What Paul McCartney Thinks of Beyoncé Covering The Beatles’ ‘Blackbird’
The best pop stars are full of surprises. Beyoncé surprised everyone by releasing her version of The Beatles’ “Blackbird.” Paul McCartney had a strong reaction to the cover on social media. Fascinatingly, the original song was inspired by the Civil Rights Movement.
Paul McCartney said Beyoncé understood the message of The Beatles’ ‘Blackbird’
So many classic artists across genres have put their own spin on Beatles songs. Some of the R&B icons who covered Fab Four tracks include Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, and Prince. Beyoncé added her name to that canon with her cover of “Blackbird,” a folk ditty from The White Album.
In a 2024 Instagram post, Paul himself heaped praise on Queen B’s “Blackbird.” “I am so happy with @beyonce’s version of my song ‘Blackbird,'” he wrote. “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!”
The former Beatle talked to Beyoncé about the song on FaceTime
Sometimes, singers can skip getting permission to cover another artist’s song. Meanwhile, Beyoncé talked to Paul about her rendition of “Blackbird.” “I spoke to her on FaceTime and she thanked me for writing it and letting her do it,” he continued. “I told her the pleasure was all mine and I thought she had done a killer version of the song.”
Paul recalled that Black history inspired 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,” he wrote. The “Ebony and Ivory” singer said he hoped Beyoncé’s “Blackbird” would ease racial tensions.
Paul McCartney wrote The Beatles’ ‘Blackbird’ for Black women
In the 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, the “Silly Love Songs” star went further into detail about the writing of “Blackbird.” Paul said that “Blackbird” was meant as a song of hope for Black women facing discrimination. Rather than plainly state the song’s meaning, he used the metaphor of a bird. The Beatles added a recording of an actual blackbird to the track. Paul joked that the blackbird did a very good job.
The former Beatle said that he likes to promote empowerment in his songs. In that regard, he’s part of the same musical lineage as Beyoncé! Paul compared the uplifting message of “Blackbird” to that of The Beatles’ monster hit “Hey Jude.”
Aside from the natural world, another musical inspiration for “Blackbird” was Johann Sebastian Bach. The classical composer was a favorite of Paul’s because he felt Bach’s compositions sounded like The Beatles. In Paul’s recollection, “Blackbird” was based on a Bach piece that George Harrison knew how to play, but Paul didn’t know the name of it. Notably, Beyoncé retained the classical elements of the original “Blackbird” in her version of the ballad.
The Beatles’ “Blackbird” is a classic and Beyoncé made history with her rendition.
