Florida Georgia Line’s “May We All” Is Feigned Substance & Forgettable
One of the big questions for country music in 2016 is if Florida Georgia Line and other Bro-Country acts will be able to extricate themselves from their destiny of being shuffled into the dustbin of history as the Nickelbacks of country, or if they will show up with some more depth to at least delay the inevitable erosion of their shallow music due to the corrosive and judgemental sands of time.
With the first two songs they’ve released off of their new album Dig Your Roots—first “H.O.L.Y.,” and now “May We All,” Florida Georgia Line has at least tried to pragmatically instill more organic and substantive elements and moments into their music. But this is strange ground for the duo because ultimately Florida Georgia Line is nothing more than a party band. They may want to be known as something more, but singing shallow, catchy songs is what they do best, even if it’s bad. Though some may want to applaud the additional efforts, what you have is a band that is trying to cover up their warts and failings with cosmetics instead of solving the inherent problems with their approach to country music. Because that’s all they can do. Florida Georgia Line doesn’t have the dexterity to be anything different than what they’ve always been.
Where in previous years country music radio singles employed electronic drum beats at the beginnings of songs to snucker in a wider audience, now the hip thing is to have a more organic opening … before the awfulness takes hold. Starting off “May We All” is some slide guitar with an acoustic compliment, and with the inclusion of Tim McGraw on the track, you hope just maybe you’re being led into the second coming of the duo’s one substantive hit, “Dirt.”
But ultimately, “May We All” fails in the lyricism, fails in the production, and fails to find any infectiousness for the masses to glam onto either. None of this may forestall the song becoming a hit, because today’s radio tastemakers all do what they’re told by the industry, but “May We All” just doesn’t have much of anything going for it.
The structure and mood of the song built from the instrumentation almost allows it to get off the ground a little bit, but producer Joey Mai doesn’t know how to get out of his own way. The 16th-note electronic hi-hat rhythm layered on top of the chorus is stupid, and will chase away any listeners with taste. The vocal tracks are so heavily processed—not just with Auto-Tune but likely an entire host of electronic enhancements—it squeezes all life out of the performances, including Tim McGraw’s, and the second chorus where it sounds like Brian Kelley, the oft-forgotten second member of the group, actually sings a rare lead.
It’s as if even when a band like Florida Georgia Line heads into the studio to record what they consider to be a more organic track, they still can’t help but blow $30,000 putting layer on top of layer of studio awfulness, and then running it through every single electronic enhancement at hand until you really can’t distinguish anything. Like the more money and time you spend on a track, clearly the better it is.
In the end you can barely understand the lyrics to “May We All,” which might not be a bad thing. There are a couple of decent moments, with lines like, “Nothin’ ain’t cool ’till you wear the new off, the sound of a quarter rolling down a juke box.” But what does this lead into? “Play the Travis Tritt right above the Tupac.” And once again, anyone with distinguishing taste, even if they happen to be a Tupac fan, is out. How in the world did we get to this point where it’s an essential trope of today’s country to name drop a country legend and a hip-hop artist right beside each other, and how can we bring this trend to an end?
The biggest failing of this song is the “May We All” payoff does not pay off at all. This is one of multiple songs in country music at the moment that tries to build itself out from a lyrical hook that has absolutely no weight behind it. Do you see putting “May We All” on a T-shirt and it conveying any meaning? What is this song ultimately about? Just like “Cruise” it’s about nothing. It’s just a self-affirmation of a lifestyle, strung together with little list items and signifyers about backwards hats and hair blowing in the breeze.
Florida Georgia Line is going to have to do better if they’re going to stare their fate square in the eyes and fake it out. “May We All” is feigned substance, and forgettable.
BlackHawgDown
July 15, 2016 @ 9:35 am
Video killed the radio star… And now auto tune has killed the performing star. Anytime I hear songs electronically altered I hit the next button. Why anyone would waste their money to listen to people that have to have their voices electronically enhanced like these clowns is beyond me and is almost scandalous in its own way.
Justin
July 15, 2016 @ 9:43 am
On Sirius the other day I heard the d.j. say that she had heard The Eagles would be considered “country” today. Which is funny ’cause I have recently been thinking about that. I loved The Eagles. They’ve dabbled in country for years. The truth: they would NOT get played today because they are “too traditional.”
“Today the most controversial thing you can do in Country Music is play Country Music”- Marty Stuart.
I still have a tad bit of hope (but not really) for country music…
-I love this new song “Vinyl” by William Michael Morgan. I saw this guy on youtube. Cowboy hat and all. It’s like someone forgot to tell him it’s not 1995 anymore. I love it. I really do. Unique. He pushes the envelope. Let that sink in. He’s pushing the envelope to do country music in country music.
-I love Mo Pitney.
-I love this new song by High Valley: “I’m Gonna Make You Mine.” I can’t believe they are playing it on the radio. But it has no chance…it’s almost a bluegrass feel- so 0 chance.
-Some of this new stuff by Tim McGraw…a hailmary in the 11th hour…
BwareDWare94
July 15, 2016 @ 10:08 am
High Valley is actually a Canadian group, and to be completely honest, having heard their earlier material, I can’t really take “Make You Mine” seriously because of the overdone fake twang. It’s better than most but for them it sounds hokey and shallow.
Justin
July 15, 2016 @ 9:47 pm
Cool. I had never heard of this group before. Grant it, they were on Sirius, but I’ve heard them on FM radio as well. I had to double take and go “is this my country channel I’m hearing this on?” and indeed it was. Usually it is the other way around. Like the time I heard “Wasting My Time” by Default on a country station…yeah apparently “Dallas Smith” is country now so….
