It’s only been a couple of weeks since Beyoncé blessed us with her first official foray into country music. And in true Bey fashion, her new music has the whole Internet buzzing with hot takes and interpretations.
The first single, “Texas Hold ‘Em,” became an instant hit and made Bey the first Black woman with a No. 1 song on Billboard’s country charts.
But now, some on TikTokers are claiming tath the “Break My Soul” singer’s new country track bears a pretty close resemblance to the theme song of the Canadian animated series “Franklin.” The show, which ran on Nickelodeon in the United States between 1997 and 2004, was based on the “Franklin the Turtle” book series by Paulette Bourgeois and Brenda Clark.
In case you don’t have any preschoolers in your life and have never seen an episode of the show, you can check out a comparison and see for yourself here:
Now check out this clip of a DJ blending the two tracks together:
Some point out that three of the songwriters credited on Bey’s track are Canadian and may have been inspired by the classic cartoon. But Bruce Cockburn—who wrote and performed “Hey, It’s Franklin” for the series—says that the songs have similar rhythms, but he doesn’t think Bey ripped him off and believes she deserves all the praise she’s received.
“I think Beyoncé’s ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ is a good record. Unfortunately, I can’t claim to have had any part in writing it,” he told TMZ. “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!”
We are with Cockburn and think the similarities are subtle. But if the show’s creators are ever thinking about a “Franklin” reboot, maybe they can tap Bey for a theme song remix. You know it would be hot.