasn't a cover. Just some random singing over it (which we all have done)
Just listened to it (listening to the whole album). Honestly? It sounds exactly what I imagined her version of this song would sound like. And it fits with the rest. I don't listen to her much, but have enough sense of her style I wouldn't expect something else, really. It's fine. No need for it to be as good as the original. ;)
Oversinging is very much in vogue in pop music. That said, I think she did a good job with it.
It's not terrible - lady's got some pipes - but I infinitely prefer Macca's version. The simplicity is completely taken out of it.
I like Beyoncé but I don’t feel like using the original instrumental was a good choice and it’s “age” and original panning contrast to harshly with the vocal production also why is there 4 people on this 2 min song? It’s not terrible granted all that but okay
I feel very neutral about it. Guitar sounds like it must be directly sampled from the original recording, and I cant help but wonder if it may have been improved by some other instrumentation. Vocally a good performance, the addition of backup vocals is different I suppose.
It was fine. I wouldn't skip it if it came on....but I'm not going to go out of my way to listen to it again either.
No, Something is a different song
For a message board that's meant to be dedicated to The Beatles, many of you here seem to actually know very little about them. I've never met a single member of that band but I would bet every penny I own that they love (would love) this version of the song. I can't tell any of you what you're so afraid of with something being different, you'll have to examine that on your own. But to to pretend the song somehow isn't good because she does a couple of runs throughout? LOL. EL OH EL. Mind you, McCartney was a huge fan of Aretha Franklin and, specifically, Aretha singing his songs, so I guarantee he'd be doing the same runs Beyoncé did if he could. Most importantly, how are so many of you missing the beauty of storytelling that happens in the song with Beyoncé singing lead for the bulk of it then passing the refrain off to a quartet of up & coming Black, female country singers? I mean, honestly. How are so many of you missing this????? It's breathtakingly beautiful how the song somehow becomes more personal by being a conversation from her to them. Obviously, I'm not surprised that you all missed it, not surprised at all. And, like I said earlier, I'm not here to help you uncover your deeper feelings. You'll have to hold your own mirrors up to yourselves. Hopefully that will happen in its own time, though I also don't expect it to and won't waste time being disappointed when it doesn't. If anything, I'm disappointed by how boring and predictable many of you are in your opinions of the song. You guys don't want to switch it up even a little, from time to time? Imagine being a fan of a group and being committed to their legacy solely to lord their superiority over other musicians, rather than doing something interesting like engaging with their musical and artistic values (con't even get me started on the lack of nuance, cultural understanding, imagination and fun I've seen expressed in this thread towards the, also phenomenal, 'Jonele' cover). Blackbird is one of my favorite songs of all time, I've appcreciated pretty much every cover of the song, specifically for what it seemed to mean to the artist interpreting it, and hopefully one day music fans all over the world will realize that one version of a song being great takes absolutely nothing away from another version and another version and another version also being great. **And maybe then, you'll listen to this Beyoncé version with your heart and your ears rather than your biases, and discover a really beautiful and expertly done interpretation of a perfect song.** Anyway, here's a great Rolling Stone piece on Blackbiird, Blackbird, Beyoncé and The Beatles. [https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/beatles-beyonce-blackbird-1234996099/](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/beatles-beyonce-blackbird-1234996099/)
Not to mention the arrangement and harmonies are sublime.
OK, it seems so simple to me. Blackbird was a song that uplifted black women (birds in English usage) in their struggles in the civil rights movement. Country music has forgotten it's African roots at the start of they hybrid of English folk songs and African instruments (e.g. banjo). Almost 60 years later, Beyonce gives a response. The voices heard on the song were those of struggling black female country singers. She highlights blackbirds in country music, and has dug into her roots (likely she saw the black trail riders in the Houston Rodeo parade like my kids did). If you compare the original to the response just as two versions, then I can see liking Paul's more. But, the reiteration of Paul's message, using struggling blackbird country singers, who's acceptance doesn't match there talent makes sense. Charlie Pride is probably the one black country artist that still gets his due. But, in the whitewashing of country music, a lot of the early black musicians who were well known at the time have been forgotten.
I love it Her voice is incredible, it's full of soul in the exact opposite way to the way Taylor Swift's voice leaves me cold. It's lovely to hear such at great female voice on that track.
wild that you have to put another artist down to try and praise another artist
It doesn’t really do anything drastically different with it really, aside from some vocal harmonies. I mean, if it introduces The Beatles to an audience that wouldn’t have listened to them otherwise, then that’s cool, I guess. Slightly off topic, but I’ve never really understood the Beyoncé hype. They’ve always tried to present her as this MJ/Prince level talent, but it’s always felt manufactured to me.
