Beyoncé embraced her inner cowgirl tonight, taking the stage at the 50th annual Country Music Association Awards.
Bey performed her Lemonade track “DADDY LESSONS” with the help of the Dixie Chicks, who sang the song’s second verse. As an added bonus, the country icons weaved in a portion of their own classic, “Long Time Gone.” The Dixie Chicks posted a studio version of the “DADDY LESSONS” mashup on their website.
The Dixie Chicks and Beyoncé shouted out their Texas hometown to kick off the Bey’s first CMAs performance. Aside from the Lone Star State connection, the collaboration is not too surprising—the Dixie Chicks covered “DADDY LESSONS” on their tour this summer:
Word of the performance spread on the internet earlier today, after Good Morning America’s Twitter account confirmed the whispers. Dixie Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines says Bey invited the country stars to join her on stage:
Wynter Gordon and Kevin Cossom wrote “Daddy Lessons” two years ago with Bey in mind. Cossom spoke on the song’s country influence in an interview with Billboard:
It felt more folk than country, but I think people naturally interpreted it for country. I think folk is a sister of soul as well. It’s not too far from what we already feel or do. It’s just changing the music format, making it more organic naturally.
As for “Long Time Gone,” the track was originally recorded by Darrell Scott in 2000—its final verse is a critique on the state of country music. The Dixie Chicks' covered the song two years later, winning a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.
You can read all of the lyrics for Beyoncé’s “DADDY LESSONS” and the Dixie Chicks' “Long Time Gone” here on Genius.
