There was a mildly successful <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkzAgsOQJQE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commercial</a> back in 2016 where LeBron James was promoting Sprite. He keeps looking into the camera and saying, &#8220;I won&#8217;t tell you to drink a Sprite.&#8221; It&#8217;s supposed to be engaging and funny because you see, normally, when celebrities appear in advertisements, they tell you to buy a product. But here you had LeBron James, appearing in a Sprite commercial, refusing to endorse Sprite. It really subverted everyone&#8217;s expectations.
Reverse psychology like this has become popular in advertising because the typical direct, straightforward celebrity endorsement doesn&#8217;t have the same impact that it once did. This is also why the idea of &#8220;reverse endorsements&#8221; has become a thing. This is when a company puts a celebrity on its board of directors to make them seem really invested in the company, when it&#8217;s basically a no-show job. Derek Jeter had a &#8220;reverse endorsement&#8221; <a href="https://www.lawjournalnewsletters.com/2016/10/18/jeter-endorsement-dispute-examines-role-as-a-director-of-apparel-company/?srsltid=AfmBOopnBt1NPpb0WFiFsazkLNHD4cPHVt___A7Xqh7cNIaYkWtRI7QP&amp;slreturn=20241107193919" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deal</a> with a company called RevolutionWear, that makes some kind of high-tech underwear. It all fell apart and ended in lawsuits when the company collapsed, because the world of high-tech underwear is apparently extremely cutthroat.
But the point is, this underwear company thought they&#8217;d get more value out of presenting Derek Jeter as a &#8220;director&#8221; of the company, rather than just going with the normal, direct celebrity endorsement. There are about a million other examples of this, because the memo has gone out. In the entertainment world, traditional celebrity endorsements aren&#8217;t as interesting as they used to be. If you want a celebrity endorsement to have an impact, you have to get creative with it. And even then, most people probably still won&#8217;t care.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1482-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Matt Walsh Show</a></h3>
The only people who haven&#8217;t gotten this memo are in politics. Political endorsements by celebrities are all the same. They&#8217;re unconvincing, uncreative and patronizing. And yet for some reason, pundits and political strategists on the Left genuinely believe that these endorsements are game-changing. They think that, once the normal person hears one of these endorsements, they undergo a form of mind control where they&#8217;re hopeless to resist.
I&#8217;ve shared part of this clip before, but it&#8217;s worth seeing again because it may be the single best reaction video from MSNBC after they realized Trump was winning. This is Joy Reid trying to process how Donald Trump could have possibly defeated Kamala Harris. After all, Kamala Harris ran a &#8220;flawless campaign.&#8221; And as evidence of the proposition that Kamala Harris ran a &#8220;flawless campaign,&#8221; Joy Reid cites all of Kamala Harris&#8217; celebrity endorsements. This is footage that belongs in a museum for future historians studying the downfall of the Democrat Party and the corporate press. Watch:
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If you still haven&#39;t figured out the problem with the legacy media, this comment by Joy Ann Reid should set you straight. Reid says Harris ran a &quot;flawless&quot; campaign to the point that Beyonce, Taylor Swift, and &quot;even&quot; Queen Latifah who never endorses anyone, endorsed Harris. <a href="https://t.co/N8IwIplhKn">pic.twitter.com/N8IwIplhKn</a>
&mdash; Rupa Subramanya (@rupasubramanya) <a href="https://twitter.com/rupasubramanya/status/1854191530400997546?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2024</a></blockquote>
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There&#8217;s a lot to consider in that clip, but really at this point you can&#8217;t be mad at Joy Reid. Everyone knows she is what we may call, politely, a very special person. What&#8217;s kind of remarkable is that everyone else on the panel — people who are extremely partisan, but not clinically insane — just nod along when she makes this claim. She&#8217;s suggesting that a political endorsement by Queen Latifah is so rare and enigmatic that, if a candidate should ever obtain it, then that candidate must be blessed by the gods. That candidate would be destined to win. I guess that makes sense. She is royalty after all.
But that was a moment that should&#8217;ve been a bridge too far, even for an MSNBC panel. For one thing, the premise isn&#8217;t even true. We&#8217;re talking about the same &#8220;Queen Latifah&#8221; who performed at Obama&#8217;s inauguration after telling people to vote for hope and change. And then she did a skit with Kamala Harris just a few months ago at the &#8220;NAACP Image Awards,&#8221; telling everyone to register to vote because otherwise Trump will win. Yes, this is the Queen Latifah that supposedly never gets involved in politics.
But on top of that, even if we pretend Queen Latifah never gets involved in politics, the idea that her endorsement will sway anyone — or that it&#8217;s a sign of a &#8220;flawless campaign&#8221; — suggests that Democrats are suffering from a level of delusion that is truly unprecedented. And that becomes even more apparent when you look at this vaunted Queen Latifah endorsement they&#8217;re talking about. 
She just sits in a chair and, instead of talking about makeup, she reads off some talking points from Kamala Harris&#8217; campaign. Watch:
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Today, so much is on the line.
On one hand, we have HIM, a felon, a comfortable liar, an impeached president, a misogynist, and a non-leader who doesn’t care about anyone, but the top 1%&#8230;which excludes over 300M Americans.
And on the other hand, we have HER, Kamala Harris, a… <a href="https://t.co/6EhUwaa2z9">pic.twitter.com/6EhUwaa2z9</a>
&mdash; Queen Latifah (@IAMQUEENLATIFAH) <a href="https://twitter.com/IAMQUEENLATIFAH/status/1853728277447446780?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2024</a></blockquote>
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One of the many amusing things about this video is the comments section, and how it differs depending on the platform. If you go on Instagram, a lot of the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/queenlatifah/reel/DB-94jSRJtS/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">comments</a> are pretty supportive. There&#8217;s people posting heart emojis everywhere, saying it&#8217;s a powerful message, and how Queen Latifah is their hero and so on. One person wrote, &#8220;I’m going to always love you Queen Latifah ! Never change.&#8221;
And then you go on X, and it&#8217;s a completely different scenario. It&#8217;s like stepping out of a country club and into the Vietnam War. The top <a href="https://x.com/hodgetwins/status/1853816198627999886" target="_blank" rel="noopener">comment</a> is, &#8220;Did you go to the Diddy parties too?&#8221; The next <a href="https://x.com/apst_paul_Adams/status/1853752752205111495" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one</a> is, &#8220;How much were you paid?&#8221; And then <a href="https://x.com/VernonForGA/status/1853770039305945296" target="_blank" rel="noopener">there&#8217;s</a>, &#8220;Another weak man for Kamala.&#8221; It&#8217;s just brutal, if also hilarious, and completely justified.
