The song's music video is part of Beyoncé's 2016 film Lemonade, aired on HBO alongside the album's release.

Written and produced by Wynter Gordon, Beyoncé, Kevin Cossom and Alex Delicata, it is the singer's first Americana-country music record.

[6] In an interview with Billboard, Kevin Cossom talked about the creative process and the song's meaning:[7]"Working with Wynter Gordon was awesome, [...] because she's just so free and everything's so organic.

"At the end of the interview Cossom comments on the inclusion of the country genre in the singer's musical background, stating:[7]"Lemonade is very worldly in comparison to the last project, which was way more urban.

It's reminiscent in theme and tone of classic Nashville mama/papa ballads by the likes of Dolly Parton or Tom T. Hall but, of course, from an utterly distinct vantage point.

During an academic lecture at Texas Southern University, Mathew Knowles, interviewed by Sirius XM's Mark Thompson, clarified leaked rumors following the release of the song, saying:[16]"I can only speak of being a proud father.

As Alex Abad-Santos of Vox described the backlash: "Some of their sentiment was due to Beyoncé's liberal-leaning politics, some of it was rooted in her perceived lack of country cred, and some of it was downright racist.

We can stand on our own and don't need pop artists on our awards shows",[23] many artists complimented the pop star's inclusion in the musical lineup, including Chris Stapleton, Kenny Chesney, Kelsea Ballerini, Maren Morris, Cassadee Pope, and Brad Paisley.

[24] In a statement accompanying the release of her eight studio album, the country-rooted Cowboy Carter, in 2024, Beyoncé made reference to an experience of exclusion from the country music establishment that inspired her to delve deeper into the genre and formed the impetus for the album; this was widely believed to refer to the "Daddy Lessons" performance at the CMAs.

The song also reached the top 40 in the UK, and was certified silver by British Phonographic Industry (BPI)[29] in February 2021.

[32] In 2019, the song was covered in the episode "Chapter Fifty-Six: The Dark Secret of Harvest House" from the third season of the television series Riverdale, performed by Camila Mendes.

[34] "Daddy Lessons" was part of the setlist of Beyonce's The Formation World Tour with the first performance taking place in Miami at the Marlins Park on April 27, 2016.

[35] Beyoncé and the Chicks also performed the song with excerpts from the band's "Long Time Gone" at the 50th Annual Country Music Association Awards on November 2, 2016.