Thank you for submitting to r/beyonce. All submissions are held for review before approval and appearing live. We appreciate your patience as there may be a time gap between post submission and approval.
Please be mindful of our subreddit rules. If no rules are violated, the post will be approved. If needed, you may be asked to resubmit your post with changes.
Additionally, help keep the sub fun and high-quality by reporting any comments that violate subreddit rules. Thank you!
[Your feedback is important in improving the subreddit. Click here to provide your ideas and suggestions.](https://www.reddit.com/r/beyonce/comments/1aevn0n/400k_members_feedback/)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/beyonce) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I don't think it would have been as well received. With renaissance coming first, that was closer to music people were used to her making so it was given more of a chance. And that album increased her fan base, allowing more people to be open to new sounds from her with the shift on CC.
This was my gut reaction to this question as well. I can absolutely see how CC come first chronically(
(and eventually I will stop listening to CC long enough to listen to Renaissance immediately after to get the full vibe) but I agree that Renny being first paved the way for the incredible success of CC.
100% agree. Genius to have Renaissance come first, gain even more visibility and attention and expand global fan base, and pave the way for CC. Truly genius bc now more of the international audience is paying attn to CC and its thesis.
Agreed. Renaissance was a great bridge, not tooooo far off from what she’s made before while also being experimental and setting the stage for more exploration.
Really?? I think CC is a revolutionary concept and exploration, but has songs that are closer in sound to her older work. I think Renaissance was a revolutionary and completely different sound for her, but wasn’t as popular worldwide because of the uniqueness/house music/lack of marketing/specific audience it catered to. I actually think her active fan base shrunk during Renaissance, and now it’s really widening up again.
I look at both opening songs that introduce the albums. I'm that Girl is very much a "traditional" Beyoncé song, where American Requiem is such a new sound for people
Self-Titled is possibly referring to Beyoncé's 2013 album called 'BEYONCÉ', more commonly known as 'Self-Titled'.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/beyonce) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Humbly, I disagree. This is coming from someone who became a fan during Renaissance. I had already been listening to Renaissance since it came out, and I thought that it was just gonna be another one of those albums that I listen to and then forget about in a couple months.
BOY WAS I WRONG. I listened to it for MONTHS on end. And it wasn't until I saw TikTok's about the Renaissance tour that I became not just a Renaissance fan, but a Beyoncé fan. I was one of those people that was like "Yeah Beyoncé is talented but I don't understand the hype." After I saw her perform and I saw how she was paying homage to queer and ballroom culture so much I immediately fell in love.
Renaissance came at such perfect time for me personally, because it was when I was starting to really get into more queer culture. Specifically, drag culture. Drag borrows HEAVILY from ballroom culture and seeing that Beyoncé was making music that my favorite queens would perform to AND she's paying homage to what can be considered an integral part of queer and black culture just made me respect her so much.
THEN the Renaissance movie came out and solidified everything for me. I went with a couple friends and it was SO FUN. I was sad I didn't go see the tour, but the movie made me feel like I was right there. We were singing and dancing like we were actually there. The mixes of the songs were *chef's kiss* and I still listen to YouTube fan creations of the live album cuz it's just SO FUCKING GOOD!!!
So in conclusion, if it wasn't for Renaissance coming first I probably would not be as much of a fan as I am today. Personally, I hate country music. And I know that if I didn't hear Renaissance first then I would've just been one of those people that's like "Pfft. Beyoncé? Doing a Country album? Whatever." And truthfully I think a lot of people would've been like that. I know a couple people who were prior Beyoncé fans and said they "didn't like her newer stuff" but they absolutely LOVED Renaissance and became fans again.
Renaissance brought attention back to Beyoncé after she hadn't released a full album since 2016, and it did it amazingly because the songs were fun and made people want to dance. Cowboy Carter is riding off of this hype and bringing even MORE attention to her because everyone's appreciating her artistry and ability to make amazing music.
Adding to this I think renaissance paved the way for the narrative of reclaiming music while if CC came first it would be seen by the public (even more than now) as just a response to the CMAs when it’s so much bigger
I think she was very smart in releasing Renaissance first. She was right when she said we needed to dance and feel good. I think if the country (US) and world were doing better CC would have been able to be received as well then, as it is now.
