Kane Brown Credits Added to Florida Georgia Line Song
It turns out Saving Country Music wasn’t the only one that thought the chorus of the recent new single from Florida Georgia Line called “I Love My Country” sounded eerily similar to the chorus of a Kane Brown song called “Short Skirt Weather.” Now Kane Brown and his co-writers of Chase McGill and Will Weatherly have officially been added as songwriters to the Florida Georgia Line song to satisfy copyright concerns.
Kane Brown’s “Short Skirt Weather” was first released on September 28th, 2018 ahead of his latest album Experiment. When Florida Georgia Line released their latest single “I Love My Country” earlier this year written by Corey Crowder, Ernest K. Smith, and Charlie Handsome (real name Ryan Vojtesak), Saving Country Music remarked how similar the chorus was to Kane Brown’s “Short Skirt Weather.”
Accusations of stealing song elements surface from fans and listeners all the time, and are often unfounded, hard to prove, or are just sheer coincidence. But apparently this particular instance was open and shut. Recently Florida Georgia Line announced they would be releasing an EP called 6-Pack on Friday, May 22nd. The six-song set includes “I Love My Country,” and listed in the writing credits for the song are the writers for Kane Brown’s “Short Skirt Weather,” which was not the case when the song was first released.
In early April, mashup artist Sir Mashalot superimposed the choruses of the two songs on top of each other, illustrating how the choruses share the same chords, and a very similar melody, rhythm, and cadence in the vocal track as well.
Modern radio country is regularly criticized for many of the songs sounding the same, and for the lack of variety between artists. In this instance, this wasn’t an embellishment or unfair accusation. The respective parties apparently agreed, and Kane Brown and his writers were given their rightful credits.
The conciliation is also a red mark against new Florida Georgia Line producer Corey Crowder, who also co-wrote the song. Crowder recently replaced Joey Moi as the producer of the duo.
May 20, 2020 @ 10:49 am
Now Alan Jackson needs to credit the writers for ten rounds of Jose Quervo Because his hit five o clock somewhere rips off the song
May 20, 2020 @ 10:55 am
Lol.
All NashTrash “songwriters” use the same “songwriting”-program: Ashley Gorleys NashTrash Songwriting for Dummies”…new version….now with Corey Crowder special.
May 20, 2020 @ 6:34 pm
Is there an app for that?
May 20, 2020 @ 11:19 am
The reality is that each bro-country song should have at least 20 co-writers given that they rip off the same tired, unoriginal material over and over again. Every FGL song should cite Luke Bryan, Kane Brown, San Hunt, and every other artist producing this garbage, and vice versa.
Nice to see them recognize their own unoriginality. If only country music at large could do the same…
May 20, 2020 @ 3:13 pm
If you DON’T like it….THEN DON’T LISTEN TO IT!!!!
May 20, 2020 @ 8:00 pm
LOL, how original.
May 22, 2020 @ 6:25 am
Ashley, your comment gets at the heart of a deep philosophical issue that many country fans deal with on a regular basis. The unfortunate truth is that country music radio airplay is a zero sum game. Every time a crappy country song like this gets played, REAL, actual country does not. In addition to impacting artists’ earnings, repeated exposure to this crap is harming the genre as country fans are increasingly expecting non-country elements (e.g., EDM-style beats and rapping) in their country songs, which is destroying any sort of artistic integrity the genre had.
You’re absolutely right; I could just not listen to it. I could bury my head on the sand and pretend it doesn’t exist. At the same time, actual talented artists are being overlooked by the vast majority of country music radio listeners because trash like FGL plays on a regular basis. I like the genre too much to be okay with that. If FGL wants to call their crap what it actually is, NOT country, then I, along with many others, would stop criticizing it.
May 22, 2020 @ 9:39 am
And what kinda CRAPPY PEOPLE do YOU consider “REAL COUNTRY SINGERS!?!” Let me guess….
Willie Nelson
Merle Haggard
Johnny Cash
Patsy Cline
Waylon Jennings
May 22, 2020 @ 12:19 pm
Your use of ALL CAPS really drives home your point.
May 23, 2020 @ 11:20 am
Every genre of music has a hardcore group and a pop group. Go through history and there it is, speed metal vs. pop metal, real punks vs. poseurs, hardcore rap vs. melodic rap. Etc. The pop end will ALWAYS be more popular because most people want catchy accessible music. (Extremely familiar with this controversy because my first real job was at a teenage heavy metal magazine and I was the “why can’t we have Slayer instead of Poison?? Whyyyyyy?” contingent.) I like a very wide variety of music and radio in general sucks. They overplay the hits to the point where you can’t stand to listen to songs you once loved. But that is not unique to country music. That’s the music industry. That is never going to change.
May 22, 2020 @ 12:22 pm
Three exclamation marks, and ALL CAPS?
You seem serious.
May 30, 2020 @ 3:55 pm
The ‘Mashalot’ link was the only FGL I’ve ever heard. Three things: I will never listen to them again. I will criticize them as much as possible. And I will also never listen to something named ‘Kane Brown’ again either.
Holy shit, I feel like washing my ears out with turpentine
May 20, 2020 @ 12:26 pm
The guy on the left looks like he got arrested for domestic violence and the guys on the right looks like they just auditioned for a weird porno
May 20, 2020 @ 1:49 pm
Wow Fuzzy,
The domestic violence comment was below the belt.
