Why Luke Bryan’s “Kick The Dust Up” Is More Than Just A Bad Song
Apologies to those who stopped by to read an unceremonious roasting of Luke Bryan’s new song “Kick The Dust Up” filled with wild hyperbole and much pointing and laughing. Maybe in the future there will be a more appropriate time for such an exercise, but at the moment the situation at hand calls for much more sober considerations.
Luke Bryan right now is the biggest country music star on Earth. Ball your little fists up and shake them all you want, flip birds, hang your head in shame, and say he isn’t country until you’re blue in the face, but the unequivocal truth is right now there’s nobody bigger in the genre. Not Sam Hunt, not Florida Georgia Line, not anyone. And really, it’s been that way now for going on two years. Luke Bryan can release six singles from the same record and have them all hit #1. He is the current generation’s country music king.
This is the deal with “Kick The Dust Up”: This song didn’t come from inspiration, or any other natural stimulative process that results in an individual wanting to express themselves through song. This song is simply an audio algorithm optimized to ear worm as many people as possible and make Luke Bryan a million dollars.
That in itself doesn’t make the song exceptional. We’ve seen this in country before, and it’s rather commonplace in pop. But “Kick The Dust Up” is not just your average bad song. It symbolizes where country music may be headed, or not headed in the next 18 months to two years, and its reception and performance could be critical for country music’s long-term outlook.
Luke Bryan has defended himself in the past by insisting that he’s not a Bro-Country artist. He may have a Bro-Country song or two, but when you look deeper into his music, there’s much more there than backroads and cold beer. And in the estimation of this professed and well-documented Luke Bryan critic, I would tend to agree. Luke Bryan is no Florida Georgia Line.
But where Luke Bryan has opened up his flank to being susceptible to Bro-Country categorization and criticism is with the lead or biggest singles from his last three records. With 2011’s Tailgates & Tanlines, it was “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)”—the song about shaking it for the critters and the crickets and the squirrels and all that. Then in 2013 on his album Crash My Party, the single “That’s My Kind of Night” was the huge smash—the song Zac Brown called the “worst song ever.” And now with Luke’s upcoming record Kill The Lights, we get “Kick The Dust Up.”
What do all these songs have in common aside from being the lead singles from Luke Bryan albums, and prefect examples of Bro-Country throughout its gestation period beginning in 2013? They were all written in part by the Godfather of Bro-Country, the true man behind the green curtain pulling the Bro-Country pulleys and levers, and the man with the most to lose or gain by the elongation or bereavement of the Bro-Country trend—songwriter and sometimes Fern Bar brawl instigator Dallas Davidson.
Just as Luke Bryan has been on record saying he’s more than Bro-Country, Dallas Davidson has been on record saying Bro-Country is not a problem. Dallas refuses to acknowledge that it’s in decline, that it’s anything that even needs to be classified separately from everything else in country, and professes that the songwriters and singers of the sub-genre are just innocent little country bumpkins singing about what they know about and how they live. So when Luke Bryan releases a song about having a party down a back road in a corn field, hey, he’s just singing about where he’s from.
But whether Dallas Davidson wants to acknowledge it or not, in May of 2015, Bro-Country is on life support. Radio programmers have been on record now for six months or more saying they’re shying away from the country subset because it became too repetitive, and they want to be a step ahead of any potential backlash or downturn. Bro-Country has been lampooned at every turn, and not just by country music pundits, but by critics at large, cultural observers, and even comedians across huge swaths of the American culture. Bro-Country has become a laughing stock, and almost as if to save Bro-Country’s legacy, or at least attempt to extend its period of influence, here comes Luke Bryan with a Dallas Davidson-written song as yet another lead single.
Remember now, Luke Bryan is the biggest thing in country music, and his last six singles have gone #1. Actually it’s the last nine if you go back to Tailgates and Tanlines. It’s virtually guaranteed “Kick The Dust Up” will go to #1 too. Or will it? Bro-Country might be dead or dying, and it doesn’t matter how much Dallas Davidson wants to believe otherwise. But can radio programmers resist the urge to put this very Bro-Country song in the radio in major doses?
Ironically, it doesn’t even matter how good the song is or not. Independent music fans love to say that mainstream listeners listen to what they’re told to listen to. But recently, this sinister notion has gone even another step further. Now mainstream fans are listening, even though they know they don’t like it. They’re not fans of songs or albums, but artists, and their loyalty is unwavering regardless of how bad the music is.
A very similar pattern transpired when Jason Aldean released “Burnin’ It Down.” You went on Jason Aldean’s Facebook page, scanned through his Twitter account, and read the comments on YouTube, and overwhelmingly Aldean’s own fans were flippant that he would release such a song. The reaction was bordering on one-sided. But of course the song went to #1 anyway. Same could be said for the Carrie Underwood / Miranda Lambert collaboration “Somethin’ Bad.” Fan reaction was lopsided in opposition in the initial reaction, yet it still shot to #1.
Maybe not with the same vehemence, but Luke Bryan’s “Kick The Dust Up” has also solicited curiously strong opposition from his own fan base. But it doesn’t matter. It’s still likely to go to #1, and the big story will be if it doesn’t. And like the groundhog seeing his shadow, if this song scores big in country music, it could give us 18 more months of Bro-Country, even if at the moment the trend sits on life support.
Or maybe Luke Bryan and Dallas Davidson have overplayed their hand. “Kick The Dust Up” is Dallas Davidson saying, “Screw you. You say Bro-Country is dead and nobody wants to hear about throwing a party in a cornfield? Well watch me take it to #1. Again.” This is a pissing match as much as anything, and a way for Luke Bryan to draw some attention to his new upcoming record. Listen to the verses; they don’t even make sense. Luke Bryan, Dallas Davidson, and Capitol Nashville released this song because they think the country consumer is too stupid to understand how terrible it is. In the end, the quality doesn’t matter. Since Luke Bryan’s name is on it, people will buy it.
So this is it. Right here, right now. Is Bro-Country going to be vanquished, or is it going to be given new life? Who holds the keys to country music? Is it radio programmers, the country music listening public, including many of Luke Bryan’s own fans, or is it Dallas Davidson and the purveyors of formulaic songwriting?
“Kick The Dust Up,” isn’t just bad or the “worst song ever,” it’s a test the resolve of the genre if it’s serious about its non Bro-Country pledges, or if the sway of the biggest artist in country music right now will be too much to resist.
May 20, 2015 @ 6:55 am
If a song goes to #1 in spite of nobody liking it, what does being #1 really tell us? Maybe that mainstream country music has become Skynet?
May 20, 2015 @ 7:55 am
Ha! It’s possible my friend. Skynet might already be in place if this song goes to #1.
Damn, this is a genuine turd on a record.
May 21, 2015 @ 5:27 pm
“I love Luke Bryan!!” translates to “BAAAAAAHHHHH BAAAAAAHHHHHHH”
The sheep do what they’re told. Frankly, these adult age males (I refuse to call them men until they act like it) should know better than to sing these songs. They sound like creeps who hang around highschoolers.
May 24, 2015 @ 9:58 am
As Matthew McConoughy says in Dazed and Confused: “Best part about high school girls – you keep getting older and they stay the same age.”
May 26, 2015 @ 2:12 pm
*vomits profusely*
May 22, 2015 @ 10:49 pm
Enjoy every sandwich? A WZ reference I hope
May 23, 2015 @ 2:41 am
Absolutely! A great American songwriter who belongs in the RnR Hall of Fame.
July 30, 2015 @ 7:56 pm
You people are nuts. Luke is awesome and he and his song should be #1
July 27, 2017 @ 8:50 am
@ Maddie – Truth time, Just because you think Luke Bryan is a “hottie” doesn’t automatically mean this song should be #1.
May 28, 2016 @ 9:33 am
U people need to leave Luke alone cause if you don’t I’ll do something about it
July 6, 2016 @ 1:45 am
Oh god. I’m going to suffer now. *eye roll*
May 20, 2015 @ 7:08 am
Im still trying to wrap my head around Zac Brown calling ‘That’s My Kind of Night’ the worst song ever when he went on to release ‘Beautiful Drug’. smh
May 20, 2015 @ 7:37 am
I think “Beautiful Drug” is another example of a song released knowing a fan base is going to hate it. These bands have the benefit of research before releasing a song. There’s little to no surprise to a song’s reception. But they also have a good sense of the commercial impact.
May 20, 2015 @ 5:55 pm
I’m sticking with my “test the faith” theory!
May 20, 2015 @ 7:13 am
The record companies pay good money for those airwaves. They can put whatever they want on them. But what are they going to have LB sing, if not Bro-Country? As long as it is a guaranteed no. 1, then they are gonna do it. If you are expecting LB to be on the forefront of the next trend, then think again. They don’t have to take that risk with LB. They will trot out the ‘next Sam Hunt’ for that.
I really enjoy this article, Trigger. I need to follow this cycle all the way through and then maybe I will have some kind of understanding of what makes Nashville tick.
It’s like Nashville has one giant pile of money they can use as a huge lever. The other genres have more piles, but they are smaller. Nashville can make these big, across-the-board plays that Rock and Pop cannot.
May 20, 2015 @ 7:16 am
Maybe bro-country and metropolitan can have a fight to the death? Winner has to commit seppuku.
May 20, 2015 @ 9:41 am
That is a good idea, but flawed. One has to have honor to undertake seppuku. The best you can hope for is some bitch-slapping and a few tweets.
May 20, 2015 @ 9:54 am
True enough, I just like the idea of one musical fad disemboweling itself.
Plus it’s kind of a cool word. B)
May 20, 2015 @ 3:32 pm
Sorry, but only REAL music has the honor to sing about and committ seppoku!!!
NO PLACE FOR DISGRACE!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IlqL-NHPqM
May 20, 2015 @ 4:32 pm
…or sudoku ~
🙂
May 20, 2015 @ 7:25 am
Unfortunately I was listening to the radio yesterday when this came out. I thought that my radio had changed from a country station to a pop station. I guess Luke Bryan forgot the words of the song I’ll Stay Me because he has truly changed a lot since his first album.
May 20, 2015 @ 10:10 am
I think artists like him hide from themselves whenever they hear their old songs and get reminded they used to have respect for themselves and the genre.
May 21, 2015 @ 1:35 pm
Don Walser sang it best: “But lately I have listened/to country music I’ve not known/And hear the announcer say/this is country you enjoy/Well I’m so glad they told me/It eliminates my fears/I thought the radio was busted/Or something happened to my ears.”
May 20, 2015 @ 7:25 am
Trigger, if you haven’t done so, or even if you have in previous articles, will you give me (and anyone else who it might benefit) a quick and dirty on how songs end up on the Top 40 charts and then once there, what determines how they move up and down?
Do music listeners (fans) really factor into how a song performs on the charts by calling into radio stations and requesting certain songs to be played? Or, is a song’s appearance and fate on the charts determined solely by radio programmers and the record companies’ money and relationships?
May 20, 2015 @ 8:36 am
As someone who is in Nashville and has a look inside the mainstream music biz, I can assure you that listener requests have ZERO influence on what gets played and how it performs on the charts. It is solely the relationships between the major labels and the radio programmers and how much money/perks (concert tickets, cruises, vacations) that major labels provide the programmers.
Their belief is “If we play it enough, the listener will like it.” There are studies that support this belief and the players wholly subscribe to said studies.
May 20, 2015 @ 8:55 am
This is what I assumed. The naive public (mostly females in their teens and early twenties who obsess over the Luke Bryans of the world) seems to think that calling or texting or tweeting or Facebooking or emailing their requests to mainstream radio stations is what drives these songs.
May 20, 2015 @ 11:26 am
Bankrolls and knee pads.
May 20, 2015 @ 1:24 pm
This X1000.
May 20, 2015 @ 6:48 pm
To promote a single, a record label will take out ads in country radio trade perodicals (Country Aircheck, Billboard Country Update, etc), spend money on “promoting” the single to radio stations or companies that own multiple radio stations, throw parties for radio personalities, etc. etc. If an artist, especially a big one is will to do an interview, that usually helps.
With an artist like Luke Bryan though. Not much promotion is needed. With his recent track record, many program directors are going to add it to the rotation regardless. Maybe after that listeners may get a very minor say so.
That’s a summation. Maybe I’ll do something more on this in the future.
May 20, 2015 @ 8:38 pm
Would love to see an article about this. Been wondering how this works for years. I know the basics about it, but wanted an in-depth, thorough explanation. Hope you do this real soon!
May 21, 2015 @ 7:13 pm
Amen. I left a country radio job because I couldn’t take this shit anymore (although that wasn’t the only reason). We had a music consultant who programmed us. Although I was music director I really had no control over what we played. After a while, you really fell like, what’s the point? I’m so jaded I only listen to classic hits, news and sports on local radio now. And usually Prime Country on SXM.