It&#8217;s yet another reason the Left wants to destroy X. People on X generally reflect what&#8217;s going on in the country. But if you spend all your time on Reddit or Instagram, you might end up like Joy Reid. You might have thought Kamala Harris had this in the bag. After all, Queen Latifah&#8217;s on her side, and everyone else on the platform loves it. And then you go on X and everyone&#8217;s wondering how much she was paid.
Now, to be clear, I&#8217;m not saying Queen Latifah was paid for this endorsement. I would never suggest such a thing. But in general, it is worth noting that the Kamala Harris campaign raised something like $1 billion dollars, and they ended the campaign in debt by $20 million dollars. They had $120 million in the bank just a month ago, and now they&#8217;re in the red. And a lot of that money probably did go to some celebrity performances, like the one Megan Thee Stallion did at a Kamala rally. But in any event, it&#8217;s clear that this was a horribly managed campaign in every respect. So it&#8217;s not exactly unthinkable that these people truly thought an endorsement by Queen Latifah would help them win. They really seemed to think that people wanted to see stuff like this.
That would explain why they courted the endorsement of Cardi B, who&#8217;s so illiterate that it actually caused problems for the campaign. Mid-endorsement, her teleprompter went out, so she couldn&#8217;t say anything until someone ran up with a phone containing her prepared statement. Watch:
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🔥🚨BREAKING: Rapper Cardi B’s teleprompter broke when she took the stage at Kamala Harris rally in Wisconsin and Cardi had to wait in front of a live audience for over a minute until a stranger brought her a cell phone with a script. This tells you everything you need to know. <a href="https://t.co/kKL7q1lw35">pic.twitter.com/kKL7q1lw35</a>
&mdash; Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) <a href="https://twitter.com/dom_lucre/status/1852543848959905827?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
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You have to wonder, again, who this is supposed to impress. Even if she had read all of that perfectly, who exactly is supposed to care about this? What demographic are they targeting?
Whatever they were going for, it didn&#8217;t work. Pretty much the only demographic group that Kamala Harris won on Tuesday, according to exit polls, was the same group Joy Reid belongs to: black women. She won by something like 92%. It&#8217;s a two-percent improvement from Joe Biden two years ago. But both of these numbers are actually low, by Democrats&#8217; standards. Obama got more than 95% of the vote from black women. Hillary Clinton got 94%. So if anything, there&#8217;s some evidence that endorsements like this aren&#8217;t really helping, even among Democrats&#8217; most loyal constituency.
The Guardian certainly seems to think there&#8217;s a good chance these endorsements aren&#8217;t helping anywhere. They just ran a big article that explores the question of why all these celebrities, from Bruce Springsteen to George Clooney to Taylor Swift, may have actually been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2024/nov/06/celebrity-endorsements-didnt-help-kamala-harris-taylor-swift-beyonce">counterproductive</a>: 
<blockquote>A poll from YouGov shortly after [Taylor] Swift’s endorsement found that only 8% of voters would be &#8216;somewhat&#8217; or &#8216;much more&#8217; likely to vote for Harris – with a surprising 20% saying the endorsement actually made them less likely to vote for her.</blockquote>
Yes, as we talked about at the time, Taylor Swift&#8217;s endorsement might have made people less likely to support Kamala Harris. And there&#8217;s evidence this took the Harris campaign by surprise. 
The article also <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2024/nov/06/celebrity-endorsements-didnt-help-kamala-harris-taylor-swift-beyonce">states</a>:
<blockquote>Back in July, Charli xcx posted a three-word tweet that some commentators thought might help swing the US election. Arriving the day after Kamala Harris announced her bid for the presidency, Charli’s tweet said simply: &#8216;Kamala IS Brat.&#8217; It was a reference to Charli’s latest album, Brat, which had dominated the pop cultural landscape &#8230; The overall meaning was clear: Kamala was the presidential candidate with the most energy and authenticity. &#8230;. The Harris campaign leaned into the endorsement, changing the backdrop of its official X page to the same garish green colour used on the record’s sleeve. &#8230; Yet as the dust settles on an extremely depressing election result, it appears clear that not only did Charli xcx’s tweet have no meaningful impact on the election result, nor did the endorsement of any celebrity.</blockquote>
This was a big problem for Kamala because, to the extent she had a campaign strategy at all, it hinged almost entirely on endorsements. Kamala was endorsed by all of the most famous celebrities in Hollywood and the music industry. It paid off with a crushing and historic defeat. Why might that be?
Unlike the panel on MSNBC, I&#8217;ll answer that question. For one thing, as I mentioned earlier, celebrity endorsements in general aren&#8217;t that effective anymore. But they&#8217;re particularly ineffective right now, when inflation is high and people are struggling to afford essentials. In an economic environment like that, Americans aren&#8217;t particularly interested in sermons from obscenely wealthy entertainers — not that they&#8217;re all that interested even in a good economy.
<h3><a href="https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl=1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MATT WALSH&#8217;S &#8216;AM I RACIST?&#8217; NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+</a></h3>
The other problem is that the power of celebrity in general has been massively watered down in recent years. There are just so many of them that even the biggest ones (like Taylor Swift or Beyonce) don&#8217;t have the kind of culture-changing impact that Michael Jackson or Elvis had decades ago. When a woman can become famous by saying &#8220;Hawk Tuah,&#8221; the whole concept of a &#8220;celebrity&#8221; loses a lot of its luster. 
This has been obvious to everyone for some time, which is why a lot of celebrities have found new ways to endorse products, like those &#8220;reverse endorsement&#8221; deals that I mentioned. But apparently, it wasn&#8217;t obvious to the Kamala Harris campaign. They believed, in all seriousness, that amassing a bunch of these vapid, cookie-cutter endorsements would win them the election. They thought Americans cared so little about substance that they&#8217;d vote for a candidate who can barely articulate a coherent thought, all because of the endorsements of some other morons who also can&#8217;t articulate coherent thoughts. After what happened on Tuesday, there&#8217;s no one — except maybe MSNBC anchors — who seriously thinks that these celebrities have any sway over anyone anymore.

