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16 Carriages

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"16 Carriages"
A digital artwork for "16 Carriages" with Beyoncé in front of a grey background, wearing a cowboy hat, and a black jacket.
Single by Beyoncé
from the album Cowboy Carter
ReleasedFebruary 11, 2024
Recorded2020
GenreCountry
Length
  • 3:47 (album version)
  • 3:54 (radio edit)
Label
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)
Producer(s)
Beyoncé singles chronology
"Texas Hold 'Em"
(2024) 		"16 Carriages"
(2024) 		"II Most Wanted"
(2024)
Visualizer
"16 Carriages" on YouTube

"16 Carriages" is a song by American singer-songwriter Beyoncé from her eighth studio album, Cowboy Carter. It serves as the album's joint lead single alongside "Texas Hold 'Em". The song was a surprise release and debuted during Super Bowl LVIII on February 11, 2024, through Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records.

"16 Carriages" is a country ballad about growing up and the relationship between parents and their children. Various music critics praised the song for its musical expression and Beyoncé's melodious vocals. At the 67th Annual Grammy Awards it was nominated for Best Country Solo Performance. Commercially the song debuted at number nine on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, becoming Beyoncé's second top-ten entry.

Background and release

[edit]

Verizon, an American multinational telecommunications company, released a short Super Bowl teaser with American actor and comedian Tony Hale squeezing lemons, referencing Beyoncé's sixth studio album, Lemonade (2016).[1] Another teaser commercial was released featuring Hale and the horse depicted on the cover of Beyoncé's seventh studio album Renaissance (2022).[2]

Throughout the Super Bowl LVIII, a minute-long commercial was released with Tony Hale challenging Beyoncé to break "Verizon's 5G internet service."[3] During the commercial, Beyoncé attempts to break the internet by running a lemonade stand, releasing a jazz saxophone album, launching a "Barbey" doll collection, announcing her presidential campaign, and flying into space for a performance.[4] Shortly after the commercial aired, Beyoncé posted a video teaser on Instagram with an unidentified woman starting up a car and driving afar on an empty road.[5] The same day, the artist's official website was updated to announce her eighth studio album, Act II. The album's two lead singles, "16 Carriages" and "Texas Hold 'Em", were surprise released for digital download and streaming.[6][7]

The track was written when Beyoncé was 38,[8] likely the summer of 2020.[9][10]

Composition

[edit]

The song is a country ballad written in the key of C♯ major [11][12] with percussion instrument and steel pulse; thematically the lyric provides reflection about "growing-up", linked to the evolving relationship between parents and their children.[13][14]

The song was co-produced by Beyoncé Knowles, alongside Atia Boggs and Dave Hamelin; it was co-written by Knowles, Boggs, Hamelin, and Raphael Saadiq.[15][16] Robert Randolph and Justin Schipper were credited as the players of the steel guitar.[17][18] Beyoncé wore a hat designed by Gladys Tamez, named "Houston" for her digital cover art.[19]

In an interview for Rolling Stone, Randolph explained the recording session in Los Angeles with Beyoncé, Rhiannon Giddens, Saadiq and Khirye Tyler:

When we did the first session, [...] Beyoncé already had an idea of what she wanted to do. She wanted to do something with some playing, with some country fire. [...] It's great for her to go this route. In country music for a longest time, it almost seemed like it was supposed to be out of left field when a Black artist says, 'Hey, I'm going to do a country record.'

— Robert Randolph, in an interview with Rolling Stone about "16 Carriages" composition.[20]

Critical reception

[edit]

"16 Carriages" received widespread acclaim from music critics.[a] Chris Willman of Variety stated that the song is lyrically associable with Beyoncé's "Daddy Lessons" song from her sixth studio album Lemonade (2016) for its reflective "overt growing-up narrative" and for exploring "daddy issues", even if the song is "mostly just about having become a workhorse that got rode too hard before she had a chance to be a teenager".[13] Gail Mitchell of Billboard wrote that the song is "a vulnerable yet empowering autobiographical ballad" with "melodious vocals". Talking about the title, Mitchell suggested that the number "16" could refer to the age when Beyoncé signed with Columbia as a Destiny's Child member.[11]