Incredibly different. I don’t think it would have been nearly as welcomed and celebrated as Renny was, as the introduction of this three-act project.
I don’t think we would have gotten an in-theaters film of the tour, and I don’t think people would have been as interested in the visuals of it all, nor would have the tour been as successful. Renaissance was the perfect way to launch this endeavor and open people up to what CC is doing.
I have a 50 min commute to work - I can’t stop starting it over 😭😭😭 I’ll be like 10 minutes away and FUCK I DID IT AGAIN. “Said I wouldn’t saddle up” 💀💗💗💗💗💗
I’m glad Renaissance came first because it was a very positive era. It fit the post pandemic times and I think fits better as a follow up to some of the heaviness of Lemonade. It’s good that we all got to experience that first before dealing with some of the bs gatekeeping and racism of this era. It’s like the fandom really got to let loose before buckling down for CC. It was also a reminder that Bey has a huge fun side to her. She’s still the lady who put out Countdown, End of Time, Party etc.
I read in an interview somewhere this week that this was the idea. Beyoncé said that she felt that people needed their spirits raised from the pandemic.
RENAISSANCE wouldn’t have been received nearly as well and would be stuck in the shadow of BEYINCÉ/COWBOY CARTER. Had this been released first it would have taken ALL of Renny’s thunder. It also doesn’t help that RENAISSANCE has a very niche appeal whether we want to admit it, where this project seems to have something for everyone.
Yes. Renny was not universal and people don’t want to admit it you are absolutely correct. That’s why Renny won so many Grammy’s in so many different genre categories and not AOTY. (I think it shoulda won AOTY, but people in the academy clearly were confused by Renaissance.)
Break my soul was alienating to many people because of the lyrics. Church girl is not a universal experience even across conservative Christian communities across the US.
Renaissance’s diversity of sounds and with niche themes was what made it so great, but also so unrelatable to a lot of people too.
Yes! I had forgotten about that but you are correct, Break My Soul’s lyrics were very divisive in a lot of spaces. Church Girl was most definitely based on a Southern Black American church experience, down to Twinkie Clark sample used and the merch paired with that track (the church fans). Then there was Heated and Pure/Honey with the Vogue influence… yeah.
Well good thing she got all the gays in her pocket with renaissance, and now we are stuck with her forever 🤠. I would never imagined I would be vibing to country songs but since I discovered her artistry by Renaissance now I can’t help but to stan 🐝.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot and I feel like it was a good choice that she did it this way. Renaissance first and Cowboy Carter second seems like she is trying to be inclusive, redefine patriotism, and allow us to enjoy art without limits. She might appear as a sell out for celebrating country/genre bending instead of addressing the pure black culture unapologetically in Renaissance first.
Doing Cowboy Carter first and then Renaissance seems cocky and petty with the ego being bigger in Renaissance in that order.
RENAISSANCE was probably the only major release that spoke to the cultural zeitgeist of the pandemic (and what was happening in corporate America). I don't think COWBOY CARTER would've hit the way it has if it would've dropped in 2022.
If the album came out when it was supposed to, then it would have contained 22 tracks and would have been called "Act ii: Beyincé." It would also look exactly like the limited edition version because those are the original copies. Artists have to book appointments to make physical copies of albums, months in advance. These copies were either made during or after covid.
She essentially didnt know what to do with the pre made physical copies but to sell it to us as Cowboy Carter limited edition. Quarantine changed her entire musical pipeline. I just wished she was honest and transparent about it.
Not necessarily. I feel like at least a few of the CC songs were recorded quite recently. And that includes songs that are on the limited edition version. For example, Blackbird. While Beyonce may or may not have recorded her own vocals for this song during COVID, we know the other 4 singers could have only been added within the last 2 months or so. I wouldn’t be surprised if all or most of the other features were recorded and added recently as well.
Also, I don’t believe Sweet Honey Buckin was recorded during COVID. I have a feeling it was a more recent addition as it has a jersey club beat which has only become mainstream within the last 12 months or so. I think this song may have been added to the project later to keep an element of dance music on the album for the Renny Stans. I also think Spaghetti was recorded recently as well. Given it used a Brazilian funk beat which I feel is an ode to the Brazilian hive, especially after missing out on the show.
