Paul McCartney has nothing but praise for Beyonce's "magnificent version" of his song Blackbird

On April 4, Paul McCartney took to Instagram to praise Beyonce for her "magnificent version" of his song Blackbird for her country album, Cowboy Carter, which was released on March 29.

"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 Beyonce 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!"

Blackbird is a song written by McCartney for the Beatles' White Album. Paul, in his caption, also mentioned the inspiration behind the song, Blackbird. He wrote the song 50 years ago after seeing footage of black girls being turned away from school on television.

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Paul McCartney's journey of writing Blackbird

As per Variety, Blackbird was also inspired by the sounds of blackbirds from Rishikesh, India, where the Beatles studied Transcendental Meditation. As per Paul McCartney's recent interview with GQ, the singer was thinking about the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s while writing the song.

"I was sitting around with my acoustic guitar, and I'd heard about the Civil Rights troubles that were happening in the 60s in Alabama, Mississippi, Little Rock in particular. So that was in my mind, and I just thought. It would be really good if I could write something that if it ever reached any of the people going through these problems, it might give them a little bit of hope."

The English singer also went on to explain that in England, a bird is a girl, and he thought of a black girl going through the civil rights movement trying to set herself free.

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How is Beyonce's version of Blackbird different from Paul McCartney's

Although the original Blackbird was credited to The Beatles, Paul McCartney performed the song solo. Unlike the original solo version, Beyonce invited four female black country artists, Tanner Adell, Tiera Kennedy, Reyna Roberts, and Britney Spencer, to join the song. The song title includes an extra I (Blackbiird), referencing Coybow Carter Act II album.

The Halo singer has also tried to stick very close to the original Blackbirds by including McCartney's foot-tapping sounds and acoustic guitar. Additionally, McCarney also received credits as a songwriter, producer, and musician.

While talking to The Washington Post, Melba Pattillo Beals, a member of the Little Rock Nine, said that Beyonce's Blackbiird brought back memories from 1957, when she and eight other black students went to an all-white Arkansas school. Beals said:

"This song awakens so much."

Beyonce's Cowboy Carter is an ode to Black History

In his Instagram post, Paul McCartney also revealed that he spoke to Beyonce on FaceTime, and the singer thanked him for writing it and letting her do it. Beyonce's new album, Cowboy Carter, is reportedly an ode to black artists.

The Linda Martell Show track pays homage to Linda Martell, the first black woman to release a country album, Color Me Country, in 1970. The banjo player Rhiannon Giddens in Texas Hold 'Em is known for highlighting the African-American and Caribbean history of the banjo.

Her album cover includes her wearing a 'Cowboy Carter' sash, inspired by Rodeo Queens from Miss Rodeo Texas, who shaped rodeo culture and highlighted the legacy of black rodeos. The album tracklist also reportedly pays homage to the Chitlin' Circuit, a historical network established in the 1990s that provided safe spaces for black entertainers, including performers like Ray Charles and Ella Fitzgerald.