I Love You, Beer

I Dunno, Son

I Love You, Beer by Charles (Chip) Esten

Recommended by Crews. Kind of. He said, "Have you heard this? I can't believe they weren't playing downtown last night. Doesn't it sound like the kind of song they'd play twice a night in Bourbon?"

Bourbon's a bar in Athens. I agree...but they might play it twice an hour. Especially during socials.

Sorry about the video quality. It's the best I could find. I think you can find the song on iTunes and Spotify, so go check it out.

Anyway, I wish I didn't title each post with the name of the song, because half the fun of this track is the build-up, before you realize that it's an ode to beer.

Listen to the seriousness of the lyrics - it sounds like any other country song. You're remembering a high school party back in your little country town. You try to flirt with a girl, and it takes a minute, but y'all end up hanging out.

But then you get to the end of the verse, and you realize he's not talking about a girl at all.

It's actually pretty clever how the lyrics don't give anything away about the song being an ode to beer, yet it fits perfectly once you know. Everything is different the second time around.

You were out in his backyard with all your friends beside that tree.
I tried to pick you up, but you were oh so cold to me.
You opened up, and I did, too.
And then I spent that night, just sitting there and holding you.

That's hilarious.

And the double entendre continues:

I went to college, and you were there.
You made it hard to study, oh but man I didn't care.

I also get a kick out of watching it devolve from poetic double meanings to lyrics that are more clearly about the alcoholic beverage:

I must have had a few of you
to talk to you this way.

People are always making fun of country music. The lyrics, the guitar, the sounds, the accents. The repetition of the same words and phrases, the images of dirt roads and pickup trucks and small towns and blue jeans and, yes, cold beer.

The thing is, country music doesn't care.

They make fun of themselves.

Between this and Girl in a Country Song and Red Solo Cup, it's pretty clear that the genre knows It's Not That Deep. Country music is about sharing small #relatable experiences and making people feel something - even if it just makes them laugh. It's about the simple pleasures, the little things...and if you don't appreciate them, it's your loss.

Overview:

Genre:
Country

Favorite Lyrics:
Every time I reach for you,
you've always been right there.

Verdict:
College football hasn't started, but it's still Saturday in Athens.