Single Review – Jon Pardi’s “Night Shift”
Nobody’s talking about it, but Jon Pardi is quickly developing into a serious modern country star. His latest record California Sunrise was released now over two years ago, and aside from Chris Stapleton’s Traveller, it’s been one of the most perennial titles on the Billboard Country Albums chart Top 15 over that time period. There are stadium acts that haven’t sold 250,000 copies of their latest record like Jon Pardi has (see Kenny Chesney’s Cosmic Hallelujah).
It’s for these reasons that Capitol Nashville has decided to release a 5th single from the record, which is a feat and a victory for any album in itself. A 5th single means a label perceives continued strength from a title and an artist, and a willingness to continue to invest time and money in promoting them. “Night Shift” will try to bridge the gap between California Sunrise, and whatever new music Jon Pardi has planned, which has to be in the works at this point now two years removed from his last release.
There is a touch of grey in the silver lining though. Pardi’s last single “She Ain’t In It” had traditional country fans singing the praises of Pardi and his label for showing leadership for putting such a traditional song on the radio. To many, it was clearly the best song from the California Sunrise set. But it stalled out just outside the Top 20 on the charts, signaling that even though Pardi’s popularity is on the rise, radio is still soft on singles that don’t adhere to the latest trends. As a fourth single, it was worth throwing it out there as a wild card. The fact that it got to #21 could still be an important stepping stone.
“Night Shift” may not fare much better in such a crowded market for new singles at the moment, and it may not be nearly as traditional as “She Ain’t In It.” But it is indicative of the important place Jon Pardi inhabits in mainstream country. Don’t shake your head that Pardi is out there on tour right now with Luke Bryan and Sam Hunt. Be happy that at least someone who knows how to pick out a cowboy hat and a pair of Wranglers is representing country on what is supposed to be a “country” tour. Let those fans be exposed to a little actual country music culture. Perhaps they’ll like what they hear, and go searching for more.
The promise in Pardi is not that he’ll be the next George Jones. But he could be the next Dierks Bentley, though an even more twangy version—helping to bridge the gap between contemporary and traditional, and offering the mainstream masses a healthier alternative. “Night Shift” most certainly falls into that categorization, with prominent fiddle right beside the lead guitar, and some steel tones working into a robust chorus hard not to find appeal in. The song ends with a guitar solo, which is about as rare as steel and fiddle itself these days.
Written by Tofer Brown, Phillip LaRue, and Billy Montana, the lyrics of “Night Shift” are pretty stock, but the idea of working 60 hours a week, yet saving enough energy for keeping the flames of desire alive at home is the kind of blue collar story indicative of actual country music, and can’t be overdone. This is Jon Pardi doing what Jon Pardi does, which is keeping it a little bit safe, but also keeping it distinctly country. It’s not too far off from the sensibility of some of Alan Jackson’s radio material during his heyday.
If you try to appeal to both the traditional and contemporary, you run the risk of not appealing to either. We know Jon Pardi is a traditionalist, even if he also has the natural desire to have a successful career, and be heard. He sells actual records like more traditional and independent artists do, and it also means he is appealing to an older crowd, as well as the younger audience on radio where he’s found success. You get the sense Pardi is still developing, and his next record could break either way. But for now, he’s content straddling the lines between both country worlds, and has found surprising success doing it. A song like “Night Shift” is exemplary of that.
July 11, 2018 @ 8:37 am
A big step down from She Ain’t in it. Hate how the chorus comes in.
July 11, 2018 @ 10:21 am
Anything was going to be a step down from “She Ain’t In It.” That was a career song.
July 11, 2018 @ 8:57 am
They had a surefire #1 in “Cowboy Hat” and never released it as a single. Good lord…
July 11, 2018 @ 11:36 am
THIS ^^^^ I agree 100% that Cowboy Hat should have been released as the final single instead of this one. Bad move on the label’s part….but then again labels are notorious for releasing bad singles while good songs never see the light of day..
July 11, 2018 @ 3:28 pm
Pretty porny for radio. “You Can Leave Your Hat On” at least was sly. Or compare it to hat songs by Dale Watson or Lyle Lovett.
Incidentally, did the guitar player for Pardi’s track also cut the solo on “Honeybee”? It cops the ending. Just wondering.
