Beyoncé has paid a heartfelt tribute to Sir Paul McCartney, thanking him for writing The Beatles’ classic Blackbird, which she described as “one of the best songs ever made.”
The tribute came after the final night of her six-show run at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where she closed out the UK leg of her Cowboy Carter tour.
Taking to Instagram, the 43-year-old superstar shared photos of herself in a white Stella McCartney T-shirt adorned with two black birds and the word “Blackbiird” written on her hip – a nod both to the song and to the fashion designer, who is McCartney’s daughter.
“Thank you Sir Paul McCartney for writing one of the best songs ever made,” Beyoncé wrote. “Every time I sing it I feel so honored. And it is a full circle moment to wear your beautiful daughter’s design.”
Beyoncé performed her rendition of Blackbird – stylised Blackbiird – during each night of her London residency.
The track appears early in the setlist and features the original Beatles master recording as part of the arrangement.
Originally written by McCartney in 1968 for The Beatles’ self-titled White Album, Blackbird was inspired by the US civil rights movement and has long been praised for its message of resilience and hope.
McCartney, 82, has spoken highly of Beyoncé’s cover, which features on her Cowboy Carter album. In a post last year, he shared his admiration for the version and expressed his appreciation for the singer’s thoughtful interpretation.
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“I am so happy with @beyonce’s version of my song Blackbird,” he wrote. “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 continued: “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!”
McCartney also revealed that the two had connected directly: “I spoke to her on FaceTime and she thanked me for writing it and letting her do it. I told her the pleasure was all mine and I thought she had done a killer version of the song.”
Reflecting on the song’s origins, he added: “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…
“Anything my song and Beyoncé’s fabulous version can do to ease racial tension would be a great thing and makes me very proud.”
Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé’s genre-defying project, has received widespread acclaim for its artistic ambition and storytelling.
Writing about the opening night of the tour in a five-star review, music journalist Nick Levine hailed her performance.
He wrote: “As a performer, she remains pretty much flawless – who else can sing from a bucking mechanical bull without missing a note? And as a creator of stadium spectacle, she keeps getting better. No one leaving this show will be removing their cowboy hat on the ride home.”
