Breaking Down Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter: Grammys, Critics & More

“Ameriican Requiem”

Within the first single on Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé lays it all out for her critics, seemingly referencing the backlash she faced after she performed at the CMA Awards in 2016. 

“They used to say I spoke, ‘Too country’ / And the rejection came, said I wasn't, 'Country 'nough,'” she sings, “Said I wouldn't saddle up, but / If that ain't country, tell me, what is? / Plant my bare feet on solid ground for years / They don't, don't know how hard I had to fight for this.” 

At the time, fans noted that the CMA Awards appeared to take down footage of her surprise performance alongside The Chicks. However, in a statement to E! News, the organization shared they took down a promotional clip instead.

“16 Carriages”

Along with “Texas Hold ‘Em,” the Grammy winner’s song “16 Carriages” was one of the two lead singles to come from her multi-faceted record. In the ballad, Beyoncé seems to sing about working from a young age and focusing on her dreams. After its release, her fans online classified it as one of her most personal songs yet.

“Sixteen carriages drivin’ away / While I watch them ride with my dreams away / To the summer sunset on a holy night / On a long back road, all the tears I find.”

“Protector”

One of her more melodic singles, “Protector” opens up with none other her daughter Rumi asking about a lullaby.

The singer—who is also mom to Rumi’s twin brother Sir and their oldest sibling Blue Ivy—reflects on her role as a mom. “Born to be a protector, mm-hmm / Even though I know someday you're gonna shine on your own.”

“I will be your projector, mm, mm-hmm / An apricot picked right off a given tree,” she notes. “I gave watеr to the soil / And now it feeds me, yeah, yеah (Yeah) / And there you are, shaded underneath it all / I feel proud of who I am /Because you need me.”

“Texas Hold ‘Em”

“Dolly P” & “Jolene”

Not only did the Grammy winner take Dolly Parton’s hit “Jolene” and make it her own: “Jolene, I'm a woman too / Thе games you play are nothing new / So you don't want no hеat with me, Jolene,” but she also recruited the country star for an interlude that tipped its hat at another well-known character: Becky with the good hair. 

“Hey miss Honey B, it's Dolly P,” Dolly 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.” 

Though Beyoncé made it clear that her take is more of a stern warning: “But you don't want this smoke, so shoot your shot with someone else (You heard me).”

“II Most Wanted”

The now Grammy-nominated collaboration with Miley Cyrus remains a favorite of fans, with the duo’s lyrics about being a “shotgun rider” becoming a standout instantly. Last June, the Hannah Montana star reflected on the writing process, sharing that she penned the song years before Beyoncé reached out about Cowboy Carter.

"I told her, 'We don’t have to get ­country; we are country,'” Miley told W Magazine. “'We’ve been country. You know, between you being from Texas and me being from Tennessee, so much of us is going to be in this song.(add single quotation) Getting to write a song, not just sing, for Beyonce was a dream come true."

Together on the track, they sing their notable chorus, “I'll be your shotgun rider 'til the day I die / Smoke out the window flyin' down the 405/ And I'll be your backseat baby / Drivin' you crazy anytime you like.”

“Sweet Honey Buckin'”

On this track, the 32-time Grammy winner made note of one snub that stood out noticeably during the 2024 Grammys: Her not winning Album of the Year for Renaissance.

In fact, when her husband Jay-Z took the stage that night, he couldn’t help but call it out then and there—a moment that she doesn’t hesitate to highlight. 

“A-O-T-Y, I ain't win (Let's go) / I ain't stuntin' 'bout them,” she sings, “Take that s--t on the chin/ Come back and f--k up the pen (Yeah).” 

“Levii's Jeans”