Even fans of Beyoncé‘s “Texas Hold ‘Em” are calling it out for its similarity to the “Franklin” cartoon theme sung by Bruce Cockburn … and while he gets the comparison, he tells TMZ he’s making no claim on her hit.
In case you didn’t know … Beyoncé’s country single was transposed with the theme for “Franklin” — a Canadian-produced kids’ show — shortly after it dropped on February 11.
Many TikTok users, and even some radio DJs, insist the country #1 song borrows plenty from “Franklin” — so much so, some of the TikTokers are getting upwards of 5 million views on their posts.
Yet, Bruce doesn’t think Beyoncé needs to lasso up an apology — he tells TMZ, “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 adds, “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!”
Perhaps Bruce knows better than to cross the BeyHive?
For those unfamiliar with “Franklin” … the animated preschool series aired in Canada between 1997 and 2004. The show followed the titular turtle’s aminated adventures with his fellow woodland creatures.
Now, Bey would’ve been 16 when “Franklin” premiered — so, we highly doubt she’s familiar with the kiddo show, however her co-writers on the track might be a different story.
The 3 songwriters credited, in addition to Bey, are Elizabeth Boland, Megan Bulow and Nathan Ferraro … all of whom are not from Nashville or Texas.
Yup, they’re Canadian!
TMZ Studios
Now, hold your Texas horses … we’re not saying that proves any plagiarism — but the Canadian connection does make it slightly more likely the songwriters heard “Franklin,” and could have been inspired.
For the record, the law allows for some level of inspiration, but how much? Well sometimes that’s up to a jury. Ed Sheeran, Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams will tell you that can be an expensive gamble … sometimes ya win, sometimes ya lose.