Our Biggest Takeaways From Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter: ‘I’m Well-Fed’
When Beyoncé said Cowboy Carter isn’t just a country album, it’s a Beyoncé album, she wasn’t kidding. On her latest LP, she kicks the yee-haw into high gear, her own way, with elements of hip-hop, classic rock, pop, jazz, dance, gospel, and even flamenco and opera worked into the mix. But she also weaves her very personal story throughout all 27 tracks, addressing her rejection by country music’s gatekeepers with both straightforward lyrics and her transcendent sound.
Beyoncé’s message is clear on the album: I do belong here. And, with features from Black up-and-coming country stars, she adds: They belong there, too. Plus, with co-signs from Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson, no one can tell the Houston-bred artist that she’s “not country enough” anymore.
She also has been outside in more ways than ever (did you see her at that meet and greet? The Cécred launch party? The iHeartRadio Music Awards?). It almost feels like she’s trying to appeal to a wider audience for this album cycle. So, where will Beyoncé go after this? A rodeo tour or a residency? She’s literally building her legacy before our eyes—including by featuring her kids in the music—how will she shape it next?
Saddle up for a ride on Chardonneigh (that’s the horse’s name now) as ELLE editors discuss the album.
First Impressions
Nerisha Penrose: “Bodyguard” came on while I was listening to it in bed, and I sat up. Sat up. Because I thought, wait a minute…I have a little energy now. Then I got to the “Jolene” cover and figured there would be a meme somewhere there. There’s something about it that reminds me of Beyoncé in Obsession, where she was beating the girl up because she kept trying to go after her man.
Danielle James: I’ve been meaning to wash my hair with Cécred for a while, so I thought, I’m going to wake up in the morning and just have a whole Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter, Act II ritual with Cécred.
This is the most that Beyoncé has shared in a very long time. “Ameriican Requiem” being featured as the first song is really powerful, because she didn’t say anything at all after the CMAs. It’s indicative of everything she was probably feeling and going through.
Rissi Palmer tweeted that, in the past 20 years, Black women have made up .03 percent of airplay on country radio stations. So for Beyoncé to put Linda Martel on there, who left the industry because of racism, even after making a best-selling album, was really powerful. She’s like an icon that’s still living. And for her to not only feature established talent, but spotlight up-and-comers too.
Nerisha: I feel like this album is definitely a crash course in Black country, because she did include Linda Martel, but then she also has “Blackbiird” with emerging Black artists. She’s giving them a platform to remind people who really started all of this. In “Ameriican Requiem,” for example, she says, “There’s a lot of chatter in here. Let me make myself clear.” I remember in the promo leading up to the album, she was explaining the whole situation at the CMS and how she didn’t feel welcomed.
Erica: The storytelling stuck out to me, because as you said, she doesn’t often share details about her personal life. I haven’t heard her divulge this much since Lemonade. She was also very intentional about the people that she brought on to this record—specifically, legends like Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson to give their stamp of approval and tell the country community, “Listen, let’s make some space for Beyoncé and women like her.” And then, as she’s entering this space, she makes room for more younger women and other Black artists to share the room with her.
Sam: When Beyoncé first released “Texas Hold ’Em” and “16 Carriages,” I knew it was my moment. I’m a corn-fed, corn-grown boy from Iowa. I grew up on country music and with a mom who listened to a lot of women in country. The Chicks were a very formative group for me, and I keenly remember them performing the “Daddy Lessons” remix with with Beyoncé. I love Renaissance, I love Lemonade, but I immediately thought, this is going to be the Beyoncé album that really sticks with me. While I admittedly had a tough time on my first listen, when I gave it another try, I fell in love with it. I’m glad I came around—my biggest fear is not liking an album by an artist that I love.
It’s interesting to think about how country music fits into the political climate right now. Right-wing activists with opposing viewpoints have claimed the genre as their own. To have Beyoncé then enter the conversation shakes things up—and she really delivered. She’s spinning country—and all its associations—on its head.
“Jolene”
Nerisha: We have the Dolly Parton version, which is literally her begging and pleading for this girl to stay away from her man. Beyoncé’s version, in contrast, is just a threat. It is literally a bullet—a three-minute bullet to this lady. You can call it an offshoot of “Sorry”—an extra response. But it is 100 percent a threatening warning to Jolene.
I love when Beyoncé tells it like it is: “Yes, I’m Beyoncé. You guys hold me up here, but I’m very much the same girl that will fight for my man, so stay away from him.” Getting Dolly was the ultimate linkup. Fifty years later, this girl cannot catch a break. It’s been decades and we’re still fighting Jolene!
Danielle: I feel like a lot of people don’t realize how integral Dolly Parton has been to Black Nashville. She’s been an ally for a really long time. It wasn’t surprising to me that she appears on the album.
Miley Cyrus
Danielle: I loved hearing Miley, to be honest. I want to see them perform together.
Erica: Maybe at the CMAs? Or the Grammys. Just put them on a stage!