May 20, 2015 @ 7:43 pm
Quick rundown- there’s 2,000 stations in the country labeled as country. Reporting stations make the charts. There are 146 that report to media base or country air check and 149 that report to billboard. Those reporting stations are what make the top 40 your accustomed to hearing on mainstream.
Some also pay to report to both charts simultaneously.
A play on a chart is a spin. It’s a weighted chart though-as a play on the top 20 major market stations is for all purposes maybe a 1.5 spin, where as the small market may be only a .6 spin per say.
It’s usual that the major market stations are the ones who test out the song, play it, and have the most impact- since they have the largest listener base. As it does better on the charts, really the top 30-40 is the barometer where most other stations will then pick it up.
There is an add date for singles released officially from the label every week. The lists of stations to add the song/artist is released every week. Adding the song by a station doesn’t necessarily mean they play it either always.
Labels use promotion companies to advertise and other news outlets to get the news of the song spinning.
General costs for a top 30 song is about $750,000 in promotion and up to double that to get close to the top of the charts.
FYI Texas charts have 92 reporting stations to their charts. If you’re an independent or red dirt fan than may check out their charts too.
Wasn’t super short. Trigger may have some thoughts to add on it.
May 21, 2015 @ 10:26 am
Requests get logged and noted (especially if there are a lot of them for a song), but they definitely don’t have an immediate impact (especially if the requests come from out of town and/or are suspected to be the work of street teams). The way that music listeners factor into airplay is through callout or “research.” You have both national services and radio stations themselves that run listener surveys that are either conducted online (resulting in a self selecting pool) or live or over the phone (those are randomly selected pools, though once selected, the pool is often “empaneled” for a period of time, meaning the pool of respondents remains the same for a while). Listeners are usually played anywhere from a 15 second clip of the song (the hook) to a 45 second clip of the song, and they indicate whether they are familiar with the song, rate the song (on a 1 to 5 scale, typically), and indicate whether they are tired of a song.
The survey results get aggregated, and programmers can see the percentage of people who rate the song favorably, the percentage of people who LOVE a song (this is termed “passion”), the percentage of people who rate the song negatively, the net percentage of people who at least like the song (which means subtracting the percentage of people who dislike a song from the percentage of people who rate it favorably), and the net percentage of “fatigue” with a song, as well as how a song is trending from week to week on all those metrics. They also can see the data broken down by demographic (gender, age, region if applicable). There are a variety of national services that run these surveys, and like I said, sometimes radio stations do their own. There is also the M-score, which directly tracks tune-in and tune-out for individual songs via the Personal Portable Meters that provide Nielsen Arbitron the data by which they calculate station ratings.
You can definitely argue how effective these surveys are in capturing the country radio listenership’s real reaction to a full song, but there’s no question that programmers rely heavily on research in determining their playlists and who moves up or down in rotation. For example, programmers explaining the dearth of women on mainstream country radio always say women don’t test well – though the real story is more complicated than that. Female acts, no matter who they are (even consistent hitmakers like Carrie Underwood), do automatically score higher negatives in these surveys than males – often because the songs that do best in research have a built-in familiarity factor, and female voices naturally stand out since there are fewer of them.* But singles from Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, and even Kacey Musgraves also tend to score highest on the “passion” metric, meaning they have the highest percentage of people giving their singles the highest rating. Too, when you break down the callout by demo, you see that over the past few years, it’s the male 18-34 demo that’s typically rated the female songs really low, while the other demos have supported more of a balance. But “bro country”‘s rise meant the male 18-34 demo was the growth demo at country radio, so stations targeting that demo naturally went along with its distaste for female voices, and that’s how the airplay landscape’s gotten even worse for country females.
*On a side note, it’s because familiar songs usually test better in these surveys that we’ve gotten stuck with so many soundalike songs at radio.
That’s not to say that the cozy radio-label relationship isn’t a major factor too. You have stuff like Clear Channel/IHeartRadio’s On The Verge program, which basically guarantees a t20 peak for 1 single by each new act it selects, and those selections are made without audience feedback. The Clear Channel/IHeartRadio hourly spin debuts for the format’s A-listers are also done before there’s any audience feedback for the song, but there have been a lot of songs that got those debuts that didn’t peak as high as you might expect for a big name. Clear Channel/IHeartMedia owns about 1/3 of the published chart country panel, so they coordinated their actions that definitely has a major chart impact.
Meanwhile Cumulus owns around 1/8 or 1/7 of the published chart country panel, but can have a disproportionate impact because a lot of the stations it does own are major market stations (including both major country stations in Dallas). That’s how Reba’s current single (remember her label is a joint venture between Cumulus and Big Machine) nearly made t30 on the national charts despite most of the panel never adding it (and most of the panel didn’t add her song precisely because she’s with a Cumulus joint venture – she got #1 level airplay on Cumulus stations, some support on independent stations, and very little to no airplay from stations own by other conglomerates like Clear Channel and CBS).
Corporate factors aside, established acts who fit a station’s imaging definitely have an advantage getting added and played in at least medium rotation, because the station considers them proven quantities and wants to be known as the place where you can hear those acts. But whether those acts get to the very top of a station’s playlist usually varies song by song, depending on research. As far as the impact of the individual programmer, that’s really declined because of consolidation, but you do see cases where a programmer really loves a song and puts it into power rotation early to see if it tests well enough to become a hit locally.
Basically: listener feedback does majorly affect playlists, but not requests so much as aggregated callout data.
May 21, 2015 @ 7:20 pm
At our station we were basically told to never solicit requests. In other words, the listeners’ opinions meant nothing. We were supposed to play whatever Mother Russia told us to play. But remember everyone, the listeners are bored because of the guitar solos.
May 25, 2015 @ 5:18 pm
Good one …..lol . ” Don’t solicit requests ” . Shit ….just more proof that its a case of conditioning a listener to THINK she likes what she’s hearing .
May 20, 2015 @ 7:27 am
I used to actually enjoy a few Luke Bryan songs(usually non singles) but this song is just atrocious. The hip hop drum beat, the corny token banjo, and the just awful lyrics. Just a terrible song all the way around.
May 22, 2015 @ 9:05 am
At the risk of sounding like I’m defending the rationale instead of just trying to explain it: the thing about requests is that they reflect the interests of the most engaged listener. But radio is trying to reach a far broader audience that includes casual listeners who just want something for background music. You might think that the taste of the casual listener would track with the tastes of the most engaged listeners (which might be reflected by requests), but they don’t. See, for example, my earlier point about how some female singles rate high in callout surveys on the “passion” metric, meaning they have the highest number of people who feel strongly positive about their song (which often translates into higher sales per spin), but those very same female singles also draw a higher negative response (and often, a lower overall favorable response). The same thing was happening with Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush” earlier in its run – it was drawing the #2 or #3 highest unfavorable response, but it was the #1 favorite song. That’s the kind of song that might get a lot of requests and have high sales (which it has), but it’s also the kind of song that might be a tougher sell to a broader audience of casual listeners that are more comfortable with formulaic familiar songs. And that’s why it was struggling at country radio for a while.
The reason stations rely on callout surveys more than listener requests is that callout is supposed to reflect the taste not only of the most engaged listeners, but the casual ones too. It sounds like your station was basically programmed by national instead of local callout results – the byproduct of corporate consolidation, which has really contributed to radio’s conversion to a follower medium as opposed to a tastemaking one.
Heh. *weeps*
September 14, 2016 @ 8:54 pm
I would like to know where I can sell my lyrics, that actually rhyme and make sense?…the songs out there drive me crazy….and once in a great while something sounds good. I’m from utah and would like to get some feedback on where I can go to get started….
Rose
August 4, 2015 @ 6:37 pm
Use smaller words DUDE!!!!!!!!
May 20, 2015 @ 7:40 am
I’d love to be a fly on the wall at one of the songwriting sessions that spawn these monstrosities.
“Luke, pull Dallas out of the pile of cans and set him upright we have a song to write.”
“What’s that Brian? I can’t see you through all the smoke.”
“Whose arm is this on the floor?”
“That’s Jason, let him sleep it off.”
“Ow, you’re stepping on my back.”
“Sorry Cole. How’d you end up down there?”
“I dropped my wallet under this… thing here.”
“That’s a table.”
“Who’s Mable?”
“I said TABLE!
“No I don’t like Clark Gable.”
“Cole, you need to wear a wallet chain like us.”
“Shut up, Brian, I told you all you do is stand there while I do all the work so we can get all the duo awards.”
“Hey Chase, what does that book there say?”
“It says “1001 poems about beer and trucks, by Dallas Davidson.”
“That’s not a very good name for a book. Besides none of us can read.”
May 20, 2015 @ 7:51 am
Or for that matter, what were these losers like in preschool?
“okay Dallas, what’s two plus three?”
“Shut up and go get me beer.”
“Luke, can you tell me who discovered America?”
“Jack Daniels.”
“Dallas, the assignment was to write a story about an animal, your story is about beer and trucks.”
“Tyler, the goal of this exercise is teamwork, you need to let Brian participate too.”
July 30, 2015 @ 8:49 pm
YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!!! LUKE IS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
March 28, 2018 @ 3:54 pm
Lady I teach a class at a music festival.
I’m more qualified than you are to talk about music.
Is your shift key broken?
July 31, 2015 @ 5:22 am
“Fuzzy twoShirts what’s 2+1” “yellow wait no the answer is purple”
August 1, 2015 @ 7:01 pm
Luke’s performing is amazing and kick the dust up is amazing and I don’t care what you say
July 27, 2017 @ 8:56 am
Truth time, your 3 consecutive posts in a row about how “amazing” Luke Bryan has nothing to with the song which sucks..it has everything to with you thinking Luke Bryan is a “hottie” and ANYTHING he sings will be amazing to you. Why? because you like his looks. The end.
May 20, 2015 @ 9:00 am
I bet Cole Swindell has no clue as to who Clark Gable is.
May 20, 2015 @ 6:49 pm
I’d copyright that before some ‘B’ level Bro-Country star steals it. Here’s looking at you Cole Swindell.
July 31, 2015 @ 5:15 am
DO YOU HAVE ANY RESPECT FOR COUNTRY MUSIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! STOP WHILE YOUR AHEAD!!!!!!!!!!! ALL YOUR DOING IS INSALTING PEOPLE WHO WORKED REALLY HARD TO GET WHERE THEY ARE TO DAY AND THESEPEOPLE DESERVE RESPECT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
August 4, 2015 @ 5:35 pm
Maddie is so right
July 27, 2017 @ 9:01 am
@ Maddie – Yes we have respect for Country music, that’s why we dislike this non-country crap. A bit of advice, you need to use more exclamation marks in the future…
March 28, 2018 @ 3:55 pm
it’s because I respect Country music that I shit on Puke Bryan’s music.
because it is not Country Music and somehow is on Country Radio
August 2, 2015 @ 6:34 pm
so you want to insult Luke bryan? (Fuzzy twoShirts)
March 28, 2018 @ 3:58 pm
I do want to. in fact I enjoy doing it quite a bit.
May 20, 2015 @ 7:43 am
Maybe I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure “Crash My Party” was the first single of “Crash My Party.” The thing that bothers me about Bryan and Blake Shelton for that matter is that their songs all sound the same. Say what you want about recent choices by Miranda and Church, but at least they are out there trying new things even if the new things don’t connect.
Whenever I listen to Bryan or Shelton (I’m putting them together because they sound the same to me), I think of the famous line from “Wayne’s World”
“Led Zeppelin didn’t make music that everyone liked. They left that up to the Bee Gees.”
Bryan to me is the Bee Gees.
May 20, 2015 @ 6:50 pm
Yes, that’s been corrected. Apologies.
May 23, 2015 @ 2:30 am
That’s a pretty massive insult to the Bee Gees. There is no comparison in lyrical quality. The Bee Gees generally featured far greater emotional depth in their songs than this bro-country garbage.
May 23, 2015 @ 5:19 am
I agree. The Bee Gees had some great songs in the ’60s and early ’70s. And now that I’m far removed from my reactionary “disco sucks” days, I have to admit that their Saturday Night Fever songs weren’t all that bad and shouldn’t get lumped in with the worst of the disco era.
What makes that Wayne’s World joke funny for me is that it I totally see my teenage self in it. An overly self conscious, elitist rock fan. I totally LOVED Led Zeppelin (still do) and HATED the Bees Gees disco stuff. People who didn’t like Led Zeppelin “just couldn’t get them.” Meanwhile, Led Zeppelin is one of the most popular music groups of all time and have sold hundreds of millions of albums. Led Zeppelin IV is the second best selling album of all time in the US, behind Michael Jackson’s Thriller.