Kamala Harris Campaigns Across Wisconsin In Final Days Of Campaign

Celebrity Endorsements Are Dead, And Kamala Proved It

2024 Election

actors

Beyonce

Celebrities

Celebrity

Derek Jeter

Joy Reid

Matt Walsh

MSNBC

Music Industry

Opinion

Taylor Swift

Fans are massively disappointed that pop star <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/beyonce">Beyoncé</a> only made a brief appearance at <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris&#8217;</a> campaign rally in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/houston">Houston</a> over the weekend.
Despite no confirmation that the 32-time Grammy Award winner would perform, rallygoers expected to hear Beyoncé sing and not just speak. The 43-year-old Houston native delivered a speech, which had an estimated attendance of 30,000, and endorsed Harris for the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/2024-election">2024 presidential election</a>.
“I’m here as a mother, a mother who cares about the world our children live in, a world where we have the freedom to control our bodies, a world where we are not divided, our past or present or future,” the singer said.
Instead, the hopeful fans were treated to a concert by 81-year-old country artist Willie Nelson.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl=1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+</a>
Many fans headed to X to complain about Beyoncé deciding not to perform.
“So let me get this straight, Kamala Harris baited people with a free Beyoncé concert and then had Willie Nelson perform,” one social media user <a href="https://x.com/overitall69/status/1850175219442307294">shared</a>. “Talk about a bunch of pissed-off concert-goers.”
“She can’t even deliver on promises to her own followers with a Beyoncé performance, but yes she will totally close the border and stuff,” another <a href="https://x.com/miguelifornia/status/1850152239135920198">said</a> of Harris.
A third accused the Democratic party of baiting voters with a “free Beyoncé concert” and delivering a “washed up Willie Nelson” instead, likening that to the overall tactics of the party.
Beyoncé previously allowed the Harris campaign to use her songs “Freedom” and “Lemonade” for promotional purposes. 
This isn’t the first time the “Texas Hold ‘Em” star was the subject of rumors related to political events. Fans were also left disappointed in August when outlets started reporting that Beyoncé might perform at the Democratic National Convention. Instead, the headliner of the final night’s event was the pop singer Pink.
Helping to fuel the rumors was Beyoncé&#8217;s previous promotion of Democratic politicians. She put on a concert celebrating Hillary Clinton in 2016 and performed at Barack Obama’s second inauguration in 2013.

Beyoncé Fans Are Annoyed She Didn’t Perform At Kamala’s Rally

Beyoncé Fans Are Annoyed She Didn't Perform At Kamala's Rally 

Democrats

Elections

Houston

Kamala Harris

Politics

Texas

Rumors are circulating that pop star <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/beyonce">Beyoncé</a> will appear at a rally for Vice President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a> in her hometown of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/houston">Houston</a> on Friday.
She is set to be joined at the event by her mother, Tina Knowles, and country music singer Willie Nelson, per anonymous sources who spoke to the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2024/10/24/beyonce-kamala-harris-houston-rally/">Washington Post</a>. It’s also being speculated that the 32-time Grammy Award winner will perform at the rally, NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/beyonce-expected-perform-harris-rally-houston-rcna177048">reported</a>.
So far Beyoncé has not officially endorsed Harris for president despite months of speculation and pressure from fans. The pop star did allow her songs “Freedom” and &#8220;Lemonade&#8221; to be used in Harris’ campaign materials, though.
Fans were convinced that Beyoncé would perform on the final night of the Democratic National Convention in August, but those rumors proved unfounded, and no appearance was ever planned. Instead, the final day included a performance by Pink.
The 43-year-old singer joins a host of other famous musicians who have endorsed Harris or appeared on the campaign trail. On Tuesday night, Eminem took the stage to introduce former President Barack Obama at a Harris rally in Detroit. Bruce Springsteen is also headlining rallies in key swing states as the election heats up in its final weeks.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1729077615157000&amp;usg=AOvVaw17Kprl74oE9DYOLREdiBPU">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ COMING TO DAILYWIRE+ OCT. 28</a>
Musical artists who have endorsed Harris include Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Charli XCX, Stevie Wonder, Olivia Rodrigo, Barbara Streisand, and John Legend.
While Beyoncé hasn’t gone all in for Harris yet, she has a history of supporting Democratic candidates.  The recording artist endorsed the Joe Biden/Harris ticket in 2020 and put on a performance celebrating Hillary Clinton in 2016. Beyoncé also performed at Barack Obama’s second inauguration in 2013.
Though Texas is not one of the hotly contested swing states in play, there is a closer Senate race between incumbent Republican Senator Ted Cruz and the Democratic nominee, Representative Colin Allred.
Per the NBC News report, Harris will focus her remarks at the rally on the topic of abortion. Texas is one state that instituted an abortion ban after six weeks of pregnancy following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022.