BlackHawgDown
July 15, 2016 @ 10:46 am
Half of Dave Matthews band stuff is more country than what radio pushes nowadays
luckyoldsun
July 15, 2016 @ 3:45 pm
Heck, Jim Croce singing and banging out “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” on his acoustic guitar is more “country” than what radio pushes nowadays. What else is new?
Justin
July 15, 2016 @ 9:49 pm
Truth…I heard “Crash Into Me” the other day on 90s on 9….I don’t mind a little Dave Matthews…it is beside the point…when I turn it on country radio I wanna hear country NOT heeeeyyyy we on vacation bah danana heeeeyyyy we on vacation heeeyyy we on vacation….
Austin Lee
July 15, 2016 @ 12:07 pm
William Michael Morgan is awesome! I saw him a few months ago and his band consisted of a bass player, lead guitar player, drummer, pedal steel and William on acoustic. That’s saying something when a new artist has a 4 piece band and one of em is on steel.
Matt S
July 15, 2016 @ 3:11 pm
I saw WMM last week at the Opry. He was so damn good. He performed Vinyl, I Met A Girl, and absolutely killed a cover of Merle’s Ramblin’ Fever. I really hope he breaks out in a big way, and that the record label heads don’t screw with him.
Justin
July 15, 2016 @ 9:52 pm
Yeah I saw an acoustic performance on youtube…great voice…Vinyl is a cool song. I thought it was illegal to have a cowboy hat in country music anymore….and also he has no tan or steroid infused body and isn’t a male model…btw I wouldn’t pay attention to his appearance if the core bro music demographic didn’t (18-22 year old girls).
Andrew
July 15, 2016 @ 11:28 pm
Come on I hope you’re not saying these FGL bros are male model material. Especially the Ling haired one…really ugly
Justin
July 16, 2016 @ 11:42 am
@Andrew yes FGL lead singer is ugly….good point. That is why he is in a duo though so the other guy (Brian Kelly?) is there I guess.
TheCheapSeats
July 15, 2016 @ 12:36 pm
Hell, most 80s hair band power ballads would be too country for country radio.
Summer Jam
July 16, 2016 @ 2:57 pm
@ TheCheapSeats, lmfao im laughing my ballz off haha
Jordan Kirk
July 16, 2016 @ 9:39 pm
Thought the same thing about Tritt and Tupac… Obligatory country/rap reference. Makes me sick. Really, why? Don’t go together even if you’re a fan of both
Lone Wolf
July 16, 2016 @ 8:21 pm
Justin, back when the ‘Common Thread’ Eagles tribute CD was released, Garth Brooks said something along the lines of, “If a Eagles sing was played in country radio and the DJ made no mention who it was, I doubt anyone would notice.” That was a pretty decent comment and was spot in with the Eagles sound. I agree that today they would be too traditional. They’re harmonies were raw and authentic and most of ‘todays’ country music fan base wouldn’t even know it. Nice post, man!!!
Justin
July 18, 2016 @ 4:51 pm
Lone Wolf,
Thank you good sir. I loved the documentary that came out a few years ago…
Also, the song “peaceful easy feeling” is such a beauty. All of it was wonderful though…don’t get upset but the most famous song they had isn’t my favorite “Hotel California.”
Lone Wolf
July 18, 2016 @ 9:00 pm
Justin, I appreciate your kind response. Only on SCM do we have such camaraderie. I, too, love The Eagles documentary. ‘Peaceful Easy Feeling’ is a GREAT song! Great pick!! It’s a shame Don Felder and Glen Frey weren’t on such good terms, but DF was responsible for ‘Hotel California ‘. Granted, it isn’t my favorite song, either. My favorite is a toss up between ‘Seven Bridges Road’ or ‘The Man, The Icon, The Enigma….Trigger ‘. It’s a cult classic. Thanks again for responding, man.
Andrew
July 15, 2016 @ 9:46 am
They sucked when they came out, suck now, and always will suck. Can’t even stand that guys shit voice. Nothing they do could ever make me like them …
Chris
July 15, 2016 @ 9:47 am
Except for Dale Jr spinning out, the only bad part of the Daytona 500 was the FGL pre-race concert.
It was unbearable.
These guys do banal tunes.
Not Dylanesqe material.
Kale
July 15, 2016 @ 9:55 am
At least they mentioned Travis Tritt instead of somebody that they mention all the time just because they were told it would appeal to “old farts.” But yeah, this stupid trend of juxtaposing country singers and rappers needs to end. I guarantee FGL knows more rappers than country singers. The philosophy seems to be that all music is just music, so why not lump it all together? The problem is, people turn on a country station to hear country, not rap. If they wanna hear rap, they’ll turn on a rap station. What they’re doing isn’t making music more diverse, it’s making country radio virtually unlistenable for anyone with taste. Anyone with half a brain can see this.
MH
July 15, 2016 @ 10:02 am
Unfortunately, those that listen to mainstream country radio don’t have half a brain.
More like a quarter of a brain.
Meh, perhaps an eighth.
Lone Wolf
July 16, 2016 @ 8:23 pm
@MH: FRACTIONS!!! Lol
Lucas
July 15, 2016 @ 10:03 am
All the bad Bro-Country makes me miss Taylor Swift’s older music. Say you want about her, but at least she’s had tons of great songs like Tim McGraw, Teardrops on My Guitar, Sad Beautiful Tragic, Begin Again, All Too Well, Come In With The Rain, and Back To December, which don’t take about half a dozen people to write and/or produce and actually have effort put into them. That is not something I can say about over-clichéd Country songs.
Nate
July 16, 2016 @ 9:15 pm
Honestly, I believe the entire country music spectrum falling apart after Taylor left the genre is a conspiracy co-created by Scott Borchetta to make her look like a genius songwriter. Most of her songs can’t stand up to the classics, but compared to the crap that’s been shoved down country radio’s throat ever since she left, she might as well be the Beatles.
