For three decades, Beyoncé has transcended across genres in her music, with her most recent genre exploration being country. While Beyoncé has explored genres such as country, R&B, pop, and house, she has also ventured into rock music, as seen in the release of “Don’t Hurt Yourself” from her 2016 album Lemonade, featuring Jack White of The White Stripes. What many do not know is that she has used a sample from an iconic rock band, Led Zeppelin.
When Beyoncé approached White to work with her for “Don’t Hurt Yourself,” White knew he could not say no. While they wrote the song, she sampled “When The Levee Breaks” by Led Zeppelin, a song they popularized from the 1929 country blues song of the same name by Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy. Though “Don’t Hurt Yourself” was not released as a single, it is still one of the most versatile, underrated, and groundbreaking songs she has released in her entire career.
Beyoncé Released “Don’t Hurt Yourself” Years After Being Introduced to Led Zeppelin
On the set of Austin Powers in Goldmember, a 2002 installment of the Austin Powers movies, Mike Myers introduced Beyoncé to Led Zeppelin, a band she was not familiar with at the time. Soon, she would be listening to the band on set, noting that they were “great,” according to Myers’ interview with Vanity Fair. Little did she know, listening to Led Zeppelin in 2002 would create such a lasting impact.
Years later, she began working on her sixth studio album, Lemonade, after surprisingly releasing her self-titled album in 2014. She enlisted the help of White on the track, using the drum beats of Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham from “When The Levee Breaks” from their 1971 album Led Zeppelin IV. In the chorus, she can be heard saying, “Who the f*ck do you think I am?!,” while she laments over husband Jay Z’s alleged infidelity, civil rights, and the racial history of Black women constantly being disrespected by their peers.
Related
‘Cowboy Carter’ Is the Album Beyoncé Was Always Destined To Make
Cowboy Carter remains Texas strong.
Upon releasing the track, White had nothing but praise for the iconic artist. When discussing the collaboration with NPR, White said, “You know, I just talked to her, and she said, ‘I wanna be in a band with you’. I’ve always loved her voice — I mean, I think she has the kind of soul-singing voice of the days of Betty Davis or Aretha Franklin. She took just sort of a sketch of a lyrical outline and turned it into the most bodacious, vicious, incredible song.”
“I don’t even know what you’d classify it as — soul, rock and roll, whatever. “Don’t Hurt Yourself” is incredibly intense; I’m so amazed at what she did with it.”
“Don’t Hurt Yourself” Surprised Many Fans Upon Release
“Don’t Hurt Yourself” was unexpected from Beyoncé, as many fans and listeners believed she was more of a pop and R&B artist. They also believed she was reserved, in comparison to her bold and daring expression in the song. However, other fans who listened to “Don’t Hurt Yourself”, Beyoncé’s third track in the Lemonade album, were reminded of her 2006 single “Ring the Alarm,” a song with rock elements where she expressed a similar level of anger.
Though “Don’t Hurt Yourself” was unexpected, it was still received well by critics and fans. It was ranked 61st in Billboard’s 100 Best Pop Songs of 2016, and debuted at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and at number 16 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart. “Don’t Hurt Yourself” earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Performance, which is her first Grammy nomination in the rock category.
“Don’t Hurt Yourself”’s music video premiered on HBO as part of the Lemonade one-hour album movie. She performed the song on various tours and festivals, including The Formation World Tour, her 2018 Coachella performance, and the co-headlined On The Run II Tour with Jay-Z. White opened his October 2020 SNL performance with a portion of “Don’t Hurt Yourself” as part of a medley.
Nearly a Decade After “Don’t Hurt Yourself”, Fans Are Anticipating a Beyoncé Rock Album
Six years after Lemonade, Beyoncé released her house music album RENAISSANCE, the first album in her Acts series that explores different genres made by Black musicians. Two years later, she released COWBOY CARTER, a country album praised by critics and fans – and slammed by other country artists – which earned her her first ever and long-awaited Album of the Year Grammy award in February 2025. As she ventures on her COWBOY CARTER Tour, fans are still waiting for another album in her Acts series, and they are expecting a rock album.
Related
The Bee Gees Were the Masterminds Behind Some of Your Favorite Songs of All Time
They wrote WHAT song? for WHO?
Beyoncé never confirmed nor denied that her third act album would be rock, but given that she has released “Ring the Alarm” and “Don’t Hurt Yourself,” it is a strong possibility that she will dive into the rock genre again. Although the genre is not confirmed, another sample from Led Zeppelin and a feature with some of the band’s former members would be an iconic addition to the unconfirmed rock album, as Beyoncé proved she can work with the band’s sound. Maybe White can make another appearance and reunite with Beyoncé, and make a follow-up to “Don’t Hurt Yourself”. Still, fans will have to wait for the official announcement.