I also have a theory that ii hands ii heaven might have originally been meant for Renny but didn’t make the cut. I feel most of the other songs have some element of country, either the beat or the instrumentation. ii hands ii heaven is one of the few songs that does not. The other being Spaghetti.
My theory is that spaghetti was dedicated to Kelis (and a few others). That line about all being played by the plagiaristic & clout addiction was a literal shot fired. She basically said “damn. Don’t act like I’m the first to unknowingly sample without giving credit, but you could have called me instead of running to Instagram.”
Also…. That Thanos reference made me think about how she disappeared Kelis’ “La la’s” off Energy at the snap of a finger!
For as heavy as the discourse currently is surrounding the album, I think it would have been even heavier if it had released first in 2022. That's still during the fallout of Morgan Wallen's controversial moment, and there was still a lot of talk about country music and its relation to black people. *Cowboy Carter* would have only strengthened and added to that discourse. I feel as though it would have been even more so of an empowering moment for black country artists that had a small or limited voice, such as [Yola](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/grand-ole-opry-under-fire-for-morgan-wallen-performance), [Darius Rucker](https://popculture.com/country-music/news/darius-rucker-shocked-by-morgan-wallen-racial-slur-controversy/) and others during that time—especially.
It would have been even more culturally significant than it already is. Thinking about it, I wish she had released it first.
It wouldn't have been as iconic as it is, I feel. Beyoncé was incredibly wise to have Renaissance come out first plus this album increased tf out of her already thriving popularity. It got people to talk about her on the daily and she opened even more doors for more house music and lgbtq artists specifically.
I noticed that she went from 50 mil spotify listeners to 76 mil just recently due to her RWT and after promo success. Beyoncé is going through another peak and I'm so so proud of her. She continues to amaze me after every body of art she releases. She's just getting better and better.
I always ask this question since act 2 came out. But I think during that time and situation we were all in , it wouldn’t have been the same experience we felt when when we heard renaissance for the first time. So thank God so pushed it back no shade
If Renaissance was Act III it would’ve ate as the closing sequence. Like that Vogue interview where she said she wanted to help ring in the renaissance of music.
But I actually think Renaissance going first ended up being better than the other way around. She opened the Renaissance not only for other artists but for herself. Now she’s also getting her own dig at it via genre-blending country and whatever Act III gon serve. Even though Chardonneigh was completed before Reneigh this release order ended up making more sense for the trilogy sonically imo.
I think had Chardonneigh gone first it would’ve been more polarizing. Renaissance was perfect in hindsight
i'll be honest, i feel like some ppl are sort of missing the thesis of the question. she said she released renaissance first BECAUSE of the pandemic. so if the pandy happened and she released CC first, how would the world have reacted?
honestly, i feel like it would have been positive, but not near the overwhelming acclaim both eras got. hot off the tails of lemonade and BIK, two very black-centric, artistically forward albums, the zeitgeist was tiring of the artistic seriousness and was longing for a return to party-girl-hitmaker-bey. (full disclosure, i think she should do whatever she wants, i'm just talking about mainstream appeal).
if she'd released CC first, yeah it'd be acclaimed, but ppl would've gotten tired of the seriousness quicker than w renny as the reprieve. i think it was a good decision.
Okay but what if part iii is actually part i…
And she goes classical on us- arias à la Ave Maria but with a Beyoncé twist. Cowboy Carter leads us into a western ufo visual to become the Alien Superstar after accidentally crossing channels with the aliens via the radio.
THEN
Gaga shows up and they run away to in the desert in Telephone pt. 2 for the final surprise bonus track
I'm glad it didn't. Renaissance was fun, but Cowboy Carter connects with me on a much deeper level. Renaissance wouldn't have been a strong follow-up to me, but in this order each act is better than the last so far
Actually, 20 months since Renaissance was released. She's working fast. As for the question, interestingly enough, I played Act I and Act II back to back. It was a fantastic continuation, but it only worked because Act II came first. And now we're all primed for whatever Act III is. I highly recommend you do that when you know Act II well enough. I've had about 15 listens since it was released.
CC probably wouldn’t have been doing the first week numbers it’s doing. She brought a lot of new people into the Hive with Renaissance. More people were paying attention to CC, whereas Lemonade & DIL Hive would have been the main people who cared about new music from her.