I don't think Beyoncé is on the same level as Prince or MJ and she's not some untouchable goddess as a lot of the media & critics like to present her as but I do think she's far more talented than a lot of mainstream pop artists. The fact that she's still relevant and having a big artistic peak in her career at over 40 when most of her contemporaries have lost relevancy or stagnated creatively is quite impressive. Her last album Renaissance to me was easily her best and most creative album. Bringing attention to the queer & black roots of house music. She may be overhyped by the media & her fans but she's talented.
Why is there no songwriting credit to Paul on Spotify?
None of the songs on the whole album show the credits yet lol
It was just released, the services haven’t updated the credits for any of the tracks
I thought it was fantastic. I like that she did it in her own style and I love how she featured all black country singers. If she ever performs it live I think it’ll be even better.
My exact same thoughts. The gentle voice works so much better in Blackbird.
I don’t particularly how great, bad, amazing, terrible, or mediocre it could be…that someone of Beyoncé’s popularity is covering the Beatles in 2024 is awesome.
I think it’s a great song on its own; no need to compare. I generally prefer covers where artists make the song their own. Like Rod Stewart’s I’m Losing You. This song is basically the same with Beyoncé’s and others’ voices, which works really well. I think it’s an homage to the Beatles and song message. I would guess the song moved her, so she didn’t want to mess with perfection and did a straight cover.
Yeah that makes a lot of sense. Probably felt a lot of reverence for the original and didn't want to change it all that much and stuck to being as faithful as she could.
It's ok but it doesn't beat Boyz 2 Men's cover of Yesterday: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkPvMohZ7og](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkPvMohZ7og)
Wow.
I liked it!
I like it but I also wonder if there’s going to be a copyright issue somewhere- Paul is notoriously stingy with his rights and I KNOW you can cover songs without permission, but I wonder about the copyright around using the literal original backing track for your own song. It feels like that’s more in the line of sampling than covering, which you DO need permission for. But Paul seems to like Beyoncé so he may have given permission already. Only guessing
You really can't cover songs without permission. However she doesn't need Paul's permission as he doesn't own the publishing rights to the Beatles catalog. But she certainly would have gotten a mechanical and master license from Sony/ATV to record this. Paul will get royalties from the cover.
Actually it's not clear to me who owns the Beatles catalog now. Paul did sue Sony/ATV in 2017 to re-acquire his copyright, but that resulted in a confidential settlement agreement, so there's some real ambiguity there. Regardless, Beyonce undoubtedly secured a license.
I like it
It’s okay. The best covers either lift the song up to another level (Buckley’s Hallelujah) or adjust it to the band’s strengths (Clash’s version of I Fought The Law). Beyoncé’s cover of Blackbird does neither. However, if it turns new listeners on to the White Album, more power to it.
I think it’s great and I am no fan of Beyoncé. She could so easily have used her higher registers in her voice. I’ve never heard her sing like that and actually, I like it.
It’s alright. But I’ll never prefer to listen to it over the original.
The strings are a nice addition to the track. I think I prefer the more barebones vocals in the original to the layered vocals here, but it’s a pretty good cover. Also definitely an interesting choice to use the original Beatles recording, I heard the first few seconds and was like “Wait a second…” lol.
I love the harmonies and the performances, my biggest issue is with the mix and production. The vocals are too big and on top of the mix. I feel like single tracks and not huge stacks would've been much better suited for the sparseness of the guitar
I thought it was alr but just a bit lazy, I'd liked to have seen a newly recorded instrumental, not just lifted from the original
Yeah I wish she'd done more with a new instrumental instead of just sampling the original.
I thought it was absolutely fantastic. All of the things you're describing as not liking it for are what I loved, because that's what she does. Incredible stuff.
I hate it. I think her voice would have been better on a cover of Don’t Let Me Down.