May 20, 2015 @ 7:46 am
I’ll admit it, I like Luke’s first album “I’ll Stay Me”. Beside him trying too hard to pass off a fake draw, there was a lot of good music on the album. Not every song was about buds, beer, and bonfires. Probably the best songs on the album was (imo) “Tackle Box” and “The Car In Front Of Me”. But enough with that, all I can say now about Luke is that he needs to grow up. The man is in his late 30’s, married, and has kids. Yet if you only knew him through his songs, you would think he was some 21 or 22 year old frat boy that doesn’t care anything else than beer and girls.
I’m sick of hearing this kind of bullshit music that is ruining the greatest music genre.
May 20, 2015 @ 11:18 am
Agreed. All My Friends Say was a fun song, in my opinion. That 1st album had some really good stuff on it. Sadly, not so much anymore.
May 20, 2015 @ 7:56 am
Sonically, I think this song is better than average for bro-country fare. If it had better lyrics about something else, it could be a tolerable reggae influenced rockish pop song. And even then, the lyrics might be horribly trite, but the typical over the top objectifying of women is largely missing. Just a couple of “girl” references.
May 20, 2015 @ 8:06 am
I’ve seen some folks say they hear Reggae or even sitar here. This is a very orchestrated banjo part that while foreign sounding at first, is the songs most egregious ear worm that really has no value in either creative expression, or sonic exploration. It’s a ploy in my opinion. I may have more on this if I do a proper review.
May 20, 2015 @ 9:30 am
I think it’s on the verses where the song sounds a little bit like reggae. Specifically, the beat and the little organ accents.
May 20, 2015 @ 12:40 pm
No, sorry. There is no reggae here. None. Zilch. Nada. Zero. If anything, it’s a very weak and cloying attempt at a very rudimentary Eastern-style lick on a banjo. Nothing more.
May 20, 2015 @ 12:58 pm
You forgot goose eggs, squat, jack, bumpkus, fuck all, and oogatz.
It feels a bit reggae-ish to me during the verse. And I’m not talking about the banjo. But hey, whatever you say, chief.
May 20, 2015 @ 1:26 pm
I will concede then that reggae must be in the ear of the beholder. 🙂
May 20, 2015 @ 7:49 pm
Sitar…thank you. It’s the same sound on Chesney’s American Kids. I could only think Japanese Geisha music.
May 20, 2015 @ 11:43 am
Paraphrasing..
“I think this song could be a good song if it were a different song.”
So true.
May 20, 2015 @ 1:05 pm
No.
Actually, a more accurate paraphrase would be “with better lyrics, this could a tolerable song, as the music isn’t god-awful.” Not a good song. Certainly not a country song.
May 23, 2015 @ 2:32 am
What does “rockish pop” mean? This sounds like an outright pop-rock song.
May 23, 2015 @ 6:26 am
I think that depends on one’s perspective, Eric. Based on some of your comments, I would say that you have an aversion to the more gritty forms of rock and roll. From my perspective, this song would have no place on a rock radio station. But then again, I haven’t regularly listened to mainstream rock radio in a long time.
May 20, 2015 @ 8:06 am
I only listened to the first 38 seconds before I could take no more.
Just listening to 38 seconds, I learned that I’ve already heard this song many times in the last year or two. The only difference between them is the odd word changed here and there.
Anybody can write these songs, they really can. You do not need to be a song writer to do so.
But today’s song writers do not have the talent to write a “He Stopped Loving Her Today” or “I’d Be Better Off In A Pine Box” on their own.
But I’d like to see some more writing from Bubba Strait, his songs he has co wrote with his father aren’t bad. He co wrote Georges latest single “Let It Go”
May 20, 2015 @ 11:39 am
Bubba also wrote “Arkansas Dave” which was a great cut by the King!
May 20, 2015 @ 12:05 pm
And “Drinkin’ Man” and “Shame On Me” from the album after that. Both of those were really great songs.
May 20, 2015 @ 8:17 am
Sounds like some middle eastern Arab shit to me
May 21, 2015 @ 8:16 am
you should venture further than your local walmart bud,nothing middle eastern in this dumb hick song
May 20, 2015 @ 8:28 am
Lead single of Crash My Party was the title track.
Also – Somethin’ Bad didn’t hit #1 at radio.
May 20, 2015 @ 4:28 pm
Sorry, it should have read the “lead” singles, or the “biggest” singles from the album. In two cases, it was the same song. Sorry for the confusion, by you are correct.
As for “Somethin’ Bad” not hitting #1 on radio, this is true, but to save people from chart jargon, if it hits EITHER #1 on the Radio chart or the Hot Songs chart, I consider it a #1, as does the industry. The fundamental point remains that it was a song that received a lot of criticism from the artists’ direct fans, but still did very well.
Thanks for the clarifications.
May 20, 2015 @ 8:38 am
Bro Country sadly won’t be going anywhere for the next few years.
May 20, 2015 @ 8:41 am
What I don’t get is that Luke was a songwriter that could write songs w/ a story in them. Not my favorite but it was so much better than this junk. Yes, he is at the top so why not go and put out an actual country song? He has the pull to get it to the top. I don’t get it? These artists who release the same song over and over are sad. I saw Luke perform this song on Ellen and The Voice last night and I was seriously embarrassed for him. Seems like a nice guy, but hard to get him singing w/ Ronnie Milsap a few days ago on SuperStar Duets to this.
May 20, 2015 @ 8:54 am
When you’re at the very top, you have the opportunity to show some leadership. As crazy as it sounds, that’s what Florida Georgia Line did with “Dirt.” From an unknown or middling artist, it would have not been as big. But from FGL, it was a hit. Luke could release whatever he wants and it would probably go to#1, so why not have it be something that unites rt he fractured country audience? That’s leadership.
May 20, 2015 @ 8:45 am
Why are people still working w/ Drunk ass, homophobe Dallas Davidson? After that scene alone I, as an artist, would think twice before putting my name w/ his. His songwriting is horrid but his actual person seems even worse. Come on Nashville have a little backbone!
May 20, 2015 @ 8:52 am
“Got me a jar full of ”˜Clear
And I got that music for your ear
And it”™s like knock knock knock goes the diesel,
If you really wanna see the beautiful people”
So am I to believe that Luke throws field parties in his skinny jeans and has the ability to drink jars full of Everclear on the weekend? The most bothersome side of all this Bro-Country BS is the absolute fake nature of it all. We have a group of guys singing about things they have never really personally experienced. They just pick some brand of liquor to rhyme with the rest of the sorry lyrics in their songs:
I always go on the attack
after I shoot me some Jack
I like to float down the stream
sipping on some Jim Beam
I turn into a big talker
when I drink that Johnny Walker
I’ll drink it from the flask
or I’ll drink it from the cask
I’ll keep on filling my glass
until I fall down on my ass
I mean really, does it take that much creativity to write this kind of junk?
May 20, 2015 @ 9:03 am
I think the creative stick left the room when they decided that “kick the dust, fill your cup up, back it on up, let’s tear it up up” was a good idea. I loathe when songs use the same exact word to finish the rhyme. Lazy writing at its core.
May 20, 2015 @ 1:20 pm
C’mon man, you rhyme something with “up”!
May 20, 2015 @ 4:03 pm
Cup….. Uh, damn. Why the hell would those three stooges pick that word to build the song around?
I guess you could reach for rhymes with words like Luck, Tuck, Muck. But that’s too much brain power when you drink the clear
May 20, 2015 @ 11:47 am
Randy … copyright that immediately and send it to music row. I hear Chase Rice is looking for material.
May 20, 2015 @ 8:58 am
let’s tear it up, up, lol
May 20, 2015 @ 9:08 am
If Burnin’ it Down can go to #1, ANYTHING can. Fangirl goggles are powerful. And scary. This “song” is an embarrassment.
May 20, 2015 @ 10:23 am
I’d really like to see a study on which sex prefers the crappiest of these songs. So damn many women like any song by any attractive male. It’s kind of sad.
May 20, 2015 @ 1:15 pm
Short answer, it really isn’t guys listening to this stuff. For as much as I despise it, being able to rock a short sleeve flannel, baseball cap, have some arms, a tan and be able to work a slight twang, and the ladies will grind all night with a shot of fireball.
May 20, 2015 @ 4:02 pm
“So many women like any song by an attractive male.” What gets me is that a lot of them aren’t attractive. I guess it really is all in the eye of the beholder.
May 21, 2015 @ 7:19 am
You know, as a mostly hetero 30-somthing white guy, I’ve always wondered the same thing. Luke Bryan just isn’t “hot”. He looks like a guy who’s ten years older, and got some plastic surgery and botox to look late 20s/early 30s. It’s a weird sort of uncanny valley look to the guy, almost like he’s wearing stage makeup. He looks like Doug Hutchison.
May 20, 2015 @ 7:56 pm
Don’t kid yourselves, the young guys love this as much as the fangirls.
May 20, 2015 @ 9:41 pm
Disagree wholeheartedly. Teaching young women to like artists because of perceived physical attractiveness is wrong, and something our society needs to fix.
Now, I may not get what they find attractive about a goofy looking dude in painted on jeans, but it’s not me making that call, is it?
May 20, 2015 @ 10:37 pm
Teaching?
May 21, 2015 @ 6:40 am
Well, we don’t teach them not to, so we let it happen. That’s pretty much the same damn thing.
The pieces artists create should in no way be influenced by how physically attractive said artists are. It has no bearing whatsoever on the quality of the piece they’re presenting. Now, it may be hard to call Luke Bryan’s music “art” but it unfortunately must be considered art because we don’t get to choose what is or isn’t.
May 23, 2015 @ 2:02 am
Sexual attraction is a thoroughly natural, inborn instinct. It cannot be “taught” or “untaught”.
May 20, 2015 @ 8:01 pm
I’d guess most guys only listen to Luke Bryan to score with chicks. I’m not even sure I’d call him bro-country, since I doubt it’s bros buying his crap. He’s more like the Twilight or 50 Shades of Gray of music.
May 21, 2015 @ 10:39 am
Actually, callout data over the past few years has consistently pointed to the most uniform support for the bros coming from bros 18-34, and songwriters like Craig Wiseman and Shane Minor are on the record about their tunes successfully targeting male former rock radio listeners. I’ve linked to their comments before on this blog, and I’ve presented the data both here and elsewhere. So as convenient as it is to blame the girls, doing so reinforces stereotypes at the expense of actual evidence.
Females 18-34 and 35+ have supported a much greater balance. I’m certainly not going to defend every song that those demos have supported as quality, but the Female 18-34 demo in particular has been out ahead on some of country’s most critically acclaimed and substantive songs from females.
May 21, 2015 @ 11:07 am
I know what callout data has said, but I also know what I see at country concerts I work at. Mostly young girls going crazy over someone they’ve been trained to think of as attractive.
May 21, 2015 @ 11:10 am
I think it’s shallow to express outrage or place blame or whatever on females. And most guys listen to Luke Bryan to score with the chicks who don’t like his music but are only interested in his hot body? Go watch footage of his concerts on youtube – I just did. There are about as many guys around the stage enjoying the music as females. I seriously doubt that the percentage of men who go to concerts with the hopes of getting laid is any higher at a Luke Bryan concert than most others. So, take out the attraction between the sexes and the marketing of beauty, perfection, attractiveness, and sex that goes on in just about everything (including a Jason Isbell or Sturgill Simpson photo shoot) and you just may have some people who really like his music, whether we think it sucks or not. If you have to assign blame for this piece of crap music, I can think of many who deserve it more than young girls who go to his concerts.
May 21, 2015 @ 3:06 pm
I don’t know anyone who actually listens to this music, so I’m mainly going by online comments, social media, etc. It could just be that the girls are more vocal in their support.
May 21, 2015 @ 9:37 pm
Who’s most at fault is the dumb American consumer, and that unfortunately appears to be most of us. So long as we are easily satisfied, so long as we want quick highs, so long as we are dependent on technology and can only be turned away from it by bangs and fire and absurdly bad things, music will be in the shitter.
May 23, 2015 @ 2:10 am
People have always wanted quick highs. Long before the World Wide Web even existed, people often used to get those highs from hard drugs like cocaine, heroin, and LSD. Also, keep in mind that TV is a technology that has been popular for about 60 years now.
The pertinent question is: what happened in the last 4 years that made country music’s quality drop so dramatically?
September 15, 2015 @ 8:37 pm
Like you wouldn’t like some crap song sung by a blonde bimbo with DD’s
July 27, 2017 @ 9:06 am
False, Dolly Parton has wrote some songs I truly despise.
May 20, 2015 @ 9:22 am
This is just another example of the ghettoization of culture, and pandering to the lowest, most base elements of “human” nature.
May 23, 2015 @ 8:30 pm
What is ghettoization of our culture?
May 24, 2015 @ 7:44 am
In simplest terms, it means that popular culture is regressing toward its most primitive forms and we’re getting closer and closer to climbing back up the tree.