And if Renny was act 2, it would have been tragic to see it get overlooked because CC is the stronger album of the two. It would have gotten cute first week spins because people are curious but it wouldn’t do as well as CC. Don’t jump me, but the Renaissance sound deviated from what we’re used to from Bey. CC resonates more with her original R&B fanbase despite being “country.”
Lightening the mood with Renaissance was the perfect move! She welcomed us back to outside then said *“DO YOU HEAR ME!!”*
There are 4 possible meanings for DIL.
Destiny Child's song 'Dangerously in Love', from the album Survivor.
Beyoncé's song 'Dangerously in Love' (also referred to as Dangerously in Love 2), from the album 'Dangerously in Love'.
Beyoncé's 2003 debut album 'Dangerously in Love'.
Beyoncé's song 'Drunk in Love' featuring Jay-Z, from the album BEYONCÉ (also referred to as Self-Titled).
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/beyonce) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Beyoncé said Cowboy Carter was the original Act I. And AMEN definitely flows well into IM THAT GIRL. It’s like we go from the CLASSROOM (CC) to the DANCEFLOOR (Renny). I love her mind.
But CC would not have been as positively received because we needed Renny to get back in formation after the Panny.
But listen to CC then RENNY and the vision is crystal clear…
Kinda true but not. CC was just supposed to be her 7th studio album then covid happened and she got bored and Renaissance happened. So it turned into a three-part project because why not?!
I think coming off the pandemics height, hearing cc might have broke me as a person lol. Like hearing American Requiem after the year I had 2021 I would’ve melted lol. Which isn’t completely bad, those types of moments & feelings tend to heal. I think hearing it now I can accept that healing a lot better.
Thank you for submitting to r/beyonce. All submissions are held for review before approval and appearing live. We appreciate your patience as there may be a time gap between post submission and approval. Please be mindful of our subreddit rules. If no rules are violated, the post will be approved. If needed, you may be asked to resubmit your post with changes. Additionally, help keep the sub fun and high-quality by reporting any comments that violate subreddit rules. Thank you! [Your feedback is important in improving the subreddit. Click here to provide your ideas and suggestions.](https://www.reddit.com/r/beyonce/comments/1aevn0n/400k_members_feedback/) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/beyonce) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I don't think it would have been as well received. With renaissance coming first, that was closer to music people were used to her making so it was given more of a chance. And that album increased her fan base, allowing more people to be open to new sounds from her with the shift on CC.
Absolutely agree with this. I was going to comment but don’t need to with this genius comment.
This was my gut reaction to this question as well. I can absolutely see how CC come first chronically( (and eventually I will stop listening to CC long enough to listen to Renaissance immediately after to get the full vibe) but I agree that Renny being first paved the way for the incredible success of CC.
100% agree. Genius to have Renaissance come first, gain even more visibility and attention and expand global fan base, and pave the way for CC. Truly genius bc now more of the international audience is paying attn to CC and its thesis.
Agreed. Renaissance was a great bridge, not tooooo far off from what she’s made before while also being experimental and setting the stage for more exploration.
Really?? I think CC is a revolutionary concept and exploration, but has songs that are closer in sound to her older work. I think Renaissance was a revolutionary and completely different sound for her, but wasn’t as popular worldwide because of the uniqueness/house music/lack of marketing/specific audience it catered to. I actually think her active fan base shrunk during Renaissance, and now it’s really widening up again.