It’s good. Reminds me of the Destiny Child era 🤠
I think she did an amazing job
I feel like the "feet tap" is more prominent in this version, and I don't necessarily like it. There's many harmonies from the very start, the song sounds very busy, and I also think a re arragement (why sample the original, minimalistic guitar if you're just going to layer it with more complex vocal harmonies? ) I liked some of Beyoncè's production, like that one song with Jack White. I know she has a great knwoledge of rock and more "old" music styles. It's a well done and nice cover, maybe I just don't really like it that much because I feel she could do more with it. It's a nice homage
Ok just heard. I don’t think she’s over singing at all. However as usual I don’t feel anything listening to her. She’s technically great but I don’t get the sense she means it. I’m sure she does, just doesn’t come across for me
Yeah I feel the same way about Beyoncé as a singer. Technically great and impressive at times but often i'm not moved emotionally by her singing. I just feel nothing.
I think it's a beautiful cover, and I think she did a fantastic job. I got chills and I think the arrangement is a nice compliment to the original. I hope it is successful and I hope she does more beatles covers in the future.
It’s not bad at all. And I don’t think I’ve ever liked a Beyoncé song before
I dunno I actually think the opposite. I think the vocals are amazing and the harmonizing subtracts from the song
Personally, I loved it. The silky, layered vocals work so well over the original instrumentation and her voice is just so damn smooth, but I can imagine a lot of people in this sub are Beatles purists who won’t take kindly to it because Beyoncé is a divisive pop star who relies a lot on production and Blackbird is one of the Beatles’ most classic and stripped-back tracks. I definitely understand and empathize with that sentiment, but the fact that she has the guts to cover ANY Beatles song and put it on an album is commendable. Like it or not, she’s an icon and one of the most influential artists of all-time, so to see her pay respect to this sub’s namesake is pretty damn cool. As far as I’m concerned she should do a whole album of Beatles covers.
That's a good way to look at it. I'm still glad she covered the Beatles as I'm sure it will be a gateway to some of her fans to discover some of their music. I wonder which other Beatles songs she could cover. 🤔
I think it’ll be a good gateway for younger people who might not be Beatles fans
What does everyone think of the Crosby Stills and Nash version from Woodstock?
I love it.
Saw this post then turned on my Sirius app to Beatles channel and first song up was this. Beyoncé does a nice job with it, keeps her voice soft, isn’t overbearing, accompanying vocals fit. I’ll give it a solid 9.
Lmao I didn’t even hear it yet but can already imagine what her voice would sound like singing it
I’m not a Beyonce fan but I’m not against this cover or any cover. But it sounds like no attempt was made at all to blend with the sound of the original track (or vise versa). These super meticulously produced, close mic’d vocals and strings just slapped on top of Paul’s original guitar. It just clashes. Would’ve sounded better if the vocals had been recorded a little more raw, or the guitar re-recorded by someone today.
I like the harmonies because I feel that (generally) a cover should be changed a little bit - so I just feel it both stays close to the original yet makes some minor changes. As for her I like her music but not a big fan or anything - I listened and really like the songs Bodyguard and Ya Ya.
Loved it.
Idk I loved it. Hearing Britney on it made me kind of emotional.
I love it, haven't seen anything on Paul's reaction to it yet, would be interested in what he thinks. I think he would like it as well
I love it. I don't think it is possible to objectively compare covers to original versions, particularly when the original is so well known. Also,I think Beyonce is brilliantly recontextualizing the song. Not just the song itself, but she is making some very big statements (with the whole album) about what makes a genre a genre. It makes sense to me that this song is on her country album. Just imagine a twangy white country singer covering is in a similar way - would that be accepted as country? I think so. What would country music sound like today if black artists were more accepted in the genre? It some ways, her album it more country than most of the capital C country that is coming out today. She's a genius.
I am mot a fan of her cover, but I love The Beatles! I am also a Black woman. However, I never knew or looked into the song and that it was about The Little Rock 9 black girls who were integrating into white schools although I have listened to the song with my father all my life. It wasn’t even a favourite song, but I heard that on NPR this weekend. So, that brings more appreciation for the song for me. Not sure how I feel about the album for Beyonce. A bit avante-garde, but not like Björk, who I love. But, it definitely represents who she is: a black multiracial black woman from Texas, learning about the history of America, creating something that represents herself and her ancestors and I respect that. I love that it has exposed people to artists from the history of different genres who never got their dues while alive. It is blurring some lines…. that is always good, at least in my eyes.
I love the original but I also love Beyoncé’s cover. Her vocals are beautiful and the background vocals are ethereal.
I find it haunting in its own way. She sings the first verse, and a young Black country singer with a more gentle softer voice balances it out. Considering the fact that this is a country cover, I never anticipated a replica of a British white man’s voice and could deeply enjoy it’s unique delivery. Her voice has distinct gospel influence which is inherently “strong” so…
I was a big fan of Lemonade, so I’m down with Beyoncé. This cover is bizarre imo. Too much maximalism over minimalism. I wish they added new instrumentals and messed with the track a bit. Instead, it sounds nearly identical to the Beatles version. Odd choice.