Rusty Shackleford
July 15, 2016 @ 10:48 am
Hey Trigger, are you going to review the new David Nail album? Correct me if I’m wrong, but this site is devoid of David Nail analysis which some may consider a travesty given the quality of his work, first two albums especially.
Trigger
July 15, 2016 @ 2:29 pm
David Nail’s album is definitely on my radar.
I know a lot of folks think it’s a travesty that I have never reviewed this artist or that artist. I’ve had to come to peace with the fact that I will never be judged by all of the articles I’ve written, but apparently the ones I haven’t, since so many folks seem to want to judge the site based off of the artists I haven’t covered as opposed to the hundreds I have, including many that no other publication has ever mentioned.
Chris
July 15, 2016 @ 5:18 pm
I got to meet David Nail and his wife at church a few years ago.
We sat in front of him and intentionally refrained from singing so we could hear him.
He has a spectacular voice.
I don’t know much about his music, though.
Rusty Shackleford
July 16, 2016 @ 8:57 am
Hey Trigger, nuanced jest doesn’t come through the internet very well. Huge fan of the site, just wanting to see your opinion on Nail. All love.
Mike W.
July 15, 2016 @ 4:24 pm
The first two David Nail albums were some of the stronger mainstream Country albums in a long time. He definitely leaned closer to Adult Alternative in terms of his production, but the guy generally picked GREAT songs. Anybody who covers Sean McConnell is a-okay in my book. The last two (including this one) have left me much more numb as a fan. His radio singles have leaned closer to closer to bro-Country/the Thomas Rhett/Brett Eldredge sound, but the album cuts (something he used to be so damn good at) have also gotten weaker. Dude can still sing and I would love to hear him be able to do an album where he can cut and record whatever the hell he wants rather than play radio’s game of B.S., because I think David Nail is a guy who loves really well written songs, even if it hasn’t showed with his last 2 albums.
Toby in AK
July 15, 2016 @ 6:44 pm
I guess I should have read the comments to see that someone already plugged Nail’s new album…
I usually only enjoy the traditional sounding artists. Nail is one of the few “pop” country artists that I enjoy. He’s a throwback to country soul and a very good singer
Erik North
July 15, 2016 @ 11:04 am
In my opinion, it’s really a hopeless cause to expect any Bro act, especially THESE “boyz” (sic), to start doing anything of real, as opposed to patently feigned, substance when they were never really known for it from the beginning and don’t seem capable of doing it on anything resembling a steady basis. It just isn’t going to happen, not when it’s “profitable” to the Nashville bean counters, or when its practitioners have the unmitigated gall to call it the “evolution” of country music.
If anyone wants some idea of how country music has actually evolved in the past, which is to say by not forgetting where it came from, one can use this 1974 take on the Hank Williams classic “I Can’t Help It If I’m Still In Love With You” by Linda Ronstadt (who celebrates her 70th birthday today, by the way) as an example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8Cw4V36sY4
Corncaster
July 15, 2016 @ 11:52 am
Your faith in “the corrosive and judgemental sands of time” is touching, Trig. If these fellas continue making big money, the prizes will come, the CMHOF will give them a big display case, and “History” will ensconce them as major country artists who kept the music “evolving.” Anton Ego is always worth re-listening:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5ik3yHjP2I
Bigfoot is Real (but his voice is auto-tuned)
July 15, 2016 @ 1:15 pm
I hate that you’re right.
CraigR.
July 15, 2016 @ 11:57 am
This song is a list song and where is Tim McGraw? I think these guys are really shallow as people which is why they can’t get deep or control their recordings enough to change. They aren’t going to “evolve”, and this isn’t a country song. But they are pleading. Pleading for us to let their careers last past the expiration date. Pleading that the drunk girls at the shows will see their tender side. And asking us to not see them as clowns. But since their voices are worst than Taylor Swift’s, as is their writing, it begs the question where can they really go? At some point, just like with Jason Aldean, they offer nothing of value. And that emptiness will over take their efforts. Besides you shouldn’t get an A for effort, even for ” Dirt”, if you are just two frat boys who happen to fit the costumes properly.
Trigger
July 15, 2016 @ 2:31 pm
I’m not sure why they were trumping up Tim McGraw’s presence, except for marketing. By the end of the song, you forget he’s on it. And the vocals are so transmogrified, all three singers basically sound the same.
Mike W.
July 15, 2016 @ 4:20 pm
YES!!!
I’m so glad you brought this up. I listened to this song this morning, because apparently I am a masochist, and I honestly thought for a second that the Brian Kelly and Tim McGraw parts were the same singer. And while I may not be a huge McGraw fan, there is no doubt that while vocally he may not be the strongest singer, he is a whole hell of a lot better than Kelly.
Charlie
July 15, 2016 @ 12:08 pm
I’d be OK with not having any more FGL reviews. Ever.
It would take a lot more hype than was lavished on ‘Dirt’ to make me listen to even a little bit of an FGL song on purpose.
And when they do get dropped I don’t want to hear their solo albums either.
(*Folds arms. *Sticks out tongue.)
Jason
July 15, 2016 @ 12:24 pm
Wow, the production is awful, ruins what’s otherwise a pretty boring, mediocre song. The best part of the song is that Brian Kelley actually gets to do something. First time I heard him I couldn’t believe he was let out of his cage.
