It’s hard to imagine today, but less than two weeks ago, none of us had even heard Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ’Em.” In the ten days since its release, the song’s impact on culture has been dramatic. With it, Beyoncé made Super Bowl ads briefly relevant again. She inspired thousands upon thousands of TikTok dance videos. She reminded us of the 1992 Disney labor-rights musical Newsies. She has already begun to remake country radio in her image. She’s given everyone who wants an excuse to doff a cowboy hat in the spirit of Texas—which is to say, pretty much everyone—the perfect opportunity to do so. 

But can her song save lives? 

According to a small but authoritative niche of social media—nurses and ER doctors—the answer is yes. How does it do so? It’s not just that “Texas Hold ’Em” offers joy to all who hear it, although that is a necessary component for a long and happy life. It’s not even that it provides validation to listeners who might have felt ignored by country music’s culture and who may well find the opportunity to embrace it transformative. Rather, there’s a more quantifiable benefit of the song: its 110 beats per minute (BPM) are ideal for performing CPR. 

If you’re with someone who’s experiencing a life-threatening cardiac event and “Texas Hold ’Em” pops into your head, that’s great news for the person lying supine on the floor. Because if you perform the chest compressions necessary to keep blood circulating until an ambulance arrives to the exact rhythm with which Bey sings “This ain’t Texas (woo) / Ain’t no hold ’em (woo) / So lay your cards down, down, down, down,” you’ll be doing so in a way that can, in fact, save a person’s life. 

“Texas Hold ’Em” is hardly unique in this capacity. Any song with a BPM between 100 and 120 should get you pressing your hands on the chest of someone who needs it at the right tempo. Famously, the Bee Gees’ 1977 disco hit “Stayin’ Alive” can actually help someone stay alive; so, too, can Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep,” Dolly Parton’s “Jolene,” or Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger.” 

The song that saves a life doesn’t even have to be a good one—“Ice Ice Baby” will do in a pinch!—but it does have to pop into your head at the exact right moment. Given that “Texas Hold ’Em” is the most ubiquitous earworm of 2024, and that Beyoncé’s music has a good amount of staying power, it’s a useful addition to the canon of songs that, in a high-pressure moment, could genuinely mean the difference between a close call and a tragedy. Thus, Beyoncé remains a necessary component of a long and healthy life, and we are lucky to have her.