Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter is laced with samples and covers of iconic songs, but are you catching on to them? We definitely did on our own but TikTok creator and human Shazam, Jarred Jermaine, has pointed out some samples and possible similarities of Cowboy Carter songs and other famous tunes from various mostly white artists. Do you agree with the similarities, and did you catch the samples and covers?
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JOLENE
Let’s start with a no-brainer, “Jolene.” Beyoncé covered this iconic song by Dolly Parton and put her spin on it. While the original song was more of a helpless plea for Jolene not to steal her man, Beyoncé’s version was more of a warning.
AMERIICAN REQUIEM
Now …the hard one. However, we figured this one out, which is backed by Jermaine who points out the similarities between the strings in “American Requiem” and Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth.” Take a listen to it. Do you agree?
BODYGUARD
The verses in Beyoncé’s “Bodyguard” follow a similar pattern to Santana’s “Smooth.” That might not be so farfetched, considering Beyoncé performed with Carlos Santana at the 2003 Super Bowl.
BLACKBIIRD
Another no-brainer, Beyoncé’s “BLACKBIIRD” is a cover of the Beatles’ “Blackbird.” Two very cosy summer night tunes. The cover uses the original recorded foot tapping of Paul McCartney and the original acoustic guitar recording, according to Variety.
SWEET ★ HONEY ★ BUCKIIN’
In “SWEET ★ HONEY ★ BUCKIIN’,” Beyoncé interpolates the chorus of Patsy Cline’s “I fall to pieces.” A song that reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 when it was released in 1961, according to Billboard.
II MOST WANTED
Jermaine points out two similarities, one being Miley Cyrus and Billy Ray Cyrus’s “Butterfly fly away,” and another being Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide.” Which song do you think it sounds most similar to?
YA YA
The high-energy track, “YA YA,” samples Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’,” and both songs are enough to make you get up and bust out at least a lil’ two-step.
YA YA Again
In the same track, Beyoncé interpolates the Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations.” “Ya Ya” is a very groovy tune all around.
DAUGHTER
To end, the siren-like vocals at the end of Beyoncé’s “Daughter” are a cover of Italian Composer Tommaso Giordani’s “Caro Mio Ben.” Now that you know of these samples and similarities, listen to the album and see if you can catch them or maybe spot some of your own.
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