Beyoncé To Appear With Kamala At Houston Rally

Entertainment

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/morgan-wallen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Morgan Wallen</a> and Chris Stapleton lead the pack for the 2024 Country Music Association Awards, but noticeably absent was even a single nod for singer <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/beyonce">Beyonce</a> following the release of her “Cowboy Carter” album.
On Monday, the <a href="https://www.cmaworld.com/cma-announces-nominees-for-the-58th-annual-cma-awards/">CMAs announced</a> the nominations for the 58th CMA Awards, with Wallen taking the most with seven nominations, followed by five each for Stapleton and Cody Johnson. Relative newcomer rapper Post Malone got four, with up-and-coming country star Lainey Wilson matching those nominations. Country artists like Jelly Roll, Megan Moroney, Kacey Musgraves, Luke Combs, and Luke Bell each took three.
However, Beyonce’s foray into the country music genre with her country and a little bit more album this year didn’t earn her a single nomination, the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/09/arts/music/beyonce-cmas-nominations-cowboy-carter.html">New York Times</a> reported.  
Beyonce’s “Texas Hold ’Em” immediately got everyone’s attention when it ended up going to the top of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/beyonce-tops-country-chart-with-cowboy-carter">Billboard’s Hot 100 Songs chart</a> and Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, where she remained on top for two weeks, the outlet noted. In comparison, Wallen <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/morgan-wallen-one-thing-at-a-time-breaks-record-most-weeks-number-one-billboard-200-country-album-1235628977/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">topped the chart</a> for 19 consecutive weeks, as previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/morgan-wallen-breaks-taylor-swift-record-on-music-chart" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Beyoncé shut out of Country Music Association Awards with no nominations &#8216;Cowboy Carter’ <a href="https://t.co/eL4YZpJsUA">https://t.co/eL4YZpJsUA</a>
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) <a href="https://twitter.com/Phil_Lewis_/status/1833145641599479974?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 9, 2024</a></blockquote>
The 43-year-old singer’s fans took to social media following the announcement to make it clear they weren’t pleased, <a href="https://pagesix.com/2024/09/09/entertainment/beyonce-fans-call-out-cma-awards-for-snubbing-cowboy-carter/">Page Six</a> noted.
“The CMAs have once again deferred to those in the industry who prefer to deny Black artists the recognition they deserve, failing to nominate Beyoncé in a single category this year despite her record-breaking success with TEXAS HOLD ‘EM and<a href="https://x.com/hashtag/COWBOYCARTER?src=hashtag_click"> #COWBOYCARTER</a>,” the person on the Beyonce fan <a href="https://x.com/BeyLegion/status/1833129937215086686">account</a> claimed.
“The [Cowboy Carter] era received overwhelming critical acclaim, commercially-outperformed nearly all other releases this year, and brought millions of new listeners and engagements to the genre,” the person added.
Another person online accused the <a href="https://x.com/getawayonce/status/1833131923104743841">CMA</a> of being racist, without providing any proof, writing on social media “there’s just no f**king way that Bey and Cowboy Carter got completely ignored at the CMAs but f**ka** Post Malone got 4 nominations… this is just racism and there’s no other word for it [Because] Cowboy Carter is one of the biggest albums of the year and it literally put country on the spotlight again this year.”
In the pop star singer’s own words in a post on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4s6Zr7rlwA/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">social media</a> before it released, she previously called “Cowboy Carter” a ‘Beyoncé’ album&#8221; and said “this ain’t a Country album.&#8221;
The CMAs will take place November 20 and air on ABC.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/beyonce-tops-country-chart-with-cowboy-carter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Beyonce Tops Country Chart With ‘Cowboy Carter’</a>

The 56th Annual CMA Awards – Arrivals

Morgan Wallen, Chris Stapleton Lead CMAs, None for Beyonce

Chris Stapleton

Country Music

Morgan Wallen

Despite a report that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/beyonce">Beyoncé</a> would make a surprise appearance at the last night of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/democratic-national-convention">Democratic National Convention</a>, it all turned out to be false.
The entertainment news outlet TMZ admitted the outlet screwed up for reporting the rumor, subsequently fanning the flames. 
“To quote the great Beyonce: We gotta lay our cards down, down, down … we got this one wrong,” the official TMZ X account <a href="https://x.com/TMZ/status/1826841403374403982">posted</a> Thursday night.
“Beyoncé was never scheduled to be there,” a rep <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/politics-news/beyonce-not-attending-2024-dnc-1235982694/">told</a> The Hollywood Reporter. “The report of a performance is untrue.”
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1724211156439000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2-L2DitSaIUj5wz8v0bgxx">Tickets for “Am I Racist?” are on sale NOW! Buy here for a theater near you.</a>
Rumors of a guest appearance from the 32-time Grammy Award winner made sense after the artist allowed Vice President Kamala Harris to use two of her songs for her campaign, including “Lemonade” and “Freedom.” 
Recently, representatives for the artist reportedly sent a cease and desist letter to Republican nominee Donald Trump’s campaign advising him to stop using her song “Freedom” in his promotional material, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/beyonce-becomes-latest-star-upset-with-trump-for-using-her-song-report">reported</a>. 
While plenty of celebrities don’t do official political endorsements, Beyoncé is an exception. The 42-year-old recording artist endorsed the Joe Biden/Harris ticket in 2020 and put on a performance celebrating Hillary Clinton in 2016. Beyoncé also performed at Barack Obama’s second inauguration in 2013.
Taylor Swift’s fans were also hoping for a surprise appearance from the star, but they, too, were left disappointed.
Instead of Beyoncé or Swift, the main <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rabid-abortion-activist-pink-to-perform-at-dnc">musical act</a> of Thursday night was pop singer Pink, accompanied by her 13-year-old daughter, Willow. The duo played her 2017 single “What About Us” before Harris took the stage for her acceptance speech.
<a href="http://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1724211156439000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2xQ8bdTcpfdrPBAzczIuck">WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI</a>
The Chicks also played an a cappella version of “The Star Spangled Banner” during Thursday’s events at the DNC. 
Other musical performances throughout the week included Stevie Wonder, John Legend with Sheila E., and country singer Maren Morris. Rapper Lil Jon appeared Tuesday to perform “Turn Down for What” and a politics-themed remix of “Get Low.”
Jason Isbell, Patti LaBelle, Mickey Guyton, and Common with Jonathan McReynolds also contributed to the musical acts of the week.

Beyoncé Didn’t Perform At DNC Despite Report, TMZ Admits ‘We Got This One Wrong’

Beyoncé Didn't Perform At DNC Despite Rampant Rumors, TMZ Admits 'We Got This One Wrong'