Jim Bob
July 15, 2016 @ 1:06 pm
“Nothin’ ain’t”? Fuck them for just that alone. Fuck that whole team of writers who thought that one was a good idea. Was “nothin’ is” too much of grammatical challenge for them? Not rhyming anything with “ain’t”, no lost/extra syllables with “is”, just makes no sense. Jackasses.
luckyoldsun
July 15, 2016 @ 4:01 pm
You can find reason to bitch about anything, I suppose, but “Nothing ain’t” (or the equivalent) has been standard country fare–from Jimmy Davis to Webb Pierce/Mel Tillis to Johnny Cash to Lee Greenwood to Keith Whitley. (And it’s been pretty standard in rock & roll and rhythm & blues, as well.)
Jim Bob
July 15, 2016 @ 7:39 pm
Yeah, I totally get that. Difference is these guys are total douche bags and it comes across as them trying to sound “country” by playing into the stereotype of the dumb redneck with horrible grammar. My point was it served zero purpose in the song other than them pandering to jackass consumers who think being country’s all about being ignorant fucking rednecks who don’t talk american none too good.
I’ve been drinking cause it’s Friday night, whatever, but can’t think of exact lyrics you’re talking about with those other guys. I’ve little doubt they were either sincere or that it served some purpose in the song. Or, probably both. That’s the difference.
Hell, Luke Bell’s song “where ya been” has a line about “I are, I are, leaning on the end of the bar.” The bad grammar there a) rhymes b) adds to the feeling of intoxication that follows a night of bad decisions. It adds to the song. That’s the difference.
luckyoldsun
July 15, 2016 @ 11:37 pm
Strictly from memory, I came up with Jimmie Davis–“Promise me darling you’ll never be nobody’s darling but mine”; Pierce/Tillis–“I Ain’t Never”; Cash/Waylon–“I ain’t cut out to be no Jesse James”; Greenwood–“There ain’t no doubt I love this land, God Bless the U.S.A.”; Whitley–“It Ain’t Nothing.” And in rock & roll and r&b–“Ain’t No Woman Like the One I’ve Got; “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction”; “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now.” And that’s just what comes to mind right now. The “ain’t” and double- or multiple-negative is simply standard in popular music.
Jim Bob
July 16, 2016 @ 7:22 am
You thought I had a problem with a double negative or just the use of “ain’t”? Smfh…of course there are thousands of examples of that. It was their particular use that was egregiously bad. Not one example you listed came close to as bad as “nothin ain’t” coming from a man-bun-having motherfucker who probably thinks Taylor Swift invented country music.
FGL Supporter For Life
July 15, 2016 @ 3:04 pm
Can’t wait for the new FGL record. Love my FGL boys.
MH
July 15, 2016 @ 4:09 pm
Fourteen minutes and counting, sweetheart.
Toby in AK
July 15, 2016 @ 6:28 pm
David Nail’s new album is very good…
justin casey
July 15, 2016 @ 6:53 pm
i agree man picked it up this morning and it hasn’t left my stereo since
Nadia Lockheart
July 16, 2016 @ 3:35 am
Absolutely agree.
Musically, it’s not exactly a country album more often than not. But from a songwriting standpoint, this is a solid album more often than not that has multiple gut-punching moments that define much of the best lyricism in country music’s long tradition.
“Night’s On Fire” (which isn’t bad, just obvious and overproduced radio fodder and little else) is definitely the album’s outlier. I’ll refrain from sharing my full thoughts until a review of the album surfaces here, but there are five tracks that I’d consider very good to great (“Home”, “Fighter”, “Old Man’s Symphony”, “Babies”, “I Won’t Let You Go”), and even the remaining tracks that weren’t as impactful or vulnerable are still enjoyable or pleasant listening to (“Good At Tonight” would make a solid second single and even the album’s nadir……………….a tie between “Night’s On Fire and “Got Me Gone”, are passable songs that resemble neither a net plus nor net minus for the genre as a whole.
In a year of disappointments in both mainstream country/”country” as well as the broader genre (at least relative to the previous several years), “Fighter” was definitely a pleasant surprise that made me sleep good after finishing listening to. Musically it’s more of an Adult Alternative album than a country one, but he shows us how it’s done in the lyrical department and it is there and in the vulnerable themes he approaches where I deem it worthy of the country tag.
justin casey
July 15, 2016 @ 6:55 pm
the lyrics are generic and i found it hard to tell tim was even in the song (he’s just kinda there) but i grew up on travis tritt (my dad loves him) so i appreciate the refrence
PETE MARSHALL
July 15, 2016 @ 7:09 pm
I hope their new cd isn’t any worse than Anything Goes.
Nadia Lockheart
July 16, 2016 @ 2:59 pm
I highly doubt it will be.
I still expect there to be a few dumb party songs and ham-fisted attempts at being serious. But I also heard previews of tracks like “While He’s Still Around”, “Grow Old” and “God, Your Mama, And Me” that actually sounded quite promising and intimate.
I expect “Anything Goes” will easily be remembered as their worst album.
Nadia Lockheart
July 16, 2016 @ 1:21 am
“May We All”, above else, sounds like a calculated attempt to appease both the fans of their debut album as well as those they impressed with “Dirt”.
You can tell that they are seeking critical validation as of late but, like you said, they also realize the backwoods party constituency is the core of their fanbase. It’s the glue that’s holding everything together. So “May We All” just sounds more like a CEO scrutinizing charts and determining where exactly in the middle their effort should target, in this case between “Dirt” and “Round Here”, than a continued effort to develop artistically like “Confession” also has helped do.
*
This is mostly inoffensive. Some of the lyrical descriptors are nice (particularly the lines McGraw sings in the second verse such as a marching band under a harvest moon), and the production in the verses is agreeable. The opening 41 seconds, I dare say, got my hopes up with the use of atmospheric steel and acoustic plucking.