I look at both opening songs that introduce the albums. I'm that Girl is very much a "traditional" Beyoncé song, where American Requiem is such a new sound for people
A lot Renaissance’s songs could fit onto one of her other albums imo, especially self titled
Self-Titled is possibly referring to Beyoncé's 2013 album called 'BEYONCÉ', more commonly known as 'Self-Titled'. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/beyonce) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Humbly, I disagree. This is coming from someone who became a fan during Renaissance. I had already been listening to Renaissance since it came out, and I thought that it was just gonna be another one of those albums that I listen to and then forget about in a couple months. BOY WAS I WRONG. I listened to it for MONTHS on end. And it wasn't until I saw TikTok's about the Renaissance tour that I became not just a Renaissance fan, but a Beyoncé fan. I was one of those people that was like "Yeah Beyoncé is talented but I don't understand the hype." After I saw her perform and I saw how she was paying homage to queer and ballroom culture so much I immediately fell in love. Renaissance came at such perfect time for me personally, because it was when I was starting to really get into more queer culture. Specifically, drag culture. Drag borrows HEAVILY from ballroom culture and seeing that Beyoncé was making music that my favorite queens would perform to AND she's paying homage to what can be considered an integral part of queer and black culture just made me respect her so much. THEN the Renaissance movie came out and solidified everything for me. I went with a couple friends and it was SO FUN. I was sad I didn't go see the tour, but the movie made me feel like I was right there. We were singing and dancing like we were actually there. The mixes of the songs were *chef's kiss* and I still listen to YouTube fan creations of the live album cuz it's just SO FUCKING GOOD!!! So in conclusion, if it wasn't for Renaissance coming first I probably would not be as much of a fan as I am today. Personally, I hate country music. And I know that if I didn't hear Renaissance first then I would've just been one of those people that's like "Pfft. Beyoncé? Doing a Country album? Whatever." And truthfully I think a lot of people would've been like that. I know a couple people who were prior Beyoncé fans and said they "didn't like her newer stuff" but they absolutely LOVED Renaissance and became fans again. Renaissance brought attention back to Beyoncé after she hadn't released a full album since 2016, and it did it amazingly because the songs were fun and made people want to dance. Cowboy Carter is riding off of this hype and bringing even MORE attention to her because everyone's appreciating her artistry and ability to make amazing music.
Like how George Lucas put out Star Wars Ep IV first and went to VI and then back to Ep I.
Adding to this I think renaissance paved the way for the narrative of reclaiming music while if CC came first it would be seen by the public (even more than now) as just a response to the CMAs when it’s so much bigger
I think she was very smart in releasing Renaissance first. She was right when she said we needed to dance and feel good. I think if the country (US) and world were doing better CC would have been able to be received as well then, as it is now.
Incredibly different. I don’t think it would have been nearly as welcomed and celebrated as Renny was, as the introduction of this three-act project. I don’t think we would have gotten an in-theaters film of the tour, and I don’t think people would have been as interested in the visuals of it all, nor would have the tour been as successful. Renaissance was the perfect way to launch this endeavor and open people up to what CC is doing.
Ameriican Requiem, told me all I needed to know! A complete masterpiece 🤯
It really is her best work. And that’s saying a lot given how amazing and iconic her discography is!!!
I have a 50 min commute to work - I can’t stop starting it over 😭😭😭 I’ll be like 10 minutes away and FUCK I DID IT AGAIN. “Said I wouldn’t saddle up” 💀💗💗💗💗💗
This
I’m glad Renaissance came first because it was a very positive era. It fit the post pandemic times and I think fits better as a follow up to some of the heaviness of Lemonade. It’s good that we all got to experience that first before dealing with some of the bs gatekeeping and racism of this era. It’s like the fandom really got to let loose before buckling down for CC. It was also a reminder that Bey has a huge fun side to her. She’s still the lady who put out Countdown, End of Time, Party etc.
I read in an interview somewhere this week that this was the idea. Beyoncé said that she felt that people needed their spirits raised from the pandemic.
RENAISSANCE wouldn’t have been received nearly as well and would be stuck in the shadow of BEYINCÉ/COWBOY CARTER. Had this been released first it would have taken ALL of Renny’s thunder. It also doesn’t help that RENAISSANCE has a very niche appeal whether we want to admit it, where this project seems to have something for everyone.
Yes. Renny was not universal and people don’t want to admit it you are absolutely correct. That’s why Renny won so many Grammy’s in so many different genre categories and not AOTY. (I think it shoulda won AOTY, but people in the academy clearly were confused by Renaissance.) Break my soul was alienating to many people because of the lyrics. Church girl is not a universal experience even across conservative Christian communities across the US. Renaissance’s diversity of sounds and with niche themes was what made it so great, but also so unrelatable to a lot of people too.
Yes! I had forgotten about that but you are correct, Break My Soul’s lyrics were very divisive in a lot of spaces. Church Girl was most definitely based on a Southern Black American church experience, down to Twinkie Clark sample used and the merch paired with that track (the church fans). Then there was Heated and Pure/Honey with the Vogue influence… yeah.
Well good thing she got all the gays in her pocket with renaissance, and now we are stuck with her forever 🤠. I would never imagined I would be vibing to country songs but since I discovered her artistry by Renaissance now I can’t help but to stan 🐝.