Danielle: Beyoncé should just start her own award show. We would be all over it.
“Ya Ya”
Erica: “Ya Ya” was one where I thought, I need to see this live, whether it’s at a rodeo tour or wherever. Also, the things that she’s been doing with her vocals were really cool here. There were parts on “Ya Ya” where I wondered, “Is this an Elvis reference?” (When her voice is very low.) In “Ameriican Requiem,” she offers almost screechy yelps. And opera! She has opera and flamenco on her country album and trap beats and hip-hop. The range!
Nerisha: I love that this album perfectly executes the message that she said: This isn’t a country album; this is a Beyoncé album. But even more so, it’s her interpretation of what Beyoncé’s country would sound like. And I love that the second half of the album really urges you to get on the dance floor and have fun.
I also enjoy the transitions, which is another Beyoncé signature. Every song expertly flows into the another. It’s an experience. You’re never left hanging! And I feel like there’s no emptiness to this album, either. Every song, whatever pockets you think you can find, she’s silently, secretly filling them in with ad libs or runs. This album feels so full. I’m well-fed, and very grateful.
Danielle: “Ya Ya” had a lot of runs. That was when I thought, oh, Beyoncé’s about to sing.
Erica: On the topic of Beyoncé signatures, coming off of Renaissance, “Sweet Honey Buckiin” was her house-dance song meshed with hoedown country influences. That was really fun. Also, her saying, “Look at that horse”? I will, thank you.
Emotions
Danielle: I cried a lot during the first half of the album. I get emotional even thinking about it, because Beyoncé is the pinnacle of success, not just for Black women, but for all women. In “16 Carriages” when she says, “Look, I have sacrificed a lot to be where I am here today. I’ve had dreams too, that I have had to let go.” I don’t really ever think about Beyoncé not fulfilling any of her dreams, or feeling any kind of mourning for things she could’ve had, even though it’s gotten her where she is today.
It felt like Beyoncé is grown, y’all. She’s grown, and you just felt the grown-ness in this. Even with her putting Rumi on there. I found it interesting that we had a summer of Blue, and now it’s Rumi’s turn, and the song is named “Protector.” Beyoncé always blows my mind, and once again, she did it. This album feels very intimate.
Sam: I think Cowboy Carter is a little bit like a prayer. It starts with “Ameriican Requiem” —“requiem” being a very religious term—and ends with “Amen.” Perhaps she’s saying a prayer for where country music can go, or where music in general can go. It feels like a religious experience, in some type of way.
I do think incorporating opera in “Caro Mio Ben” was a choice—in my former life as an opera major, that was, and remains, the most recognizable opera song. And it’s this very solemn church song that also brings in some of those holy and religious elements, which is really effective.
Erica: Throughout the album, there were a lot of really cool, gospel-inspired vocals. And it also made me think back to Renaissance—and “Church Girl” in particular. Mainly, how that is also tied to her southern roots. She’s referencing different parts of her past and her upbringing in all these different ways.
What’s Next
Nerisha: This album feels like she’s preparing us for something big. She gave us house music. She gave us this country album. We’ve known her to give us R&B. There are think-pieces about what Act III might be, and then what? Where could she go from here?
Danielle: I go between Act III being a rock album and her giving us a Destiny’s Child reunion.
Erica: I’m already latching onto the idea that Act III is going to be a rock album, which I’m so excited for if true, because “Don’t Hurt Yourself” was one of my favorite songs on Lemonade. When I was listening to “Ya Ya,” it felt like there were definitely rock and roll elements. There are parts where she sings “Good Vibrations” by The Beach Boys. I feel like she was dropping Easter eggs.
Timing
Sam: By releasing this album before Renaissance, she read the room correctly. We all need to dance! But that also made me think a lot about the rollout. Will there be a tour, too? Are we about to have a Cowboy Carter rodeo? Because I will be there in my chaps, ready to go.
The timing also proves the power of the pivot. When Renaissance came out, we did need to dance. And now in this moment when country music has become this dividing factor in America and an election is looming, it seems perfectly timed. I’m so glad this wasn’t Act I. Cowboy Carter landed exactly where it should be.
Hopes for a Tour
Danielle: Please go on tour, Beyoncé! We need to listen to this live. I want everybody that was featured on this album to be on the tour as well, just to have that moment. I would love to see Linda Martel be embraced by multiple generations. It would be so healing.
Residency Theories
Sam: Beyoncé, please hire me. I have a tour idea: do a rodeo. Let’s get some hay bales. I can see it in my head.
Danielle: What if she does this as a Vegas residency?
Nerisha: I was just about to say a residency has to happen. There’s nowhere bigger than Vegas. Is there a spot in the south where she can do a residency?
Sam: What about Houston?
Danielle: Right? Or Nashville.
Sam: Grand Ole Opry…the way that gave me chills.
Nerisha: If this album proves anything, it’s that we need to stop thinking that Beyoncé has peers. We need to stop trying to match her with someone. There’s no one on her level.
This conversation has been edited and condensed.