I hope Pardi does some good, but these songs are twinkies.
July 11, 2018 @ 9:23 am
Spot on review Trigger! I’m a little disappointed that she ain’t in it didn’t chart higher. But what Jon has proved that an artist can put traditional sound on country radio and have some success. Hopefully he does what he did with the first three singles chart wise with this new one. I am very interested to hear what the new album will sound like. Will a fold to the label or will he keep making the music he loves that is the biggest question.
July 11, 2018 @ 10:22 am
Jon Pardi could break either way, and it could be either hugely successful, or disappointing. Hopefully if nothing else, the continued strong sales for “California Sunrise” means he can keep on the more traditional track.
July 11, 2018 @ 9:33 am
Couldn’t have said it any better myself. The comparison to Dierks is spot on as well as the relatability of the lyrics. Most blue collar folks aren’t actually living the FGL or Luke Bryan lifestyle. They’re working hard with just enough energy to blow off a little steam in the evening or on the weekend. That truly blue collar, rural paradigm is something I think is missing in today’s country. Like you said, this is something akin to what Alan Jackson or even the Hag may have released as a single at some point.
July 11, 2018 @ 10:23 am
Yes, Pardi doesn’t make living out in the country sound like Candyland here.
July 11, 2018 @ 9:44 am
The fact that “She Ain’t In It” found its way into the top 30 for some weeks meant that I actually heard some traditional-style country on the radio on my way to work, the few times I would try my luck with one of our two pathetic “country” stations in Charlotte. And the music video has over 10 million views, which is probably more important than its airplay spins.
As for “Night Shift,” I think “Cowboy Hat” would have been the better pick. Musically, I can’t get into the chorus of “Night Shift,” although I like the verses, and it grabs your attention from the start. I hope it does well.
July 11, 2018 @ 10:29 am
Hitting #21 on the charts is not bad. That means quite a few folks were hearing it. We’re just used to the stupid mainstream system where virtually every major single gets an opportunity at #1 or #2.
July 11, 2018 @ 12:40 pm
Yep, that’s right. I noticed that once it got into the top 30 it started to receive fairly regular rotation, even though I don’t listen to country radio nearly as much as I once did. I have a long commute to and from work, so I managed to hear it several times over the course of its radio run. Very refreshing.
July 11, 2018 @ 10:10 am
LOL he just ripped off the melody and rhythm to Maren Morris’ “I Could Use A Love Song”
July 11, 2018 @ 10:14 am
I literally came here to say this. Slow it down and it is absolutely “I Could Use A Love Song”
July 11, 2018 @ 10:28 am
First off, these accusations of people ripping off other people get really tiring.
Second, both their albums were basically released at the same time, which means there just as much chance Morris copied Pardi. More realistically, both songs were composed at basically the same time and they sound similar. It would have been impossible for the three songwriters to hear Maren’s song, write their own, demo it, record it, and press it in two weeks—oh, and the track had already been recorded and pressed and announced BEFORE the release of “Hero.” Nothing to see here.
July 11, 2018 @ 10:36 am
Either way, it’s a dumb move to release this as a single with her song already being a hit for a while now.
July 11, 2018 @ 11:31 am
How is it dumb? If this song really does sound like Morris song, which I’m pretty sure hit #1, then why wouldn’t it be smart to release a song with the same formula? You make little sense…
July 13, 2018 @ 4:26 am
This response is meant for Summer Jam below me, for some reason it won’t let me….
how is it dumb to release a song that’s been #1 already with the same melody and rhythm to it? Haha, do i REALLY have to answer that? I’ll give you a hint… lawyers.. paperwork…business attire.
July 11, 2018 @ 2:36 pm
If his album was released two years ago, I do not think he stole anything,
July 11, 2018 @ 10:31 am
I guess Music Row songwriters didn’t go looking for their lost dignity after that You Tube video went viral about all mainstream “country” music sounding the same.
July 11, 2018 @ 10:32 am
Doubtful, their albums were recorded and released too close together.
July 11, 2018 @ 10:34 am
I’m so confused by this pick. I love this album, but Night Shift is by far my least favorite track. Why in the world they didn’t go with Cowboy Hat or California Sunrise is beyond me. Any insight? What makes this the pick when there are (arguably) better songs on the album?
