Beyoncé's 'Texas Hold 'Em' Exemplifies the Power of Communal Joy
"Thank you for making this one a 'real life boogie' and number one single."
Years from now, will we remember the 2024 Super Bowl as when the Kansas City Chiefs (and by extension, Taylor Swift) won the big game? Maybe. But we’ll definitely remember it as the moment we first heard Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em.”
Almost immediately, social media was flooded with reactions, including countless TikToks of fans line dancing along to the song. (I watched this one nonstop.) And all of these clips helped “Texas Hold ‘Em” become an instant No. 1 single on Billboard’s Hot Country Charts, and Beyoncé the first Black woman to top that chart too.1
As a thank you, Beyoncé posted this deliriously fun montage of fan videos.
Seeing all these clips edited together made me reflect on the rarity of experiencing pop culture communally. Especially with this kind of celebratory and inclusive spirit.2
Social media gets a lot of deserved flak for siloing us off into our bubbles in which we rarely peek our heads out to try anything that doesn’t specifically appeal to our tastes. The beauty of “Texas Hold ‘Em” is that 1) the song proved impervious to siloing, and 2) social media, particularly TikTok, was the vehicle for all kinds of people to share how much they loved the song. And in doing so, fans rocketed “Texas Hold ‘Em” onto the country charts and radio airplay despite the gatekeepers that have long excluded those that do not fit their narrow definition of the genre. In this case, gatekeeping was no match for the power of communal joy.
Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter releases March 29, and there is a lot of terrific coverage about why Beyonce’s country album3 is meaningful and important, starting with her own words shared on Instagram, as well as here and here. If you can’t get enough of “Texas Hold ‘Em,” then I highly recommend reading about this second act of Beyoncé’s planned trilogy of albums.
Pop culture recs
All three seasons of Girls5Eva are now streaming on Netflix, and it is a brilliantly funny binge watch with nonstop laughs and earworms. If you grew up on early 2000s-era MTV, then this really is must-see TV. “What are you waiting five?”
While writing my first book, I had Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour in constant rotation. And as I work on my new one, I now have her new album Deeper Well on a loop. The music reminds me of springtime, fresh and welcoming and warm. (Bonus: This charming video in she talks about the songwriting process for “Dinner with Friends.”)
This week’s fun fact
A spring-themed fun fact to mark the start of the season:
Studies show that babies born in the spring are more likely to be night owls and optimistic.
This is the study being referred to, but aren’t we all more optimistic during spring? (And by having more daylight, that would encourage staying up later at night too.)
~ Thanks for reading, and here’s hoping this week puts a spring in your step! ~
My books, my Instagram, and my latest word game obsession.
“Texas Hold ‘Em” is also Beyonce’s seventh No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100. “16 Carriages,” her other country single that debuted in February, premiered at No. 9 on the Hot Country Songs Chart.
(That said, 2023 brought us the Renaissance and Eras Tours and concert films, plus Barbenheimer summer. But I’m thinking they’re once-in-a-blue-moon phenomenon, and in an era dominated by streaming and beholden to algorithms, exceptions rather than the rule. But it would be nice to be wrong, and they signify a shift in how we consume pop culture instead.)
Or as she puts it, “This ain't a Country album. This is a ‘Beyoncé’ album.”