Here’s Why Beyoncé Changing Lanes Really Isn’t A Big Deal
Alright, everyone is talking about the Beyoncé new album. So I’ve decided to jump in on this conversation. Everyone has their opinion about this thing. Most people have called it a country album. Bae Bae herself calls it a Beyoncé album.
And then there’s country singer and former Dukes Of Hazzard star, John Schneider. Who equated Beyonce’s venture into the genre as a dog marking its territory. In case you missed it, Schneider told Huffington Post, “They’ve got to make their mark, just like a dog in a dog walk park…You know, every dog has to mark every tree, right?”
The New Beyoncé Album – A Genre Bending Snowflake Melter
Look, what I’ve heard of the new Beyoncé album isn’t my jam at all. However, I do ask what all the fuss is about. I mean we had no issue when Dolly Parton released a Rock & Roll album. Sure, we didn’t buy it. But we didn’t give her a hard time about it either.
Jelly Roll started out as a rapper, selling hip-hop tapes out of the back of his car. Now he’s one of the biggest country music stars around. He just won a Country Music Association Award, cbsnews.com reported.
Um, Kid Rock anyone? (None for me, thanks though.)
So what’s the issue with Beyoncé doing a country album? Is it that she decided not to live in the box we designated for her? She’s not ‘staying in her lane”? The “know your role” rule? Or is it that she covered “Jolene.” An epic Dolly Parton song?
Well kids, get over it.
Related: You Love Neil Diamond, And It’s Okay To Admit It
Even Dolly herself wanted Beyoncé to cover her ode to another woman trying to steal her man. According to ctvnews.ca, Dolly mentioned Beyoncé specifically when she was talking about who would do a great cover of “Jolene.” Dolly told CTV News, “That would be a marvelous day in my life if she ever does ‘Jolene'”.
Dolly said in that interview that Beyoncé could make “Jolene” a powerhouse song like Whitney Houston did with “I Will Always Love You.” And while Beyoncé changed some lyrics to make it more of a modern woman song, she didn’t change the tone of the tune.
There have been other genre bending snowflake melters in the past. Ok, maybe snowflakes didn’t melt. That’s a new phenomenon. What I’m saying is that an artist from one genre covering another genre isn’t new. Its just new to be all bent out of shape over it. Let’s take a look at some others.
Epic Original Songs And Their Genre Bending Covers
“Girls Just Want To Have Fun” – Cover: Cyndi Lauper – This song haunted me as a kid. It was on the radio every five seconds. Plus MTV beat it up as well. You, or at least I, could not escape this travesty when it was “hot.”
“Girls Just Want To Have Fun” – Original: Robert Hazard
Yes, this song was weird when Cyndi Lauper sang it. It’s an over-the-top, sappy, pop song. So sugary it could give you diabetes. But a dude singing it? Well, That’s just creepy. Check out this original version of the song.
“Temptation” – Cover: Cradle of Filth
You’ve got to love it when a death/black/whatever-kind-of-metal-this-is band takes on some super cheese 80’s new wave song. I’m not sure about the artistic value, but the comedic value of this cover is off the charts!
“Temptation” – Original: Heaven 17
These guys were fairly big, almost as big as their pants were in their original 1983 video. And that video was just as epically worthy of mockery as Cradle Of Filth’s version. “Let Me Go” is their big hit, but this tune was mildly successful.
“Boyz in the Hood” – Cover: Dynamite Hack
Genre bending doesn’t even begin to describe this piece of art. Not only did it bend, but it twisted, turned and poured milk all over N.W.A.’s masterpiece. If you haven’t heard it, check it out here.
“Boyz in the Hood” – Original: N.W.A.
The OG’s of offending people, especially Tipper Gore. We have warning labels on music now, because N.W.A. came out and just didn’t give a f—. Or is too many that they gave? Whatever it is, these guys took melting snowflakes to a whole new level.
*This video is NSFW, P.S. So put those headphones on before you blast this video and get called into HR.
I’m sure these covers caused just as much outrage when they first came out. But now they’re just on a list of covers that DJs like me use to prove that the latest outrage is no big deal. So let’s just skip to the part where we all insult each others’ music genre and fast-forward to the part where we don’t care anymore. Cool? Cool.