But where “Confession” and some of “Dirt” felt genuine from a lyrical standpoint, “May We All” can’t help but scream written-by-committee. It focuses more on your dime-a-dozen “country livin'” descriptors in the original chorus and much of the verses and then, to attempt to double down on their “artistic maturity” street credibility, has a bridge that plays for more of a pseudo-inspirational angle. And while some of the lines are pleasant enough like the idea of redeeming something from the worst times……………it feels a bit forced. A bit shoehorned in, if you will, kind of like the Zac Brown Band’s pandering to the troops when they re-recorded “Chicken Fried” for radio…………despite the fact that third verse wasn’t a part of the original and wasn’t a necessary addition.
And, yeah………………..they really under-utilized Tim McGraw here. I mean, you can definitely tell it’s him singing in half of the second verse. But outside of that, did his feature really do anything to enhance the listening experience? I don’t think it did. “This Is How We Roll” was a flaming train wreck, but at the very least they got the right idea in how to make Luke Bryan’s feature in that stand out. A cynic could easily look at this and say: “Oh, we all know they only chose to seek Tim McGraw for a featured vocal so they could add another badge to their jacket of business accomplishments and credentials! As if to say ‘Yeah, keep dismissing us as ‘bro-country’, y’all! We got McGraw on our record! He’s a living legend!’.
*
Is “May We All” a particularly bad song? No.
But it’s tracks like this that only further scream the utter realization that country radio is really all about advertising and marketing these days, and not about the music itself. It sounds like a commercial for, well……………..itself………………..and even as a commercial it’s an underachiever because it isn’t going to excite their core, party-hardy fanbase any more than it will seduce fans of 90s mainstream country like Travis Tritt or Tim McGraw. It’ll be another #1 hit for them on country radio, but ultimately I’m expecting this to be forgotten about fairly soon while “H.O.L.Y.” continues to sinew its status as a career hit for them as it collects crossover airplay.
I’m thinking a Light to Decent 4 out of 10 for this.
Noor
July 16, 2016 @ 11:26 am
H A T E R S
Y’all are crazy. Just let people live out their dreams. This is what’s wrong with this society.
Lynne
July 17, 2016 @ 7:39 pm
The erudite information on this site is informative and thought-provoking, and I appreciate the insights, but, nevertheless, I still LOVE Florida Georgia Line. Their lyrics are highly creative, and their music is good times. This particular song “May We All”–from what I have heard of it–is not my all-time favorite FGL song, but I like it. I will buy the album. “H.O.L.Y.” is top notch.
Your Name
March 2, 2017 @ 9:48 pm
Finally!!! I don’t understand the hateful bashing of Florida Georgia Line on this site. I personally love their lyrics and music style, even if it isn’t really “country.”
Shane
July 19, 2016 @ 6:05 pm
“It’s as if even when a band like Florida Georgia Line heads into the studio to record what they consider to be a more organic track, they still can’t help but blow $30,000 putting layer on top of layer of studio awfulness, and then running it through every single electronic enhancement at hand until you really can’t distinguish anything.”
Well Trigger, you said it right there. They do it because they CAN’T help it. That kind of schlock put a fortune in their pockets and ensured they’d be heard all over the nation. So naturally, no matter what their goals or intentions, they’re going to fall back on what made them wealthy and famous and they’ll keep doing it even after the ride is over.
Fuckoff
August 16, 2016 @ 5:04 pm
First of all, I highly doubt FGL gives a shit about what the thoughts are in the article. Lyrical geniuses? Of course not. Musical geniuses? Nope. Forces by the industry to make the type of music they’re making? Maybe. I’m sure there are many artists who would love to be doing something different. However, if given the opportunity, I’d take my fifteen minutes of fame, sell the shit out of songs, sell the shit out of tickets, and when the day comes that I fade away, which is inevitable, I’ll sit in my mansion and make the music I want to make and figure out what rich person activity I want to do that day. I’ll also never worry about my future or my family’s future…..ever! Fuck what other people think! May We All get to be so blessed.
Les
August 16, 2016 @ 7:01 pm
Waylon Jennings’s words were as appropriate back in his time as they are now: “Why don’t you leave them boys alone, let ’em sing their song.” Trigger (a.k.a self-anointed Savior) and his sour band of angels are constantly praying for Florida Georgia Line to be eventually “washed-up” like Nickelback. Hey, nothing is forever. Which top country acts during Nickelback’s heyday are still pulling in top numbers? FGL’s doing just as they should. May we all be so fortunate, indeed.
Trigger
August 17, 2016 @ 9:39 am
” Which top country acts during Nickelback’s heyday are still pulling in top numbers?”
Tim McGraw, Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney, many others that were around even before Nickelback.
