Alan Jackson’s New Song ‘Back’ Partly Inspired by Justin Timberlake
Alan Jackson is bringing country music back. On Friday, May 14th, his first new album in some six years arrives, and all indications are he means business. Delivering 21 songs of country music goodness, he offers up some drinking songs, some heartbreak songs, and few sentimental songs for his mother and daughters. But he also takes the time to rattle the cage a little bit.
The title track for Where Have You Gone has already been released, and presents as a lament about the state of country music, and how many of the influences and sounds that are so important to the music have gone away.
But that’s not the only song Alan Jackson has on the new album broaching the state of country music. There’s another song simply titled “Back” that has made some curious. It’s a bit hard to glean what the song solely written by Jackson (one of 15 from the album) is about just from the title, but in a recent interview with The Tennessean, Jackson revealed it and was inspired partly by Justin Timberlake.
“My kids, a few years ago, they said something about that old Justin Timberlake song ‘I’m Bringing Sexy Back,’” says Jackson. “I teased ‘em one day and said, ‘Yeah, alright. I’m bringing country back.’ I wrote it as a joke for them and everybody liked it.”
And now it’s Track 11 on the new album. Some lyrics from the song read, “I’m bringing country back/ Back where it belongs, back on track/ I think ‘ole Hank would like it like that.”
Alan Jackson also says in the interview, “I’m such a fan of country music. I just feel like it’s fading away, the real roots. It’s always been up and down but usually there’s just a little bit of it hanging on. Now I just feel like it’s getting further and further away, and it’s makin’ me sad.”
Jackson also calls himself “about half-retired” in the interview, though he is planning to get back out on the road this summer for some long delayed tour dates. “I ain’t gonna lie to you, it gets old going out there, travelin’. But when you walk out there and people are standing on their feet and singing just about every word to all my songs—happy and holding up a beer one minute, crying the next—it makes me feel like I’ve made some music [that’s] really touched people.”
May 13, 2021 @ 10:56 am
Funny i didn’t have any concerns when reading the title like i would with 80% of artists.
I’m sure Justin will like hearing that since he’s obviously a fan.
May 21, 2021 @ 7:13 am
Too many haters in this post. Alan is pure country. Listen to it if you like it. Don’t listen if you don’t. Sure is a lot better than 75% of the crap pop rock country they play on the radio now days. But for each their own which is what music is all about anyhow. Life is to short to hate.
Trolls should be deleted
May 27, 2021 @ 4:00 pm
Thanks again Allen Jackson for bringing Country back. I love that song, (Country is coming back). Country needs fiddles and steel guitars. I love the way you used them in the song Back!!!
May 13, 2021 @ 11:00 am
I love him!
May 13, 2021 @ 11:17 am
Justin’s Future Sex / Love Sounds is a classic album if you’re a fan of good music in general.
May 13, 2021 @ 10:59 pm
Something about ‘classic’ and ‘good’ in the same sentence, when it comes to music, intrigued me.
May 14, 2021 @ 10:11 am
FS/LS really is a solid album. If the 20/20 album had just been a single release it may have continued his streak.
May 13, 2021 @ 11:34 am
Cannot wait to get this tomorrow. Wish radio would pick something of this up if nothing else just to honor the legend
May 13, 2021 @ 12:16 pm
Ugh.
May 13, 2021 @ 10:25 pm
Sorry elitist prick song is nothing like you are thinking or hoping but I’m sure since it’s not the King and Prince of this site you’ll hate it anyway
May 14, 2021 @ 8:08 am
Not sure where your anger is coming from.
Am sincerely curious as who the King and Prince of this site is?
Hate is a very strong word.
Hate is a rare emotion for me, unless of course, you’re talking spiders
May 14, 2021 @ 9:42 am
“Sorry … song is nothing like you are thinking.”
You got that right, Strait.
BACK, is awful.
Somewhere in the class of Watermelon Crawl.
But hey, he bringin’ country back.
May 14, 2021 @ 2:14 pm
Watermelon cc rawl is lots better than most stuff released today.
May 14, 2021 @ 2:53 pm
So true.
May 14, 2021 @ 8:35 pm
Yeah songs shouldn’t be fun and should only be serious 100% of the time.
May 14, 2021 @ 9:05 pm
Happy for you, that you enjoy it
May 15, 2021 @ 10:04 pm
I don’t think we would like to buy the album especially the contents and the styles of the songs is all about aren’t our personal choice of music even we like country.
May 13, 2021 @ 12:20 pm
It’s sitting in my mail box at home waiting for me.
May 14, 2021 @ 9:24 am
I’m sitting in my mailbox waiting for mine.
May 14, 2021 @ 9:29 am
I hope it’s not too hot and/or humid where you live.
May 13, 2021 @ 12:23 pm
Hate being off topic but Trig, it’s very interesting to know that Thomas Rhett’s latest project kinda bombed in sales.. disappointing considering this album was more traditional.
This might make pop country stars hesitant to go more traditional with future projects.
Very much on topic now : I’m hoping for Alan Jackson’s album to be bigger than Rhett & Eric Church. All he needs is 30k+ physical sales & more than 50k unit sales. I definitely think it’s possible. George Strait’s 2019 comeback album did incredibly well.
May 13, 2021 @ 12:25 pm
With a large older fanfbqse I would think he sales more physical albums to than streams.
May 13, 2021 @ 12:30 pm
I’m pretty sure Strait did 50k physical sales in 2019. Very possible a similar thing will happen with Jackson.
