Why Kane Brown Is Credited on Florida Georgia Line’s New #1
Florida Georgia Line has the #1 song on country radio this week with their latest single “I Love My Country,” or at least according to MediaBase. Soon the duo and their songwriters will be celebrating this accomplishment as these mainstream acts do whenever a song hits #1. But buried deep in the songwriting credits and the history of this song is one of the most uncovered scandals in country music in 2020.
When Florida Georgia Line first released the song on March 27, 2020, the writers for “I Love My Country” were credited as the duo’s new producer Corey Crowder, along with Ernest K. Smith, and Charlie Handsome (real name Ryan Vojtesak). However now when you look at the credits of the song, there are three new names in the songwriter list: Chase McGill, Will Weatherly, and fellow pop country performer Kane Brown.
Was “I Love My Country” the duo’s first collaboration with Kane Brown? Not exactly. As Saving Country Music first pointed out when reviewing “I Love My Country,” the chorus of the song wasn’t just eerily similar to Kane Brown’s song “Short Skirt Weather,” it was almost the exact same. A Sir Mashalot mashup of the two choruses pretty much corroborated that opinion.
Since Kane Brown’s “Short Skirt Weather” was first released on September 28th, 2018 ahead of his latest album Experiment, it would seem to be that he was the first to write the chorus along with his co-writers. Lo and behold, when Florida Georgia Line announced the track list for their recent EP 6-Pack on May 6th, Kane Brown, Chase McGill, and Will Weatherly were all now credited on the track. In other words, the Florida Georgia Line camp fessed up to either lifting the chorus, or to it coming so close for comfort it couldn’t be denied.
Saving Country Music has poked around to try and determine how Kane Brown and his co-writers ended up with credits on the track—if it was an amicable decision or if legal volleys were involved. But for obvious reasons, Florida Georgia Line’s people aren’t interested in broadcasting that the chorus was lifted or borrowed, and Kane Brown and his people are getting paid, so no reason to rock the boat.
But everyone should understand when they see all the celebration surrounding Florida Georgia Line’s new #1 song, Kane and his co-writers deserve just as much credit. Whether it’s on purpose or on accident, two pop country songs ended up with the same basic chorus, underscoring the intrinsic sameness and insular nature of most mainstream country music in 2020.
August 31, 2020 @ 9:37 am
What else can be said other than just “LOL” at this point? Lol.
August 31, 2020 @ 11:16 am
Lol…
At this point
August 31, 2020 @ 9:47 am
Amazes me country “journalists” will devote months to a non controversy like the “Old Town Road” chart removal but not even bring this up. Trigger, do you think it would have been a bigger issue had Kane Brown released his song as a proper single?
August 31, 2020 @ 12:18 pm
If “Short Skirt Weather” had been released as a single, perhaps this would be more of a story. But I really am stupefied why so many are mum on this subject, especially now that it’s hit #1.
I don’t think this is an issue of race, but I have to laugh that article after article continues to be published about how country has always been black music that was stolen and appropriated by whites, and yet here is a very specific and verifiable example of a white group appropriating the chorus of a black artist, and nobody except for myself has even mentioned it in the media. Same goes for the story of the Highwomen disinviting Mickey Guyton to their video shoot, and her writing an op-ed about it. That’s a massive example of a black artist being overlooked, and crickets from the media. I guess dealing in hypotheticals is much more sexy than actual, live, relevant, real-time examples.
August 31, 2020 @ 1:19 pm
“I guess dealing in hypotheticals is much more sexy than actual, live, relevant, real-time examples.”
Not.
Keep calling it out
August 31, 2020 @ 12:59 pm
Stellar reply
August 31, 2020 @ 10:00 am
Thanks for this non-essential piece of news. Now let’s move on to something country.
August 31, 2020 @ 11:46 am
This is critically essential. Don’t want to read it? Don’t read it.
August 31, 2020 @ 11:56 am
Of course.
August 31, 2020 @ 5:16 pm
100% with you on the last 2 sentences, but in all honesty and sincerity, why is this “critically essential?”
You said above it’s not about race, but then made sure to highlight the racial aspect of the story. So I’m confused as to whether you think that’s what makes it so essential.
And the sameness of the mainstream issue…you covered that in your last article on this. He’s not getting ripped off…he’s getting paid (if I’m reading that sentence correctly). So, that’s not controversial. I guess I’m missing why this is important, let alone critically essential. I guess another way to ask this is: When you say “Kane and his co-writers deserve just as much credit…” what should that look like? Songwriters hardly ever get credit in the public eye. I hate the media as much as anyone, but what are they supposed to be doing with this exactly?
August 31, 2020 @ 6:05 pm
I think it’s critically important the the country music community recognize that the current #1 song nabbed its chorus from another song in such an irrefutable way, the writers of the other song had to be added to the credits, and the commentary this makes about the current state of country music songwriting. Are the original songwriters still getting paid? Sure. But they better be. Their work was taken without permission, which is a bad precedent to set. It not like this hasn’t happened before. But I’m not sure we’ve ever seen it with a #1 song in country, and certainly not in this digital era when these things are supposed to be vetted before a song is even released.
