Being the Jake Owen fans that we are, we had to respond to this laugh-worthy
review of his newest single, "Eight Second Ride."
Let's get this out of the way: This is by no means Jake's best song. In fact, of all his singles, it's probably his worst. It was a sleeper hit on his debut album,
Startin' with Me, that fans requested as a single, but never got. So, it was re-released on
Easy Does It, with plans of being a single.
The problem with the
Easy Does It version is its restyling. Aside from minor lyrical changes, the version on
Easy Does It seems to lose some of its original musical edge. The guitars and drums fade to the background for this version, whereas they pound through the speakers on
Startin' With Me. Whoever decided to remix 8SR managed to take a fun, rocking song and make it a weak, mediocre ego-piece.
As for saying the song is supposed to be "realistic:" Anyone who has listened to Jake's music, has seen a Jake show, etc., knows that this song is blazingly tongue-in-cheek. It was written long before he had his big break, when he was barely in his 20s. With a male buddy, he decided to write a song about girls and big trucks. We think even Jake knows the likelihood of getting a woman to bed down with him on a tailgate is unlikely. (Hey, metal is cold and uncomfortable! Stay in the cab at least.)
It seems that some people don't like Jake because he's attractive. Evidently country music is meant to be "ugly," which, frankly, is something lost on us. All the posturing about his looks masks simple jealousy. For someone as talented as Jake, it's a shame that people are going to misjudge him because he happens to be good-looking and has written a song that is not "high art." Look back at singles like "Startin' With Me" and "Don't Think I Can't Love You" if you need a reminder of exactly what this Florida boy can do.
