Renaissance Act II truthers, your time has come: There’s new music from Beyoncé, and boy, is it country. Her two new singles dropped two weeks ago, and in the time since, they’ve both climbed up the chart and taken the internet by storm. There’s the barnstorming stomp and holler ditty “TEXAS HOLD 'EM,” which just notched the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100, and the dark horse “16 CARRIAGES,” a autobiographical work song detailing Beyoncé’s roots in Houston, Texas. Charlie and Nate unpack both of these two songs, highlighting their structures, inspirations, and collaborators, from Raphael Saddiq to Rhiannon Giddens. Then, producer Reanna Cruz speaks to music journalist Taylor Crumpton, whose article for Time, “Beyoncé Has Always Been Country” lays out the cultural implications of this sonic pivot for one of the biggest artists of all time.
Songs Discussed
More
Read Taylor Crumpton's article Beyoncé Has Always Been Country
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Bruno Major restyles the Great American Songbook
Black Is King (ICYMI Beyoncé's Gift To Africa ft. Ivie Ani)
folklore: taylor swift's quarantine dream
The Women Reclaiming Nu-Metal ft. Rina Sawayama
Rosie: Investigating a Crime at the Heart of the Music Industry
Song of Summer 2020: TikTok Jams, Protest Anthems, Breezy Bops & Bummer Bangers
The Many Colors of Lady Gaga’s ‘Chromatica’
I Am America (w Shea Diamond and Justin Tranter)
Baz Luhrmann’s “Sunscreen Song” — The 90s’ Most Unlikely Hit (with Avery Trufelman)
Jacob Collier on staying creative and his 646 track song “All I Need”
What it means to make music in 2020
Big Floyd And The Influence Of Houston Chopped N Screwed Music
Carly Rae Jepsen: Meeting The Muse
Why lo-fi is the perfect background music
Eurovision Lives! (with Netta)
How To Soundtrack A Villain: Killing Eve
Did Fiona Apple Just Release a Perfect Album?
Doja Cat’s “Say So” is a Masterclass in Good Times
Were We Wrong About Kanye West?
Aussie2Aussie: 5SOS on Tame Impala (with Luke Hemmings & Calum Hood)
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Good One: A Podcast About Jokes
The Vulture TV Podcast
Vulture Festival Podcast