Sun Daze when i’m Day Drinking gotta Shake It Off because I’m To Blame but It Feels Good!

Monday has arrived with little fanfare. As usual, the weekend went by way too fast – speaking of fast, I realized today that there’s only 6-1/2 weeks left of school for the minions. Princess Nagger is happy about that, especially since all the boring stuff is coming to an end, and her class will get to do more fun stuff, like build rockets.

I’m looking forward to seeing how creative she gets with decorating her rocket. Of course I’ll keep you posted.

Meanwhile, since it is the most dreaded day of the week for some, let’s start it off right with some great music, shall we? This week’s theme is “Music that picks you up when you’re feeling down” – so if you’re feeling down for any reason (like, you know, because it’s Monday), let’s pick you up!

Let’s start off with a song that’s actually been described as a ‘feel-good track’ that starts off with some whistling before the duo starts singing with an island vibe about wearing flip-flops and…ahem…getting high.

“All I wanna do today is wear my favorite shades and get stoned / Work a little less, play a little more / That’s what this day is for.”

The duo have a Christian background, having met through worship services in college, but the lyrics caused quite a bit of concern and the song itself has received mixed reviews from critics. One reviewer noted that the song is “incredibly catchy in the worst way”, while another critic gave the song a more positive review, writing “Love it or hate it, [the song] is witty”.

When asked outright during an interview with Billboard magazine if they smoked, ond of the duo didn’t hesitate. “Yeah. Oh, yes,” he replied, as a publicist tried to stop him. “We’re professional partiers.”

You’ll note that when the song is played on local radio stations, the words “get stoned” are replaced with “stay home”. Oh, and if you’re wondering what the lyric means that says “If you want, you can pet on my Harley” – that is a reference to his pet dog, a golden retriever named Harley.

In spite of the critcs’ misgivings about this song, it’s been a commercial success for the duo, peaking at #3 on both the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts. The song was certified Gold by the RIAA on January 29, 2015, and as of April 2015, the single has sold 618,00 copies in the United States.

Fun Fact: Note the ‘boss’ in the video tells the duo he needs the ‘Orange Peach Reports’ turned in – Oranges are grown in Florida, Peaches in Georgia… Florida Georgia Line… get it?

Get up and dance with Florida Georgia Line with “Sun Daze”:

Next up is a song that was the first single from this group’s sixth album that was released almost a year ago. The vibe of the song has been compared to enjoying a few nice cold drinks on a hot summer day. C’mon summer!

Another feel-good song with some whistling – the whistling in this song happened by accident when the songwriters sat down to pen the song. They’d just come from the road, and the lead singer was hoarse – road weary hoarse voice-wise – so when they were messing with melodies on the chorus, she started singing something but couldn’t hit it, so she whistled it instead.

They all agreed that it sounded cool with the whistling and decided to incorporate it. Well done!

Let’s party with Little Big Town and “Day Drinking”:

Next up is one of my favorite country stars who seamlessly crossed over to pop, which made me love her even more, since I’m not just a country girl, I like to mix it up, too. This song happens to be her first single from the new album after she made the move.

It’s a song about this singer dismissing her haters – it was inspired by how she had learned to deal with all the false rumors that circulated since her previous album. The artist didn’t want the song to be just about her critics, though, she wanted it to be all encompassing to include anyone who’s ever been criticized or made fun of like she was when she was in high school. 

“I wanted to write a song that would make people not feel victimized when they sang it, I didn’t want it to come from a place of ‘Why are you doing this to me? I feel so victimized and sad’ I wanted to be like ‘Okay, you’re irritated that I’m being myself. You’re going to talk about me, because I’m being myself, you’re going to make things up about me, because I’m being myself. I’m just going to be myself more. I’m having more fun than you so it doesn’t matter.'”

You GO. I’m glad Princess Nagger really likes her, too – marching to the beat of your own drum is a good thing.

So let the haters hate and the fakers be fake while you listen to Taylor Swift with “Shake It Off”:

Next up is a song that serves as a mini-biography for this artist as he looks back and learns from past mistakes. The artist had been playing the song out on tour for a few years before releasing it just this past January as a single. 

The honest lyrics are personal for the artist – he said that he learned that sometimes when you’re in a relationship, especially if you’re going to keep  the relationship, it’s better just to admit that something was your fault so everybody can move on. He thought that sort of truth-telling was a good way to set the tone for the new album.

The song is a very aggressive, intense, no apologies kind of song about the kind of person you are – but it’s not about being rude, it’s about owning who you are as an individual.

Give a listen to Kip Moore with “I’m To Blame”:

Last, but certainly not least, is a song I shared the day before it was officially released, so now you get to enjoy the lyric video as much as I have. The song describes a lazy day at the river, but the song itself is a rowdy good time – a soulful foot-stomper that demands your attention.

I’m looking forward to when the official music video is released, I read they filmed it in Slidell, Louisiana – it’ll be fun to see if I recognize the area from when we visited our friends down there a few summers when we were still living in PA.

The artist explained the reason for filming in Slidell of utilizing a lot of ‘real’ people – real folks having a crawfish boil. That was something we enjoyed participating in when we were visiting friends, might have to recreate that here this summer.

Without further ado, here’s Drake White with “It Feels Good”:

Bonus!  I can never just listen to the song once, so you have the opportunity for a repeat, too – only this time it’s a great live performance so you get to see Drake White get totally into his song as he performs it for 98.7 The Bull Skype Live Studio:

That’s a wrap for this week – have a great week!

Now on to the particulars of Monday’s Music Move’s Me:

I have the supreme honor and privilege of being a co-host with the inimitable Xmas Dolly and our musical cohorts, Callie from JAmericanSpice, and Naila Moon from Just the Stuff Ya Know.

Want to join in the fun? It’s easy – just find a tune that rocks your boat, post it and link up – don’t forget to grab Xmas Dolly…er, um, I mean her button…over at her place here. Check out Xmas Dolly’s sidebar for the random themes we sport each week – and you can always ask for a specific theme of music you like, too. Check out the other music lovahs and let’s jam!