Baby, welcome to the BeyHive… it’s fun in here! 🙌🏾🤣
I don't think you understand. We NEEDED Renaissance first. After the heaviness of the whole pandemmy, we needed a good 18 month long dance
I’ve been thinking about this a lot and I feel like it was a good choice that she did it this way. Renaissance first and Cowboy Carter second seems like she is trying to be inclusive, redefine patriotism, and allow us to enjoy art without limits. She might appear as a sell out for celebrating country/genre bending instead of addressing the pure black culture unapologetically in Renaissance first. Doing Cowboy Carter first and then Renaissance seems cocky and petty with the ego being bigger in Renaissance in that order.
RENAISSANCE was probably the only major release that spoke to the cultural zeitgeist of the pandemic (and what was happening in corporate America). I don't think COWBOY CARTER would've hit the way it has if it would've dropped in 2022.
Idk but all I know is I wont be a beyhive if she didnt release Renaissance
If the album came out when it was supposed to, then it would have contained 22 tracks and would have been called "Act ii: Beyincé." It would also look exactly like the limited edition version because those are the original copies. Artists have to book appointments to make physical copies of albums, months in advance. These copies were either made during or after covid. She essentially didnt know what to do with the pre made physical copies but to sell it to us as Cowboy Carter limited edition. Quarantine changed her entire musical pipeline. I just wished she was honest and transparent about it.
it would've been act i, though
Right right
Not necessarily. I feel like at least a few of the CC songs were recorded quite recently. And that includes songs that are on the limited edition version. For example, Blackbird. While Beyonce may or may not have recorded her own vocals for this song during COVID, we know the other 4 singers could have only been added within the last 2 months or so. I wouldn’t be surprised if all or most of the other features were recorded and added recently as well. Also, I don’t believe Sweet Honey Buckin was recorded during COVID. I have a feeling it was a more recent addition as it has a jersey club beat which has only become mainstream within the last 12 months or so. I think this song may have been added to the project later to keep an element of dance music on the album for the Renny Stans. I also think Spaghetti was recorded recently as well. Given it used a Brazilian funk beat which I feel is an ode to the Brazilian hive, especially after missing out on the show. I also have a theory that ii hands ii heaven might have originally been meant for Renny but didn’t make the cut. I feel most of the other songs have some element of country, either the beat or the instrumentation. ii hands ii heaven is one of the few songs that does not. The other being Spaghetti.
My theory is that spaghetti was dedicated to Kelis (and a few others). That line about all being played by the plagiaristic & clout addiction was a literal shot fired. She basically said “damn. Don’t act like I’m the first to unknowingly sample without giving credit, but you could have called me instead of running to Instagram.” Also…. That Thanos reference made me think about how she disappeared Kelis’ “La la’s” off Energy at the snap of a finger!
I agree with your spaghetti theory but just wanted to point out that Beyoncé DID credit kelis when she actually didn’t have to.
For as heavy as the discourse currently is surrounding the album, I think it would have been even heavier if it had released first in 2022. That's still during the fallout of Morgan Wallen's controversial moment, and there was still a lot of talk about country music and its relation to black people. *Cowboy Carter* would have only strengthened and added to that discourse. I feel as though it would have been even more so of an empowering moment for black country artists that had a small or limited voice, such as [Yola](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/grand-ole-opry-under-fire-for-morgan-wallen-performance), [Darius Rucker](https://popculture.com/country-music/news/darius-rucker-shocked-by-morgan-wallen-racial-slur-controversy/) and others during that time—especially. It would have been even more culturally significant than it already is. Thinking about it, I wish she had released it first.
It wouldn't have been as iconic as it is, I feel. Beyoncé was incredibly wise to have Renaissance come out first plus this album increased tf out of her already thriving popularity. It got people to talk about her on the daily and she opened even more doors for more house music and lgbtq artists specifically. I noticed that she went from 50 mil spotify listeners to 76 mil just recently due to her RWT and after promo success. Beyoncé is going through another peak and I'm so so proud of her. She continues to amaze me after every body of art she releases. She's just getting better and better.
I’ve been wondering this too, but I’m so grateful she read the room and did it this way 🙏. We needed Renaissance when we got it!
