At this point, it’s become a meme: millennial gays are so starved for a continuation of the Earth-shifting event that was Beyoncé and Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” collaboration from 2010 that we’ll believe any news about the glorious coming of Part II—even if part of us, deep down, knows it’s probably not going to happen.
What can we say, hope springs eternal, especially considering some of the hints Beyoncé has been dropping around the recent release of Cowboy Carter. And a few of those hints,…let’s just say there’s a little too much coordination going on for us to feel like Bey isn’t waiting to drop another vibe-shifting work of art right about now.
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And if you don’t believe me friends, watch this TikTok. Seriously.
That’s right: not only does a “Telephone Part 2” drop make sense with the release of Act II, it fits perfectly with the outlaw themes of Cowboy Carter. And as one commenter pointed out, when Dolly Parton refers to Beyoncé as “Honey B” on her intro to “Jolene,” it feels like an implicit callback to Beyoncé’s “Telephone” character Honey B, a bad b*tch who breaks Lady Gaga out of jail and drives away in the P*ssy Wagon.
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And yes, I know. If this theory sounds desperate, it’s because the people want so badly to believe that one of the most iconic music videos of all time is going to give us the sequel we needed. In the same way that we needed Cowboy Carter in these bleak, hideous times, the people need “Telephone Part 2.” If “Telephone” Part 1 is like the gay Godfather, we’re all waiting for the sequel that we all know is going to be an even greater masterpiece.
Plus, we know that Beyoncé is, in the words of the incredibly astute TikToker, @tykiese, one of the most intentional artists of all time. Nothing she does happens in a vacuum, and there’s a complex meaning behind everything she’s done to promote Cowboy Carter, from her album signing in Japan’s Tower Records Shibuya store to her projections on museums across the world.
So yes, maybe we’re reading into it. Maybe we just want to believe that badly. Can you blame us? With Act II and Joker: Folie à Deux both coming out this year, part of us has to believe that “Telephone Part 2” is on its way to us. The time is right, the stars are aligned, the planets are ready. It’s the year of twos, people!
But until we’re blessed with the Gay Godfather Part 2, there’s no reason why we can’t rewatch the original over and over again to tide us over.