Democratic National Convention

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/beyonce">Beyoncé</a> has reportedly become the latest star upset with former President Donald Trump for using her song as part of his presidential campaign.
The 42-year-old singer’s record label and publisher issued a cease-and-desist letter to the Trump campaign after it used her song “Freedom” in a social media video featuring Trump, <a href="https://www.billboard.com/pro/beyonce-label-sends-donald-trump-cease-and-desist-freedom-use/?utm_source=instagram&amp;tum_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=feed&amp;utm_medium=referral">Billboard</a> magazine reported.
In a video posted on X, Trump’s campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung shared a clip with the song being played as images showed Trump stepping off a plane.
Shortly after news broke about the singer’s label threatening to block the use of the song by the Republican presidential nominee’s campaign, the video was deleted, The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/article/2024/aug/22/beyonce-blocks-trump-use-of-her-song-freedom-kamala-harris">Guardian</a> noted.
It comes after Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign had started using the song at campaign events and even unveiled a new a cappella version in an ad played at the DNC, the outlet noted. The singer reportedly gave <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kamala-harris">Harris</a> permission to use the song during her <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/2024-election">campaign</a>.
Per <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/22/entertainment/beyonce-freedom-harris-campaign/index.html">CNN</a>, a source close to Harris revealed that the team asked to use the song from the 2016 album “Lemonade.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Beyonće has sent the Donald Trump campaign a cease-and-desist letter over the use of her song ‘Freedom’—which has become Kamala Harris’ unofficial campaign song—in a video on social media.
READ MORE: <a href="https://t.co/UytEpgDNbd">https://t.co/UytEpgDNbd</a> <a href="https://t.co/CWaUIpUWXF">pic.twitter.com/CWaUIpUWXF</a>
— The Project (@theprojecttv) <a href="https://twitter.com/theprojecttv/status/1826471688302625161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2024</a></blockquote>
The “Single Ladies” hitmaker is only the latest celebrity performer to get mad that Trump used their song during his campaign. On August 11, the family of late singer/songwriter Isaac Hayes sued the Trump campaign for what it said was the unauthorized use of one of Hayes’ songs at presidential “campaign rallies from 2022-2024,” as previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-camp-being-sued-by-family-of-late-singer-for-using-song-at-rallies">reported</a>.
Hayes’ family is demanding “not less than” a “$3 million payment” in licensing fees from Trump and his campaign for using the song the late singer co-wrote with David Portner in 1966 for Sam &amp; Dave, called “Hold on, I’m Coming,” at his rallies, <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/politics-news/isaac-hayes-family-sues-trump-campaign-hold-on-im-coming-1235972088/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to The Hollywood Reporter.
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Earlier this month, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/celine-dion">Celine Dion</a>’s management team on behalf of Dion and her record label released a statement about how her song, “My Heart Will Go On,” from the “Titanic” soundtrack, was played at the Trump-JD Vance rally in Bozeman, as previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/really-that-song-celine-dion-gets-mad-at-trump-for-titanic-rally-music-choice">reported</a>.
“Today, Celine Dion’s management team and her record label, Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc., became aware of the unauthorized usage of the video, recording, musical performance, and likeness of Celine Dion singing ‘My Heart Will Go On’ at a Donald Trump / JD Vance campaign rally in Montana,” the statement read.  
“In no way is this use authorized, and Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use,” the statement added. “…And really, THAT song?”
Other artists who have gotten upset at Trump using their songs include the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rolling-stones-threaten-to-sue-donald-trump-over-use-of-songs">Rolling Stones</a>, Rihanna, and Axl Rose, The <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/celine-dion-slams-trump-rally-use-song-my-heart-will-go-on-1235971534/">Hollywood Reporter noted</a>.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/beyonce-gives-kamala-harris-permission-to-use-song-freedom-for-campaign-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Beyoncé Gives Kamala Harris Permission To Use Song ‘Freedom’ For Campaign: Report</a>

Beyonce-2

Beyoncé Becomes Latest Star Upset With Trump For Using Her Song: Report

Beyonce Becomes Latest Star Upset With Trump For Using Her Song: Report 

Donald Trump

Singer <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/beyonce">Beyoncé</a> reportedly gave Vice President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a> permission to use her song “Freedom” during her newly announced <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/2024-election">presidential campaign</a>.
Per <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/22/entertainment/beyonce-freedom-harris-campaign/index.html">CNN</a>, a source close to Harris revealed that the team asked to use the song from the 2016 album “Lemonade.” Harris walked out to the song just hours later during her first official visit to her campaign headquarters. 
The single features Kendrick Lamar and includes the lyrics, “Freedom, Freedom/Where are you?/‘Cause I need freedom, too/I break chains all by myself/Won’t let my freedom rot in hell/Hey! I’ma keep running/‘Cause a winner don’t quit on themselves.”
Beyoncé has not officially endorsed Harris for president, but she does have a history of putting support behind Democratic candidates. 
She sang the national anthem at President Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2013 and performed with her husband, Jay-Z, at a pre-election concert for Hillary Clinton in 2016.
“I want my daughter to grow up seeing a woman lead our country and knowing that her possibilities are limitless,” the Grammy Award-winning singer said at the time, per CNN. “And that’s why I am with her.”
Beyoncé also publicly endorsed Biden ahead of the 2020 election.
While the recording artist hasn’t endorsed Harris for president yet, her mother <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C9tG5ypyakm/?hl=en">voiced support</a> for the VP on social media.
In 2020, Harris walked out to Mary J. Blige’s 2007 song “Work That” for her victory speech after she and Biden won the election.
The VP also got the support of British pop singer Charli XCX, who posted the slogan “Kamala IS Brat” in reference to her current album. Harris’ campaign staffers <a href="https://www.nbcwashington.com/decision-2024/kamala-is-brat-harris-presidential-campaign-adopts-gen-z-charli-xcx-meme/3671571/">reposted</a> the endorsement on social media plus started using the album’s neon green color and making “Brat”-themed memes.
<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqqlgq7k374o">According</a> to Charli, the term &#8220;brat&#8221; conceptually represents someone who might have &#8220;a pack of cigs, a Bic lighter and a strappy white top with no bra.&#8221; The musician was discovered on Myspace in 2008 and is popular with Gen Z.

Beyoncé Gives Kamala Harris Permission To Use Song ‘Freedom’ For Campaign: Report

Beyoncé Gives Kamala Harris Permission To Use Song 'Freedom' For Campaign: Report

singer

Singer <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/celebrities">Courtney Love</a> had some criticism for some fellow <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/music">recording artists</a>, which she candidly shared during a recently published <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/courtney-love-bbc-6-music-interview-taylor-swift-b1151094.html">interview</a> with U.K.-based outlet The Standard.
The 59-year-old took aim at <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/taylor-swift">Taylor Swift</a>, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/lana-del-rey">Lana Del Rey</a>, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/madonna">Madonna</a>, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/beyonce">Beyoncé</a> specifically.
“Taylor is not important,” Love told the outlet of the global pop star. “She might be a safe space for girls, and she’s probably the Madonna of now, but she’s not interesting as an artist.”
The alt-rocker said she and the Material Girl don’t get along, either. 
“I don’t like her and she doesn’t like me,” Love said of Madonna. “I loved [the 1985 American comedy-drama film] ‘Desperately Seeking Susan,’ but for the city of New York as much as her.”
At another point in the interview, the former Hole band member said she’s also not a fan of Beyoncé’s new album, Cowboy Carter. 
“I mean, I like the idea of Beyoncé doing a country record because it’s about black women going into spaces where previously only white women have been allowed, not that I like it much. As a concept, I love it. I just don’t like her music,” she explained.
She also voiced her critique of Grammy-nominated singer Del Rey: “I haven’t liked Lana since she covered a John Denver song, and I think she should really take seven years off. Up until ‘Take Me Home Country Roads,’ I thought she was great. When I was recording my new album, I had to stop listening to her as she was influencing me too much.” 
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Love went on to say that contemporary artists overall sound too much alike. “It’s great that there are so many successful women in the music industry, but lots of them are becoming a cliché,” she told the outlet. “Now, every successful woman is cloned, so there is just too much music. They’re all the same. If you play something on Spotify, you get bombarded with a lot of stuff that’s exactly the same.”
Love is best known for her rise to fame in the alternative and grunge scenes of the 1990s as a member of the band Hole, plus for her marriage to fellow rock star Kurt Cobain. She also appeared in several films in the early 2000s.

