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Cowboy Carter is not simply a collection of country covers. Its references include reworkings of familiar songs, brief interpolations, spoken interludes and nods to Black country history. Here is what each points to—and how those different connections shape the album’s conversation about genre.
What songs does Beyoncé cover on Cowboy Carter?
The Recording Academy identifies three prominent covers: the Beatles’ “Blackbird,” Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” and Chuck Berry’s “Oh Louisiana.” Beyoncé retitles the first “BLACKBIIRD.” These are distinct from the album’s shorter musical allusions and interpolations, which do not make the referenced songs full covers. The Recording Academy’s guide to the album’s references maps the relationships track by track.
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“BLACKBIIRD” and the Beatles’ “Blackbird”
“BLACKBIIRD” reworks the Lennon-McCartney song. The Recording Academy says the track uses the Beatles’ original guitar and foot-tapping recording, and an official credit result identifies a sample from the Beatles’ performance. That means the track is both a cover and a use of material from the original recording—not merely a song that resembles it.
The Academy also connects the Beatles’ song to the civil-rights movement. That history gives Beyoncé’s version a resonance beyond its musical source: the cover draws attention to the Black experience and history bound up in American music.
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“JOLENE” and Dolly Parton’s introduction
Parton’s spoken introduction, titled “DOLLY P,” leads into Beyoncé’s version of “Jolene.” In the words reproduced by the Recording Academy, Parton says: “You know that hussy with the good hair you sing about? Reminded me of someone I knew back when, except she has flamin’ locks of auburn hair. Bless her heart. Just a hair of a different color, but it hurts just the same.”
The “good hair” line connects Parton’s introduction to Beyoncé’s “Becky with the good hair” lyric in “Sorry.” The spoken setup makes that link explicit before the song begins; it is not a separate musical cover.
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“OH LOUISIANA” and Chuck Berry
“OH LOUISIANA” is a version of Chuck Berry’s song from his 1971 album San Francisco Dues. The Recording Academy identifies it as a cover, rather than an interpolation. Its presence also shows the album looking beyond country alone for material in the broader American musical landscape.
Which other songs and artists are referenced?
Several tracks contain shorter musical nods. The source describes some as “glimmers,” so it is more accurate to call them references than to assume Beyoncé has covered the full songs.
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| Album track | Reference | Relationship described by the Recording Academy |
|---|---|---|
| “SMOKE HOUR WILLIE NELSON” | Chuck Berry’s “Maybellene” | A glimmer |
| “SMOKE HOUR WILLIE NELSON” | Roy Hamilton’s “Don’t Let Go” | Interpolation |
| “SMOKE HOUR WILLIE NELSON” | Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s “Down By The River Side” | Interpolation |
| “YA YA” | Tommaso Giordani’s “Caro Mio Ben” | A glimmer |
| “YA YA” | Lee Hazlewood’s “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” | A glimmer |
| “YA YA” | The Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations” | A glimmer |
The terminology matters: an interpolation uses or reworks a musical passage, while a “glimmer” signals a brief reference without establishing that the song is covered or that a particular recording is sampled. The Recording Academy identifies the relationships above but does not characterize each “glimmer” more specifically.
Why is Linda Martell on the album?
Linda Martell is named in “THE LINDA MARTELL SHOW” and appears in spoken portions of the album, including around “SPAGHETTII.” The references point to Martell’s place in Black country history, rather than presenting her simply as a musical sample.
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Apple Music describes Martell as the first Black woman to perform at the Grand Ole Opry. The Associated Press likewise reports that she became the first Black woman to play it. Those accounts concern a specific milestone; they do not make Martell the sole figure in the much broader history of Black country music. Apple Music’s album essay discusses that history in connection with Beyoncé’s project.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How do the references fit the album’s genre conversation?
The album’s references move across country, rock, blues and other strands of American music. Sony Music Canada presented Cowboy Carter as deeply rooted in country while drawing on rhythm and blues, blues, zydeco and Black folk. That is the label’s framing, not a definitive ruling on the album’s genre. Beyoncé, as quoted in Apple Music’s essay, put it this way: “This ain’t a country album. This is a Beyoncé album.”
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The label’s release notes also list instruments including accordion, harmonica, washboard, acoustic guitar, pedal steel guitar, mandolin, fiddle, Hammond B3 organ, tack piano and banjo. Sony quoted Beyoncé saying she wanted to return to older instruments and organic sounds. Those details help explain the album’s palette, but the musical references are not all the same kind of borrowing: a cover, a sample, an interpolation and a historical allusion each connect the songs to their sources differently.
Cowboy Carter arrived worldwide on March 29, 2024. Apple Music lists it as a 27-song album with a running time of 1 hour and 18 minutes. In its April 2, 2024 release, Sony Music Canada reported that “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” made Beyoncé the first Black female artist to reach No. 1 on both the Hot Country Songs chart and the Hot 100 with a country song. That is a chart claim reported by the label at that time, not a newly verified chart update. Sony Music Canada’s release announcement provides the label’s release framing and quotations.
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