May 24, 2015 @ 8:21 am
Thanks, I’ve never heard it used that way. To me it has always meant to insulate, in the same way my city of Chicago used to have very distinct neighborhoods – Irish, Italian, Jewish, Afican-American. I think different cultures are doing the opposite – merging, with popular culture trying to assimilate.
September 15, 2015 @ 8:44 pm
For Pete’s sake it’s just a bloody song!! Quit using big words to make it seem like what you’re arguing about is at all important. If I were you, I’d be more worried about who our next president is going to be rather than what songs are popular.
March 28, 2018 @ 3:57 pm
No. it’s a case of being lied to and forced to accept the lie that Pop Music is Country music.
I won’t be lied to and I will oppose the liars until they are dead or I am.
also Trump is president since this comment was made and I bet you feel silly
May 20, 2015 @ 9:24 am
I dont think they even try anymore. That was one of the worst songs I have ever heard that was considered “country”. Because of the tractors and field references? I could eat a bowl of Alphabets Soup and shit a more country song than this, and the music would probably be better as well…
May 20, 2015 @ 12:09 pm
I could eat a bowl of Alphabets Soup and shit a more country song than this, and the music would probably be better as well
Dude, that was freaking golden. Describes damn near every mainstream “country” song on the radio anymore. Well done. 😀
May 20, 2015 @ 5:18 pm
That is funny, because I am trying to form a new band called IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). The debut single “Pain The Town Brown” has already been written….as well as the follow up “Nation of Defecation.”
September 15, 2015 @ 8:45 pm
Charming.
May 20, 2015 @ 9:38 am
I’ve repeatedly argued as of late I don’t see “bro-country” being on life support at all. It has merely mutated as a sub-genre; knowing the formula must be tweaked if it is to remain fresh to most listeners.
Most of the sub-genre’s characteristics remain intact in the likes of Sam Hunt’s “Montevallo”, as well as current singles from the Eli Young Band, Gary Allan, Brett Eldredge and Thomas Rhett. The only notable differences are a change in backdrop. Where an earlier strain of this audio avian flu regularly rattled off rural descriptors including two lane backroads, river banks and corn fields, the aforementioned names’ latest efforts feel it isn’t even necessary to name-drop rural descriptors to sell the same package as not-that-smooth talking clumsy fraternity types who are void of self-awareness but have potent erections over hotties in downtown bars and clubs and butter them up as “girls”.
“Metropolitan”, as you’re choosing to call it, is largely a mere mutation of “bro-country”. One called it “metro-bro” and I’m inclined to prefer that term. But where this strain of this audio avian flu may be called the BRUH2-virus, the initial wave that relies more on stereotypical country descriptors would be BRUH-1. And even though BRUH-2 has become the most prevalent and reported strain, BRUH-1 is still prevalent and can do damage………………as evidenced by “Kick The Dust Up”.
In truth, BRUH-2, or metro-bro if you will, already existed prior to Sam Hunt’s arrival. “Sure Be Cool If You Did” hardly consisted of country descriptors, but went straight to #1. “Lookin’ For That Girl” also did, but underachieved. But BRUH-1 remained the most prevalent strain until around the time “Burnin’ It Down” reached #1 and “Leavin’ The Night On” impacted.
May 20, 2015 @ 9:56 am
I wonder if any of Luke’s fans read this. Nah, nevermind, you used the word ” hyperbole ” in the first sentence. So, there out.
May 20, 2015 @ 11:56 am
“There out.”
Yikes.
May 20, 2015 @ 4:20 pm
Bahahahaha! I can’t believe I missed that! Awesome lol
May 20, 2015 @ 1:12 pm
That’s the game after the super bowl, right?
May 20, 2015 @ 10:15 am
Fearful of being infected with the potential ear worm, I looked up the lyrics online. Jeez. We’re screwed. The warning at the top of SCM’s webpage about a culture being lifeless has never been more prescient. When “fans” catapult a song that lacks originality of even a cogent sentiment beyond “let’s get drunk and party,” then we’re screwed.
Dallas Davidson is from Albany, GA, population 77,434, according to the 2010 census. That doesn’t sound very rural to me. Granted, Bryan (from Leesburg, GA, pop. 2,896) might have a claim to some rural roots, but he didn’t write the song.
We’re screwed.
May 20, 2015 @ 5:23 pm
Yeah, I looked ’em up too — I don’t think this endless-party stuff has seemed more monotonous (especially with the “dust up” / “on up” / “cup up” / “up, up” / “dust up” rhyme in the chorus). :p
May 24, 2015 @ 10:11 am
I’m from Albany (born and raised), and it is the hub city of southwest GA. But the white flight is moving from Albany to Leesburg. Dallas Davidson went to my high school back in the late 90’s. I can’t say we are proud of his accomplishments. The only reason Dallas and Luke are doing these songs, is because it makes money. I’m pretty sure they realize their songs are trash, but the money is too good to quit.
May 20, 2015 @ 10:15 am
He should stick to writing Spring Break songs! At least those were pretty funny! Even though an almost 40 year old guy was writing about Spring Break still…
May 20, 2015 @ 10:25 am
Unfortunately, I have really a hard time not seeing this song reach the top spot. Bryan has a song that is currently in the top 20 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart that isn’t even an official single, anything he puts out is pretty much an automatic add for radio programmers.
May 20, 2015 @ 10:47 am
Now, a few thoughts on “Kick The Dust Up” (besides confirming the obvious that it is an atrocity):
*
Firstly, this strikes me as an egregious attempt to begin testing the waters in marketing trap music to country/”country” radio.
For those of you unfamiliar with the trap genre, it is a style of music native to the American South that is believed to have originated in the 90s: characterized by 808-style kick drums, icy synths, grimy snares and the use of strings and other ethnic instrumentation to culminate in a dramatic, darker soundscape to reflect the “trap” that is inner-city poverty and violence. It”™s the decidedly darker sibling of crunk.
“Kick The Dust Up” is akin to a white bread trial balloon in its egregious attempts to make country music hip to this hot trend at the moment in Urban and Rhythmic radio”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦and much like Blake Shelton”™s “Sure Be Cool If You Did” settled on the most watered-down, inoffensive, Adult Contemporary flavored form of production in attempts to market R&B stylings to country listeners, “Kick The Dust Up” is attempting the same for the trap listening demographic and to clumsily try milking the DJ Snake/Yellow Claw/Flosstradramus crowd for all it”™s worth.
Nowhere is this most apparent than in the sitar-esque Indian-flavored effects on the banjo in the tail end of the chorus. Much like trap music relies heavily on ethnic instrumentation and pensive tonality, the chorus gives off a notably self-serious vibe that sounds darker than what we”™re accustomed to hearing from Bryan on the radio. Even the way Bryan belts the chorus is Aldean-esque in how self-serious it is, despite the lyrics being anything but.
You may notice right away that this isn”™t as catchy as previous Luke Bryan singles. It is worth noting, in fact, that while there doesn”™t appear to be a lot of discord among Luke Bryan fans lamenting the single”™s lack of quality unlike Jason Aldean”™s “Burnin”™ It Down””¦”¦”¦”¦”¦they have notably been plenty of fans who have openly admitted the lack of a solid hook.
And that”™s sort of the point. Among country music”™s traditional listening demographic, we know pretty much all great songs are built around solid choruses with verses that paint pictures in your head replete with imagery and depictions of heartland life in both its highs and lows. We”™re not nearly as accustomed to hearing songs composed around a beat or soundscape. And that”™s exactly what you get here. “Kick The Dust Up” is a song written around a beat, as well as a style”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦.and so it should come to no surprise many fans are confused as to why this song isn”™t that catchy.
*
Secondly, it amuses me how long it took to announce the obvious and then say nothing.
I”™ve seen it reported that “Kick The Dust Up” would be released as the lead single from his forthcoming album as far back as a few weeks before “I See You” peaked at #1 in mid-February. So, as far back as late January, I”™ve heard this would be the lead single”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦..and yet it”™s interesting that his label refrained from an all-out announcement until after the non-single “Games” from his final “Spring Break” series EP burst into the Top 25 of the country airplay chart.
Could it have been that there was consternation surrounding anchoring this song around the album, after all? And then they defiantly shook their heads and said: “Nah, here”™s no turning back!”, licked their lips and said “It”™s go time!”? I really can”™t think of any other explanation as to why it was hardly secret that they intended to release “Kick The Dust Up” after “I See You” peaked, yet three months went by without any further word. Huh!
*
Finally, what the heck is Bryan”™s writers referring to when he sings that he has a jar full of clear?
My money is on 190-proof Everclear”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦(begins breaking out into laughter) Hahaha, yeah”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦..rrrrrrrrright! 😉
May 20, 2015 @ 12:43 pm
Moonshine is clear.
May 20, 2015 @ 2:54 pm
I know.
But I’m sure it’s actually Gatorade Lemon Ice! 😉
May 20, 2015 @ 12:57 pm
Man, talk about dead on. It really is Trap.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIB_n6LyX5Y
May 20, 2015 @ 1:05 pm
A couple folks noted the clear reference. I believe he is trying to reference moonshine, which is clear because it is unaged. I doubt he was referencing Everclear. I’m just glad it’s not a reference to Fireball.
You noted how serious Bryan sounds in this song. That’s one thing I’ve grown to dislike about him. Even in upbeat party songs he has a tendency to sound a little over dramatic. To me it kills the sense of fun.
May 20, 2015 @ 1:40 pm
That’s been a trend since the new millennium in rock and the last several years in mainstream country. Acts like Nickleback, Theory of a Deadman, Jason Aldean, and Brantley Gilbert especially sing about good times and women in a constantly serious, often angry tone. Plus the music is bizarrely serious sounding and often times minor key, I.e., “My Kinda Party”. Why sound so angry when professing to have fun? Beats the hell outta me.
May 20, 2015 @ 2:49 pm
Jake Owen is a good example of an entertainer who knows how to deliver what’s intended to be a happy-go-lucky song and ACTUALLY sound like he’s having a good time.
As much as I dislike many of his uptempo singles as of late, I can at least give him credit for getting the tone right.
May 20, 2015 @ 2:57 pm
Jason Aldean: “GET DOWN IN THAT GEORGIA CLAY!”
Listener: (kneels in the dirt) “Don’t hurt me!” 😉
May 20, 2015 @ 5:12 pm
Hobbes: “I thought fun was supposed to be fun.”
May 20, 2015 @ 6:42 pm
Thank you! For years I have been wondering why the hell Aldean is so angry in that song. It’s nice to know I’m not alone.
May 21, 2015 @ 3:22 am
What mystifies me in particular is that, when you see clips of him performing his hits live, you get a completely different vibe.
Say what you will about Luke Bryan”™s studio output and the quality (I mean, lack thereof) of the vast majority of his discography”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦..but you can tell he”™s having fun when he performs live and genuinely engages with his audience. I actually decided to brave a couple of streams of his Ellen show and The Voice performances of this song on YouTube, and he was cracking smiles constantly throughout both performances as well as buddying up with one of his band members.
I don”™t get why not just him, but countless other A and B-list male entertainers, fail to replicate that same live energy into many of their studio recordings. Now we”™ve already joked about Jason Aldean sounding angry instead of having fun on songs like “My Kinda Party”, “She”™s Country” and “Take A Little Ride”. But then you also have Blake Shelton, for instance, sounding tense instead of thrilled about a one-night stand on “Sangria”. You have Justin Moore taking what looks like a feel-good song about small town life called “This Kind Of Town” on paper, and instead sound like he is in the midst of a depressive breakdown. Even Florida Georgia Line, who do deliver the energy in a studio setting on some of their songs like “Tip It Back”, “Cruise” and “Sun Daze” and you can buy that they”™re actually having fun”¦”¦”¦.nonetheless can”™t help but sound like they”™re depressed more than anything on “Here”™s To The Good Times” (Hubbard”™s voice actually reminds me of Billy Corgan”™s on that song, as well as on “Angel” most notably, which is a hilariously awkward fit for a party duo), “Bump The Night” and “Tell Me How You Like It”, to sounding like they might have heart attacks on “Itz Just What We Do” (especially when Hubbard repeats the final chorus) and “Smile”.
Now there are some Luke Bryan singles where I get where that serious, reflective tone makes sense. “Crash Your Party”, for instance, was probably intended to be open-ended and so the urgency in Bryan”™s delivery makes some sense. And it also works with “Play It Again”. But the reason ”Country Girl (Shake It For ME)” has NEVER grown on me is because, no matter when or how many times I hear it, Bryan”™s delivery is just way too serious-sounding and the angry guitar solo and tones only further underscore that (plus, is it just me, or does the way he yell the final chorus strike you as quite possessive? =P ). And combined with the creepy lyrics, Bryan just comes across as depressed on “Drunk On You” instead of seeming on cloud nine at this tailgate circle.