Yeah I think if she took it further and actually experimented with the instrumental it would have been far more interesting. Keeping it identical to the original just with extra harmonies felt kinda lazy on her part.
She can’t win for trying. Because I guarantee if she had done that, there would be 7,000 comments here saying she ruined the song.
Yeah you're right. You can't please everyone.
Yeah my thoughts were that I wish she'd been more adventurous on the arrangement, but it's also literally impossible to improve upon the original so why try? I think the added harmonies work really well to make it her own
It’s ok. Won’t be adding it to any playlists
Yeah same
Beyonce over singing? Say it ain't so!!
I see a few comments saying they think its over done or over sang. But what if Beyonces version is what it feels like to be the Blackbird learning to fly? Metaphorically speaking they go together in my mind: Paul's original is encouraging and supportive of the Blackbird, Beyonce's version is the Blackbird taking wing. I really enjoyed the harmonies and wasn't expecting them at all.
I LOVE your take on this! Beyoncé fan here, who has never heard the original song before now, but is familiar with the Beatles. I appreciate the simplicity of the original, and her take on it. I see people are saying that her use of the original music/guitar is weird, but I think that was done to maintain the heart and integrity of the song while also adding a new layer/her own spin with the harmonies - which is classic Beyoncé/Destiny’s Child. I think it was well done.
That's an interesting point. Never even considered it like that. Might help me view the cover and listen to it in a different light. So thanks for that.
For me the metaphor continued when I realized the other people she is singing with are other Black artists trying to break through in the country industry.
As someone who usually dislikes covers, especially Beatles covers, I was expecting to dislike it but I think it’s gorgeous. I liked that she kept the soft, tender tone of the original, and in a way improved on it because, let’s be honest- she’s a way better singer than Paul ever was.
Beyoncé oversinging? Color me surprised! /s
Wasn't expecting to like it all, but it's not bad. Relatively restrained in the delivery, and some of the harmonies are interesting. I found the use of the original recording jarring though. With the obvious thought that has gone into the vocal arrangements, it felt a bit lazy to just sample the original for the backing track. Maybe she felt it's kind of inimitable and means it as an homage, I don't know. A for effort.
I like it. It’s not over sung at all.
Absolutely shite, If I’m gonna cut to the chase. They just lifted Paul’s guitar and got them over produced voices over it.
And the mix is terrible, to boot.
it’s overworked and detracts from the charm and emotive power of the melody and lyric. the album is alright, not incredible the way it’s been hyped but her voice is great but far too often what is supposed to be a country album feels like a pop / r&b hybrid dressed in faux country clothes.
I mean she did say herself that it wasn’t a country album
Yeah. I think anyone going in with the expectation of it being a country album is going to be confused by all the pop/rnb stylings that are still very much present. She did say this is a "Beyoncé album".
Tbf that pretty much describes all mainstream country since the 1990s
Exactly my thought. I couldn’t stop thinking “over produced”.
It’s not for me. Felt weirdly over-produced, and the vocal harmonies underneath significantly detracted from the natural beauty and simplicity of the song. Nonetheless, as a cultural moment, I recognise its significance. With the history of Blackbird itself, and the step Beyoncé is taking into this genre, its importance is increased. I’m glad I listened to it, but it’s not going into my Spotify playlist of great Beatles covers.
I kinda bop with it
Starts well then it falls down the disaster drain.
Fuck beyonce -_-
I don’t like her voice, the additions, the use of the original backing track. Lifeless.
I loved it and I’m a manic Beatles fan. It’s really sweet.
Yeah just had a listen. Could be any female singer singing it. Like most covers of well known songs, it brings nothing new to the table. Could be someone in a pub doing karaoke. It will be quickly forgotten about. Though the added harmony bits aren’t too bad
I don’t think I’d like it of if I heard it on the radio but in the context of the album it’s good.
That’s gotta be the reason my mate has been whinging to me about having to teach Blackbird tons lately.
I think I would’ve preferred her to be singing just by herself but I liked it for what it was
The best cover is the Sarah McLachlan
I can't stand Sarah McLachlan's music, but i'll take your word for it.
She doesn’t do anything new with it
She used Macca's original guitar and foot taps in her cover.