Lynne
August 24, 2016 @ 11:35 am
May We All – Florida Georgia Line
Released July 19, 2016
Second/current single off upcoming third studio album DIG YOUR ROOTS, rel Aug 26
Songwriters Rodney Clawson, Jamie Moore – Producer Joey Moi
May We All – Lyrics
May we all get to grow up in a red white and blue little town
Get a won’t-start, hand-me-down Ford to try to fix up
With some part-time cash from drivin’ a tractor
Find a sweet little thing wears your ball cap backwards
Kind of place you can’t wait to leave, but nobody does
‘Cause you miss it too much
CHORUS
May we all know that nothin’ ain’t cool ’til you wear the new off
The sound of a quarter rollin’ down the jukebox
Play the Travis Tritt right above the Tupac
‘Fore you get lost down some road
Slow rollin’ with the top off the back of a Bronco
Buy a cold sixer with a cashed-in Lotto
She’s smilin’ with her hair blowin’ out the window
Where you ’bout to go
Yeah, you learn to fly, and if you can’t, then you just free fall
May we all
May we all get to see those fields of green turn gold
Watch a marchin’ band play with the harvest moon comin’ up
And know that 15 minutes of famous
Ain’t gonna be what makes us or breaks us but
We’ll all be watchin’ the TV the day that it comes
CHORUS
May we all know that nothin’ ain’t cool ’til you wear the new off
The sound of a quarter rollin’ down the jukebox
Play the Travis Tritt right above the Tupac
‘Fore you get lost down some road
Slow rollin’ with the top off the back of a Bronco
Buy a cold sixer with a cashed-in Lotto
She’s smilin’ with her hair blowin’ out the window
Where you ’bout to go
Yeah, you learn to fly, if you can’t, then you just free fall
May we all
May we all do a little bit better than the first time
Learn a little somethin’ from the worst times
Get a little stronger from the hurt time
May we all get to have a chance to ride the fast one
Walk away wiser when we crashed one
Keep hopin’ that the best one is the last one
Yeah, you learn to fly, and if you can’t, then you just free fall
May we all
May we all
May we all
May we all
May we all (Get to have a chance to ride the fast one)
May we all (Walk away wiser when we crashed one)
May we all (Keep hopin’ that the best one is the last one)
May we all (Yeah, the last one)
Yeah, you learn to fly, and if you can’t, then you just free fall
May we all
May We All – Review . . . Why I Love “May We All” & Florida Georgia Line
I turned my attention to “May We All,” Florida Georgia Line’s current single, in order to prepare to attend Florida Georgia Line’s DIG YOUR ROOTS Tour on September 17 at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Tinley Park IL with special guests Cole Swindell, The Cadillac Three, and Kane Brown.
I pulled up the lyrics, edited them to align with the recording, then printed a copy. I posted the lyrics above. I have listened to the song dozens of times. I never grow tired of this song, the mark of a #1 hit.
I love the song’s rockin music!
The title is highly creative: “May We All,” which begs the question: May We All . . . WHAT?!? . . . prompting each person to fill in the blank . . . and the ambiguity of this phrase engages and totally charms.
This open-ended title “May We All” suggests endless possibilities, the essence of freedom, of life in the USA, and the song was released July 19, just seventeen days before the August 5 start of the 2016 Olympics, a time of heightened patriotism, which is always country: “May we all get to grow up in a red white and blue little town.”
The song celebrates country and is perfect for summer when possibilities are at their peak.
This song resounds affirmation: May We All . . . YES! . . . be everything we can be, experience the best, reach for the stars, “ride the fast one,” live it all.
The song presents unique lyrics–new images and phrases–that delight line after line . . . to name a few favorites without explication:
* May we all know that nothin’ ain’t cool ’til you wear the new off
The sound of a quarter rollin’ down a jukebox . . .
* May we all get to see those fields of green turned gold
Watch a marchin’ band play with the harvest moon comin’ up
And know that fifteen minutes of famous
Ain’t gonna be what makes us or breaks us but . . .
* May we all do a little bit better than the first time
Learn a little somethin’ from the worst times
Get a little stronger from the hurt time
* May we all get to have a chance to ride the fast one
Walk away wiser when we crashed one
Keep hopin’ that the best one is the last one
* Yeah, you to learn to fly, and if you can’t, then you just free fall
May we all
I love the subtle pauses in several of the lines, that create a “kick start,” like:
Play the Travis Tritt right above the Tupac
‘Fore you get lost down some road
I love the song’s substantial lyrics: 4 full stanzas of 6, 5, 3, and 5 lines each!, the 10-line chorus!, and the 6-line ending.
I love the ingenuous rhymes, like:
* With some part-time cash from drivin’ a tractor
Find a sweet little thing wears your ball cap backwards
* May we all know that nothin’ ain’t cool ’til you wear the new off
The sound of a quarter rollin’ down the jukebox
Play the Travis Tritt right above the Tupac
* Slow rollin’ with the top off the back of a Bronco
Buy a cold sixer with a cashed-in Lotto
She’s smilin’ with her hair blowin’ out the window
Where you ’bout to go
* Yeah, you to learn to fly, and if you can’t, then you just free fall
May we all
There are some who might think that songs like “May We All” are not real country songs because they are too happy, lack substance, do not deal with life’s serious issues, or are escapes from life’s problems. To these people, I respond that “May We All” is intriguing by virtue of the features I enumerated, so it has a ton of substance–country themes of freedom, work ethic, love, patriotism, and the American dream . . . as well as rich lyric genius/ingenuity.
Further, while I have suffered devastating life events, at the core, I am joyous, so songs like “May We All” ARE my life, not escapes from my life, and the same might be true for others.
Finally, songs which deal with “serious” issues, such as loss, can be awesome as long as they are presented in a positive, uplifting way, such as Cole Swindell’s “You Should Be Here,” which is filled with beautiful, loving images and fabulous lyrics.
What would have strengthened this song with improved unity, momentum, and power is if the lead vocalist Tyler Hubbard had sung the entire song.
Florida Georgia Line stays the course with rockin’ country music, songs that delight, touch the heart, and are amazingly fun to sing! Their music evokes great joy!
This is the gist of why I love this song and Florida Georgia Line.
May We All . . . !
“To me, country music is all about the lyrics. Look, the song or the rhythm
may change, but the lyrics to me are the number one thing that makes people
love country music.” Cole Swindell – Aug 22, 2016, Forbes, Peter Taylor
“Chillin’ It With Cole Swindell, Country Music’s Fastest Rising Star”
Lynne
August 27, 2016 @ 9:18 am
Florida Georgia Line Studio Album #3: DIG YOUR ROOTS
Yesterday/release day/August 26, I listened to the first 11 tracks of Florida Georgia Line’s 15-track Studio Album #3 DIG YOUR ROOTS, and I listened only one time, so I should probably withhold comment; however, what I heard was a major turnoff, which did not motivate me to listen further.