In a four-out-of-five review, Ben Beaumont-Thomas of The Guardian described the song as a "'Halo'-proportioned" country song with "blues and gospel-infused", in which Beyoncé is singing about "the graft of her career since her mid-teens". The writer stressed that it could "recalls the [Black] work song" for "claiming country as part of Black musical expression".[25] Ben Sisario of The New York Times described the song as "an epic ballad" with the guitars swelling between the "organ-loud percussion" as the artist sings about losing innocence "at a young age."[14] Maria Sherman of The San Diego Union-Tribune described the song as "a soulful slow-burn" in which Beyoncé sings "an ode to hard work and legacy".[26]

In a less positive review, Chris Richards of The Washington Post found that "16 Carriages" and "Texas Hold 'Em" were released as a pair "because neither could stand on its own" and had less impact than the previous lead singles "Formation" or "Break My Soul". The writer wrote that both the songs "feel dull, dry, unimaginative, unnecessary, unconfident and uncool."[27]

Accolades

[edit]
Awards and nominations for "16 Carriages"
Organization Year Category Result Ref.
People's Choice Country Awards 2024 The Female Song of 2024 Nominated [28]
The Storyteller Song of 2024 Nominated
Grammy Awards 2025 Best Country Solo Performance Pending [29]

Commercial performance

[edit]

"16 Carriages" debuted at number nine on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, becoming Beyoncé second top-ten entry appearing simultaneously on the chart with "Texas Hold 'Em", which debuted at one.[30]

Personnel and credits

[edit]

Performers

  • Vocals by Beyoncé

Musicians

  • Atia "INK" Boggs – guitars
  • Lemar Carter – drums
  • Dave Hamelin – piano, organ, synths, guitars
  • Robert Randolph – steel guitar
  • Justin Schipper – steel guitar
  • Ryan Svendsen – trumpet
  • Justus West – guitars
  • Gavin Williams – organ

Technical credits

  • Beyoncé – production, vocal production
  • Atia "INK" Boggs – production
  • Matheus Braz – engineering assistance
  • Dave Hamelin – production, recording engineering
  • Hotae Alexander Jang – recording engineering
  • Colin Leonard – mastering engineering
  • Andrea Roberts – Pro Tools engineering
  • Raphael Saadiq – additional production
  • Stuart White – additional production, Beyoncé vocal recording, mixing engineering

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for "16 Carriages"
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[31] 85
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[32] 56
France (SNEP)[33] 128
Global 200 (Billboard)[34] 40
Ireland (IRMA)[35] 57
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[36] 9
Portugal (AFP)[37] 89
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[38] 7
UK Singles (OCC)[39] 44
US Billboard Hot 100[40] 38
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[41] 9

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[42] Gold 20,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

[edit]
Release dates and formats for "16 Carriages"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
Various February 11, 2024
[43]