Why don”™t the vast majority of you A and B-list male country/”country” entertainers cheer the shucks up, for Jove”™s sake? (prepares impersonation of John Cleese”™s Basil Fawlty character in “Fawlty Towers”) I”™ve been informed that y”™all are”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦depressed. Seriously, let me tell y”™all something! Depression can a very, very bad thing. It”™s like a virus. If you don”™t stomp on it, it spreads throughout the mind and then one day you wake up in the morning and you”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦.you can’t face life any more! 😉
May 20, 2015 @ 2:53 pm
At least the latter half of the chorus is, and to avoid the risk of losing a complacent listening demographic that’s obsessed with overall formula, worked around that blatant attempt at a “country” equivalent of trap with a conventional compositional template that is clunky arena rock mixed with subtle electronic beats and automated percussion.
May 20, 2015 @ 6:59 pm
This trap theme is a very interesting take.
May 20, 2015 @ 5:11 pm
To me, the post-chorus part with the banjo is hinting at a certain kind of syncopated, Latin-derived beat, of the kind that is prevalent in modern hip hop, without really going all the way with it. (I’m not that familiar with the “trap music” thing, but from what I can tell it seems reminiscent of “crunk” and other modern hip hop styles.)
The song “Drop It Like It’s Hot” is the best example I can think of off the top of my head to illustrate the general type of beat I am thinking of, although there are many variations on this type of rhythm in modern music, and it’s tough to describe what I have in mind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtUVQei3nX4 (Skip to about 00:18)
Anyway, in “Kick the Dust Up,” the post-chorus refrain has the banjo doing a Middle Eastern-flavored rhythmic riff, and at one point a drum sort of hints at syncopation, but it isn’t insistent enough to create the full-on rhythmic effect it is alluding to. Does that make sense to anyone else?
The point I’m trying to make is that since the song is basically built around this rhythmic refrain instead of a real chorus or melodic hook as one would expect in a country song (as pointed out by Noah), and since said rhythm is watered down and weak anyway, the whole song just falls flat. And no, I don’t think a country song should be built primarily around a beat in this way. (Check out “Some Days” by Sturgill to hear an example of a great country song which incorporates a funky beat in an organic way, while still being lyrically and melodically driven.)
As far as I know, popular country music has always interpolated and been influenced by rhythms from other musical genres – some of my favorite 70’s country records have funky percussion that sounds influenced by genres like funk, and even disco. The great thing about those records though is that they could be influenced by other genres rhythmically and still sound distinctively country in terms of the other instrumentation, the melody, and the overall style. I firmly believe that one of the biggest problems with today’s mainstream country is that it has no real identity of its own, its core DNA being made up of a mishmash of every musical genre popular among suburban white people over the last 30 years or so. As such it doesn’t blend with anything in an interesting way because it doesn’t offer any kind of interesting contrast, or bring much of anything to the table. Meanwhile, the genre constantly tries to incorporate and appropriate elements from other current musical trends, but it does so poorly, and what we end up with is music that is merely a lame, half-assed, light beer version of what other genres are already doing better.
May 23, 2015 @ 8:44 pm
I think you’ve described today’s youth (or society) to some extent. I’m amazed at the diversity and melding of cultures that I see in the peer groups of my great nieces and nephews compared to their parents when they were young. In my generation there was virtually no diversity or cultural influences in my peer group. Perhaps, with respect to the way country music is “evolving”, art reflects life, but poorly.
May 20, 2015 @ 9:03 pm
Isn’t the clear that shit that Barry Bonds used?
May 20, 2015 @ 10:49 am
This is a little bizarre for a Luke Bryan song. I’m not really a fan, but I will actually give him a little credit because the structure feels more involved and intense than pure bubblegum fluff like “Drunk On You” and “Rollercoaster,” and that alone makes for more interesting listening. There’s not much about it that’s memorable otherwise (those songs were at least modestly catchy), but props for what *seems* like more effort on the arrangement, though I guess that should go to the producer.
I honestly think Bryan has a pretty decent singing voice. His vocal performance alone made me kinda like “Drink A Beer.” It’s a shame he usually wastes his talents on all this frat-boy stuff for the sake of cash.
May 20, 2015 @ 10:51 am
Would it kill them to let country be country? Do they think steel guitars and fiddles are old timey? Does anybody truly believe that something can be country when it is even less country than the worst part of Harlem?
May 20, 2015 @ 1:08 pm
Can’t fit a steel guitar up in the cab of my jacked. up. truck. in. my. tight. blue. jeans. with. all. my. shine. up. in. there.
Sugar shaker.
May 20, 2015 @ 6:32 pm
Personally I dislike the sound of the steel, reminds me of a crying baby that won’t shut up, so I can’t get on someone for not using the steel
May 20, 2015 @ 8:33 pm
I think it’s the coolest sound ever. It sounds like crying because it is supposed to be a deeply sad sound. And it sets country apart from everything else. The lack of the instrument is one of the things that makes country not country anymore. If everything only has loud guitars and the occasional token banjo, it eliminates any variety among songs. And why do the electric guitars always drown out those other instruments even when they are featured? Doesn’t make sense me. Am I alone in my sentiments?
May 21, 2015 @ 5:31 am
“sets country apart from everything else”…except Hawaiian, thank Sol Hoopii!
May 24, 2015 @ 5:36 pm
How the fuck don’t you like the sound of a steel guitar? Best instrument in country music and this guy doesn’t like it. Why are you even on this site pal
May 25, 2015 @ 5:25 pm
Amen …a steel guitar is a symphony ….it oozes emotion .
May 20, 2015 @ 11:09 am
Mr Bryan and Mr Davidson, the people I know on tractors and working in the fields all day are tired as shit when they’re finished in the evening. Most people’s lives aren’t parties.
This appropriation of rural culture continues. It’s an easy sell to bored housewives and bored city folks, but what is really disturbing to me is the readiness by which it’s accepted by rural people who used to know better. Simple living has been replaced by consumerism. Instead of carrying on the rural traditions of their fathers and grandfathers, rural teens are sucked into this belief that tractors get you laid, fields are for partying, drink all the alcohol you can for no good reason, and you sure as hell better have a lifted truck (I like lifted trucks just fine, but you get my point). Similar to the negative effects of hip hop, listeners then try to emulate the fake and usually unobtainable lifestyles they hear and think they have to attain. What’s left is a completely inauthentic and meaningless way of living.
I caught about 10 minutes of a CMT special on Luke Bryan’s spring break albums and performances. His stated reason for doing those ridiculous concerts every year is to “allow these college kids some time to let loose and forget about all the pressure of life.” I’m just going to stop right there…
Luke Bryan and the bros didn’t start this mess, but they sure aren’t helping.
May 20, 2015 @ 1:10 pm
I’m not sure you can blame sexy tractors and feel good spring break songs on bro country.
http://ticketcrusader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Kenny-chesney.jpg
May 20, 2015 @ 6:06 pm
“An old pickup truck, means you’re down on your luck, anymore.”
Jamey Johnson – “The Last Cowboy”
May 21, 2015 @ 4:05 pm
I agree with ya. Shit the only thing going through my mind when Im finishing up my ends aint going out an partying, I’m thinking of going home and eating some dang supper and relaxing.
May 20, 2015 @ 12:00 pm
About 7 or 8 years or so ago, I believe, I received a phone call from a friend in Georgia. She told me that I was going to love this local artist named Luke Bryant or something like that. She sent me “All My Friends Say” and I’ll admit that I dug it. I didn’t like it enough to go find the album, but it was fun. Was it the 100% country music I was seeking at the moment? Nah. But it was fun.
I eventually picked up “I’ll Stay Me” and found some real gems on there. Being from Georgia myself, I did indeed relate to many of the lyrical images and themes on the album…and I thought maybe I’d become a Luke Bryan fan after all.
But with his commercial success, came the change that made a lie out of that record. Or did it? I don’t know. Maybe he still IS the guy who wrote and performed songs on that album…he just doesn’t wear himself onstage. Playing a character on stage is nothing new…I think we as a Country Fanbase just don’t buy into that tactic. We want the people on stage to be who they actually are – but in cases like Luke’s, I really hope he isn’t the hapless douche he portrays.
I don’t know, y’all. My music changes from release to release – I know that where I stand as a writer/performer today isn’t exactly where I stood two years ago, let alone 8 years ago.
I DO wish he’d be a leader. I wish he’d carry the torch for Country Music more than chasing dollars and trends. But then again, when he first appeared in Country Music, the music he made was what was on the radio. He changed as it did. Maybe what he’s telling us, is that he’s a weak-willed follower who has climbed the ladder to the top by listening to what sells, not by defining what sells.
Maybe in the end, he did stay him.
May 20, 2015 @ 7:06 pm
I’ve seen a few folks reference Bryan’s early career. Here’s an article I wrote a while back about big country stars, and how they were much better when they started:
https://savingcountrymusic.com/before-they-sucked-big-country-stars-at-the-start
(I know you’ve seen this Dukes, just wanted to share for others).
May 23, 2015 @ 3:55 pm
I thought the same about Brad Paisley when his first album “Who Needs Pictures” came out, I thought he was the next Alan Jackson. The second album “Part 2” was good but as years went by Brad kind of turned into a Jerry Reed wannabe, to many silly songs.
May 20, 2015 @ 12:24 pm
One station here in Tampa, 99.5, played it every 90 minutes the day it was released. They aren’t even the Bobby Bones station in town. Luke can sing country, but it’s pretty sad that he has to release stuff like this. I bet if he had full control of what gets released, he wouldn’t have this as a single.
May 20, 2015 @ 12:51 pm
What is this? What do the verses have to do with the chorus? What’s up with the off-putting way Luke Bryan belts out the chorus? Why did “Let’s tear it up up” make it into the chorus?” What the hell is “a jar full of clear”? What is this song even about? Why does Dallas Davidson still have a job? Why does the instrumentation go for a darker feel even though the lyrical content is clearly not dark at all? Why is Luke Bryan still riding this trend that’s dead? Is he trying to revive it? It won’t work.
In the larger scheme of things, I hope the song will flop. At the very least, “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)” and “That’s My Kind Of Night” may have been catchy to Luke Bryan’s target demographic. This isn’t catchy, and it doesn’t appeal to anybody. Bryan’s fans will be turned away by the darker instrumentation, and people who like the dark instrumentation will be turned off by the fact that the song is garbage.
May 20, 2015 @ 5:19 pm
Well, this is currently #2 on the iTunes composite chart: solely behind Taylor Swift’s remix of “Bad Blood” (which was only released 36 hours before “Kick The Dust Up” and so is likely to hold it at #2 due to its front-loaded phase of its own)
Thus, it’s quite likely this is going to debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs mongrel chart: with Little Big Town being the only possible obstacle due to retaining high sales and superior airplay. Either way, the lowest it will debut is #2.
Of course, it is said that it is not about where you start, but rather where you end up. The real story will be how this fares by its third and fourth weeks on the chart. Will it have ridiculous staying power like Jason Aldean’s “Burnin’ It Down” in the Top Ten of the all-genre iTunes chart? Or will it plummet like Aldean’s previous lead single “Take A Little Ride” did?
For some reason, I just can’t see this holding up quite the same way when even many of his own fans are lamenting the lack of a big chorus. But I’ve been wrong before about “Burnin’ It Down”. =P
May 20, 2015 @ 6:36 pm
Honestly, from what I can tell it seems like it’ll falter in the way “Lookin’ For That Girl” did, albeit to a drastically lesser extent. Honestly I’d be surprised if it did hit #1, but it’ll certainly crack the top 10. Really, after a week or so it’ll go into free fall, then jump back up mid-June. At this point it’s essentially only holding up because he performed it twice.
Bro-country is already it’s own little sub-genre, but it’s losing momentum fast. This is just a last desperate attempt to keep that ship from sinking.
May 20, 2015 @ 6:45 pm
My prediction is that it does debut at #1 on the country mongrel and sales charts. I think it will debut inside the Top 30 of the radio chart. It may slip in airplay slightly the second week but then steadily climb to the Top 10. This is where it gets interesting. On name recognition alone this song should climb to about #8 on radio. If the fans accept it, it goes #1. If they reject, #8.
Labels have radio play so coordinated nowadays that you rarely see songs peak at #6 or #4, they typically get pushed to #1 due to synchronized airplay. Capitol may do this for this song if it struggles.
Overall, I say this song goes #1 on all charts. Despite its lack of hook, his fans seem thrilled about getting a new single and album. I think in a few years, this won’t hold up as well as others with his fans, but for the next 5 months they will eat it up.
May 21, 2015 @ 2:44 am
I”™m predicting that “Kick Up The Dust” will indeed debut at #1 on the Country Digital Songs chart, but will have to settle for a #2 debut on the Hot Country Songs chart behind Little Big Town”™s “Girl Crush”.