Courtney Love

Courtney Love Disses Fellow Musicians, Calls Taylor Swift ‘Not Important,’ ‘Not Interesting’

Courtney Love Disses Fellow Musicians, Calls Taylor Swift 'Not Important,' 'Not Interesting'

Lana Del Rey

Madonna

U.S.

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/megyn-kelly-calls-beyonces-jolene-anything-but-empowering" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Beyonce</a> topped Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart with “Cowboy Carter,” which also debuted in the number one spot on the Billboard 200 country music chart and has sold more albums in 2024 than any others.
The 42-year-old pop singer’s foray into country music was released on March 29 debuting with 407,000 equivalent album units, as of the week ending April 4, <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/beyonce-cowboy-carter-number-one-billboard-200-country-albums-chart-1235650662/">Billboard</a> magazine reported.
The singer also topped the Americana/Folk Albums and Top Album Sales charts with &#8220;Cowboy Carter,&#8221;  that brings her version of such famed songs as Dolly Parton’s “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/megyn-kelly-calls-beyonces-jolene-anything-but-empowering">Jolene</a>” and Paul McCartney’s “Blackbird,” the outlet noted.
“Cowboy Carter” gave Beyonce her biggest week, by units, since the release of her “Lemonade” album in 2016, which debuted in No. 1 with 653,000 units (mostly from traditional album sales). Her latest, has also given the pop star her biggest streaming week ever and she became the first black woman ever to lead the Top Country Albums list, dating back to January 1964, when it launched.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
With ‘Cowboy Carter,’ <a href="https://twitter.com/Beyonce?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Beyonce</a> Becomes First Black Woman to Lead Top Country Albums Chart <a href="https://t.co/Tb8Y8SqtEq">https://t.co/Tb8Y8SqtEq</a>
— billboard (@billboard) <a href="https://twitter.com/billboard/status/1777430085248684381?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2024</a></blockquote>
“Cowboy Carter” claimed the biggest week for a country album, by units, since <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/taylor-swift-fans-cause-earthquake-during-la-concert-seismologists-find" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Taylor Swift’</a>s release of “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),&#8221; which opened in July last year with 716,000 units.
The new album became Beyonce’s eighth No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, breaking her out of a tie with Janet Jackson now with the fourth-most toppers among women. It brings her closer to beating Madonna with nine, Barbra Streisand&#8217;s 11, and Swift who leads with 12, <a href="https://variety.com/2024/music/news/beyonces-cowboy-carter-number-one-album-sold-1235963405/">Variety magazine</a> noted.
Beyonce’s country album includes songs like “Texas Hold’ Em,” “16 Carriages,” and the remake of Parton’s 1973 hit “Jolene.” However, it is Beyonce’s cover of Parton&#8217;s song that has generated more <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/beyonce-misses-the-point-with-forgettable-jolene-cover">headlines</a> than any of her other new songs on the album.
Daily Wire podcast host Matt Walsh <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1337-the-most-anti-christian-president-in-history-declares-easter-transgender-day-of-visibility-1">said</a> on his April 1 show, “What makes this song unique and interesting, which has caused it to resonate over the five decades since it’s been made, is the vulnerability, and the heartbreak, and the longing in the lyrics and the performance.” Walsh said the insecurity of the main character in Parton’s song is what makes her so relatable. The fact that Beyoncé chose to strip it away made the song demonstrably worse.
Daily Wire host Michael Knowles went even deeper, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1458-the-trans-day-of-visibility1">saying</a> that Beyoncé’s “Jolene” was a statement on how modern society views marriage, divorce, and starting over after two decades of marriage.
“Women have a special power,” Knowles says. “They have a seductive power to them. That’s real. You gotta be on guard, if you’re the wife, if you’re Dolly Parton, or if you’re the husband. We deny all this though. We deny it at our peril. Is it any wonder that the thing that’s supposed to be protected, the marriage, the family, is falling apart?”
Amanda Harding contributed to this piece.
&nbsp;

2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards – Show

Beyonce Tops Country Chart With ‘Cowboy Carter’

Beyonce Tops Country Chart With 'Cowboy Carter'