May 14, 2021 @ 3:21 pm
Listening to Back got me thinking it sounds like another of his songs and I figured out which. It gives me vibes of country boy but at a faster tempo. It’s still a good song in my opinion.
May 14, 2021 @ 5:22 pm
‘I’m In Love With A Waitress..’?
May 13, 2021 @ 12:29 pm
I have some strong opinions about Thomas Rhett’s new album, including how it’s not as “traditional” as sold that I’ll probably share at some point after we get out of this murderer’s row on badass new releases over the last few weeks.
I do expect strong physical sales for Alan Jackson’s new one. Wouldn’t be surprised if he gives Rhett and Church a run for their money, though it might trail off quickly after that from a lack of streaming support.
May 13, 2021 @ 1:26 pm
I for one will have it streaming constantly. Wish I could make up for all the ones that don’t. I’m hoping this ends up getting an album of the year win, at least nomination.
May 13, 2021 @ 3:18 pm
You haven’t even heard it and you want it to win? This is a problem. Too many people make automatic judgements, good or bad, without a fair analysis.
May 13, 2021 @ 4:38 pm
Not a automatic judgement it’s 30yrs of a solid catalog that makes their assumption pretty accurate it could win AOTY or at least a nominee.
May 13, 2021 @ 6:49 pm
It’s Alan Jackson and that’s enough said. Everything released so far is very good quality and very country.
May 13, 2021 @ 11:12 pm
I figured it was all talk no action. lots of artists claim they are going back to roots or making a country record and its the same shit. just because your song titles are “I’m country” or “country 4 real” doesnt mean you did anything country
May 14, 2021 @ 6:18 pm
September 24 for its vinyl release. May see a 2nd boost for it as we approach fall.
May 14, 2021 @ 3:00 am
Great sign that people are getting wiser to these gimmicks and not buying into the fakers. The I’ll be good country now and take your money and use you for a quick buck folks and then stab you in the back later. Rhett, Morris etc…
May 13, 2021 @ 12:36 pm
I agree that Rhett’s album wasn’t perfect. Theres maybe like 5 good songs, the rest are forgettable. But it’s probably his best album to date (not saying much).
It’s definitely a “mainstream trend” to market yourself as “traditional – back to my roots”.
Michael Ray & Chris Lane’s recent stuff is definitely more “country”.
Not a bad trend at all. But others obviously do it better.
May 13, 2021 @ 1:31 pm
Not trying to change the subject here but any of you watch American idol? Caleb Kennedy, 16 year old country singer who seemed to have a knack for songwriting and a bright future is the latest cancel culture victim because of a video from when he was 12.
May 13, 2021 @ 3:44 pm
I don’t think it’s cancel culture. Just a reminder to young people not to post stupid things online. Once it’s online, it’s there for life. He should have deleted it months ago before it went viral.
No 12 year old should be making videos like that. At age 12, shouldn’t he be making Scooby Doo videos ..
May 13, 2021 @ 4:02 pm
Do you really think anything can actually be “deleted?” The real lesson isn’t that you should be acting like an adult when you’re eight, its that there is a surveillance state run by evil people.
May 13, 2021 @ 4:34 pm
Please Trig, delete my previous comment on this issue. Maybe shut down this thread altogether. I shouldn’t have added my two cents.
May 14, 2021 @ 4:34 am
hope this will be a good album . Alan is such a great singer.
May 14, 2021 @ 5:52 am
I got it in the mail yesterday and listened to it last night. Good, solid stuff. “Back” is probably the weakest song on the album.
May 14, 2021 @ 6:27 am
Listened to it this morning & My God…the album is saturated in steel guitar & fiddle. Now THIS is country music. Not that snap/clap track crap that passes as “today’s country.”
May 14, 2021 @ 8:58 am
Dang straight. I turned on my radio to “New Country” station yesterday, and 5 seconds into the first song I turned off my radio. Snap/clap track followed by some dude lightly rapping…I was horrified. Listened to Alan last night and was blissfully transported to another time, when country music was still country music.
May 14, 2021 @ 2:10 pm
Well I won’t get my copy til Monday but I have been streaming the new album quite a bit. I love it, really no bad songs on the album in my opinion. Only song I started out not liking was too late too soon I think I got title right. But once I got into it, it started giving me that George straight feel and I really started liking it. Back is a good song in my eyes though not in the top songs on the album but I haven’t totally figured out which ones are quite yet.
May 14, 2021 @ 2:46 pm
Am i crazy or does back have some major hot country knights-vibes? It kinda messes a bit with my head because in my mind, it’s a mulleted dierks bently who sings, not alan jackson.
May 15, 2021 @ 5:07 am
It’s the other way around. Hot County Knights purposely imitates Alan Jackson vibes.
May 14, 2021 @ 5:30 pm
this track illustrates what the song is about . AJ is not just bringing country narratives and songs back. he’s bringing back the SOUND of country ….the country musicianship and instrumentation and he gives them LOTS of rope on this one . however the 5 plus minute length will not help him get radio support . a shame because its great energy and REAL with some stellar playing .as a song for his live shows , this will really allow the band to stretch out . but I think even hardcore country fans may find this about a minute or so too long .
May 14, 2021 @ 7:37 pm
This album definitely exudes country at its finest. I’m not sure any of the songs by their self are among his greats but as a collection it’s top notch and anyone that really loves classic country music should have it.
May 15, 2021 @ 11:46 am
In general, I don’t like songs about the industry (cause they’re boring), but Trig is right that Alan gives top-shelf musicians room to stretch, and that alone makes this song worth listening to a couple times.