Though Bryan has an obvious advantage with the all but inevitable frontloaded fangirl (and to a much lesser extent, fanboy) effect driving his opening week sales, I don”™t see it being enough to eclipse Little Big Town”™s decisive advantages elsewhere. Besides still remaining a sales force, Little Big Town are going to crush Luke Bryan in streaming this week as “Girl Crush” continues to rage like a wildfire on YouTube. And despite debuting at #29 off of one day of airplay (!), Little Big Town will still have a large advantage in airplay as well, especially now that they”™ve debuted at #39 on the Adult Top 40 chart and are continuing to pick up station detections outside of the country format.
I think it”™s very likely “Kick Up The Dust” will eventually make it to #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart, but it”™s not going to happen until Bryan closes the gap at radio. And should its third and fourth weeks on the chart prove to resemble those of Jason Aldean”™s “Take A Little Ride” instead of “Burnin”™ It Down”, Little Big Town may be in for a stranglehold on the top spot well through the official start of summer.
May 21, 2015 @ 10:01 am
Never seen a song so gerrymandered to #1 than “Girl Crush.” What was a middling single before the “controversy” may now become the biggest song of the year. Could be worse, I guess.
May 20, 2015 @ 12:58 pm
So, how is this a first cut single? Honest question, regardless of whether you like bro-country or not, this track is just…lifeless. This is a back 8 or 9 filler cut at best. Doesn’t really bode well for the rest of the record.
May 20, 2015 @ 1:19 pm
Reviews just like this are the reason I keep reading lol. People can’t understand why I would read stuff that crucifies my music but its because I respect how theses are formulated. And the entertainment haha. I don’t disagree with 90% of the statements usually. Even though its music that I love because it relates to my lifestyle, I make no excuses for what it is or try to pass it off as something it isn’t. I have a collection and other artists that I go to for those other substantial elements in music. But this review is right on the mark about the issue itself of Luke being the torch-holder for country music right now and the statement that he just made about the direction him and his team are going to take it. However, I’m not sure why it would come as a particular surprise to anybody.
May 20, 2015 @ 7:09 pm
I didn’t expect something so obviously Bro-Country with all the talk especially in radio about how the genre needs to move on. I’m not sure what I expected, but not this.
May 20, 2015 @ 9:26 pm
I think I expected it for a lot of different reasons, especially for his lead single. I think Luke has a lot more well rounded talent than he usually choses to experience with the public and that can be heard with a little research by anybody. But I think his camp still sees this as his bread and butter. And I was sure it would be none other than the “sometimes Fern Bar brawl instigator” Big Dave behind it haha. People might not believe this but I also seriously think the success of Burnin It Down had a lot to do with it as well.
May 20, 2015 @ 9:39 pm
But then again…like you said, Luke could have chosen any single and it would have gone #1. It was an opportunity to pave a new path. He chose to keep ridin the dirt road. That’s the way it will be I guess.
May 20, 2015 @ 1:57 pm
No. Is that real? Or is that an Earl Dibbles kind of a thing?
This is the first time I’ve ever heard Luke Bryant. I guess it’s the fact that I didn’t grow up with American Idol that keeps me from rushing out to hear shitty music – intentionally. If I hear enough that someone is horrible, the last thing in the world I’m gonna do is go listen to it for verification. I have still never heard Justin Bieber. I heard Kanye for the first time a couple weeks ago (wow…no). I first heard Britney Spears about a year ago. I just avoid it. There’s too much good music that I’ll never have time to listen to, to waste time on that crap.
But. Every once in a while it gets to where I’ve heard someone shit on SO many times, that even I can’t hold back anymore. So I made the mistake of clicking that video up there, and all I can say is, ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!?!?!?! THAT is what is supposed to be representing country?!?!?! That’s not even music. It’s fucking software! Wow!
May 21, 2015 @ 1:37 pm
“It’s fucking software!” is the only way to describe it. Well done.
May 20, 2015 @ 2:04 pm
What a mess of a song. It’s garbage. First of all it was getting to where all of his songs sounded pretty much the same. But this…this is the direction he goes. My kinda night wasn’t this bad. I’m waiting for a snake charmer and a belly dancer to be in the video. There has been some very very bad music come out of Nashville recently and call itself country, but this song somehow offends me on every level. The lyrics are horrendous, but it goes beyond that. The production, the beat, the instrumentation, all are the worst I have ever heard be released to country radio. I just want to throw my fucking arms in the air and yell at people who buy this shit. I hope in my lifetime a time will come when the value and quality of music returns to a standard that the artist wants their art to last more than the time it takes to click 1.29 on a computer screen. I hate these greedy scumbag pricks.
May 20, 2015 @ 2:30 pm
Trigger, because I think it’s meaningful to split this hair, country radio most assuredly did not send Somethin’ Bad to number 1. Which, though not undeserving given that the song was garbage, is completely hypocritical. Radio has given that honor to plenty of shitty — and far shittier — songs. I’ve heard programmers by the pound declare that they play what sells, what their demo likes. Well Carrie and Miranda’s demo must have liked it plenty because it sold and streamed it’s ass off and went to number 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart in a quick hurry.
So in fact Somethin’ Bad did not receive equal treatment under the bro country law.
May 20, 2015 @ 4:16 pm
Agree Miranda/Carrie songs can’t get #1@ radio play. It was a platinum single and had 32 million video views on VEVO. Was it the best song, no but it sold. Example of another problem- guys get #1 at radio w/ much less sales than the ladies. Ridiculous. People might not like LRW but is has sold almost double Urban/Church current #1 and video has at least 13 million more views but – sorry ladies nope. HATE current country radio!
May 20, 2015 @ 8:09 pm
The video was much better than the song.
May 20, 2015 @ 7:13 pm
That’s a fair hair to split White Cleats, and a good point. I’ve spoken on the challenges many females face on country radio here often. The main purpose of me bringing up the song here though was to not make it an example of radio ordaining #1’s, but that it was a song that received a lot of initial blowback but was ultimately very successful.
May 20, 2015 @ 2:42 pm
woaa! I said wooaa! Lets slow this wagan train down just for a dad gun minut. Luke Brian is a all time clasic. Hes the clossest thing we have to conway twitty in this day n age. I dont no why yall r all ways so meen to em.
May 26, 2015 @ 2:21 pm
Do I have the pleasure of speaking to Earl Dibbles’ retarded cousin?
May 20, 2015 @ 3:35 pm
This kind of crap that poses for country music is irrefutable proof that the Illuminati / Bilderbergs / Trilateral Commission exists!!!
May 20, 2015 @ 4:16 pm
Does the charts really mean anything outside of record execs looking at questionable numbers (how do they accurately get the numbers anyway) and going well that was popular let’s do more of that.
Meghan Tranior brought back the girl group sound to huge #1 status and yet we are not swamped with girl-group wannabes. The charts utterly confound me sometimes.
May 20, 2015 @ 4:34 pm
Artists today understand that sonic trends are ephemeral, and instead relatable lyrics are what really sell. The reason why Meghan Trainor’s song went to #1 was its theme of body positivity.
May 20, 2015 @ 5:26 pm
I disagree.
She mainly was buoyed to fame off of novelty appeal much like Iggy Azalea.
For the praise she got from some corners for writing a “body-positive” pop song, I assure you she got just as much scrutiny for skinny-shaming in a few choice lyrics.
May 20, 2015 @ 5:57 pm
What I find weird is the fact that Megan Trainor lives in Nashville, and she wrote and produced “All About That Bass” on a farm in a semi-rural area outside of town.
The way things are going, I’m surprised she’s not being marketed as a country artist. If the likes of Sam Hunt and Cam can be, then all bets are off.
The difference is that Trainor doesn’t need to be.
May 20, 2015 @ 6:20 pm
‘The difference is that Trainor doesn’t need to be’
YET.
May 20, 2015 @ 6:28 pm
It’s because Trainor is a woman, and country music right now is no place for female artists, whereas pop is dominated by women.
May 20, 2015 @ 7:17 pm
Her single “Like I’m Gonna Lose You” was written by Caitlyn Smith, so there’s already some cross-pollination there.
May 21, 2015 @ 7:09 am
Yet. Once her next album full of fat girl feel good pop songs tanks, she’ll pull a Kelly Clarkson and play up the twang.
May 20, 2015 @ 6:30 pm
Yes, but the novelty appeal in the song primarily derives from the lyrics. Most listeners found the general theme of acceptance of all body shapes to be refreshing and dismissed the skinny-shaming parts as humor.
May 22, 2015 @ 10:17 am
I doubt if a song existed that says to “tell them fat *******” that those lyrics would be dismissed as mere humor. There would be a ferocious outrage as soccer moms and body image bloggers would rant about how their daughters’ and their lots in life is oppressed by skinny people.
May 20, 2015 @ 4:33 pm
I don’t hate the song but it sure ain’t country. I like a “good” pop tune like anyone else, and good can be a good beat, good lyric or whatever grabs your attention.
I wouldn’t change the station if this came on but it really doesn’t belong on country stations. I swear I just wish all genres would be done away with so that stations just play anything and everything that’s “popular”. But I guess we are so conditioned to segregate and label things that it’s just a pipe dream.
Not sure of country’s future. Bro and the like can’t last forever and I’m not sure if 60’s – 90’s styles will ever come back but I really do see the day when music is just music.
I think I am starting not to care so much, anymore.
May 20, 2015 @ 4:36 pm
Heck I would be very happy if the 00s style came back to country radio. Even turning back the charts to 2011 would work nicely.
May 21, 2015 @ 5:10 am
I used to hate country music until my friends got me into it around 2010-2011. That’s when I used to think that there was no such thing as “underground” country, haha. Even though I deprived myself of good country music for such a long time, I must admit though looking back, there was still a lot of decent music on country radio 5 years ago, but of course its been all down hill since especially last few months its just been a straight drop off the cliff.
May 20, 2015 @ 8:03 pm
Seems like that’s what radio’s heading for, is doing away with genres. Sorry, but when I went into a country bar to listen to a country band and dance, I never appreciated the DJs playing the pounding dance music when the bands took breaks. I didn’t want to listen to country music for 40 minutes and then turn on dance music for 20 minutes back then, and I certainly don’t now. I may flip back and forth between genres, but when I’m in the mood for country, I want to listen to country, *real* country. When I’m in the mood for rock, I should be able to know what station to turn to. Mixing and matching is going to do nothing but make me turn the channel more and more. I long for the days I could listen to the radio for hours and only hear a handful of songs I didn’t care for.
May 20, 2015 @ 4:44 pm
I actually heard Chesney’s The Good Stuff on NASH FM here in NYC and damn if I didn’t get kind of warm inside. I know lots of folks diss KC a lot for not being country but I’ve always liked him and damn if that isn’t a life is good, live it well kind of song. Beats trucks, dirt and tailgates, for sure.
May 20, 2015 @ 7:50 pm
Totally agree. Kenny gets a bad rap for sexy tractors and all the beach boy stuff, but he’s had a long career and there’re a lot of good, heartfelt songs in there.
May 23, 2015 @ 3:59 pm
Grandpa Told Me So & The Tin Man are great songs.
May 20, 2015 @ 5:04 pm
Even though he’s hated here, bobby bones pointed out the similarities on his show today to this song and DMX’s “Ruff Ryder’s Anthem” haha. They’re actually really close.
May 20, 2015 @ 5:22 pm
Luke Bryan had sold his soul to the bad country devil.
May 21, 2015 @ 11:46 am
The devil doesn’t want Luke Bryan’s soul, because the devil has better taste in music than that.
May 20, 2015 @ 5:26 pm
I’m sitting and watching the Voice final last night because I love Meghan Linsey and hub really likes her blues. . I knew she wasn’t going to win. The 16 year old farm kid with that hat and long hair had it in the bag from the beginning. Sings folk. Well, two songs and three chords. (I know the Voice is fixed) I also believe it’s on it’s last leg.
Anyway, the next thing I know Luke Bryan, tight tee and jeans, flashing neon teeth is gyrating across the stage;) I can’t get my headphones on fast enough and listen to Chris Stapleton and never look up. LB is the epitome of everything I cannot tolerate.
I know you purists never watch the Voice, but I have watched for about three years and have now had enough.
May 20, 2015 @ 5:40 pm
I think this is absolutely terrible – worse than “That’s My Kind of Night.”
Obviously, I am no bro-country fan, but I understand why that song was a hit. It was full of catchy hooks, had a memorable chorus, slick production, semi-coherent lyrics, and a party vibe, which is something people seem to want.
This song doesn’t have a real chorus or a satisfying melody, the lyrical theme is confusing nonsense, and the general tone is gloomy and weird. As others have stated, I don’t understand the use of the minor key or the self-serious singing style, in this context. I can’t imagine anyone, even Luke Bryan’s hardcore fans, being impressed with this. It sucks.