July 11, 2018 @ 11:08 am
Well…the answer is no.
(Un-)popular opinion: “Night Shift” is meh. Even with steel & fiddle in the mix the track sounds somewhat bro-ish. There is a watered down Brantley Gilbert vibe all over “Night Shift”.
“Night Shift” is only the placeholder for new (& better ?) music. He is not the next George Jones (impossible), the next Dierks Bentley (i don’t care) & he is not so traditional (cowboy hat or not).
Try out Tommy Townsend:
His EP is called Turn Back The Clock (Released – 07/06).
The 7 tracks are produced by Shooter Jennings. First single is a cover of a Steve Young track: “Renegade Picker”. Tommy Townsend was a member of the Waylon Jennings live band & you can hear it.
July 11, 2018 @ 11:22 am
Everybody’s complaining about the chorus, but I didn’t even make it that far. Just another bro song…
July 11, 2018 @ 11:28 am
Trigger I’m sure you’re aware, but Eric Church posted on his Instagram a picture saying July 12th 9:00 AM. I’m assuming that is when the single you posted about will be released.
July 11, 2018 @ 12:01 pm
Yes, appears the rumors were a day off, but were true nonetheless. We’ll see what happens tomorrow morning.
July 11, 2018 @ 11:35 am
Jon Pardi is laying the railroad tracks for neo-traditional country to reappear in the mainstream. Not only is the California Sunrise album a fantastic album, it shows that you can still make modern country music with a neotraditional sound….I would consider it one of my favorite albums. I firmly believe that Pardi is major reason why Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan, and a few other acts are leaning towards a more country sound. Shelton is the king of contemporary country, but his recent comments about wanting more neo-traditional music on radio may be due to Jon Pardi’s success on a super corrupt country radio. Sam Hunt is even promising a real country album for his 3rd album, which also could be due to Jon Pardi. If anyone is going to “save country music”, Jon Pardi’s name and face is plastered all over it.
July 11, 2018 @ 11:52 am
Seriously? Those lyrics are tacky as hell and as bro as it gets. Hard pass, fiddle or no.
July 11, 2018 @ 2:03 pm
Bro as it gets? Go listen to Joe Diffie’s new single. The lyrics are mild and cliche, but far from Bro. This is what country music has been for 60 years.
July 12, 2018 @ 8:57 am
Bro as it gets is over the top, but still…
Gonna rock it right
No need to talk, I know what you want
And what you like
Cause I do too, yeah
Lame af
July 11, 2018 @ 12:07 pm
Spot on review.
I enjoy listening and singing his songs. They are fun, catchy with interesting instrumental.
I wouldn’t have to turn off the radio if mainstream country would be as goog as Jon Pardi. He is certainly an exception to the rule! …
July 11, 2018 @ 1:09 pm
“It’s been a wreck me week
Sixty plus from dawn to dusk
In the red dirt heat
Busting it up for a couple of bucks
But it ain’t no thing
Just another day till I’m on my way
To them cool, cool sheets and you and me”
LOL
“Racking up the overtime hours
Loving how we’re working on the night shift, baby
Gonna rock it right
No need to talk, I know what you want
And what you like
Cause I do too, yeah”
ROFLMAO
July 11, 2018 @ 2:02 pm
“I keep my nose on the grindstone, I work hard every day
Might get a little tired on the weekend, after I draw my pay
But I’ll go back workin, come Monday morning I’m right back with the crew
I’ll drink a little beer that evening,
Sing a little bit of these working man blues”
July 11, 2018 @ 2:12 pm
Yep.
There have always been lyrics like this in country music. I mean go listen to some Earnest Tubb or Hank Thompson with a super critical cliché hunting eye. There really is nothing new left to write and sing about so to criticize any new music is just being overly critical in my opinion.
July 11, 2018 @ 3:14 pm
Trig, there is a country mile of distance between those two songs and you know it.
The closest Merle got to Pardi’s song was “Livin’ With the Shades Pulled Down,” and there was none of this I worked sixty hours outside now let’s enjoy the high thread count while we go at it all night baby bullsh*t.
Pardi is blowing smoke.