How do you behave behind closed doors?
I’ll throw a quarter bet
May 20, 2020 @ 12:52 pm
Why even bother covering this trash?
Cover the great indie albums of the year. Hands down, I’d recommend Starting with “Yellow Rose Motel”, by George Ducas and following with “Hold My Beer” Randy Rogers / Wade Bowen.
May 20, 2020 @ 1:09 pm
Just went back and counted. So far in 2020 I’ve done 35 album reviews for what could be classified as “indie” artists, including one for “Hold My Beer Vol. 2” posted 12 days ago that apparently you missed. Here’s a link:
https://savingcountrymusic.com/album-review-randy-rogers-wade-bowen-hold-my-beer-vol-2/
Of course, that doesn’t include news stories announcing new albums, song reviews, other features for indie artists, two of which I’ve posted in the last 18 hours, obituaries, and other media coverage for important artists, events, festivals, venues, tours, etc. George Ducas reached out about his album but it was a little to late at that time to review it, though I haven’t ruled it out. It was released in 2019, so it wouldn’t qualify as one of the great indie albums of 2020.
All that said, I can’t imagine a more important story to illustrate the sameness and insular nature of today’s radio country than Florida Georgia Line getting caught red handed ripping off a Kane Brown song. This might be the most important story Saving Country Music covers all year. It’s exposing the mainstream for what it is that helps bolster the cause of all independent artists. There wasn’t an album or artist that was not covered to cover this story. I am constantly working on features for independent artists. Posted one last night. Posted another this morning. Working on others as we speak. I’m doing the best I can.
May 21, 2020 @ 7:17 am
This shit gets worse and worse every release. It sounds the same, same chorus, bridge and same dull effect.
I pity those goons who listen to this trash thinking it’s ok. Or even good. It’s easy to prove why it sucks, impossible to prove why it is good
May 20, 2020 @ 1:46 pm
Get your own website?
May 20, 2020 @ 1:56 pm
I think Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan should sue themselves for ALL of their songs stealing elements from their other songs. Heard one, heard them all.
May 20, 2020 @ 2:18 pm
On a funnier note I never realized since I didn’t hear the “I Love My Country” single until my radio station played it (eye roll), anyone love how FGL is saying they love to hear fiddle when they NEVER even use one??!!
May 20, 2020 @ 3:44 pm
I think it’s they like to hear the sound of fiddle in other people music but don’t like using it in their own, sort of like how they found it funny when one of their roadies soiled themselves on the trip due to being sick with a virus but didn’t find it funny when the one that doesn’t do anything shit himself because he didn’t want to go to the bathroom and didn’t think his farts would turn into a sharts
May 20, 2020 @ 5:13 pm
Sidebar: Any more news on the Lost Outlaw Concert “digital options?” I’d love to have a good audio version to cruise to.
May 21, 2020 @ 4:55 pm
Or any way to purchase it outside of Amazon? Those guys are making enough money right now… Someone commented elsewhere about making an effort to NOT shop global-mega chains right now and spending money locally or at least as directly as possible to artists/people.
May 20, 2020 @ 7:26 pm
LAZY SONGWRITING!!
May 20, 2020 @ 7:51 pm
Seems rather than going to court and going through embarrassing negative press, FGL offered songwriting credit. Kane and friends will now get royalties. If anyone bothers to buy the song or stream it.
May 21, 2020 @ 4:06 am
It saddens me that you had to listen to either/or BOTH those songs to make that observation/correlation. Thanks for takin’ the arrows, man.
May 21, 2020 @ 7:19 am
Stop having shit taste.
May 21, 2020 @ 10:04 am
“Kane Brown Credits Added to Florida Georgia Line Song
It’s like pissing on a shit sandwich…
May 21, 2020 @ 11:28 am
Why is Kane Brown credited though?
He didn’t write “I Love My Country” .
Isn’t songwriting credit only given based on who wrote the lyrics, not based on the production??
Can anyone help me clear this up?
May 21, 2020 @ 11:48 am
Songwriting also directly involves the melody and tonal notes themselves. Production is more instrumentation and arrangement. If the producer aided in the melody or writing, he could receive a songwriting credit as well.
May 21, 2020 @ 3:12 pm
Thanks!!! I never knew that!!
May 22, 2020 @ 11:43 am
But what about Heartache Medication and Fool Hearted Memory?
Very similar melody (not with the chorus tho)
May 22, 2020 @ 1:36 pm
They’re not very close at all.
Many people think they know when one song sounds like another. Most of the time, it’s just coincidence, or similar elements. Rarely it’s open and shut like in this case.
May 23, 2020 @ 6:26 am
There’s alot of songs out there that happen to sound very similar. Compare Toby Keith’s “Wish I Didn’t Know Now” to Garth Brooks’ “That Summer”, Tracy Byrd’s “Drinking Bone” to Justin Moore’s “Point At You”, strangely enough Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” to Phil Vassar’s “Good Ole Days”
May 22, 2020 @ 1:05 am
That’s why Miranda Lambert gave songwriting credits to Steve Earle for ”Kerosene” due to melody similarity to Earle’s ”I feel Alright”. She unintentionally copied it because she listened to it so much.
May 22, 2020 @ 5:07 am
Kane Brown and Florida Georgia Line together is like going to jail then being told your dog died, your Honus Wagner card was used for toilet paper, and your wife cheated on you at her family reunion