Fresh off the release of her critically acclaimed, commercial smash COWBOY CARTER, Beyoncé surprised fans with a midweek drop on Wednesday--and no, this was not a belated April Fool's joke. "Texas Hold 'Em (Pony Up Remix)" is a rework of the album's lead single, "Texas Hold 'Em."
In its Pony Up Remix form, "Texas Hold 'Em" veers into a bounce sound, straying from the traditional country tones of the original song. The reworked version of the track features an entirely new verse from Beyoncé.
Rather than the more traditional structure of the original song, which focuses heavily on the chorus-a lovely refrain of "This ain't Texas/Ain't no hold 'em/So lay your cards down, down, down, down, oh" that is deliciously infectious.
On "Texas Hold 'Em (Pony Up Remix)," the global pop sensation sings that she'll need "All my cowboys to the dance floor (Hoops, spurs/Boots)/To the floor now, ooh (Tuck, back, oops.)"
Instead of going to a "real-life boogie and a real-life hoedown," this version sees Beyoncé turn to a more intense "rodeo." She sings, "It's a rodeo, we gon' dosido" before kicking it up a notch to the recipient of the song. "Give me all of your love, all of your sins/All of you f-ks, pony up."
For nearly two minutes, the track sounds just like its predecessor. However, the instrumentation switches up, adding in new layers to the already compelling song. The production on "Texas Hold 'Em (Pony Up Remix) transitions into a New Orleans bounce sound, rife with claps and snappy hi-hats. This style is another pointed homage to the American south.
Beyoncé is looking for fun on this remix, she sings, "Baby, I just might/Throw a party for the whole damn town" as she asks for another round, "One for me, one for my lover." There are also whiskey references a plenty: "Sippin' on a Tennessee/Spinnin' me around/I just see you with a whiskey/I'm drinkin' straight, baby, all day."
On the superstar's subreddit (r/beyonce), fans posted their various reactions to the remix's release. One user declared that "This woman knows how to do a proper remix," while another wrote in excited all-capitals: "WTF IS THIS ERA OMG SHE WANTS TO KILL ME."
The track, which was released in the middle of the night on Wednesday, has garnered over 110,000 views on YouTube. "Texas Hold 'Em" remix currently sits at #1 on U.S. iTunes.
The original "Texas Hold 'Em" saw Beyonce make history as the first Black woman to reach number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The accompanying single, "16 Carriages," debuted at the ninth spot on the same chart.
Beyoncé has still not released all of the credits for COWBOY CARTER. It's unknown whether she will drop any future remixes of other songs from the album. COWBOY CARTER has broken records on streaming services, becoming Spotify's most-streamed album in a single day of the year thus far. The album, and its lead singles, also earned impressive accolades on the Country Charts.
