Meet the Beytles.
Consider that the name of the new mutual admiration society that has been started between two legends of the game: Beyoncé and Paul McCartney.
The “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer covers the 1968 Beatles beauty “Blackbird” — written by Macca, although credited to both McCartney and John Lennon — on her countrified new album “Cowboy Carter” that was released last Friday to rave reviews (including mine) and record-shattering streams.
Bey’s honey- and harmony-coated rendition of “The White Album” classic — featuring African-American female country singers Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy and Reyna Roberts making like Destiny’s Southern Child — is a revelation that repurposes the song from a black female perspective.
And Sir Paul has given Beyonce’s “Blackbird” — which is styled as “Blackbiird” on “Cowboy Carter” — the most royal of blessings.
“I am so happy with @beyonce’s version of my song ‘Blackbird,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “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. I think Beyoncé has done a fab version and would urge anyone who has not heard it yet to check it out. You are going to love it!”
In fact, Beyoncé used the original Beatles backing track — with McCartney’s acoustic guitar and foot-tapping — and got the ultimate FaceTime co-sign from the man himself.
“I spoke to her on FaceTime and she thanked me for writing it and letting her do it,” wrote McCartney, who attended Beyoncé’s record-breaking Renaissance World Tour last year.
“I told her the pleasure was all mine and I thought she had done a killer version of the song. When I saw the footage on the television in the early 60s of the black girls being turned away from school, I found it shocking and I can’t believe that still in these days there are places where this kind of thing is happening right now.
“Anything my song and Beyoncé’s fabulous version can do to ease racial tension would be a great thing and makes me very proud.”