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

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

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 the most popular variant 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, community cards ...

". The song was a

surprise release A surprise album or surprise release is an album or single 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 form of sing ...

and debuted during

Super Bowl LVIII Super Bowl LVIII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2023 NFL season, 2023 season. A rematch of Super Bowl LIV four years prior, the American Football Conference (AFC) 20 ...

on February 11, 2024, through Parkwood Entertainment and

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

. "16 Carriages" is a

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

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. At the

67th Annual Grammy Awards The 67th Annual Grammy Awards honored the best recordings, compositions, and artists from September 16, 2023, to August 30, 2024, as chosen by the members of the Recording Academy, on February 2, 2025. In its 22nd year at Crypto.com Arena in L ...

it was nominated for Best Country Solo Performance. Commercially the song 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 along with digital sales and streaming. ...

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

Background and release

Verizon Verizon Communications Inc. ( ), is an American telecommunications company headquartered in New York City. It is the world's second-largest telecommunications company by revenue and its mobile network is the largest wireless carrier in the ...

, an American multinational telecommunications company, released a short Super Bowl teaser with American actor and comedian

Tony Hale Anthony Russell Hale (born September 30, 1970) is an American actor and comedian. He is most known for his comedic leading roles in the Fox series '' Arrested Development'' as Buster Bluth, and as Gary Walsh on the HBO series '' Veep''. For the ...

squeezing lemons, referencing Beyoncé's sixth studio album, ''

Lemonade Lemonade is a sweetened lemon-flavored drink. There are many varieties of lemonade found throughout the world. In some parts of the world, lemonade refers to an un-carbonated, traditionally, homemade drink, using lemon juice, water, and a sw ...

'' (2016). Another teaser commercial was released featuring Hale and the horse depicted on the cover of Beyoncé's seventh studio album ''

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

'' (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 A lemonade stand is a business that is commonly owned and operated by a child or children, to sell lemonade. The concept has become iconic of youthful summertime American culture to the degree that parodies and variations on the concept exist ...

, 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 an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

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''. 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 percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...

and

steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...

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 and Dave Hamelin; it was co-written by Knowles, Boggs, Hamelin, and

Raphael Saadiq Raphael Saadiq (; born Charles Ray Wiggins; May 14, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He rose to prominence as a vocalist and bassist for the R&B band Tony! Toni! Toné!, which he formed with h ...

. Robert Randolph and Justin Schipper were credited as the players of the steel guitar. Beyoncé wore a hat designed by Gladys Tamez, 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, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'', Randolph explained the recording session in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

with Beyoncé,

Rhiannon Giddens Rhiannon Giddens (born February 21, 1977) is an American musician known for her eclectic folk music. She is a founding member of the country, blues, and old-time music band the Carolina Chocolate Drops, where she was the lead singer, fiddle pl ...

, Saadiq and Khirye Tyler:

Critical reception

"16 Carriages" received widespread acclaim from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

. Chris Willman of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' stated that the song is lyrically associable with Beyoncé's " Daddy Lessons" song from her sixth studio album ''

'' (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 advertis ...

'' 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 lineup comprised Beyoncé, Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams (singer), Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Hou ...

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 Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' described the song as a

Halo HALO, halo, halos or haloes may refer to: Most common meanings * Halo (optical phenomenon) * Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head * ''Halo'' (franchise), a sci-fi video game series (2001–2021) Arts and en ...

'-proportioned" country song with "

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

and

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

-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 Lack may refer to: Places * Lack, County Fermanagh, a townland in Northern Ireland * Lack, Poland * Łąck, Poland * Lack Township, Juniata County, Pennsylvania, US Other uses * Lack (surname) * Lack (manque), a term in Lacan's psychoanalyti ...

work song A work song is a piece of music closely connected to a form of work, either one sung while conducting a task (usually to coordinate timing) or one linked to a task that may be a connected narrative, description, or protest song. An example is " I ...

" for "claiming country as part of Black musical expression". Ben Sisario of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' 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'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

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

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.

Live performances

2024 NFL Halftime show

On December 25, 2024, Beyoncé debuted "16 Carriages" live as the opening song of her 2024 NFL Halftime Show set list.

Cowboy Carter Tour

Beyoncé included "16 Carriages" as part of the

Cowboy Carter Tour The Cowboy Carter Tour (full title Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin' Circuit Tour) is the ongoing tenth concert tour by American singer and songwriter Beyoncé, in support of her eighth studio album, ''Cowboy Carter'' (2024). An all-stadium ...

, singing on a flying car across the audience every show.

Accolades

Personnel and credits

Performers *Vocals by Beyoncé Musicians * Atia "INK" Boggs – guitars *Lemar Carter – drums * Dave Hamelin – 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 * Atia "INK" Boggs – production * Matheus Braz – engineering assistance * Dave Hamelin – production, recording engineering *Hotae Alexander Jang – recording engineering * Colin Leonard – mastering engineering *Andrea Roberts –

Pro Tools Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed and released by Avid Technology (formerly Digidesign) for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It is used for music creation and production, sound for picture (sound design, audio post-productio ...

engineering *

– additional production * Stuart White – additional production, Beyoncé vocal recording, mixing engineering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Footnotes

References

{{Beyoncé songs 2024 songs 2024 singles 2020s ballads 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