Dolly Parton

Hollywood

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/megyn-kelly" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Megyn Kelly</a> called Beyoncé&#8217;s latest version of Dolly Parton&#8217;s song &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/beyonce-misses-the-point-with-forgettable-jolene-cover" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jolene</a>&#8221; anything but empowering, despite what &#8220;Queen Bey&#8221; may have hoped to have portrayed.
During &#8220;The Megyn Kelly Show&#8221; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0s5UZ7N2R4">podcast</a> on Friday, Kelly talked about Beyoncé&#8217;s &#8220;bada** b****&#8221; version of &#8220;Jolene&#8221; on her album &#8220;Cowboy Carter&#8221; and why she thinks it completely misses the mark, referencing an <a href="https://unherd.com/2024/04/has-beyonce-killed-jolene/">article</a> that she said explained how she felt.
&#8220;The original &#8216;Jolene&#8217; is a story about a woman feeling threatened by another woman who&#8217;s prettier and more alluring,&#8221; the host said. &#8220;And she&#8217;s basically begging her not to steal her man. That she can do it. She flatters her … but please don’t because I love him and I could never love anybody as much.&#8221;
&#8220;Then of course because it&#8217;s &#8216;Queen Bey,&#8217; we have to change it to be &#8216;f***ing take my man, I will hurt you b****…'&#8221;  she added. &#8220;And it&#8217;s much more, like, threatening, which I guess Beyoncé and Team Bey think is what empowerment looks like. For now, the threatened woman is just threatening to another woman who she thinks might have designs on her life partner…&#8221;
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Beyonce&#039;s Cover Of &quot;Jolene&quot; - Insecurity Disguised as Feminism? With MK Ham &amp; Bridget Phetasy" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/q0s5UZ7N2R4?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
&#8220;And I have to say, I don&#8217;t find this empowering at all,&#8221; Kelly continued. &#8220;There&#8217;s something strange about what&#8217;s happening with the modern day definition of what a strong woman is. You can&#8217;t have any vulnerabilities or insecurities. You have to be this bada** b**** who&#8217;s, like, threatening, &#8216;F***ing a, you mess with my man.&#8217; And it&#8217;s to me, it&#8217;s a turnoff. &#8230; The true power move is not to worry, and not to have to worry. But Beyoncé couldn&#8217;t quite get there…&#8221;
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The host of the show pointed to the article again and said she agreed that there is something strange happening in our culture that &#8220;strong female characters&#8221; are now just basically &#8220;men with tits.&#8221;
&#8220;Why did we have to go from women shouldn&#8217;t work, women should only have babies, women aren&#8217;t strong, women are too emotional, women have to be locked up for their hysterics if they express tears or anxiety,&#8221; Kelly said. &#8220;To women have no emotion, women are total ballbusters, and showing any softness, tears, empathy, vulnerability, insecurity is somehow non-feminine, and no longer acceptable in what an ideal woman is.&#8221;
&#8220;Well, I think it was a swing and a miss,” she added about Beyoncé’s &#8220;Jolene&#8221; and referenced <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2024/03/beyonce-jolene-cover-dolly-parton/677923/">The Atlantic</a> critic who wrote, &#8220;Beyoncé replaced the vulnerability that made &#8216;Jolene&#8217; one of the best tunes of all time with a bunch of bad-b**** cliches.&#8221;
&#8220;If you listen to the whole song, all the lyrics are changed,&#8221; Kelly continued. &#8220;She&#8217;s changed the entire meaning of the song &#8230; this is an entirely different message and I don&#8217;t buy it.&#8221;

Key Speakers At Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Conference

Megyn Kelly Calls Beyoncé’s ‘Jolene’ Anything But Empowering

Feminism

Megyn Kelly

Despite many <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/music">music</a> fans weighing in on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/beyonce">Beyoncé&#8217;s</a> cover of the classic 1973 Dolly Parton single “Jolene,” one country star is opting to stay out of it.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/reba-mcentire">Reba McEntire</a> had a short and definitive response when asked by a <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2024/04/04/reba-mcentire-laugh-joy-behar-dolly-parton-jolene-anti-feminist-beyonce/">TMZ</a> interviewer, &#8220;Do you prefer one [version] over the other?&#8221;
&#8220;Nope [&#8230;] bye!&#8221; McEntire replied.
The interviewer asked during the same conversation what the “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/country-music">Queen of Country</a>” thinks about Beyoncé experimenting with the genre on her latest album release, Act II: Cowboy Carter.
“Oh, lots of great things,” McEntire said. “I think she is wonderful and am glad to have her in country.”
Reviews of the song have been mixed so far, with critics questioning Beyoncé’s decision to drastically change the lyrics and overall tone of the song. While Parton’s “Jolene” presents an insecure and vulnerable narrator afraid of losing her man, Beyoncé’s version is full of threats and posturing. 
Parton seemed to appreciate the new spin, however, sharing her support via Instagram on the day of the new song’s release. “Wow, I just heard Jolene. Beyoncé is giving that girl some trouble and she deserves it!” the country music legend <a href="https://twitter.com/DollyParton/status/1773785045230030897">wrote</a>.
Beyoncé previously said her decision to dabble in the country genre was inspired in part by negative experiences she previously had with that audience. The Grammy Award winner said she faced backlash after performing alongside The Chicks at the 2016 CMA’s. 
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She also claimed the new release wasn’t really country. “This ain’t a Country album. This is a ‘Beyoncé’ album,” she wrote on Instagram when announcing the new album. 
“Jolene” wasn’t the only cover featured on the new album. Former Beatles band member Paul McCartney had words of praise for Beyoncé’s version of the song, “Blackbird.”
“I am so happy with @beyonce’s version of my song ‘Blackbird.’ 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,” McCartney said in an Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C5WHmjnNPZj/">post</a>. “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!”
“I spoke to her on FaceTime and she thanked me for writing it and letting her do it,” he continued. “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.”

Reba McEntire

Reba McEntire Gives Two-Word Response When Asked To Weigh In On Beyoncé’s And Dolly Parton’s Versions Of ‘Jolene’

Reba McEntire Gives Two-Word Response When Asked To Weigh In On Beyoncé's And Dolly Parton's Versions Of 'Jolene'