As for the race quotient, I don’t think Corey Crowder lifted the chorus because Kane Brown is black. All I am saying is that we’ve been treated to a barrage of think pieces lately declaring that country music was stolen from black people. And here we have a chorus taken from a black artist and recorded by white ones. Whether Kane Brown is black or not is inconsequential, in my opinion. Corey Crowder would have taken it from anyone. But if you wanted an example of appropriation and black erasure, here is a real-world example, if you wanted to make it one. I’m just curious why nobody is paying attention to it, race dynamic or not. I’m literally the only one pointing this out about a #1 song.
August 31, 2020 @ 6:19 pm
Fair point on this not being the first time, but unusual for a number one. I don’t really like anyone involved with this, and will take any opportunity to laugh at them, but I’m still confused about what the “country music community” is supposed to do with this – not about race – yet perfect example of “erasure.” Would a few articles shaming them do it?
August 31, 2020 @ 5:18 pm
“But everyone should understand when they see all the celebration surrounding Florida Georgia Line’s new #1 song, Kane and his co-writers deserve just as much credit.”
Credit? Don’t you mean blame?
August 31, 2020 @ 10:20 am
Sir Mashalot sounds very Monty Python-ish
August 31, 2020 @ 10:27 am
I haven’t seen the new movie yet, but I think this is the song Bill and Ted should play, that brings peace and a better life to a utopian future. It shouldn’t just be number 1 in “country” music… this is… without a doubt….the #1 best song in the history of the universe. And Kane Brown helped. Excellent.
August 31, 2020 @ 11:06 am
I think this is more like the combination that brings about the end of the world. I’m no Bible scholar, but I’m pretty sure it’s mentioned in the Book of Revelation.
August 31, 2020 @ 10:38 am
FGL’s new song U.S. Stronger is another ripoff of Love & Theft’s Love Wins.
August 31, 2020 @ 10:51 am
I feel like I don’t have enough time to properly listen to all the Good music that’s out there. It boggles my mind you’re able to also keep up with these folks and their sounds – enough to catch the similarities.
August 31, 2020 @ 11:17 am
Trigger’s taking a few for the team so you don’t have to.
Or so you giggle next time you hear this come on over the radio and some public place.
August 31, 2020 @ 11:08 am
It’s all about money not music.
August 31, 2020 @ 4:40 pm
Where have you been? It has always been about the money in mainstream music. That’s why a lot of radio execs consider songs “things we play between the commercials.”
August 31, 2020 @ 2:29 pm
I just don’t get the radio love for FGL. When it comes to album sales and concerts, they are a middle of the road act at best, but every one of their singles do to No. 1 and in my town, I hear their music almost every commute to work. I don’t know any one who likes them as an act. None of my friends who love country ever mention them. For example, even though I don’t like Keith Urban, I have lots of friends who see his every show. I get why radio keeps playing him, but not FGL.
Also Trigger, quick request for a Tim McGraw “Here on Earth” review. I would love to read your thoughts.
August 31, 2020 @ 3:13 pm
Ditto. I like a lot of pop country, but FGL are just….meh. I do get why their duet with Bebe Rexha was popular but that was more her doing.
August 31, 2020 @ 6:26 pm
That song is not Country and should never have been on the charts in first place. If Country has the word pop in it, then it ain’t country
August 31, 2020 @ 6:42 pm
Many genres of music have a pop contingent, for instance pop metal and pop hip hop. There are also musical hybrids. I dont know what you’d call Ozzy Osbourne’s duet with Post Malone, but it’s awesome. I think y’all are overly concerned with where the dividing line is between country and not country. It’s going to be different for every person anyway.
August 31, 2020 @ 6:21 pm
A total shit show for two shitty artist.
August 31, 2020 @ 9:12 pm
Kane Clown and FGL are not country
September 1, 2020 @ 2:37 pm
Alanis Morissette should get a songwriting credit on Lady Antebellum’s “What If I Never Get Over You”. It’s pretty Ironic.
September 1, 2020 @ 4:40 pm
And besides, country music has been dealing with this crossover thing for at least sixty-five years, since the advent of rock and roll, when country and R&B co-mingled and proceeded to turn all forms of American music on their collective heads. It’s a fait accompli.
But the genre, at least up until now, has managed to survive the changes, evolve, if you will, because the best country artists out there always find a way to keep the traditions alive and make them relevant to today. Needless to say, FGL and Kane Brown either don’t have a clue or–and there is no politically correct way to say otherwise–they don’t give a shit about the country genre they profess to be a part of. It may actually be both (IMHO).
September 1, 2020 @ 7:00 pm
All of those involved are terrible at what they do.
If I made that big of a shitpile, I wouldn’t want people know I did it