On Chris Janson’s Song “Drunk Girl”
The issue with Chris Janson has never been that he can’t write a song, or even sing one. Devotees of the Grand Ole Opry know he’s one of the few mainstream up-and-comers who make it a habit to appear on the historic stage, and often to croon out a country music classic as part of his troika of songs. The problem is Chris can’t resist the temptation to write and record the trashy super hit as well, and this is what has gone on to define his career—songs like “Buy Me a Boat,” and the infuriating “Fix A Drink.”
Those paying attention to his deeper cuts know Chris is capable of so much more. A song like “Holdin’ Her” lets you know what all the hubbub is about surrounding him in songwriting circles. It was even released as a single, but of course struggled mightily in the charts compared to “Buy Me A Boat” and “Fix A Drink.” One major problem in the current streaming era is fewer and fewer people are even getting to hear those great songs from what they may otherwise consider as mediocre mainstream artists. Most probably don’t even know that Chris Janson actually released a new record this year called Everybody in September. Selling less than 12,000 copies in the last four months, even fewer folks likely made it to the album’s final track, “Drunk Girl.”
Now let’s not get ahead of ourselves in crowning the cro-magnon-looking, Bro-Country-writing Chris Janson as some champion to the plight of the female condition, or the flailing damsel in distress. It’s not your fault if you didn’t make it to the final track of his latest album or never gave it more than a sniff since just making it through the first few songs is tantamount to taking a punishment from a country music gauntlet. Sure maybe Janson’s matured since then, but go listen to his song “Where My Girls At” and tell me he’s a staunch proponent to the gentlemanly approach to life.
But give Chris Janson credit for “Drunk Girl,” and more than just the chances of a blind squirrel finding a nut, since we’ve seen his name on a number of these hidden gems now, and this is the second one where someone on his team had guts enough to release it as a single. Yes, timing is everything, and that doesn’t mean the song deserves to be docked points for being opportunistic. “Drunk Girl” was a good song before the recent rash of sexual assault and misconduct claims, and it will still be one once most of the creeps are ferreted out and the Zeitgeist moves on to some other national calamity previously ignored.
You really know what you have with one of these mainstream artists when they’re forced to strip it all back, like Janson does with “Drunk Girl.” Who even knew he could play piano, or sing with a little bit of soul? This doesn’t give Chris a reprieve for all his previous injustices towards country music. In fact if anything, “Drunk Girl” highlights that Janson’s been wasting his talents on whatever other garbage he’s responsible for, when he could have been releasing songs like this the entire time. Janson has failed to choose a lane, which is why despite some big hits, he remains on the 3rd tier of the mainstream—not successful enough to headline big venues, but not grassroots enough to build his support from the ground up. He’s been a country music mercenary, and it shows in the overall support for his music.
But “Drunk Girl” very well might be Chris Janson’s moment, and a moment for country music.
One of the discussion points commonly lost in the latest rash of sexual harassment and assault claims is how hard it is to know how to navigate the current waters as a single man with so many mixed signals out there about how to court a woman. Despite how the media and public love to paint the kind and gentle man as the ideal, we all know that in the merciless realm of the animal kingdom that is human dating, nice guys finish last. At some point if you’re ever going to get the girl, you’ve got to be bold. You’ve got to make a move. Often libations help unarm the inhibitors that keep both sides of courtship from happening, even when both sides favor it occurring completely sober.
Obviously that’s not to excuse those who take advantage of a woman when she’s less than sober or straight of mind, or the predatory behavior of men in power who exploit those positions to prey upon others. The reason so many powerful men in sports, entertainment, business, and politics are being called out for inappropriate behavior is because these are the alpha males of society who have risen in their respective professions by being aggressive, and often that aggressiveness has not just been rewarded in their career, but in their sex lives. You sit back and wait for the woman to make the move, you’re going to be relegated to your mom’s basement for eternity. At some point, you must lean in. And whether that move is taken as sweet, passionate, romantic—or creepy, inappropriate, or illegal—often tends on the reception of the target, which can be tough to read sometimes. Of course married bosses making moves on interns 25 years their junior shouldn’t be permitted. But the reason this behavior persists is because sometimes those moves are successful, and to the aggressor, the reward outweighs the risk.
Lindsey Ell has a song out there right now called “Always Kiss The Girl.” Recent headlines would suggest why this is not really sage advice, but it illustrates the mixed messages men receive from women, and society.
Men are predisposed through the inalienable design of evolution to stare at women’s breasts, to philander, to want to find a mating partner much younger than them, and to spread their seed far and wide. It’s only through the act of civilizing and education that these carnal instincts can be tamed. But they remain there, in every man. And being angered at this is similar to raging at the sun for setting. It’s not the existence of these behaviors that measures the man, it’s his ability to tame them.