July 11, 2018 @ 4:15 pm
yeah ….that is one TERRIBLE trend-chaser of a ‘ lyric ‘ riddled with ‘hip’ (- hop ) -type language and pop phrasing ….all to say almost nothing . It sounds like it was written on a bathroom break and recorded in one take ( about 3 and a half minutes ) like so much of this assembly-line formulaic pop -country shit . Not a creative idea or melody to be found . If this was Joe Schmoe releasing this as the first single from his debut album it wouldn’t see the light of day .
July 11, 2018 @ 7:47 pm
Yeah, I don’t know what Trigger was smoking when he compared those two songs?
July 11, 2018 @ 10:31 pm
I didn’t compare the two songs. It was an illustration about how guys singling about working hard is an eternal theme of country music. I said in review the lyrics were “stock.” I’ve agreed with others they’re cliche. If you’re looking for someone to defend the lyrics, you’ve come to the wrong place. That said, calling them “Bro” or “Not country” or “terrible” is way overboard in my opinion. Y’all need to get a whiff of your average radio single these days.
July 12, 2018 @ 4:57 am
Yes Trigger, but this is more than “singling” about work. It’s using the work as a vehicle to tell a woman you want to screw… with very bland lyrics. Never compare the Hag to shit like this. It’s just wrong.
July 12, 2018 @ 9:00 am
Hag is singing about working, not screwing. In Pardis song working is just setting context
July 11, 2018 @ 1:19 pm
Any album with that Florida Georgia Line-esque abomination “Dirt On My Boots” will never be in my record collection. The few times that song happened at me, I honestly thought it was Florida Georgia Line. Even his good songs are unimpressive to me. At least he isn’t Sam Hunt, I’ll say that about him
July 11, 2018 @ 2:21 pm
“She Ain’t In It” peaked at 21. What a joke. I knew it wouldn’t do anything. He’ll lose his record deal like Easton Corbin. So ridiculous. I love Jon Pardi. “She Ain’t In It” was better than the other singles that did well performed by him. Just confirms what I already knew these kids today don’t like country, it’s too real/depressing for them. They like “Meant To be,” which just says the same lines over and over. So sick of this foolish melody-driven-no-content-at-all lyrics. I hope to see Jon Pardi next week in South Carolina. It doesn’t help him that he is not a super model. Keep fighting the good fight. Don’t sell out like Dustin Lynch did.
July 11, 2018 @ 9:43 pm
Dustin Lynch is pretty much toast on radio after “Small Town Boy”
July 11, 2018 @ 2:39 pm
I have seen Jon Pardi several times and feel like he is the real deal. It doesn’t sound contrived when he sings, adds a fiddle or steel guitar. I have said for several months that Jon Pardi is the next headliner. It seems that Kenny, Jason and Luke have overstayed their welcome and we need a new crop. I will be curious if he tours as the main act next year or will do another stadium/arena tour with a big-name act.
July 11, 2018 @ 3:02 pm
I like the album, I have to listen to random “country” at my job and Pardi is a welcome relief from the tractor rap that is playing the rest of the time.
July 11, 2018 @ 3:05 pm
Yeah both of his albums have been in my rotation forever so much so that I lost count because all the songs are so good and thought Cowboy Hat was already a single….(oops! Not a big single guy) Don’t know how the label could drop the ball on this one. That’s a smash hit. The irony being the label fought with him to not wear a cowboy hat for the cover photo shoot and he had the balls to tell them to fuck off and the album took off! I like Night Shift but I doubt it’ll even do as well She Ain’t In It. 5th singles rarely do. He’s opened his show with Paycheck and as a great opener it’s just as good as Night Shift in my opinion. The Florida Georgia Line-esque comparisons are valid maybe in vocals but the Pardi/Brett Butler team are better songwriters let’s hope they don’t do anything stupid in the future. If it works, don’t fix it!
July 11, 2018 @ 3:07 pm
I meant Pardi/Bart Butler team. My bad.
July 11, 2018 @ 3:10 pm
i haven’t listened to this album yet, but in the context of country radio, this is not the worst thing to listen to by a long shot.. i don’t get the hate
the only John Pardi song i have on my phone is What I Can’t Put Down, i really dug that one and wished it had done better (maybe it did, i dont listen to the radio enough to know – i just heard it once and downloaded it)… so i’ll probably check out California Sunrise eventually
July 11, 2018 @ 3:23 pm
As others have said, the chorus kind of hampers this song a bit. “Crazy” may be the most overused adjective in country music right now.
