Dirt Road Diaries Tour/"Country Girl (Shake It For Me)"

Nothing like this song to make you wish you grew up on dirt roads.  I love within one line, a song can instantly transport you from your car, living room, wherever, right onto the exact location of the song.  

So amazing to watch Luke Bryan carve out a place for himself in country music. 

So unreal that here we are Labor Day weekend, which means that summer is officially over.  Crazy to think that I am a junior in college now.  Ridiculous.  Well, I feel like the pinnacle of my summer was 8/29 when we went to see Luke's Dirt Road Diaries tour at the NYS Fair, which featured Thompson Square and Kelleigh Bannen (My favorite person ever!)  Ever since that concert ended, all I want to do is go back.  Regardless of the overly-intoxicated and way too obnoxious people that obstructed my view, hands down, this is one of the best concerts I've ever been to.  Amazing, amazing, amazing!

For starters, although I love Luke, the second I saw Kelleigh's name on that bill, I bought the tickets.  This girl is too amazing for words...she's getting her own entry.  

I guess my seats were actually meant to be.  Although we've sat in the grandstand for almost every show we've seen at the fair (not intentionally), the one thing I've never realized until this time is that I first-handedly had the ability to witness the power of a song.  Literally.  Amazing how once you're older, you realize everything you knew all along.  Honestly, I don't know what was louder, Luke himself, or 17,000 people singing along.  Unreal, out of body experience.  

  

Country Girl (Shake It For Me) - Syracuse, NY

FM Radio:
Singer: Luke Bryan
Songwriters: Luke Bryan, Dallas Davidson
Song: "Country Girl (Shake It For Me)"

Got a little boom in my big truck

Gonna open up the doors and turn it up

Gonna stomp my boots in the Georgia mud,

Gonna watch you make me fall in love

Get up on the hood of my daddy's tractor,

up on the toolbox it don't matter

Down on the tailgate girl i can't wait

To watch you do your thing

Shake it for the young bucks sittin' in the honky-tonks

For the rednecks rockin' 'till the break of dawn

For the DJ spinning that country song

c'mon c'mon c'mon

Shake it for the birds

Shake it for the bees

Shake it for the catfish swimming down deep in the creek

For the crickets

and the critters

and the squirrels

Shake it for the moon

Shake it for me girl

Country girl shake it for me

girl shake it for me

girl shake it for me

Somebody's sweet little farmer child

She got it in her blood to get a little wild

Pony tail and a pretty smile

Roped me in from a country mile

So come on over here and get in my arms

Spin me around this big ol' barn

Tangle me up like grandma's yarn

yeah yeah yeah

Shake it for the young bucks sittin' in the honky-tonks

For the rednecks rockin' 'till the break of dawn

For the DJ spinning that country song

c'mon c'mon c'mon

Shake it for the birds

Shake it for the bees

Shake it for the catfish swimming down deep in the creek

For the crickets

And the critters

And the squirrels

Shake it for the moon

Shake it for me girl

Country girl shake it for me

girl shake it for me

girl shake it for me

Country girl shake it for me

girl shake it for me

girl shake it for me

Now dance like a dandelion

In the wind, on the hill underneath the pines

Yeah move like the river flow

Feel the kick drum down deep in your toes

All I wanna do is get to holdin' you

And get to knowin' you

And get to showin' you

And get to lovin' you 'fore the night is through

Baby you know what to do!

Shake it for the young bucks sittin' in the honky-tonks

For the rednecks rockin' 'till the break of dawn

For the DJ spinning that country song

c'mon c'mon c'mon

Shake it for the birds

Shake it for the bees

Shake it for the catfish swimming down deep in the creek

For the crickets

And the critters

And the squirrels

Shake it for the moon

Shake it for me girl

Country girl shake it for me

Girl shake it for me

Girl shake it for me

Country girl shake it for me

Girl shake it for me

Girl shake it for me

"You Don't Know Jack"

I had the privilege of seeing Erin Enderlin sing this song at the Bluebird, and it was amazing.  However, speeding up the tempo and showing a different side of Luke Bryan has taken this song to another level.  I want your opinions.  Let me know what you think!  I love it, but I am on the fence because it is a little too short, which makes me think they are taking it to radio, and I feel the story could be explored a little more.