This album should be a two-single album with “H.O.L.Y.’ and ” May We All,” which have already been released. Work should immediately begin on Studio Album #4.
On a positive note, this album did generate “H.O.L.Y.,” which is top notch.
In my view, Brian Kelley continues to destroy this duo, and his obvious insistence on having a larger singing role when he cannot sing is destroying this duo. Brian’s opening of “Dig Your Roots” is anemic and uncomfortable to listen to; the song does not have a legitimate start until Tyler Hubbard kicks in.
Brian’s singing throughout the album is weak. Brian is equally awkward in performance skills, his appearance is dreadful, and he is weak in every discernible aspect. He is dragging down everything.
In my view, Florida Georgia Line must replace Brian Kelley, and, if not, Tyler Hubbard must go solo.
Dylan Clark
September 26, 2016 @ 1:24 pm
All these people critisizing todays country. One thing we all need to appriciate is the fact that nothing is the same and everything will always be changing and evolving. I consider myself a country boy. I love hank williams, george strait, waylon, david allen, charlie daniels, and many others but, that doesnt mean i cant broaden my taste because honestly who makes music that sounds like any of the people i just named off?? Who? Someone thats not on the radio. I respect people like justin moore because he sticks with the old school style country. In just his latest album “kinda dont care” he uses plenty of auto tune and it honestly sounds amazing with his voice. I also will not simply lose respect for FGL and “bro-country” because growing up in early late 1990-early 2000s, “may we all” sums up our lives. Little bit of country with a little bit of tupac. Amazing song, i just hate all these old stuck in the honky tonk people that critisize new music. Being country isnt just narrow minded rednecks…. That is 1/10th of whats all country.
Jorge Ferreira
November 6, 2016 @ 1:06 pm
Haters gonna hate, hate, hate.
Im not puttinng my name lol
November 27, 2016 @ 9:24 am
I actually really like this album lmao.
Adam Hankins
January 25, 2017 @ 11:22 am
I love the song, and if you’re scrutinizing/critiquing the lyrics to this level, I think you should probably listen to another type of music (something along the lines of Neil Diamond).
In the meantime, while you’re trying to pick apart an awesome song for ridiculous reasons, it continues to do great on the charts. Country fans love songs like this, and FGL (and their bank account) couldn’t care less about baseless, hating, critical articles such a this one.
Your Name
March 2, 2017 @ 9:50 pm
Adam, you deserve an award for actually being logical.
#MayWeAllNation
August 13, 2019 @ 12:47 am
1. I’d like to address the fact that I actually do own a t shirt that says “May We All” and quite frankly it has meaning to me.
2. Your opinion that this song has “no weight” is ignorant.
Note: Opinions are like Assholes. Everyone has one. So here’s mine. In response to your ridicule I will explain what this song’s lyrics mean to many many people like me from a small town.
“May we all get to grow up in a red white and blue little town”
If this line doesn’t bring you in then you might as well change the damn song. It’s a nostalgic saying. If you didn’t grow up in a place that bled red white and blue, a place where you partied like rockstars on the 4th of July all while waking up the next morning to go to church then again, you won’t relate to it. Skip the damn song.
I don’t understand the norms of the north and I don’t try to, nor do I criticize the substance of songs that mean things to people coming from places I know nothing about. You have made it very clear that you are a city boy yourself.
“Get a one star hand me down Ford to try to fix up”
If you got a brand new car as a teen, then lucky you. Most of us “down south” got a car as cheap as your moms breast. However, we loved it, took care of it, and ran the hell out of it. Things like that teach appreciation later in life.
“With some part time cash from driving a tractor.”
PSA: we don’t all drive tractors. But a lot of our friends and family do. A lot of people you grow up with work on the farm every summer… it’s just what we do.
“Kinda place you can’t wait to leave but nobody does.”
If this isn’t the most true statement thus far. Ask anyone from my hometown, they “hate” it but yet, when that job offer in a neigbring town comes up will they take it? Not a chance.
“Cause you miss it too much…”
Enough said.
“May we all know that nothing ain’t cool ’til you wear the new off. “
Yeah your Mercedes is cool, but would you be okay running from your dad in it through a field with potholes? I think not…
“The sound of a quarter rollin’ down a jukebox”
I wasn’t born in the 60’s I don’t listen to jukeboxes, but the thought of everyone I love and admire older than me doing that brings a smile to my face.
“Play the Travis Tritt right above the 2Pac”
Yeah guess what? Us “folks” down here actually do listen to other music besides country!!!! And guess what’s even better!? We alternate, depending on the circumstance. Like my mama has always said “theres a time and place for everything.”
“Fore you get lost down some road”
If you haven’t driven without a destination then youre lying to yourself or youre a psychopath. We all have driven around for the hell of it simply because there’s nothing else to do. Seriously, nothing.
“Slow rolling with the top off the back of a Bronco”
Theres nothing better than rolling with the windows down, if you haven’t done it try it…its good for the soul.
“Buy a cold sixer with a cashed in lotto”
If you didn’t attempt to buy beer or a lotto ticket before you were 18 then we cant be friends. That is all.
“She’s smilin’ with her hair blowing out the window where you ’bout to go?”
Walmart or tj- max?
“Yeah you learn to fly and if you can’t then you just free-fall”
Your parents give you an inch, and you take a mile. You learn to fly or you bust your ass. Sounds pretty relatable in my book.
MAY WE ALLLLLLLL
“May we all get to see those fields of green turn gold”
Corn=$$
“Watch a marching band play with the harvest moon coming up”
That means a full moon, ya dummy.
“And know that fifteen minutes of fame ain’t gonna be what makes us or breaks us but”
If you fuck up, you fuck up…youll live.
