Beyonce’s live album, Homecoming, has been out for a few days and it’s safe to say, the consensus fan favorite track from the
2018 Coachella performance recording is her go-go-inspired cover of Frankie Beverly And Maze’s “Before I Let Go.” It’s already spawned its own viral dance challenge, which the musical legend acknowledged on her Instagram. Now, she’s receiving acknowledgment from another musical legend — the very one from whom she borrowed the track in the first place.
Frankie Beverly, the 72-year-old, titular front man of the popular ’80s funk band Maze, told Billboard that having his 1981 hit sung by Beyonce — and having it land on her long-awaited live album — is “one of the high points of my life.”
He said that initially it was kept secret, even from him, until Beyonce and her band were ready to play him a first draft he says blew him away. He also complimented its calculated release strategy, saying: “Then the way she just released it, it’s off the chain. She’s done so much, this is one of the high points of my life.”
Later in the interview, he addressed the original’s cult status among Black people, which carried the song through the decades and elevated it from a huge hit in the ’80s to a cultural institution and a must at the cookout. “I just thought it was a great little song, but I never thought it’d be all this… it’s one of those things this band will be able to carry on forever.”
Homecoming is out now on Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records. Get it here.
