Beyoncé- “Texas Hold ‘Em/”16 CARRIAGES”
Heavens to Beyoncé! Queen Bey is sending fans to a hootenanny where her new era of music takes listeners on a country genre rodeo in her latest releases, "Texas Hold ‘Em" and "16 CARRIAGES."
In "Texas Hold 'Em," Beyoncé delivers a country harmonic that radiates a two-step dance rhythm where string instruments characterize the track's sound. The song makes for a modern square dancing allure as country chants, claps, and whistles echo in the background. While "Texas Hold 'Em" is, in other words, a poker game, Beyoncé confines her own narrative within the title/game to express a metaphor towards her person: "This ain't Texas (Woo)/Ain't no hold 'em (Hey)/So lay your cards down, down, down, down…" signifying to stop playing games and present authentic intention through vulnerability and quality time: "Stick around, 'round, 'round, 'round, 'round (Stick around)/And I'll be damned if I can't slow-dance with you…" Throughout the remainder of the song, she includes the roots of country culture, elevating the theme: "There's a tornado /(There's a tornado)/In my city (In my city)/Hit the basement (Hit the basement)/That shit ain't pretty (That shit ain't pretty)," this is also about her roots where she grew up in Houston, making the track feel close to home. She also uses phrases such as "Come pour some sugar on me, honey too", a "real-life boogie," a "real-life hoedown," and "Rugged whiskey," showcasing catchy country lingos evoking a connection towards the theme.
While "Texas Hold ‘Em" feels like a hoedown track, "16 CARRIAGES" has a distinctly different tone that diffuses an emotional ballad. Accompanied by electric and acoustic instruments, Beyoncé thrives in telling a story of hardship, faith, and strength. In the chorus, she begins the song with "Sixteen carriages drivin' away/While I watch them ride with my fears away…" The idea of 16 is significant to the age she was when her journey of hustling began: "Sixteen dollars, workin' all day/Ain't got time to waste, I got art to make/I got love to create on this holy night/They won't dim my light, all these years I fight…" Telling her own story through lyrical artistry, she highlights the struggles and hardships she's been through as her vocal delivery harmonizes the track. Continuing a hard truth, the bridge of the song recognizes her entering the music industry where, at the same time, her family struggled financially: "At fifteen, the innocence was gone astray/Had to take care of home at an early age/I saw Mama cryin', I saw Daddy lyin'/Had to sacrifice and leave my fears behind/For legacy, if it's the last thing I do…" As Beyoncé ties in a vulnerable state of her upcoming, she truly grasps the beauty of adversity through the soul of the country genre.
While both tracks surprised fans, especially in the genre context, the songs generated the culture and soul of country music. Both visuals for each song also present how uniquely Beyoncé can make country music as she uses visual storytelling to enhance each song. Whether it's "Texas Hold ‘Em" as a modern square-dance anthem or "16 CARRIAGES" as a storytelling ballad, both tracks deliver without feeling out of the genre and excite the idea of her upcoming album, Renaissance Act. II.
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