Beyoncé is already making historical past along with her swerve into the nation lane. However after scoring a shock No. 1 hit with “Texas Maintain ‘Em,” a few of Queen Bey’s Canadian followers assume her new two-step has a well-recognized ring to it.
Per week after TikTok movies identified that the tune’s bouncy finger-picked intro bears a putting resemblance to the theme track from the late Nineteen Nineties/early 2000s kids’s cartoon Franklin, the musician behind that present’s iconic opening monitor, “Hey, It’s Franklin,” says he’s simply high quality with the comparisons.
In accordance with TMZ, veteran Canadian rocker Bruce Cockburn, 78 — finest recognized for his 1984 hit “If I Had a Rocket Launcher” — informed the outlet that he’s honored by the numerous side-by-side movies. “I believe Beyoncé’s ‘Texas Maintain ‘Em’ is an effective report. Sadly, I can’t declare to have any half in writing it,” he mentioned.
“The rhythmic really feel is much like my theme track for the Franklin TV sequence, however to my ears, that’s the place the similarity stops. ‘Texas Maintain ‘Em’ is her track, and I want her success with it!” Cockburn added.
It seems the resemblance was first identified by TikTok consumer Ashleigh Aedan on Feb. 18, when she performed a little bit of the Bey track and captioned her video, “Now go take heed to the Franklin theme track and inform me these are the identical”; that clip has since racked up greater than 3.5 million views. The put up started making information in Canada quickly after, with a radio DJ doing a mash-up that boosted the notion that the songs share an identical git-up.
A music skilled informed CBC Information that the comparisons make sense since each use fingerstyle plucking, as a substitute of strumming, with Beyoncé’s opening with a banjo performed within the Clawhammer model. Musicologist Claire McLeish mentioned the Franklin theme opens with a method referred to as Travis selecting, with a “sturdy Clawhammer affect.” McLeish additionally identified that each are performed in the important thing of D, with the devices tuned in an identical model, which is what McLeish mentioned individuals are selecting up on.
And whereas they sound comparable, McLeish mentioned “they don’t sound alike in a method that might trigger any authorized issues” since you can’t copyright an “concept,” and the Travis selecting model is a standard concept utilized in nation and people music on a regular basis. The truth is, McLeish compiled a playlist of songs in an identical model, together with ones by Johnny Money, Led Zeppelin and Cockburn, noting that since Beyoncé isn’t utilizing the identical melody or lyrics which can be near the Franklin theme it’s in all probability secure from any authorized points.
Final week, Bey grew to become the primary Black lady to prime the Billboard Sizzling Nation Songs chart, adopted by the monitor topping the Billboard Sizzling 100, giving the singer her ninth chief on the checklist.
Hear under and see should you hear the similarities.