July 11, 2018 @ 4:04 pm
If someone told me this was FGL I’d have believed them .
Not a fan of this vocal…or the production ….or the song .
Sounds like this camp is trying too hard to please radio .
How ’bout turn down the distorto guitar , crank up the steel and give the solo to a fiddle .
July 11, 2018 @ 4:59 pm
Reminds me of Midland.
July 11, 2018 @ 6:18 pm
Would have released Cowboy Hat too. But as many have said Jon is the real deal. He and his band are GREAT live.
But he is in some treacherous waters with this song’s performance and new content on the horizon.
July 11, 2018 @ 7:51 pm
I’ve said it before, Pardi’s voice is annoying. Terrible. The songs aren’t very good and the production is paint by numbers. It’s a shame that this is the best we have to hold up at country radio.
July 14, 2018 @ 6:43 am
He sounds like the former long haired now HIV positive looking “singer” from Florida Georgia Line
July 11, 2018 @ 8:46 pm
Its a damm shame “She ain’t in it” didn’t go further on radio. It’s lightyears better than any song out there at the time.
July 12, 2018 @ 5:12 am
Uh…it’s a no for me, Dawg.
July 12, 2018 @ 6:44 am
I want to like Jon Pardi, but this particular cross between Luke Bryan and my least favorite George Strait song isn’t for me. This song is what Alan Jackson would sound like if he rolled coal on his legacy, went bro, but didn’t have the heart to fire his fiddle player.
July 12, 2018 @ 9:21 am
I didn’t listen. Did they get the auto tune button unstuck for this track?
And don’t get me started on the compression they use on his vocal. He ends up sounding like a table saw cutting varying thicknesses of paneling with a masonry blade.
If traditional country was popular, Jon Pardi would be the Nickelback of it.
And he’s still in the top 5% of what you hear on the radio. Which translates to barely listenable, at times.
July 12, 2018 @ 10:22 am
This is definitely an early 2000’s-style country single. Like you said, not George Jones, but not bad either. If 90% of songs on country radio sounded like this I wouldn’t mind at all.
July 12, 2018 @ 11:23 am
It’s not among my favorite tracks from “California Sunrise”, but it’s still pretty good.
July 12, 2018 @ 4:09 pm
This song is terrible, 7/10 was mighty generous.
July 12, 2018 @ 8:27 pm
I just can’t get into Jon Pardi. SAII is catchy but his nasally voice & autotune is just what FGL would actually sound like singing a country song
July 13, 2018 @ 4:36 am
I don’t think that it is fair to compare Jon Pardi to FGL’s music. Jon Pardi released some good singles and his album was actually not bad at all. FGL released one country song (called Dirt) and that’s it. The rest is just pop music mix with hip hop.
July 13, 2018 @ 5:06 am
Not the best song of the record but he already released that. I like Pardi, his vocals are a little weak for me to listen to him too much but I do give him props for recording some more traditional stuff. She Aint In It was one of my favorite songs over the last couple years.
Hope he doesn’t follow Dustin Lynch’s choices for music releases.
July 13, 2018 @ 7:11 am
Absolutely the right choice for a single release! “She Ain’t In It” was just too hardcore-nerdy and it bore most people too much. It didn’t even show up on the Digital or Streaming charts, even though Radio tried to push it towards Top-20. “Night Shift” has already almost as many streams as “She Ain’t In It” today, even before being promoted as the new single …
July 13, 2018 @ 12:46 pm
I’m just not a big fan of his voice.
July 13, 2018 @ 6:53 pm
that crap sounds just like any bro country drek you can find whilst picking through a pile of dung…
July 14, 2018 @ 7:23 am
Not a great song by any stretch of the imagination but better than most. It’s just a tide-over single while they ready a new album release.
I will be extremely disappointed in Jon Pardi if he doesn’t maintain his traditional leanings. Especially if he tells us that “we experimented with our sound a bit but it’s still us” and then releases his own Black. There would be no justifiable excuses, and it’d be hard to forgive.
March 11, 2020 @ 11:19 am
This dudes voice is SO annoying. Any time that Heartache Medication song comes on I just wanna throat chop the dude..i mean, it could only help..