Beyoncé invited everyone to saddle up to Cowboy Carter: Act II, but the physical rollout of her new album left some fans feeling like clowns.
Shortly after Cowboy Carter arrived on Friday, March 29, fans noticed that the CDs and vinyl LPs they preordered didn’t match up to what they heard on Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal. “I just listened to my Cowboy Carter vinyl [and] I can confirm it is missing 5 songs,” wrote one fan via Reddit. Soon, other fans confirmed that the vinyl pressing didn’t include “Spaghetii,” “Flamenco,” “YA YA,” “The Linda Martell Show” and “Oh Louisiana.”
Those who ordered the CD version were able to listen to “Flamenco.” However, some fans noted that Beyoncé’s store promised an “additional song” on the CD version, leading some to assume it would be a bonus track. Instead, “Flamenco” may have been that promised “additional” track.
“The physical release for Cowboy Carter is so messy,” wrote one disappointed fan via X. “Like, no regular cover vinyl, the spine of the alt cover saying ‘beyince’ instead of [Cowboy Carter], missing songs on both cd and vinyl, no deluxe cd song unlike advertised and still no official reason why.”
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The track list isn’t the only discrepancy some fans have encountered. One fan shared a video of the song “II Hands II Heaven” containing “extra vocals” while spinning the LP.
Some fans theorized that Beyoncé made changes to Cowboy Carter after submitting the music to be pressed onto vinyl and CD. Cowboy Carter isn’t the only record to give listeners a different experience depending on the format. Variety noted that Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday 2 only had 10 tracks on the LP, while the streaming version had 22. The vinyl version of Ariana Grande’s recently released Eternal Sunshine, meanwhile, contains a different version of “Supernatural.”
Fans also speculated that Cowboy Carter wasn’t its original title. The LP comes with the non-cowboy artwork and the title Beyincé on the spine. Social media users have pondered online whether Beyoncé had planned to call this second act of her album trilogy (which she started with 2022’s Renaissance) something different than what was officially released.
Cassadee Pope: Beyonce Is ‘Elevating Country Music in a Way I’ve Never Seen’
Despite the hiccups with the physical rollout, Cowboy Carter has received praise from fans and critics alike. Country stars like Cassadee Pope have praised Beyoncé for “elevating country music” in ways they’ve “never seen before.”
The record features collabs with Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Miley Cyrus and more. Cyrus, 31, gushed over working alongside Beyoncé in a lengthy Instagram post following the album’s release, writing, “Thank you Beyonce. You’re everything & more. Love you. To everyone who spent time making this song so special thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