"You Don't Know Jack"
Singer: Luke Bryan
Songwriters: Erin Enderlin, Shane McAnally
Song: "You Don't Know Jack"

He asked me for a dollar
I said go get a job
And I turned up my collar
and started walking off
He said I don’t blame you
I know what you think
I just spend your money
to buy another drink

But you don’t know Jack
Double shot
80 proof
On the rocks
until you’ve lost it all
And you can't go back
To your life
And your kids
And your ex-wife
With just a telephone call
If you think it's just a bottle
In an old brown paper sack
You don’t know Jack

And he showed me a picture
Of two little girls
wearing Easter dresses
Hair done up in curls
He said God bless their mama
She said I couldn’t stay
Buddy if you were wondering
how could I throw it all away?

But you don’t know Jack
Double shot
80 proof
On the rocks
until you’ve lost it all
And you can't go back
To your life
And your kids
And your ex-wife
With just a telephone call
If you think it's just a bottle
In an old brown paper sack
You don’t know Jack

If you've never felt a fire
Running through your veins
If you’ve never seen the devil
Face to face
You don’t know Jack
Double shot
80 proof
On the rocks
until you’ve lost it all
So brother just be glad
And tonight
Hold your kids
kiss your wife
And when you talk to God
Count up all your blessings
And thank the Good Lord that,
You don’t know Jack
You don’t know Jack

"Too Damn Young"

Sarcastically, I just love how the politics of the recording industry.  I have seen this so many times when a song is released by an artist that does moderately well, suddenly, a few years later, that same song is given to an artist with an established track record and somehow (gasp) released as a single that surprisingly does well.  Yes, I know you're shocked.  That is what I like to call non-inventive thinking performed minimally by a record company's marketing team.  Wake up...if you don't know about a song, why would you buy it?

Well, I heard this amazing song called "Too Damn Young" on Luke Bryan's new record that I think I've heard by a few artists before.  No way?  Well, when I found out who wrote it, I remembered hearing this demo in the hallmarked Myspace days.  The song is written by another writer I remember from back in the day, Casey Kessel.  And just like I fell in love back then, I fell in love again.  This song oozes that  summer love innocence that everyone wants.  Well I was surprised to hear a guy singing this when it feels like a girl song but they completely made it work so much that I expect to hear this on the radio soon!  Oh and Julie Roberts tried to make this into a ballad, I agree this time...I would've given it away too.

FM Radio:

Singer: Julie Roberts, Luke Bryan

Songwriters: Casey Kessel, Arlis Albritton 

Song: "Too Damn Young"

We met down at the floatin' dock
She snuck out scared, she might get caught
We were nervous, but it was worth it

There was no such thing as consequence
With her in my arms it finally made sense
In that moonlight, I saw her tan lines

Every time my feet are danglin' in the water
I can't help but think about her
Lyin' there with her wet hair
Didn't know what we were doin' but we didn't care
That old wooden dock was warm on our backs
T-shirt for a pillow and just like that
She kissed me like she meant forever
We were too damn young to know any better

The fog rolled in, she said "I better go"
She took my t-shirt and wore it home
A memory, a souvenir she could keep

So I stayed and watched that sunrise
Like it was wakin' up my life
To what love was, I can still see us

Every time my feet are danglin' in the water
I can't help but think about her
Lyin' there with her wet hair
Didn't know what we were doin' but we didn't care
That old wooden dock was warm on our backs
T-shirt for a pillow and just like that
She kissed me like she meant forever
We were too damn young to know any better
We were too damn young to know any better

Luke Bryan:

Julie Roberts: