Songfacts®:

• "Ya Ya" is the 20th track on Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé's eighth solo studio album and the second installment in a trilogy of albums, following Renaissance (2022). It's the kind of song that makes you want to throw your hands up and shout "Yeehaw!" while simultaneously bemoaning the harsh realities of living in the US. Queen Bey embodies this Cowboy Carter character, preaching about perseverance in the face of tough times in America.
  
  The song is a full-on vocal showcase for Beyoncé. She belts, she rasps, she dives low and soars high, reminding us why she's the reigning queen of pop.
• We wanna welcome you to the Beyoncé Cowboy Carter: Act II, ah
  And a rodeo chitlin circuit
  We gon' make it do what it do, ya-ya
  Put them hands together
  
  The Chitlin' Circuit was a network of performance spaces throughout the Eastern, Southern, and Midwestern United States. These venues catered to African American audiences during the era of segregation and played a vital role in the development of popular music genres like blues, jazz, R&B, and early rock and roll. Legendary artists like B.B. King, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Ray Charles, and Tina Turner honed their skills and gained fame on this circuit.
  
  On March 27, 2024, Beyoncé posted a graphic to Instagram of the album's tracklist inspired by vintage posters from the Chitlin' Circuit era. This song serves as a celebration of the artists who toured the Chitlin Circuit, particularly Tina Turner.
  
  Beyoncé performed a rousing rendition of Ike and Tina Turner's "River Deep - Mountain High" on nearly every date of the Renaissance World Tour. "Ya Ya" takes that energy and cranks it up to 11. It's a foot-stomping love letter to the late Ms. Turner, the Black South, and the raw power of rock and roll.
• The first intro to the chorus of "Ya Ya" feels like Beyoncé is building a musical house of cards. She starts with just a single instrument, then adds another, and another, until the whole thing explodes into a full-blown party. Kind of reminds you of how "Deja Vu" starts, building the tension before the beat drops.
• Ya-ya B-E-Y-I-N-C-E, ya
  
  Beyoncé's mother Tina Knowles' maiden last name was originally Beyincé, but a hospital mix-up changed the spelling. Tina liked the sound so much, she decided to name her firstborn daughter after it, even with the typo.
• Whole lotta red in that white and blue
  History can't be erased
  Red, White, and Brutal
  
  When Beyoncé sings about all that "red in that white and blue," it isn't exactly a Fourth of July celebration. She's talking about the blood spilled throughout American history, from slavery to wars to the ongoing fight for equality. The American flag might symbolize freedom and justice, but Beyoncé reminds us that freedom hasn't always been free.
  
  Just like Beyoncé sings about the American flag on "Ya Ya," the Renaissance track "Cozy" references the colors of the LGBTQ+ Pride flag.
• "Ya Ya" starts with a sneaky sample from Nancy Sinatra's hit "These Boots Are Made For Walkin''," setting the stage for a playful back-and-forth with the audience. Later on, Beyoncé throws in a little nod to The Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations" with a line about "good vibrations" and "sweet sensations." And to top it all off, she channels her inner doo-wop diva at the end, with a sweet whisper that reminds us of Sylvia Robinson's voice in "Love Is Strange."
• Beyoncé co-wrote "Ya Ya" with a team of collaborators including her frequent partner-in-crime The-Dream (who also co-produced the track). They were joined by Arlo Parks, the British singer-songwriter known for her Mercury Music Prize-winning debut album Collapsed in Sunbeams. She's also collaborated with indie stars like Phoebe Bridgers ("Pegasus") and Clairo ("Green Eyes"). Rounding out the crew are Giift, Cadenza, Harry Edwards, and Beyoncé's husband Jay-Z.
• Beyoncé brought the crowd to life at halftime of 2024 Christmas Day NFL game between the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans with her debut performance of "Ya Ya" as part of her Cowboy Carter set. Her Texans remained dormant, losing 31-2.
• "Ya Ya" garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Americana Performance but lost to "American Dreaming" by Sierra Ferrell. It was one of 11 nominations for Beyoncé, who won three, including Album Of The Year for Cowboy Carter.
• A big Beyoncé fan, Arlo Parks set out to make a song that she would love to hear her sing. "She's such a generational force, and the only way I could approach it was not to imitate, but to create something I thought she would sound sick on," she told The Independent. "It was a massive, beautiful surprise to find the song was included on the album."