Paul McCartney Loves Beyonce’s Version of ‘Blackbird’
Paul McCartney says Beyoncé’s ‘Blackbird’ cover ‘reinforces’ civil rights message that inspired him to write it
Paul McCartney is singing his praises for Beyoncé’s version of “Blackbird.”
The music legend on Thursday wrote on his Instagram page that he’s “so happy” with the Grammy-winner’s cover of the 1968 Beatles track that is included on her newly released “Act II: Cowboy Carter” album, under the slightly revised title “Blackbiird.”
“I think she does a magnificent version of it and it reinforces the civil rights message that inspired me to write the song in the first place,” he wrote. He went on to “urge anyone who has not heard it yet to check it out.”
Originally written by McCartney amid the 1960s civil rights movement in the United States, “Blackbird” was inspired by the Little Rock Nine, a group of Black students who were the first to desegregate schools in late 1950s Arkansas.
The powerful meaning behind the original song adds to the emotional depth of Beyoncé’s 2024 cover, which is amplified by the voices of four up-and-coming Black female country artists featured on the track: Tiera Kennedy, Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer and Reyna Roberts.
