"16 Carriages" is a song by Beyoncé. It was surprise released on February 11, 2024, through Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records. It is the lead single alongside "Texas Hold 'Em" from her eighth studio album, Cowboy Carter.
Background and release[]
"16 Carriages" was teased by Beyoncé after she hinted that she would be releasing new music through her Super Bowl LVIII commercial for Verizon. At the end of the commercial, which sees the singer attempt to "break the Internet" in various ways, Beyoncé says, "Okay, they ready. Drop the new music," leading to media speculation of the second act of her seventh studio album Renaissance. The song is a country and Western ballad featuring elements of folk and soul.
The track contains the lyric "It's been thirty-eight summers, and I'm not in my bed", which some critics interpreted as implying the song was written in the summer of 2020, when Beyoncé was 38. Tina Knowles posted a picture of Beyoncé the day of the song's release, partially captioned "I have loved this record for years."
Composition[]
The song was co-produced by Beyoncé, alongside Atia Boggs and Dave Hamelin; it was co-written by Knowles, Boggs, Hamelin, and Raphael Saadiq. Robert Randolph was credited as the player of the steel guitar.
The song is a ballad, inspired by country music, with percussion instrument and steel pulse; thematically the lyric provides reflection about "growing-up", linked to the evolving relationship between parents and their children.
Gallery[]
Photoshoot by Mason Poole
Lyrics[]
[Chorus]
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 fight
Sixteen carriages drivin' away
While I watch them ride with my dreams away
To the summer sunset on a holy night
On a long black road, all the tears I fight
[Verse 1]
At fifteen, the innocence was gone astray
Had to leave my home at an early age
I saw Mama prayin', I saw Daddy grind
All my tender problems, had to leave behind
[Pre-Chorus]
It's been umpteen summers, and I'm not in my bed
On the back of the bus in a bunk with the band
Goin' so hard, gotta choose myself
Undеrpaid and overwhelmed
I might cook, clеan, but still won't fold
Still workin' all my life, you know
Only God knows, only God knows
Only God knows
[Chorus]
Sixteen carriages drivin' away
While I watch them ride with my fears away
To the summer sunset on a holy night
On a long back road, all the tears I fight
Sixteen carriages drivin' away
While I watch them ride with my fears away
To the summer sunset on a holy night
On a long back road, all the tears I fight
[Verse 2]
Sixteen dollars, workin' all day
Ain't got time to waste, I got art to make
I got love to create on this holy night
They won't dim my light, all these years I fight
[Pre-Chorus]
It's been thirty-eight summers, and I'm not in my bed
On the back of the bus in a bunk with the band
Goin' so hard, now I miss my kids
Overworked and overwhelmed
I might cook, clean, but still won't fold
Still workin' all my life, you know
Only God knows, only God knows
Only God knows
[Chorus]
Sixteen carriages driving away
While I watch them ride with my fears away
To the summer sunset on a holy night
On a long back road, all the tears I fight
Sixteen carriages driving away
While I watch them ride with my fears away
To the summer sunset on a holy night
On a long back road, all these tears I fight
[Post-Chorus]
Oh, oh
Oh
[Bridge]
At fifteen, the innocence was gone astray
Had to take care of home at an early age
I saw Mama cryin', I saw Daddy lyin'
Had to sacrifice and leave my fears behind
For legacy, if it's the last thing I do
You'll remember me 'cause we got somethin' to prove
In your memory, on a highway to truth
Still see your faces when you close your eyes
[Outro]
Sixteen carriages drivin' away
While I watch them ride with my dreams away
Critical reception[]
"16 Carriages" received widespread critical acclaim from many music critics. 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". 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.
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 [Blak] work song" for "claiming country as part of Black musical expression". 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." 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".
Videos[]
