愛污传媒

Skip to main content

Paul McCartney says Beyonce's 'Blackbird' cover 'reinforces' civil rights message that inspired him to write it

Paul McCartney is singing his praises for Beyonc茅鈥檚 version of 'Blackbird.' (Getty Images / Reuters via CNN Newsource) Paul McCartney is singing his praises for Beyonc茅鈥檚 version of 'Blackbird.' (Getty Images / Reuters via CNN Newsource)
Share

Paul McCartney is singing his praises for Beyonc茅鈥檚 version of "Blackbird."

The music legend on Thursday on his Instagram page that he鈥檚 "so happy" with the Grammy-winner鈥檚 cover of the 1968 Beatles track that is included on her newly released "Act II: Cowboy Carter" album, under the slightly revised title "Blackbiird."

"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," he wrote. He went on to "urge anyone who has not heard it yet to check it out."

Originally written by McCartney amid the 1960s civil rights movement in the United States, 鈥淏lackbird鈥 was by the Little Rock Nine, a group of Black students who were the first to desegregate schools in late 1950s Arkansas.

"When I saw the footage on the television in the early 60s of the black (sic) girls being turned away from school, I found it shocking and I can鈥檛 believe that still in these days there are places where this kind of thing is happening right now," McCartney wrote in his post on Thursday.

"Anything my song and Beyonc茅鈥檚 fabulous version can do to ease racial tension would be a great thing and makes me very proud," he added.

The powerful meaning behind the original song adds to the emotional depth of Beyonc茅鈥檚 2024 cover, which is amplified by the voices of four up-and-coming Black female country artists featured on the track: Tiera Kennedy, Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer and Reyna Roberts.

McCartney in his post on Thursday wrote that he spoke to Beyonc茅 on FaceTime and she thanked him for writing "Blackbird" and for letting her cover it.

"I told her the pleasure was all mine," he wrote. "I thought she had done a killer version of the song."

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Ontario says it will not allow international students in medical schools beginning in the fall of 2026.

The federal government allowed 30-year mortgage amortizations for first-time homebuyers purchasing new builds in August, and the new rules are set to expand in December to everyone looking to buy a newly-constructed home.

Crews removed approximately 50 tonnes of 'fatbergs' from the sewer system in Richmond, B.C., earlier this month, according to Metro Vancouver.

BREAKING

BREAKING

A Montreal man is charged with first-degree murder in connection to the stabbing death of a woman at a park in Ottawa鈥檚 south end on Thursday.

Local Spotlight

A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.

Hundreds of people ran to the music of German composer and pianist Beethoven Wednesday night in a unique race in Halifax.

He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.