TEXAS HOLD 'EM

Album

Cowboy Carter

Label

Parkwood Entertainment

Genre

Country pop

Composer(s)

Beyoncé Knowles;Elizabeth Lowell Boland;Megan Bülow;Brian Bates;Nathan Ferraro;Rafael Saadiq

Entered Chart

Feb 24, 2024

Peak Date

Mar 2, 2024

Released

February 11, 2024

"Texas Hold 'Em" is the co-lead single, alongside "16 Carriages," from Beyoncé's eighth studio album, Renaissance Act II. The two songs were surprise released on February 11, 2024, the night of the Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers. Beyoncé starred in a Verizon commercial during the game where she hinted at the release. "Texas Hold 'Em" kicks off the party with a twangy beat and playful swagger, inviting us to two-step the night away. Beyoncé, a Houston native herself, infuses the song with nods to her Southern roots, peppering the chorus with mentions of "real-live hoedowns," heatwaves, and even a tornado. Texas Hold 'Em is one of the most popular variants of the card game poker. The track uses the titular poker game as a playful metaphor for a blossoming romance. With a cheeky wink, Beyoncé sings, "So lay your cards down, down, down, down," urging her potential love interest to reveal their intentions. Ditch the fancy rides ("Get out your Lexus") and stick around, she whispers, before declaring, "I'd be damned if I can't slow dance with you." Beyoncé wrote "Texas Hold 'Em" with Lowell, Megan Bülow and Raphael Saadiq. The Canadian singer-songwriter Elizabeth Lowell Boland has also collaborated with Madison Beer and Hailee Steinfeld. German-Canadian pop singer Megan Bülow won the 2019 Juno Award for Breakthrough Artist of the year. R&B singer-songwriter Raphael Saadiq also co-wrote "16 Carriages." Beyoncé co-produced "Texas Hold 'Em" with Killah B (Tinashe's "Touch & Go," Ariana Grande's "Positions") and Nathan Ferraro (Virginia to Vegas' "Better With You," Bülow's "Monas's Dad"). Their production combines elements of country music with Beyoncé's signature style, concluding with a foot-stomping finale. Report this ad Beyoncé has dabbled in country music before. "Daddy Lessons" was a track from her 2016 album Lemonade, and Bey later recorded a remix featuring the country music band The Chicks. The musicians are: Raphael Saadiq: organ, drums, bass Killa B: drums, piano Nathan Ferraro: piano, bass Hit-Boy: synthesizer Rhiannon Giddens: viola, banjo Khirye Tyler: bass, piano Rhiannon Giddens gained prominence as a founding member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, an old-time string band. She is a virtuoso on the banjo, an instrument deeply rooted in American folk and bluegrass traditions. Giddens also plays the viola, a string instrument with a rich, warm sound that adds depth to compositions. Like Beyoncé, Rhiannon celebrates her Americana roots through her music and has long advocated for the reclamation of country music instruments by Black musicians. Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records promoted "Texas Hold 'Em" to country radio. The song became Beyoncé's first entry on Billboard's Country Airplay chart when it debuted at #54 on the survey dated February 24, 2024. When "Texas Hold 'Em" debuted atop the Country chart, Beyoncé became the first black woman to reach #1 on that tally. She also became the first female artist with #1 songs on seven different Billboard songs charts.

This ain't Texas (woo), ain't no hold 'em (hey)
So lay your cards down, down, down, down
So park your Lexus (woo) and throw your keys up (hey)
Stick around, 'round, 'round, 'round, 'round (stick around)
And I'll be damned if I can't slow dance with you
Come pour some sugar on me, honey too
It's a real life boogie and a real life hoedown
Don't be a bitch, come take it to the floor now, woo, huh (woo)

There's a tornado (there's a tornado) in my city (in my city)
In the basement (in the basement), that shit ain't pretty (shit ain't pretty)
Rugged whiskey (rugged whiskey) 'cause we survivin' ('cause we survivin')
Off red cup kisses, sweet redemption, passin' time, yeah

Ooh, one step to the right
We headin' to the dive bar we always thought was nice
Ooh, run me to the left
Then spin me in the middle, boy, I can't read your mind

This ain't Texas (woo), ain't no hold 'em (hey)
So lay your cards down, down, down, down
So park your Lexus (woo) and throw your keys up (hey)
Stick around, 'round, 'round, 'round, 'round (stick around)
And I'll be damned if I can't slow dance with you
Come pour some sugar on me, honey too
It's a real life boogie and a real life hoedown
Don't be a bitch, come take it to the floor now (woo)

And I'll be damned if I cannot dance with you
Come pour some liquor on me, honey too
It's a real life boogie and a real life hoedown
Don't be a bitch, come take it to the floor now (woo)

Woo-hoo
Woo-hoo
Woo-hoo

There's a heatwave (there's a heatwave) coming at us (coming at us)
Too hot to think straight (too hot to think straight)
too cold to panic (cold to panic)
All of the problems just feel dramatic (just feel dramatic)
And now we're runnin' to the first spot that we find, yeah

Ooh, one step to the right
We headin' to the dive bar we always thought was nice
Ooh, you run to the left
Just with me in the middle, boy, I can't read your mind

This ain't Texas (woo), ain't no hold 'em (hey)
So lay your cards down, down, down, down, oh
So park your Lexus (hey), throw your keys up (hey)
Stick around, 'round, 'round, 'round, 'round (stick around)
And I'll be damned if I cannot dance with you
Come pour some sugar on me, honey, too
It's a real life boogie and a real life hoedown
Don't be a bitch, come take it to the floor now (woo)

And I'll be damned if I cannot dance with you
Come pour some liquor on me honey, too
It's a real life boogie and a real life hoedown
Don't be a-, come take it to the floor now, ooh

Take it to the floor now, ooh
Hoops, spurs, boots
To the floor now, ooh
Tuck, back, oops (ooh, ooh, ooh)
Shoot
Come take it to the floor now, ooh
And I'll be damned if I cannot dance with you
Baby, pour that sugar and liquor on me too
Furs, spurs, boots
Solargenic, photogenic, shoot