Jake Owen - Barefoot Blue Jean Night (Click to listen)
The People's Take
I don't know what the people's take is... my iTunes isn't working properly, but I can imagine 90% of the comments are as such "This is so great for summer riding with my boyfriend in his truck and going to softball games!!!" and the other 10% are either "First!" or "I hate country so this sucks."
My Take
I already know what's coming. It's late April so like taxes are due and Obama's ratings are down, it's time for Summer songs. I'm right. I can also guarantee "till morning light" or "till the break of dawn" will be sang in this song…. yep, there it is. Jake is doing it right and coming alive with the new girl in town out in the middle of ruralia.
How old is he? 30 or something? Is he really still hanging around at parties in the countryside? Jake, you do know it's legal for you to drink wherever you want to that's not a car? Grown folks have parties at their house… in the back yard. There are too many snakes at the riverside. Authenticity is not a requirement of radio country, so I should look past all these little things, but I just can't.
There is one nice line in this song: "we were shining like lighters in the dark in the middle of a rock show" and honestly, I like the beat. The "whooaaoh ohhs" are making me angry though. Ah hell, I'm feeling generous. This isn't horrible such as it is. There are banjos. Jake sounds interested, but the imagery is as far from unique as Jake's teeth aren't from whitener. "Never gonna grow up/never gonna slow down." You might wanna rethink that pardner… the mid-thirties will drain you of energy, I can promise you that. The hangovers aren't so bad anymore, but you'll have a lot more self-awareness of how stupid it is that you're three Jagerbombs into a Friday night and your jeans are biting into your side. Maybe that's just me.
Basically, this is middle of the road pop-country with a few nods to actual country, but it's catchy. A word of warning to those predisposed to living out songs: being barefoot on the riverbank at night is a good way to end up with poison ivy rashes, ticks and West Nile Virus. Have fun.
Total Value: .55/.99
The Checklist:
Church/God
Mama
Boots
Name Dropping
Dying Person
JeansCounty Fair
Lost Love
Dog
LoveHometown/Country Pride
Kindly Advice
Truck
Whiskey
BeerLife AffirmationUSA
Soldiers
Pop Sheen
Star Power
Awesome review! Of all the pointless, immature, silly, catchy summer radio white noise, this one's my favorite. And at least he's not asking a girl to shake her ass for catfish and squirrels.
ReplyDeleteI love the check list!!!
ReplyDeleteokkkkkk. asshole.
ReplyDeleteJake didn't even write this song, so if you gotta a problem take it up with the songwriter.
Jake had great original music. This blows, its just pop crap.
ReplyDeleteYou forgot "sweet tea" on The Checklist. Apparently it's another beverage that needs to be name-checked on many nucountry songs, including this piece of drivel!
ReplyDelete