Paul McCartney applauds Beyonce’s “fab” version of the Beatles’ “Blackbird” on “Cowboy Carter”

“It reinforces the civil rights message that inspired me to write the song,” McCartney said on Instagram.

Paul McCartney is a huge fan of Beyoncé's rendition of the Beatles' classic "Blackbird." The iconic former Beatle originally penned the song in 1968. 

McCartney took to Instagram on Thursday to share his admiration, stating, "I am so happy with @beyonce's version of my song 'Blackbird.' 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. I think Beyoncé has done a fab version and would urge anyone who has not heard it yet to check it out. You are going to love it!"

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Paul McCartney (@paulmccartney)

McCartney also revealed that Beyonce reached out to him to discuss the song. "I spoke to her on FaceTime and she thanked me for writing it and letting her do it," he wrote. 

"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."

Throughout the years, McCartney has consistently cited the American civil rights movement as a major influence for the song. 

Beyoncé's rendition of the song, titled "BLACKBIIRD," also incorporates McCartney's original acoustic guitar track from the Beatles' self-titled album (commonly known as The White Album), and showcases the talents of several additional Black artists, including Brittney Spencer, Reyna Roberts, Tanner Adell, and Tiera Kennedy.

The cover is part of Beyonce’s eighth studio album, “Cowboy Carter,” released on March 29th, 2024.