Material like this is a waste – a waste of Luke Bryan’s modest vocal talents, a waste of his status as heir apparent of the biggest musical genres in America, and a general waste of the radio airwaves.
Two guns down for me!
May 20, 2015 @ 6:17 pm
This song is bad as “Country Girl” and “That’s my kind of night”. Oh I forgot that Awful song of “I see you” and “That’s How we roll” with Florida Georgia Line. Man this song sucks 2 guns down indeed. Worse than those 4 songs I have mentioned. I want to puke after I listen to this awful song.
May 20, 2015 @ 6:39 pm
Absolutely. Dare I say it, this song is worse than “That’s My Kind Of Night”. At least that song had a decent melody to dance to.
May 20, 2015 @ 6:50 pm
I just miss the good old days of a few weeks ago when Bret Michaels was the worst thing about country music.
May 20, 2015 @ 6:51 pm
Terrible song by a generally terrible artist. Luke Bryan almost makes me miss the days when Rascal Flatts was the crappiest thing about Country radio.
May 25, 2015 @ 11:56 am
I have always liked Rascal Flatts’s songs in general, at least until the past two years.
If there ever was a time when they were the worst thing on country radio, then I sure as heck do miss those days.
May 20, 2015 @ 7:07 pm
This song makes “Achy Breaky Heart” sounds country plus other so called today country songs these days. Man I miss 90’s country.
May 20, 2015 @ 7:45 pm
Definitely not a song I would buy, but I did find myself at least “appreciating” … no, not the right word … realizing it at least had a bit of a beat you could two-step to. However, they’ll come up with some lame line dance for it, the dance floor will be packed with people who have no clue what a country song or country dance really is, and that will be the end of any “saving grace” the song had for me.
May 20, 2015 @ 9:44 pm
I’d like to line up all these songwriters and bro country/metropolitan artists and let them try real, actual moonshine. They’ll stop singing about it real fast.
May 21, 2015 @ 2:43 am
I”™m predicting that “Kick Up The Dust” will indeed debut at #1 on the Country Digital Songs chart, but will have to settle for a #2 debut on the Hot Country Songs chart behind Little Big Town”™s “Girl Crush”.
Though Bryan has an obvious advantage with the all but inevitable frontloaded fangirl (and to a much lesser extent, fanboy) effect driving his opening week sales, I don”™t see it being enough to eclipse Little Big Town”™s decisive advantages elsewhere. Besides still remaining a sales force, Little Big Town are going to crush Luke Bryan in streaming this week as “Girl Crush” continues to rage like a wildfire on YouTube. And despite debuting at #29 off of one day of airplay (!), Little Big Town will still have a large advantage in airplay as well, especially now that they”™ve debuted at #39 on the Adult Top 40 chart and are continuing to pick up station detections outside of the country format.
I think it”™s very likely “Kick Up The Dust” will eventually make it to #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart, but it”™s not going to happen until Bryan closes the gap at radio. And should its third and fourth weeks on the chart prove to resemble those of Jason Aldean”™s “Take A Little Ride” instead of “Burnin”™ It Down”, Little Big Town may be in for a stranglehold on the top spot well through the official start of summer.
May 21, 2015 @ 5:03 am
This song will go to number one (kick the dust up) because it is a song that get’s suck in your head. I don’t know why people are such hater’s not every song has to be a such a serious song . I think Luke is awesome! Keep doing what your doing luke . I can’t wait for the new album!!
May 25, 2015 @ 9:01 am
Dragonfly, you are correct, not EVERY song has to be a serious song. But conversely, not EVERY song has to be a mindless, laundry list, immature song either. The pendulum swings both ways.
May 21, 2015 @ 5:48 am
I just threw up in my mouth . I’m going to go listen to Whitey Morgan’s You’re Still on My Mind.I need to drink some shine to forget this ear bleeding song.
May 21, 2015 @ 6:15 am
Luke Bryan actually makes me SAD! I WANT to like him. I loved his music when he was “new.” I like his voice, and he seems like he has a really great personality – which is a nice change from someone like Jason Aldean who always looks angry, or Florida Georgia Line, who just always spout nonsense.
May 21, 2015 @ 6:21 am
Funny excerpt from Country California’s news roundup (damn cool that C.M. is doing these twice a week) on Tuesday:
ӢIris DeMentӪs next album, The Trackless Woods, will be out August 7 on FlariElla Records.
”¢Also out August 7: Luke Bryan”™s next album, Kill the Lights. So if you”™re a big fan of Luke Bryan and Iris DeMent ”“ hello? anyone? ”“ you”™ll want to start setting aside some cash now.
It’s a tough call, but I think I’m going to have to go with Iris Dement. 😉
May 21, 2015 @ 9:55 am
Really glad he’s doing those updates. I try with my news feed but most of the time I feel like I’m only doing it for myself.
May 21, 2015 @ 2:11 pm
Oh, I definitely use your news feed on a regular basis and very much appreciate it. I just miss those Engine 145 weekday updates and it’s good to be able to read something like that again.
May 21, 2015 @ 6:45 am
My family loves watching The Voice, and I confess, I get sucked into watching it from time to time. They were all watching it on Hulu last night and I decided that was a good time to go out and pick up some things I needed at the grocery store. When I got back home and walked in the door, they all were snickering and said, “We saved something to show you.”
You see, I came home from work ranting about this new Luke Bryan track and how Trigger took it to task. So they told me to sit down and have a look. Sure enough, there was old Luke Bryan performing his fresh new cut “Kick Up the Dust” on The Voice. It was awful. It was awkward. And it sure as hell was not country. I felt…violated…betrayed. They got a big kick out of it.
In order to cleanse my musical palette, I retired to my comfy master bath, poured a glass of bourbon, fired up a stogie and cranked up Whitey Morgan’s new “Sonic Ranch” album. I came to the conclusion, Luke Bryan must be one of the Four Horseman of the country music apocalypse.
May 21, 2015 @ 9:32 am
I agree.
So why in burgundy blazes does Luke Bryan sound so damn serious in this song? Lighten up, man! 😉
May 21, 2015 @ 9:33 am
My local radio station played the song Tuesday afternoon and allowed people to call in and give their thoughts. One lady said “It’s Lake Bryan. Who cares if it any good, I’ll buy it!”
That why this isn’t going away anytime soon.
I counted at least 12 “formulaic” references in the first couple verses and chorus. Cornfields, moonshine, boots, back roads, etc….
Good luck getting away from this anytime soon if you have to listen to the radio very often.
Bobby Bones Gets Fined; Whitey Morgan Gets Kudos; Lee Greenwood, Professional Patriot? | Country California
May 21, 2015 @ 9:41 am
[…] Saving Country Music has provoked a hearty discussion (155 comments and counting) with an explanation of why Luke Bryan”™s “Kick The Dust Up” is more than just a bad song. […]
May 21, 2015 @ 10:54 am
After Luke Bryan sang this on “The Voice” and I was complaining about how horrible it was, my daughter asked me, “Dad, what do you think Blake Shelton thinks when he sees Luke Bryan up there like that?”
I honestly didn’t know what to say. “Wish that was me?” “Is that song for real?” “I wonder how much money I have?”
I just don’t know.
May 21, 2015 @ 11:10 am
I personally don’t understand where all of this “Bro-country is on its way out” talk came from in the first place. Sure, it’s not nearly as prominent as it was before, but it’s still 90% of what I hear on the radio. I hate to say it, but I’d be shocked if this song doesn’t do as well as Bryan’s previous songs, with perhaps a marginal difference. After all, why wouldn’t it? All of those bro-country fans have left the format and this is an attempt to get them back. I haven’t heard much from the actual FANS of these guys about being tired of the trend, it’s mainly us internet critics and always has been. And let’s be realistic: if this song doesn’t shoot to number 1 it’ll at least place in the top 10. Is that really that much of a victory when it’s all said and done? You’re telling me just a few chart places will be us storming the gates? I don’t buy it. If this one stops in or above the top 20 I’ll go buy a pitchfork and light everyone’s torches myself.
May 21, 2015 @ 1:02 pm
Don’t forget to fill your cup up!!!
May 21, 2015 @ 1:27 pm
As a has been Country programmer, country radio has always (at least during my time and beyond) been an artist driven format. It’s never really been about the song but about the “superstar” singer. There was a time George Strait could have farted into a mic, recorded it, released it, and it hit number one on the country chart. That’s why after an artist sells a few million the label can release anything they want and it will at least chart but if you’re a “superstar” it will go to the top. Just go to Country Radio seminar one year and you’ll understand what I’m talking about. It’s been a real long time since it was about the song. Oh and don’t get me started on pay for play… Payolay is alive and well.
May 23, 2015 @ 8:22 am
This is no surprise to anyone with a working set of ears but I appreciate your input here Dakota .
Re: George Strait ….Yup for every terrific song released he seems to have had a couple of WTFs ? ….I’m not sure his own ear was as good as folks may think . That is , I ‘m sure he let the label do a lot of the decision-making for him and although labels can force a mediocre song , they are notoriously TERRIBLE at ‘hearing’ a great song . Saying that , George’s vocals and the production on ANYTHING were always top notch and ALWAYS with a respect of the traditions of the genre .
Also …I don’t think anyone would be foolish enough to deny that PAYOLA exists . You only need to listen to an hour of mainstream country radio to convince yourself of that .
May 21, 2015 @ 1:43 pm
Can you just imagine if there are songs on the new album that are actually more terrible than this one?
Probably not very likely but one can’t assume anything when it comes to mainstream country (ahem) music.
May 21, 2015 @ 5:25 pm
Just came across this and my jaw nearly dropped to the floor.
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/luke-bryan-tours-life-spanning-hall-of-fame-exhibit-20150521
I know there are comments just waiting to be verbalized.
Have at it,
May 21, 2015 @ 6:07 pm
Will this exhibit include his very first pair of skinny jeans? Hehe
May 21, 2015 @ 7:43 pm
They’ve had these temporary exhibits in the dead space between the glass of the museum archive and the main museum space for years. Taylor Swift had one, and so have others that seem like strange picks. I’m not endorsing it whatsoever, I hate it. But it really is par for the course.
May 21, 2015 @ 6:02 pm
Saw that Chris DeStefano is one of the writers of this piece of crap. Looking at his other recent works I saw that one of those was Sometihng in the Water. Granted, it is not the greatest masterpiece ever written, but it’s at least decent. It baffles me that someone capable of writing that turns around and created this crap. How does one do that? Do they consciously tell themselves as they go into writing session, “okay, we need to earn lots of dollars, so let’s write as many bro-country filled lines as possible and cram it into a song”? I think this is worse that “That’s My Kind of Night” (did I get the title right? I tried so hard to erase that song from my mind lol)
May 22, 2015 @ 8:52 am
Chris DeStefano is what many in the Nashville community would refer to as a “track guy,” in other words, the guy who comes up with instrumental bed (on his computer, generally) for/during sessions that his co-writers wind up writing vocal melodies and lyrics to. That’s what happened with “Something In The Water,” according to the page 2 Makin’ Tracks feature in the 10/16/2014 Billboard Midweek Country Update. DeStefano had this track, played it for Brett James and Carrie Underwood, and Carrie had the phrase “there must be something in the water” and the idea that the phrase could be repurposed for a song (set to that track) about baptism. DeStefano helped put together a demo that was the template for the studio version, for which Producer Mark Bright set about “humanizing” all the programmed elements.
Similarly, in this Billboard article from yesterday, DeStefano says he brought a track to the session, then Hillary Lindsey suggested a tweak to it, bringing a riff he had on the verses up front. Then:
So, my guess is DeStefano brings the instrumental bed to writing sessions for songs like “That’s My Kind Of Night” and “Kick The Dust Up,” and it’s Dallas Davidson and Ashley Gorley who are mostly responsible for the melodies and lyrics. Not that track guys never contribute lyrics, but I think the reason people like DeStefano are in demand is their contributions to the musical foundations of the songs. Other “track guys” in mainstream Music Row writing circles include Luke Laird, Jimmy Robbins, and Ross Copperman.
May 22, 2015 @ 11:14 am
We are in the fast food age of country.
So, fret not. Just as focus has shifted away from the quick and easy, soulless vittles of burger chains and toward the gourmet, local, and artistically crafted, so shall people tire of empty music meant to fill you up and be discarded as fast as possible. Sooner or later (and for the sake of people like us, let’s hope sooner), people will yearn for something of substance created out of passion and inspiration. And we’ll be here.
Does fast food still exist? Of course. And I eat it sometimes, too. Sometimes you just want something mindless and effortless. But it’s no way to sustain yourself. And people are starting to realize that now.
May 22, 2015 @ 5:28 pm
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/luke-bryan-talks-getting-older-and-mature-new-music-20150522
“I feel so blessed to get 100 songs and play them in my truck, and when my boys [sons Bo, 7, and Tate, 5] want to hear that one song over and over and they’re going, ‘Let’s tear it up, up,’ I know it’s right,” Bryan said. “[The song is] as simple as can be, but there’s a time and a place for a fun, simple song. There’s also a time and a place for a ‘Drink a Beer’-type song, and then a love song, and I’ve got some really neat love songs coming on this album.”
