Paul McCartney's original backing track used on Beyoncé's “Blackbiird
If the backing track on Beyoncé’s new recording of the Beatles’ “Blackbird” sounds especially familiar, there’s good reason for that. It turns out that the cover version she recorded for her “Cowboy Carter” album uses instrumental elements — McCartney’s acoustic guitar and foot tapping — taken from the Beatles‘ original master recording, released in 1968.
That information was confirmed to Variety by a rep for McCartney, who cited Beyonce’s team, and other sources.
The still-gradually-expanding credits for “Cowboy Carter” don’t make mention of the backing track being borrowed from the Beatles’ 56-year-old original. While McCartney is listed as playing guitar on the song in the credits (which have been unveiled gradually since the album’s release last Friday and still appear incomplete), and is also listed as one of the new track’s producers, there is no indication in the wording that his work on the track was not newly recorded.
McCartney wrote and recorded the song by himself in 1968 for the Beatles’ self-titled double-LP, aka the White Album, letting the other members of the group sit it out as he accompanied himself on acoustic guitar and percussive foot-tapping. That’s exactly what is heard on Beyoncé‘s fresh rendition, which has been retitled “Blackbiird,” in a spelling alteration similar to others on the album to reflect its “Act II” theme. Although the song is also credited to John Lennon, like a majority of latter-day Lennon-McCartney songs, it was written entirely by just one of them — and, in this rare instance, recorded by just one member as well.
Source: Chris Willman/variety.com
