This ain’t Texas — it’s Franklin! After Beyoncé released her new single “Texas Hold ‘Em” earlier this month, social media users are drawing comparisons between the country hit and the theme song for the Canadian cartoon show Franklin.
“Millennials trying to figure out why this sounds so familiar,” one TikTok user wrote over a video in which “Texas Hold ‘Em” transitions into “Hey, It’s Franklin!” in the background and scenes from the cartoon show play.
Another TikTok user broke down different parts of the songs to demonstrate several parts that sound similar to one another. “I don’t know if it’s actually a sample but I love the inspiration,” she said.
Bruce Cockburn, the composer of the animated show’s theme song, spoke to People about the now-viral comparisons. Although Cockburn says that he can see where fans hear similarities between the two songs, he confirms that he had no hand in the single’s creation and that the Houston, Texas-born singer didn’t sample his theme song.
“I think Beyoncé’s ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ is a good record. Unfortunately, I can’t claim to have had any part in writing it,” Cockburn told the outlet. “The rhythmic feel is similar to my theme song for the Franklin TV series, but to my ears that’s where the similarity stops. ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ is her song, and I wish her success with it!”
Franklin ran from 1997 to 2004 and followed the adventures of a young turtle in the small village of Woodland, based on the popular Franklin the Turtle books by Brenda Clark and Paulette Bourgeois.
Meanwhile, “Texas Hold ‘Em” is about laying your cards down, down, down, down before you pour some sugar and honey on your honey, and get down for the real-life boogie and a real-life hoedown as you take it to the floor now (Woo!).
Beyoncé’s new single hasn’t only made headlines for its nostalgic throwback vibes. Billboard recently announced that the Renaissance singer made history as she became the first Black female artist to top the Hot Country Songs chart. The singer’s other new offering, “16 Carriages,” also cracked the Top 10 at No. 9.
The No. 1 also gives Beyoncé her seventh unique top spot on one of Billboard’s multimetric song charts as a solo artist: the Hot 100, Hot Country Songs, Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, Hot Gospel Songs, Hot Latin Songs, Hot R&B Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Only Justin Bieber has more, at eight.
The new songs are far from Beyoncé’s first foray into the county music scene, however. (She did grow up in Houston, after all.)
On her 2016 magnum opus, Lemonade, the singer reached into her country roots for “Daddy Lessons,” which she later performed alongside The Chicks at the 50th annual Country Music Association Awards.
And it isn’t only the Beyhive paying attention to Beyoncé’s latest releases. Country music legend Dolly Parton offered her congratulations and well wishes to the “Heated” singer via Instagram.
“I’m a big fan of Beyoncé and very excited that she’s done a country album,” Parton, 78, shared in a statement posted to her Instagram page. “So congratulations on your Billboard Hot Country number one single. Can’t wait to hear the full album!”
While Beyoncé’s first Renaissance album served as a tribute to house and disco music, it’s clear that Act II — the second part of a planned trilogy of albums that started with 2022’s Renaissance — will offer a tip of the cowboy hat to country music.
Fans, including Dolly Parton, can dive into the full experience of Renaissance: Act IIwhen it drops on March 29.
