Prime Picks: “16 CARRIAGES” by Beyoncé
It happened during the Super Bowl, when Queen Bey surprised everyone again with a Verizon commercial.
She did it as only she knows how to do: stealing the show at one of “the” American events of the year, the Super Bowl. And this time, she didn’t even need to go on stage because Beyoncé’s mission, declared in a commercial for Verizon, broadcast during the evening, was to “break the internet.” And she did it, announcing, in the meantime, two new singles and an album.
All played on “meta” references to Beyoncé being Beyoncé, who plays with her name to create a series of characters such as BOTUS (instead of POTUS; President of the United States), Beyoncé of the United States, BarBey (instead of Barbie ), and who ends up selling “Lemonade” at a kiosk, or organizing the first performance in the space by a female artist.
Needless to say, none of this is the focus of the message. In fact, right at the end of the commercial, Beyoncé says these words: “Okay, they ready! Drop the new music!” Shortly after, two new Queen Bey singles were made available on YouTube Music and TIDAL, a streaming platform owned by Jack Dorsey, who, perhaps not coincidentally, was sitting at the Super Bowl alongside Beyoncé and JAY-Z.
“TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” and “16 CARRIAGES” are the titles that come to anticipate the second act of RENAISSANCE (released in 2022) and promise a new album with a country flavor. The latter is the best of the two, where she, Dave Hamelin, and Ink handle the production, while Raphael Saadiq, who was involved in the last album, helps with the writing.
The song opens with the image of sixteen carriages driving away, taking the singer's dreams with them. This sets the stage for a song about loss, sacrifice, and resilience. In the first verse, the singer reflects on her childhood, when she had to leave home at a young age. She saw her parents struggling and knew she had to sacrifice to pursue her dreams.
The pre-chorus and chorus talk about the singer’s challenges throughout her career. She has been overworked and underpaid but has never given up on her dreams (“I might cook, clеan, but still won't fold/Still workin' on my life, you know”). The image of the sixteen carriages reappears, this time carrying away her fears. This suggests that the singer finally lets go of her fears and doubts.
The bridge and outro of the song are more hopeful. The singer reflects on her legacy and how she wants to be remembered. She wants to be remembered as someone who never gave up on her dreams and inspired others to do the same.
For now, the second part of RENAISSANCE’s release date is March 29th. The release would confirm Beyoncé's original plans for RENAISSANCE, presented upon the first record’s release, as a three-part project.