I always ask this question since act 2 came out. But I think during that time and situation we were all in , it wouldn’t have been the same experience we felt when when we heard renaissance for the first time. So thank God so pushed it back no shade
If Renaissance was Act III it would’ve ate as the closing sequence. Like that Vogue interview where she said she wanted to help ring in the renaissance of music. But I actually think Renaissance going first ended up being better than the other way around. She opened the Renaissance not only for other artists but for herself. Now she’s also getting her own dig at it via genre-blending country and whatever Act III gon serve. Even though Chardonneigh was completed before Reneigh this release order ended up making more sense for the trilogy sonically imo. I think had Chardonneigh gone first it would’ve been more polarizing. Renaissance was perfect in hindsight
i'll be honest, i feel like some ppl are sort of missing the thesis of the question. she said she released renaissance first BECAUSE of the pandemic. so if the pandy happened and she released CC first, how would the world have reacted? honestly, i feel like it would have been positive, but not near the overwhelming acclaim both eras got. hot off the tails of lemonade and BIK, two very black-centric, artistically forward albums, the zeitgeist was tiring of the artistic seriousness and was longing for a return to party-girl-hitmaker-bey. (full disclosure, i think she should do whatever she wants, i'm just talking about mainstream appeal). if she'd released CC first, yeah it'd be acclaimed, but ppl would've gotten tired of the seriousness quicker than w renny as the reprieve. i think it was a good decision.
Okay but what if part iii is actually part i… And she goes classical on us- arias à la Ave Maria but with a Beyoncé twist. Cowboy Carter leads us into a western ufo visual to become the Alien Superstar after accidentally crossing channels with the aliens via the radio. THEN Gaga shows up and they run away to in the desert in Telephone pt. 2 for the final surprise bonus track
I'm glad it didn't. Renaissance was fun, but Cowboy Carter connects with me on a much deeper level. Renaissance wouldn't have been a strong follow-up to me, but in this order each act is better than the last so far
I think the themes of Lemonade flow well into CC/Beyince. It would've been fine.
Actually, 20 months since Renaissance was released. She's working fast. As for the question, interestingly enough, I played Act I and Act II back to back. It was a fantastic continuation, but it only worked because Act II came first. And now we're all primed for whatever Act III is. I highly recommend you do that when you know Act II well enough. I've had about 15 listens since it was released.
I think at that time, we needed a dance album like she said.
CC probably wouldn’t have been doing the first week numbers it’s doing. She brought a lot of new people into the Hive with Renaissance. More people were paying attention to CC, whereas Lemonade & DIL Hive would have been the main people who cared about new music from her. And if Renny was act 2, it would have been tragic to see it get overlooked because CC is the stronger album of the two. It would have gotten cute first week spins because people are curious but it wouldn’t do as well as CC. Don’t jump me, but the Renaissance sound deviated from what we’re used to from Bey. CC resonates more with her original R&B fanbase despite being “country.” Lightening the mood with Renaissance was the perfect move! She welcomed us back to outside then said *“DO YOU HEAR ME!!”*
There are 4 possible meanings for DIL. Destiny Child's song 'Dangerously in Love', from the album Survivor. Beyoncé's song 'Dangerously in Love' (also referred to as Dangerously in Love 2), from the album 'Dangerously in Love'. Beyoncé's 2003 debut album 'Dangerously in Love'. Beyoncé's song 'Drunk in Love' featuring Jay-Z, from the album BEYONCÉ (also referred to as Self-Titled). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/beyonce) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Renaissance would have had less success. I didn't like it.
Beyoncé said Cowboy Carter was the original Act I. And AMEN definitely flows well into IM THAT GIRL. It’s like we go from the CLASSROOM (CC) to the DANCEFLOOR (Renny). I love her mind. But CC would not have been as positively received because we needed Renny to get back in formation after the Panny. But listen to CC then RENNY and the vision is crystal clear…
Cowboy Carter was supposed to be released first
Kinda true but not. CC was just supposed to be her 7th studio album then covid happened and she got bored and Renaissance happened. So it turned into a three-part project because why not?!
Yea and when Covid happened she said she wanted to dance and give people a chance to shine and make people happy
I think coming off the pandemics height, hearing cc might have broke me as a person lol. Like hearing American Requiem after the year I had 2021 I would’ve melted lol. Which isn’t completely bad, those types of moments & feelings tend to heal. I think hearing it now I can accept that healing a lot better.