Still, Bryan thinks fans and critics alike will find more diversity on the new album.
“I feel like as I get older, my music is going to naturally mature,” he admitted. “Having released ‘Kick the Dust Up’ yesterday, that’s young and fun, but on this album there are things that are of a more mature subject matter ”” I’ve got a song on there that really touches on the big picture of life.”
*
On one hand, it”™s encouraging to hear Bryan admit “Kick The Dust Up” is an immature offering, and indicating we”™ll get more mature offerings this time around.
On the other hand, when he says “”˜Drink a Beer”™-type song””¦”¦”¦”¦”¦.I”™m sorry, but that”™s already a deal-breaker to my ears. I actually considered “Drink A Beer” more insufferable than “That”™s My Kind Of Night””¦”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦..and not because the song is actually worse in quality (it”™s clearly not), but because of how disingenuous and calculated “Drink A Beer” is.
At least Bryan played that terrible T-Pain name-dropping chest-thumper straight. But it was insulting hearing “Drink A Beer” especially with all the critical hype surrounding it trying to depict as something more than it really was. Bryan”™s vocal delivery just sounds utterly mechanical and indifferent there. It sounds more like he views cutting the song as a chore than truly spilling his heart out (not that the songwriting helps matters anyway, given how shallow and deliberately shoehorn beer consumerism smack dab in the title). Especially the way he deadpans: “Don”™t feel like going home!”, or the part in the second verse where he utters “the Good Lord knows, the reasons why”¦”¦”¦.I guess”¦”¦.”.
If we”™re going to get more of that shallow brand of song that tries to pass itself off as “deep” like “Drink A Beer”, count me out entirely.
Now, if Bryan were to cite “Tackle Box” as a point of inspiration for more mature songwriting themes and perspectives, then yeah, count me back on board then.
May 22, 2015 @ 5:43 pm
‘I feel so blessed to get 100 songs’
Did he forget how to write songs or something? I just did a quick check of Wikipedia and by my count he had a hand in writing every song on his debut album then 8 cowrites on his second record and 8 on his third record and then zero writing credits on his last record and now it sounds like that will continue.
Plus the quality of the writers is really going down from the like of Roger Murrah on the first record to the last couple being thick with Dallas Davidson and Ashley Gorley.
It’s hard to believe that Luke Bryan is a cowriter of ‘Good Directions’ the big hit for Billy Currington which I think is what a good fun mainstream country hit should sound like.
The bro-ification of Luke Bryan can really be tracked through the albums and the quality of writer that has contributed to them.
May 22, 2015 @ 9:50 pm
Just for citing purposes, Luke actually did write on several songs from his last album.
May 22, 2015 @ 10:23 pm
I just double checked and I was in error he has one writing credit on ‘Crash My Party’ and that was for ‘I See You’.
My larger point still holds, though.
May 28, 2015 @ 11:00 am
He wrote a few on the Deluxe version.
May 23, 2015 @ 8:17 am
‘It”™s hard to believe that Luke Bryan is a cowriter of ”˜Good Directions”™ the big hit for Billy Currington which I think is what a good fun mainstream country hit should sound like.’
Couldn’t agree more about GOOD DIRECTIONS…great narrative , conversational , clever ending , trad instrumentation , lots of solid imagery , perfect marriage of music and lyric ..solid vocal performance , dance-able rhythm ( YES ! That IS a factor in a song’s staying power ) and YES …hard to believe Bryan was a co-writer when you hear the shit he’s pumping out now .
May 22, 2015 @ 7:17 pm
Luke Bryan was good on his first cd but now some of his is garbage.
May 23, 2015 @ 8:28 am
‘Nuther shitty , forgettable nursery rhyme . The whole verse is a one-note melody . And why is a happy celebratory lyric ( bro or otherwise ) being sung in a minor key ? Songwriting 101 -PROSODY !! MAKE THE MUSIC fit THE LYRIC and theme. If you take the lyric out of this song it sounds like the soundtrack to some disaster movie about a plague destroying crops or some alien life-form eradicating all the Bros at a spring break festival that goes horribly wrong ( depending on your viewpoint, of course ) .
This is another pile of SHIT ….or DUST as the case may be .
May 24, 2015 @ 3:11 pm
This is estimated to have 115,000 downloads by the end of its first week. Wow, 115K people actually bought this crap. Is this figure Luke’s usual for his lead single? I guess this will eventually cross platinum, which will only motivate him further to continue to release crap after crap of a song.
May 25, 2015 @ 7:41 am
I’m pretty sure this stuff is bought before its heard …..just the name incites downloading . However , I doubt that many Luke Bryan fans would know or care about what a piece of shit this is anyway .
May 25, 2015 @ 1:12 pm
Not to diminish the frustration in your post, but that is actually a notably weaker debut than many had anticipated.
Luke Bryan is more popular than all fellow A-list artists including Florida Georgia Line, Jason Aldean and Blake Shelton in the meanwhile; as evidenced by touring revenue, faster climbs up the country airplay chart, superior sales and award shows clout. However, Florida Georgia Line’s “Dirt” debuted with 182,000 total singles sold in its opening week, while Jason Aldean’s “Burnin’ It Down” debuted with 184,000 total singles sold.
I actually consider the opening week sales for “Kickin’ The Dust Up” a Pyrrhic victory at best. Even despite about 900,000 total hits for the audio stream on YouTube, it certainly won’t debut at #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart (expect another week on top for Little Big Town) because he can’t size up with “Girl Crush” on airplay and streaming yet, and it is trending to fall below “Girl Crush” again on the digital singles chart.
May 25, 2015 @ 1:22 pm
It’s going to debut at #19 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart apparently thanks to the usual shady coordinated airplay.
May 24, 2015 @ 3:21 pm
Whether you like Luke or not. He knows how to make money and apparently he is liked or he wouldn’t be entertainer of the year now would he ? Leave the guy alone.!!
May 24, 2015 @ 9:11 pm
Well, there goes the young girl demographic assumption.
May 25, 2015 @ 7:44 am
Whether you like Luke or not. He knows how to make money and apparently he is liked or he wouldn”™t be entertainer of the year now would he ? Leave the guy alone.!!
Hmmm ? So with this logic we should leave likeable bank robbers , pimps and drug dealers alone too ….because they know how to make money ? What LB is doing is a crime against honest music and artists of integrity .
September 15, 2015 @ 8:21 pm
Oh grow up. It’s just a couple dumb songs that people like to dance to. It’s kinda hard to have a good time listening to the slow, sappy ballads with good lyrics.
March 28, 2018 @ 4:00 pm
dumb is too generous.
stupid and idiotic are more appropriate.
besides that: DONT CALL IT COUNTRY MUSIC
May 24, 2015 @ 3:26 pm
If you don’t like Luke,don’t listen to his music. Problem solved. !!
May 24, 2015 @ 10:38 pm
Nope. I refuse. 🙂
May 25, 2015 @ 7:30 am
Here come the cougar/soccer moms…armed with their suburbans and etsy pages, they shall swarm to defend Luke Bryan against all….LOLOL!!!
May 25, 2015 @ 7:47 am
I don’t like Satan either and I do my best to ignore him…but he keeps popping up somewhere without warning and screwing up a good day . I think Bryan and his legions need to be dealt with more effectively . Like a radio ban after the third generic cover of your ” hit “…three and you’re out , so to speak .
May 26, 2015 @ 11:34 am
Loved your urinalysis of Bro-Country!
May 26, 2015 @ 7:42 pm
I think people need to start realizing that real Country music is not about what Luke, Cole, Chase, and FGL sing about. It’s about really emotions and telling stories. With Bro Country there is no story to be told. If we want Bro Country out by 2016, radio needs to be much more involved with helping to keep Bro Country off the air. They could say,”If you want to make that kind of music, then head over to Pop radio and ask them to start playing it.” What I noticed with Jake Owen’s new song is that it is a terribly sounding “country” song that copies the sound of Sublime. Ok? Well Jake if you wanna have a song like that out it should’ve been sent to either rock radio or hip-hop radio. A lot of these songs just don’t belong with older A-listers such as George Strait or Alan Jackson. When will the Bro Country torture end?
May 28, 2015 @ 11:08 pm
I hear there’s folks
Tired of us talking about dirt roads
Tailgates, tan lines and corn rows
It sounds made up but that’s the life I know
We know all about some moonshine
Moonlight, bonfires
Seein’ all the stars on a summer night
Don’t see how that’s gettin’ old
C’mon
Ride with us on Friday night
See if we ain’t jacked em up
See if we ain’t settin’ it on fire
See if we don’t burn it up
See if we ain’t crankin’ Hank
Sippin’ on a little somethin’ strong
Hey man, you’ll see why we can’t
Quit sangin’ that same old song
The same old song
May 30, 2015 @ 5:53 am
No, Greg, the only reason you can’t quit playing that same old song is that you are under orders from Scott Borschetta not to quit!
May 30, 2015 @ 4:09 pm
Ride with us on Friday night
See if we ain’t jacked em up
See if we ain’t settin’ shit on fire
See if we don’t burn it up
See if we ain’t crankin’ Hank
Sippin’ on a little somethin’ strong
Hang with us and see why we can’t
Quit singin’ that same old song
March 20, 2016 @ 5:49 am
Holy God, Greg….you rebutted with a repeat of a Brantley Gilbert song. You are truly too stupid for human interaction. I bet you listened to hip hop until about 5 years ago when you switched to listening to bro country to feel trendy
May 29, 2015 @ 11:41 pm
Just wait, even though Sturgill doesn’t want to be the savior, he will be. Maybe not him exclusively, but the ones who follow him and are inspired by him. The traditional country genre will be back on the heels of mainstream. I don’t think this Bro Country will ever really be depleted (hell even I listen to it getting drunk and partying at the river), but maybe it will be pushed to the sidelines for something new.
May 31, 2015 @ 9:20 pm
GotDamn. I wish that Waylon, Conway, George, and a few others could come back to life and freakin kill Dallas Davidson, Luke Bryan, FGL, and all of their ilk. Or at least escort these dipshits out of the picture.
Pop country has always been around but today’s stint on things is over the top disgusting.
September 15, 2015 @ 8:16 pm
I think you couldn’t be more wrong. “Bro-country” or whatever you want to call it isn’t some epidemic that’s sweeping the nation and positioning country music. It’s called party songs. They have a catchy tune, kinda stupid lyrics, and people can’t help but dance when it comes on the radio. Sometimes people want to listen to music of substance, music that took a lot of skill and talent to write and record. Other times, people want to hear a stupid catchy song that they can’t help but sing along to. If pop music can have these dumb hits, why can’t country? Take Red Solo Cup for instance. One of the stupidest songs I’ve ever heard. And yet, every time it comes on the radio, I can’t help but turn it up, nod my head, and sing along. It’s a feel good song with the sole purpose of providing some relief to stressed out people who want to have some fun but can’t. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
March 28, 2018 @ 4:03 pm
there’s everything wrong with that.
because POP music is on COUNTRY Radio stations.
The music deserves to be shamed mocked and insulted until it goes to a more fitting radio station.
December 22, 2015 @ 10:12 am
You cannot like the song all you want; I’m not saying it’s the best around. However, when you say “Listen to the verses; they don”™t even make sense,” you lose me. As a Louisiana girl, born and raised, I can tell you that the lyrics make complete sense. If you’re a northerner, or not from a Cajun or country small town, then maybe the lyrics won’t make sense to you. But really, country is marketed as story-telling music for those of us who know what it’s like to party in a barn and “kick the dust up.” Don’t criticize what you don’t know.
March 14, 2016 @ 11:05 am
Luke Bryan is a skinny jeans wearing discrase to country music!! He couldn’t kiss wayllon or merl haggards ass if he stood on the empire state building. Great song lol maybe him and Brittney spears can do a duet together for his next pop album.
March 13, 2017 @ 11:10 am
I like Luke Bryan. A lot of people don’t like him. He’s not the only artist that’s more “pop country” The girls like the tight skinny jeans and I’m sure that’s why he wears them. Talking bad about the guy isn’t going to change his style. If you don’t like it don’t listen to it. things are changing, and younger generations do not like the older “real country” music.
March 28, 2018 @ 4:02 pm
I’d love not to listen to it.
but it’s everywhere.
listen up and you might learn something.
I eat at taco bell a lot. I don’t like it when shithead assholes come into taco bell, replace the tacos with spinach and then tell me if I don’t like it not to eat there.
get your damn spinach out of my taco bell
get your damn pop music off of Country Radio.
and I’ll talk bad about the liars who tell me this shit is Country until I die or they do