Footnotes

[edit]
  1. ^ Attributed to Clash Magazine's Shahzaib Hussain,[21] Consequence's Mary Siroky,[22] Vulture's Craig Jenkins,[23] and The Times's Will Hodgkinson.[24]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Getahun, Hannah (February 10, 2024). "The Beyhive was right: Verizon's cryptic teasers led to a Beyoncé Super Bowl ad". Business Insider. Archived from the original on February 11, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  2. ^ Roeloffs, Mary Whitfill (February 9, 2024). "Verizon Seemingly Confirms Beyoncé Starring In Super Bowl Ad—Here's What We Know". Forbes. Archived from the original on February 15, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  3. ^ Dailey, Hannah (February 11, 2024). "Beyoncé Confirms New Music in Verizon Super Bowl 2024 Commercial: Watch". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 17, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  4. ^ Gonzales, Erica (February 11, 2024). "Beyoncé Is Bound to Break the Internet Again With Her Super Bowl Commercial". Elle. Archived from the original on February 15, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  5. ^ Denis, Kyle (February 11, 2024). "Beyoncé Drops 2 New Songs, Unveils 'Act II' Release Date: Here's When It Arrives". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 18, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  6. ^ Chelosky, Daniella (February 11, 2024). "Beyoncé Surprise Drops New Songs "Texas Hold 'Em" & "16 Carriages" Following Super Bowl Commercial". Stereogum. Archived from the original on February 18, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  7. ^ Denis, Kyle (February 11, 2024). "Beyoncé Drops 2 New Songs, Unveils Act II Release Date: Here's When It Arrives". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 18, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  8. ^ Price, Joe (March 22, 2024). ""16 Carriages" Producer Breaks Down the Difference Between Working on 'Renaissance' and 'Cowboy Carter'". Complex. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  9. ^ Trapp, Malcolm (February 12, 2024). "Beyoncé Announces 'Renaissance Act II' Release Date And Delivers Two Country Singles". Rap-Up. Archived from the original on February 12, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  10. ^ Partridge, Ken (February 12, 2024). "Beyoncé Describes The Struggles Of Touring Life On New Song "16 Carriages"". Genius. Archived from the original on February 12, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Mitchell, Gail (February 12, 2024). "Beyoncé Lays Down Her Country Cards With New Singles '16 Carriages' & 'Texas Hold 'Em': Review". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 12, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  12. ^ McClay, Caché (February 11, 2024). "Listen to Beyoncé's two new songs, '16 Carriages' and 'Texas Hold 'Em'". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 12, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  13. ^ a b Willman, Chris (February 12, 2024). "Beyoncé Shows Her Country Music Cards With 'Texas Hold 'Em' and '16 Carriages': Song Review". Variety. Archived from the original on February 12, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Sisario, Ben (February 11, 2024). "Beyoncé Announces New Album in Super Bowl Commercial". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 12, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  15. ^ Samuels, Keithan (February 11, 2024). "Beyoncé Drops Two New Songs: 'Texas Hold Em' and '16 Carriages'". Rated R&B. Archived from the original on February 12, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  16. ^ Corcoran, Nina (February 12, 2024). "Beyoncé Announces New Album Act II, Shares Two New Songs: Listen". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on February 12, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  17. ^ Wood, Mikael (February 12, 2024). "Beyoncé announces her new album is on the way: Hear two songs now". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 12, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  18. ^ Tamburin, Adam (February 12, 2024). "Some of Beyoncé's country collaborators have Nashville ties". Axios. Archived from the original on February 14, 2024. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  19. ^ "Houston". Gladys Tamez Millinery. Archived from the original on February 14, 2024. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  20. ^ Browne, David (February 13, 2024). "Beyoncé Wanted Some 'Country Fire.' She Knew Just Who to Call". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  21. ^ Hussain, Shahzaib (February 12, 2024). "Beyoncé - 16 Carriages". Clash Magazine. Archived from the original on February 12, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  22. ^ Siroky, Mary (February 12, 2024). "Beyoncé's Country Era Starts Strong with Two Songs: Review". Consequence. Archived from the original on February 12, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  23. ^ Jenkins, Craig (February 12, 2024). "Beyoncé's New Country Songs Are Plain Ol' Fun". Vulture. Archived from the original on February 12, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  24. ^ Hodgkinson, Will (February 12, 2024). "Beyoncé: Texas Hold 'Em/16 Carriages review — the star goes country". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on February 12, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  25. ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (February 12, 2024). "Beyoncé: Texas Hold 'Em and 16 Carriages review – country gets brilliantly Beyoncéfied". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on February 12, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  26. ^ Sherman, Maria (February 12, 2024). "Beyoncé drops new songs 'Texas Hold 'Em' and '16 Carriages.' New music 'Act II' will arrive in March". The San Diego Union Tribune. Archived from the original on February 12, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  27. ^ Richards, Chris (February 13, 2024). "Beyoncé goes country? Might be a wrong turn". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  28. ^ Grein, Paul (August 14, 2024). "Zach Bryan, Beyoncé & More Lead 2024 People's Choice Country Awards Nominations: Full List". Billboard. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  29. ^ Atkinson, Katie (November 8, 2024). "Grammy Nominations 2025: See Full List of Nominees". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 8, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  30. ^ Unterberger, Andrew; Denis, Kyle; Lipshutz, Jason (February 22, 2024). "Beyoncé's New Era Is Giving Other Black Women in Country a Big Boost, Too". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  31. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 8 April 2024". The ARIA Report. No. 1779. Australian Recording Industry Association. April 8, 2024. p. 4.
  32. ^ "Beyonce Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  33. ^ "Top Singles for the week of April 5". SNEP (in French). Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  34. ^ "Beyonce Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  35. ^ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Archived from the original on August 22, 2017. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  36. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. February 19, 2024. Archived from the original on February 16, 2024. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  37. ^ "Beyoncé – 16 Carriages". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  38. ^ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 14". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  39. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  40. ^ "Beyonce Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  41. ^ "Beyonce Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  42. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Beyoncé – 16 Carriages" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  43. ^ Treisman, Rachel (February 11, 2024). "Beyoncé releases two new songs during the Super Bowl, teasing more to come". National Public Radio. Archived from the original on February 12, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
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