“We’ll all be watching the TV the day that it comes.”
when your time comes, your mama, your daddy, and every person your town that knows you will be watching and screaming your name.
“May we all do a little bit better than the first time”
How does this not have substance? It’s hopeful in my opinion. You can always do better whether it be with work or within a relationship. Like come on dude…
“Learn a little something from the worst times”
If this isn’t meaningful then idk what your standards are. If you don’t learn something when you fall, then you are just as pathetic as your post.
“Get a little stronger from the hurt times”
Again, a feeling of hopefulness and like a big pat on the back. Like have you just never gotten stronger or learned from past experiences?? Or is this just something I do??
“May we all get to have a chance to ride the fast one”
You cant tell me your 12 year old self hasn’t ever screamed inside “my turn let me try!!” whether it’s a car, four wheeler, or a damn horse…everyone wants a chance to ride the fast one… don’t you dare deny this.
“Walk away wiser when we crashed one”
Weve all crashes and burned figuratively and sometimes literally. Hopefully you walk away wiser… but I’m not thinking you’re that kinda dude.
That is all.
#MAYWEALLNATION
August 13, 2019 @ 12:49 am
Note: Opinions are like Assholes. Everyone has one. So here’s mine. In response to your ridicule I will explain what this song’s lyrics mean to many many people like me from a small town.
“May we all get to grow up in a red white and blue little town”
If this line doesn’t bring you in then you might as well change the damn song. It’s a nostalgic saying. If you didn’t grow up in a place that bled red white and blue, a place where you partied like rockstars on the 4th of July all while waking up the next morning to go to church then again, you won’t relate to it. Skip the damn song.
I don’t understand the norms of the north and I don’t try to, nor do I criticize the substance of songs that mean things to people coming from places I know nothing about. You have made it very clear that you are a city boy yourself.
“Get a one star hand me down Ford to try to fix up”
If you got a brand new car as a teen, then lucky you. Most of us “down south” got a car as cheap as your moms breast. However, we loved it, took care of it, and ran the hell out of it. Things like that teach appreciation later in life.
“With some part time cash from driving a tractor.”
PSA: we don’t all drive tractors. But a lot of our friends and family do. A lot of people you grow up with work on the farm every summer… it’s just what we do.
“Kinda place you can’t wait to leave but nobody does.”
If this isn’t the most true statement thus far. Ask anyone from my hometown, they “hate” it but yet, when that job offer in a neigbring town comes up will they take it? Not a chance.
“Cause you miss it too much…”
Enough said.
“May we all know that nothing ain’t cool ’til you wear the new off. “
Yeah your Mercedes is cool, but would you be okay running from your dad in it through a field with potholes? I think not…
“The sound of a quarter rollin’ down a jukebox”
I wasn’t born in the 60’s I don’t listen to jukeboxes, but the thought of everyone I love and admire older than me doing that brings a smile to my face.
“Play the Travis Tritt right above the 2Pac”
Yeah guess what? Us “folks” down here actually do listen to other music besides country!!!! And guess what’s even better!? We alternate, depending on the circumstance. Like my mama has always said “theres a time and place for everything.”
“Fore you get lost down some road”
If you haven’t driven without a destination then youre lying to yourself or youre a psychopath. We all have driven around for the hell of it simply because there’s nothing else to do. Seriously, nothing.
“Slow rolling with the top off the back of a Bronco”
Theres nothing better than rolling with the windows down, if you haven’t done it try it…its good for the soul.
“Buy a cold sixer with a cashed in lotto”
If you didn’t attempt to buy beer or a lotto ticket before you were 18 then we cant be friends. That is all.
“She’s smilin’ with her hair blowing out the window where you ’bout to go?”
Walmart or tj- max?
“Yeah you learn to fly and if you can’t then you just free-fall”
Your parents give you an inch, and you take a mile. You learn to fly or you bust your ass. Sounds pretty relatable in my book.
MAY WE ALLLLLLLL
“May we all get to see those fields of green turn gold”
Corn=$$
“Watch a marching band play with the harvest moon coming up”
That means a full moon, ya dummy.
“And know that fifteen minutes of fame ain’t gonna be what makes us or breaks us but”
If you fuck up, you fuck up…youll live.
“We’ll all be watching the TV the day that it comes.”
when your time comes, your mama, your daddy, and every person your town that knows you will be watching and screaming your name.
“May we all do a little bit better than the first time”
How does this not have substance? It’s hopeful in my opinion. You can always do better whether it be with work or within a relationship. Like come on dude…
“Learn a little something from the worst times”
If this isn’t meaningful then idk what your standards are. If you don’t learn something when you fall, then you are just as pathetic as your post.
“Get a little stronger from the hurt times”
Again, a feeling of hopefulness and like a big pat on the back. Like have you just never gotten stronger or learned from past experiences?? Or is this just something I do??
“May we all get to have a chance to ride the fast one”
You cant tell me your 12 year old self hasn’t ever screamed inside “my turn let me try!!” whether it’s a car, four wheeler, or a damn horse…everyone wants a chance to ride the fast one… don’t you dare deny this.
“Walk away wiser when we crashed one”
Weve all crashes and burned figuratively and sometimes literally. Hopefully you walk away wiser… but I’m not thinking you’re that kinda dude.
That is all.
Bigbadnurse
April 20, 2023 @ 8:36 pm
Fgl dipped their toe in the maturity water to see how it affected their “market”. You can’t confuse the fans. Either you’re serious or you’re not. It reminds me of Farrah fawcetts acting career. She was hawking shampoo and swimsuits one day and hunting nazis the next. Elvis couldn’t continue to squander his talent in silly comedies and have any kind of a career left. These two pretty boy talentless hacks don’t have any talent or charisma to squander