Beyoncé Sampled Led Zeppelin on ‘Lemonade,’ and It Wouldn’t Have Happened Without This Famous Comedian’s Influence
Beyoncé isn’t one to play it safe when it comes to her music, especially while creating the masterpiece that was her visual album, Lemonade. For that project, Bey pullout out all of the stops to ensure it was one people would never forget. And she definitely succeeded as the record is still regarded as one of the best albums of the 21st century.
Not only did she experiment with various genres, concepts, and themes, the singer also sampled several hip hop and rock songs on her album. One such sample came from none other than English rock band Led Zeppelin, whose music the singer was first introduced to by one of her former co-stars.
Beyoncé’s ‘Austin Powers in Goldmember’ co-star introduced her to Led Zeppelin
When it comes to Beyoncé, there are a few little known facts many might not know about her. One is that she is a big fan of the rock band Led Zeppelin.
Like millions of others, Bey is a lover of all things Led Zeppelin and happens to be one of the many musical artists influenced by the innovative rock group.
But unlike those die-hard Led Zeppelin fans, Bey didn’t grow up idolizing the famous rock band. As a matter of fact, the singer first learned of Led Zeppelin in her early 20’s after she came across her Austin Powers in Goldmember co-star Mike Myers listening to them on the film’s set.
“She said, ‘Mike, what are you listening to?’ I said, ‘Led Zeppelin,’ and she goes, ‘I don’t know Led Zeppelin,'” Myers recalled during a 2014 interview with CBS Sunday Morning.
The comedian shared that he assured the singer she would like the band after listening to their music. Lo and behold, she ended up loving their material and came to set the next day playing some Led Zeppelin tunes.
“She had her earphones in, and I said, ‘what are you listening to?’ and she said, ‘Led Zeppelin, they’re fantastic,” Myers continued. “It’s like I turned Beyoncé on to Led Zeppelin. She’s just amazing.”
Beyoncé has been a fan of Led Zeppelin ever since
Though she’s never opened up about her love for Led Zeppelin, Beyoncé’s proven that she’s a fan of theirs in a few different ways.
In 2016, the singer joined a burgeoning list of artists who have sampled the band’s “When The Levee Breaks,” for her song “Don’t Hurt Yourself.”
The track contains the band’s booming drum break, which has been sampled in many other songs other the years, including the Beastie Boys’ “Rhymin’ & Stealin,'” Dr. Dre’s “Lyrical Gangbang,” and Ice-T’s “Midnight.”
On “Don’t Hurt Yourself,” the beat is played on a loop — it lacks the echoing heft of the original — along with a feature by White Stripes mastermind Jack White, who received co-producer credits with Beyoncé and Derek Dixie.
Though the beat had been sampled many times before, Beyoncé took a unique approach to make her song stand out amongst the rest. With the drum break playing while she sings about empowerment and knowing your own self-worth, many found themselves resonating with the track and played it on a continuous loop.
Because of that, “Don’t Hurt Yourself” landed in the no. 61 on Billboard’s 100 Best Pop Songs of 2016 list. It also received a nomination for Best Rock Performance at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.
She’s been photographed sporting Led Zeppelin merchandise
Another time Beyoncé showed her love for the successful rock band was a few months after the release of Lemonade when she shared a photo of herself on Instagram wearing a Led Zeppelin t-shirt.
In the photo, Bey can be seen donning the band tee along with a leather pencil skirt while owning a high leg slit.
The look gave fans major rock-and-roll vibes and proved to be an appropriate outfit choice as Beyoncé and her husband Jay-Z attended Kanye West’s Saint Pablo tour that night.
So as you can now tell, Beyoncé is a Led Zeppelin fan through and through, and she has Mike Myers to thank for this.
