"16 Carriages" is a song by American singer-songwriter

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

from her eighth studio album, ''

Cowboy Carter ''Cowboy Carter'' (also referred to as ''Act II: Cowboy Carter'') is the eighth studio album by American singer and songwriter Beyoncé, released on March 29, 2024, via Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records. A concept album, ''Cowboy Cart ...

''. It serves as the album's joint lead single alongside "

Texas Hold 'Em Texas hold 'em (also known as Texas holdem, hold 'em, and holdem) is one of the most popular variants of the card game of poker. Two cards, known as hole cards, are dealt face down to each player, and then five Community card poker, communit ...

". The song was a

surprise release A surprise album or surprise release refers to the release of an album with little or no prior announcement, marketing or promotion. The strategy contrasts traditional album releases, which typically feature weeks or months of advertising in the f ...

and debuted during

Super Bowl LVIII Super Bowl LVIII is the planned championship game of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2023 NFL season. The game is scheduled to be played on February 11, 2024, at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada. It is the first Super Bowl that ...

on February 11, 2024, through Parkwood Entertainment and

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

. "16 Carriages" is a

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

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. It debuted at number nine on ''Billboards

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

chart, becoming Beyoncé's second top-ten entry.

Background and release

Verizon Verizon Communications Inc., commonly known as Verizon, is an American multinational telecommunications conglomerate and a corporate component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is headquartered at 1095 Avenue of the Americas in ...

, 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). Another teaser commercial was released featuring Hale and the horse depicted on the cover of Beyoncé's seventh studio album ''

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

'' (2022). Throughout the

, a minute-long commercial was released with Tony Hale challenging Beyoncé to break "Verizon's 5G internet service." 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. Shortly after the commercial aired, Beyoncé posted a video teaser on

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

with an unidentified woman starting up a car and driving afar on an empty road. The same day, the artist's official website was updated to announce her eighth studio album, ''

Act II Act II or Act Two or Act 2 may refer to: Brands * Act II (popcorn), a brand of popcorn in North America Music * ''Act Two'' (Collabro album), 2014 * ''Act Two'' (The Seldom Scene album), 1973 * ''Act II'' (Tokio album), 2005 * '' Act II: The F ...

''. The album's two lead singles, "16 Carriages" and "

", were surprise released for digital download and streaming. The track was written when Beyoncé was 38, likely the summer of 2020.

Composition

The song is a

written in the key of C♯ major with

percussion instrument A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

and

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

pulse; thematically the lyric provides reflection about "growing-up", linked to the evolving relationship between parents and their children. The song was co-produced by Beyoncé Knowles, alongside

Atia Boggs Atia Boggs, also known as INK, is a Grammy-nominated American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer. She has worked with Chris Brown, Justin Bieber, Monica, and Beyoncé, among others. Songwriting and production credits Credits are c ...

and

Dave Hamelin Dave Hamelin (born October 3, 1980) is a Canadian musician, songwriter and producer known for his work with indie rock band the Stills. Originally the band's drummer, he moved to guitar and co-lead vocalist in 2005 when guitarist Greg Paquet lef ...

; it was co-written by Knowles, Boggs, Hamelin, and Raphael Saadiq. Robert Randolph and Justin Schipper were credited as the players of the steel guitar. Beyoncé wore a hat designed by

Gladys Tamez Gladys Tamez (born in McAllen, Texas) is a Mexican-American haute couture milliner or hat designer. She is considered a preeminent milliner and arguably the most famous in America. She founded her eponymously named Gladys Tamez Millinery in Los Ang ...

, named "Houston" for her digital cover art. In an interview for ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'', Randolph explained the recording session in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

with Beyoncé,

Rhiannon Giddens Rhiannon Giddens (born February 21, 1977) is an American musician. She is a founding member of the country, blues and old-time music band the Carolina Chocolate Drops, where she is the lead singer, fiddle player, and banjo player. Giddens i ...

, Saadiq and Khirye Tyler:

Critical reception

"16 Carriages" received widespread acclaim from music critics. Chris Willman of '' Variety'' stated that the song is lyrically associable with Beyoncé's "

Daddy Lessons "Daddy Lessons" is a song recorded by the American singer Beyoncé for her sixth studio album, ''Lemonade'' (2016). The song was written and produced by Wynter Gordon, Beyoncé, Kevin Cossom and Alex Delicata. The song's music video is part of a o ...

" 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 A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' 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 Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limited ...

member. In a four-out-of-five review, Ben Beaumont-Thomas of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' described the song as a Halo'-proportioned" country song with "

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

and

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

-infused", in which Beyoncé is singing about "the graft of her career since her mid-teens". The writer stressed that it could "recalls the lack work song" for "claiming country as part of Black musical expression".

Ben Sisario Ben Sisario is an American academic, author, and journalist. Career He is a staff reporter for ''The New York Times'', covering music and culture. Sisario is also the author of ''Doolittle'' (2006) a non-fiction book in the 33⅓ series about t ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' 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 ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...

'' described the song as "a soulful slow-burn" in which Beyoncé sings "an ode to hard work and legacy". In a less positive review, Chris Richards of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' 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 Formation may refer to: Linguistics * Back-formation, the process of creating a new lexeme by removing or affixes * Word formation, the creation of a new word by adding affixes Mathematics and science * Cave formation or speleothem, a secondar ...

" or " Break My Soul". The writer wrote that both the songs "feel dull, dry, unimaginative, unnecessary, unconfident and uncool."

Accolades

Commercial performance

"16 Carriages" debuted at number nine on ''Billboards

chart, becoming Beyoncé second top-ten entry appearing simultaneously on the chart with "Texas Hold 'Em", which debuted at one.

Personnel and credits

Performers *Vocals by Beyoncé Musicians *

Atia "INK" Boggs Atia Boggs, also known as INK, is a Grammy-nominated American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer. She has worked with Chris Brown, Justin Bieber, Monica, and Beyoncé, among others. Songwriting and production credits Credits are c ...

– guitars *Lemar Carter – drums *

– 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 *

– production *Matheus Braz – engineering assistance *

– production, recording engineering *Hotae Alexander Jang – recording engineering *

Colin Leonard Colin may refer to: * Colin (given name) * Colin (surname) * ''Colin'' (film), a 2008 Cannes film festival zombie movie * Colin (horse) (1905–1932), thoroughbred racehorse * Colin (humpback whale), a humpback whale calf abandoned north of Sydney, ...

– mastering engineering *Andrea Roberts – Pro Tools engineering * Raphael Saadiq – additional production * Stuart White – additional production, Beyoncé vocal recording, mixing engineering

Charts

Certifications

Release history

Footnotes

References

{{Beyoncé songs 2020s ballads 2024 singles 2024 songs American country music songs Beyoncé songs Columbia Records singles Country ballads Song recordings produced by Beyoncé Songs about parenthood Songs written by Atia Boggs Songs written by Beyoncé Songs written by Raphael Saadiq