Faith Nyasuguta
Beyoncé fans were left dismayed when they received vinyl and CD editions of her latest album, Cowboy Carter, only to discover that several tracks featured on the digital release were missing.
The album, Beyoncé’s eighth studio record and the second installment in a planned trilogy following her 2022 release, Renaissance, hit shelves on Friday, coinciding with the arrival of pre-orders for physical editions.
Over the weekend, reports flooded in from buyers who noted the absence of five tracks from the vinyl edition: Flamenco, Oh Louisiana, The Linda Martell Show, Spaghetti, and the standout track, Ya Ya. Similarly, the CD version lacked these tracks, except for Flamenco. It’s unclear if this discrepancy affects all copies of the album.
Disappointed fans took to social media platforms to express their frustration and confusion over the missing songs. TikTok users lamented the exclusion of Ya Ya, with one fan expressing disappointment as it was among their top five favorite songs. On Reddit, fans questioned why several songs were omitted from the LP edition, demanding clarity on the issue.
Efforts to address the concerns faced challenges, with fans receiving automated responses from the album’s retailer indicating delays in responding due to a high volume of emails. Speculation arose that last-minute changes to the album may have contributed to the discrepancy, suggesting that the vinyl edition, produced with a lead time of 10 weeks to six months, may contain an earlier version of the album.
Adding to the intrigue, the spine of the vinyl and CD copies reads “Act II – Beyincé – Beyoncé,” leading some to believe that Cowboy Carter was initially titled Beyincé, a nod to the musician’s ancestral surname, which was misspelled as Beyoncé on her mother’s birth certificate due to a clinical error.
Beyoncé has a history of making adjustments to her albums post-release. Notably, on Renaissance, she removed an interpolation of Kelis’s song Milkshake and edited a lyric containing a slur following controversy surrounding both tracks.
Despite the setbacks, fans remain hopeful for resolution, with many calling for discounts or refunds on the vinyl edition. As the outcry continues, Beyoncé is yet to address the situation directly, leaving fans eagerly awaiting clarification on the missing tracks from Cowboy Carter.
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