Music

A lot has been said about Beyoncé’s new Cowboy Carter album, and even more about her decision to put her own spin on the classic Dolly Parton single, “Jolene.”
It’s not the first time a modern artist has covered the song and it likely won’t be the last. The controversy, then, lies in how the Grammy Award-winning singer chose to change the meaning. 
Fans call it a triumph, insisting it’s an example of Beyoncé refusing to play the victim to a would-be man stealer. Others claim the vulnerability was the point of the song. These critics can’t help but question: if Beyonce didn’t agree with the central message in “Jolene,” why didn’t she just write a new song?
This seems like a silly question in today’s era of remakes, reboots, and never-ending franchises. True originality is a rare commodity in the music industry, but for someone with as many accolades and devotees as Beyoncé, one could argue that there isn’t a better place for it to come from. The “Single Ladies” singer didn’t have to worry about dealing with a woman with “flaming locks of auburn hair” when fans have been talking about “<a href="https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/beyonce-and-becky-with-the-good-hair-what-to-know/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Becky with the good hair</a>” since 2016.
The original “Jolene” was written and recorded by Parton in 1973. It was named Rolling Stone magazine’s 500 greatest songs of all time and has been covered by many artists over the years with varying degrees of success. The single was nominated for the Grammy Awards for Best Female Country Vocal Performance in both 1975 and 1976.
<div id="attachment_719441" style="width: 395px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-719441" class="size-large wp-image-719441" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-86099610-385x576.jpg" alt="UNSPECIFIED - JANUARY 01: Photo of Dolly PARTON (Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns)" width="385" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-86099610-385x576.jpg 385w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-86099610-200x300.jpg 200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-86099610.jpg 684w" sizes="(max-width: 385px) 100vw, 385px" />Richard E. Aaron/Redferns</div>
Parton said the song was <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/glastonbury-2014-so-whos-jolene-9574451.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inspired by</a> a red-headed bank employee who flirted with her husband, Carl Dean, when they were first married. She took the name “Jolene” from a fan encounter. Throughout the lyrics, Parton pleads with a beautiful woman not to “steal her man” just because “she can.”
“You could have your choice of men/but I will never love again,” Parton pleads. 
The main criticism with Beyoncé’s cover is how she changes the entire meaning from vulnerability to aggression. The newest version’s main character doesn’t plead with Jolene, but rather threatens her with harm if she tried to steal away the man in question.
&#8220;Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene/I’m warning you, don’t come for my man/Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene/Don’t take the chance because you think you can,&#8221; Beyoncé sings in the intro.
And while the “Crazy In Love” singer concedes that her competition has “beauty beyond compare,” she still claims that’s not enough to persuade her man away. “Takes more than beauty and seductive stares/To come between a family and a happy man,&#8221; Beyoncé’s lyrics say. &#8220;Jolene, I’m a woman too/Thе games you play are nothing new/So you don’t want no hеat with me, Jolene.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_719439" style="width: 817px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-719439" class="size-large wp-image-719439" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2131561542-807x576.jpg" alt="LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 01: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) (L-R) Beyoncé accepts the Innovator Award from Stevie Wonder onstage during the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California on April 01, 2024. Broadcasted live on FOX. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)" width="807" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2131561542-807x576.jpg 807w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2131561542-300x214.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2131561542-768x548.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2131561542.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 807px) 100vw, 807px" />Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartRadio</div>
Meanwhile, Parton admits in her version that her man is being tempted to stray. &#8220;He talks about you in his sleep/And there&#8217;s nothin&#8217; I can do to keep/From cryin&#8217; when he calls your name, Jolene,&#8221; Parton’s version says. &#8220;And I can easily understand/How you could easily take my man/But you don&#8217;t know what he means to me, Jolene.&#8221;
Beyoncé tells her rival things aren’t so simple. &#8220;We’ve been deep in love for 20 years/I raised that man, I raised his kids/I know my man better than he knows himself (what),&#8221; she sings. &#8220;I can easily understand why you’re attracted to my man/But you don’t want this smoke, so shoot your shot with someone else (you heard me).&#8221;
Later, Beyoncé calls herself a “queen” and issues her final warning. &#8220;I’m still a Creole banjee b*tch from Louisianne (don’t try me)/There’s a thousand girls in every room/That act as desperate as you do/You a bird, go on and sing your tune, Jolene (what),&#8221; she sings. &#8220;I had to have this talk with you/‘Cause I hate to have to act a fool/Your peace depends on how you move, Jolene.&#8221;
Even though the whole meaning of the song is changed with Beyoncé’s version, Parton has been publicly supportive. She said as much on <a href="https://twitter.com/DollyParton/status/1773785045230030897" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a> on March 29, the same day as “Cowboy Carter” was released. &#8220;Wow, I just heard Jolene. Beyoncé is giving that girl some trouble and she deserves it!” the country music legend wrote.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
❤️ <a href="https://t.co/6hRpwERG8O">pic.twitter.com/6hRpwERG8O</a>
&mdash; Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) <a href="https://twitter.com/DollyParton/status/1773785045230030897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Mainstream critics mostly saw the “Jolene” cover as harmless but forgettable. The Washington Post reviewer <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/2024/03/30/beyonce-cowboy-carter-review/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">described</a> the single as a “lower-hanging tribute” while Rolling Stone <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/beyonce-cowboy-carter-review-1234996919/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> it was “cheeky and humorous … even if it doesn’t add much.”
Slate critic Carl Wilson addressed the most obvious criticism, <a href="https://slate.com/culture/2024/03/beyonce-cowboy-carter-album-review-country.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a> that removing the pleading and insecurity kills the essence of the message.
“Why do ‘Jolene’ if you’re going to remove the most unique and powerful element of the song, that the narrator is baring her vulnerability and asking the mercy of her rival? That’s something that a post-Lemonade Beyoncé could never do, so she reduces it to a generic boast track about the greatness of her own marriage,” he wrote.
Daily Wire podcast hosts had similar problems with Beyoncé’s version of “Jolene.” As Matt Walsh <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1337-the-most-anti-christian-president-in-history-declares-easter-transgender-day-of-visibility-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on his April 1 show, “What makes this song unique and interesting, which has caused it to resonate over the five decades since it’s been made, is the vulnerability, and the heartbreak, and the longing in the lyrics and the performance.”
He described the woman in Parton’s song as “insecure, fearful” and “desperately in love with a man who she believes she cannot afford to lose.”
Walsh said the insecurity of the main character in Parton’s song is what makes her so relatable. The fact that Beyoncé chose to strip it away made the song demonstrably worse.
“Just when you think that Beyoncé might be growing ever so slightly as an artist and a person, she proves you wrong,” the podcast host added. “It turns out she has taken this song full of pain and yearning and emotional honesty and turned it into yet another mediocre girl boss anthem. She has, in other words, taken everything that makes the song great and replaced it with everything that makes modern pop music terrible.”
Walsh goes on to argue that if the beautiful woman in the song isn’t a worry because Beyoncé is such a perfect, incomparable queen, then the tension and longing in the song is gone, rendering the whole message emotionless and pointless.
Daily Wire host Michael Knowles went even deeper, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1458-the-trans-day-of-visibility1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a> that Beyoncé’s “Jolene” was a statement on how modern society views marriage, divorce, and starting over after two decades of marriage.
“Women have a special power,” Knowles says. “They have a seductive power to them. That’s real. You gotta be on guard, if you’re the wife, if you’re Dolly Parton, or if you’re the husband. We deny all this though. We deny it at our peril. Is it any wonder that the thing that’s supposed to be protected, the marriage, the family, is falling apart?”

Beyoncé Misses The Point With Forgettable ‘Jolene’ Cover

Beyoncé Misses The Point With Forgettable 'Jolene' Cover

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