Chris Janson’s “Drunk Girl” illustrates the ideal, for both sides. The girl isn’t taken advantage of, and the guy still gets the girl because of the chivalry he displays. But we all know that sometimes, if not often, this is not the case. Women like sex too, and sometimes get drunk and invite a meaningless fling and get frustrated if it doesn’t happen, just as sometimes guys feel shameful for getting drunk and going home with some stranger. Having sex with another human is one of the easiest things a person can do. You don’t even need to like or know the person for it to be consensual. You don’t even need corresponding sex parts. It’s in the carnal nature of both sexes to give into their instinctual pull to procreate. But it is much harder to stoke a friendship, or a relationship. It’s much harder to not take something, even if it is dangling right in front of you, and it’s your assigned physiological role in the animal kingdom to take it.
Chris Janson has written and performed a good song here because it encapsulates all of those truths into one sentiment. And this isn’t just a preach session to the men out there who on a Saturday night might find themselves tasked to make important decisions, but how the woman should react to them when a man shows that extra level of character.
We all know that it’s the biker, the bigot, the guy who exudes danger, aggressiveness, and confidence that gets the girl more often than not, while the sober dude who drives a girl home gets relegated to the friend zone. This is just the way of things. But it doesn’t have to be. It is giving into our better nature that will bring about the true social change we all wish to see in the world, and is slowly beginning to take hold through the conversations being stoked as sexual predators are being driven out of positions of power.
Listening to some of the early songs, and even some of the current songs of Chris Janson, you can definitely surmise that in a previous era, he probably would have made the wrong decision presented in “Drunk Girl.” But now as a sober person, and the parent of daughters, he’s singing a different tune. Unfortunately many others in the mainstream endorse the antithesis of “Drunk Girl” with the sentiment in their songs. But changing the pattern of behavior has to start somewhere.
It’s hard to release a song like “Drunk Girl” as opposed to a radio ready single for a mainstream artist, just as it’s sometimes hard to make sure a woman is taken care of as opposed to taken advantage of. It’s also dependent on the rest of us to make sure that behavior is rewarded, as opposed to ignored, so the tendency is for it to occur more often.
patrick
December 9, 2017 @ 11:29 am
One of his better songs on this album. Most of it sucked but their were a few good moments on it like this.
Kevin Davis
December 9, 2017 @ 11:39 am
Presumably Chris is thinking, “Hey, if I don’t do songs like ‘Fix a Drink’, then hardly anybody will ever hear songs like ‘Holdin’ Her’ and ‘Drunk Girl’.” Thus, it’s a bait-and-switch logic. I have a hard time believing that Chris actually wants to write/record songs like “Fix a Drink,” but who knows?
The problem, though, with this bait-and-switch logic is the digital and streaming format of music nowadays. When I buy an album, especially a physical copy, I spend time with the whole album. Even songs that may not strike me on the first couple listens may later become favorites. This experience is missing now for many, probably most, consumers of music — and for nearly everyone born after 1990. Even so, the bait-and-switch still retains some truth. Surely “Drunk Girl” will get vastly more notice (on YouTube sidebar recommendations, for example) on the heels of the success of “Fix a Drink.”
Thoroughbred
December 9, 2017 @ 12:31 pm
Seems like a genuine good dude, wrote some good stuff when he was struggling like “Corn” and “Yeah It Is” (which made it on his debut but got buried) but also wrote clunker cash grabs like “Truck Yeah” for McGraw. Always reported to be a great performer and excellent at blowing harp. Pretty great story of breaking through even if it was from a character like Bones. Wish him all the best, and this is the kind of stuff he should stick to…but he seems too susceptible to trends.
seak05
December 9, 2017 @ 12:48 pm
Wait what? FYI as a female I like looking at a guys 6 pack, but I don’t do it in a professional setting. I also don’t think randomly touching a guys ass is appropriate either, though I appreciate a good but. This isn’t complicated, and stop pretending it is. Conversations about women are appropriate when hanging out with friends, not in a workplace. And no men haven’t been conditioned evolutionary yada yada, excuse bull crap. But men are generally the ones in power, they make the rules, and they excuse their behavior.
If you like a woman ask her out, if the date goes well, lean in and try to kiss her. If she can’t tell you yes, and carry on a conversation, don’t have sex. Treat women like smart people whose opinion you respect and value. Not hard.
DJ
December 9, 2017 @ 1:47 pm
“Treat women like smart people whose opinion you respect and value.”
That’s a two way street. I’ve been around a long, long time and been divorced probably longer than some of you are old, and I have at times been ashamed of my gender based on stories I’ve heard (a few I’ve witnessed), but, it seems to in today’s world respect seems to be expected based solely on gender. Respect is earned. Showing self respect will earn respect. Not hard.
Some of the sluts I see with kids hurts my soul, to the core. Yes, they are sluts. It’s obvious.
There was a line in Lonesome Dove made by Gus; whores have hearts too.
That was then, this is now. I’m glad mating is no longer a priority in my life. I’d hate to be young enough for today’s crop of choices.
Shastacatfish
December 10, 2017 @ 11:53 am
I agree, but you get x10 the points for quoting Lonesome Dove!
DJ
December 10, 2017 @ 1:12 pm
Thanks. My favorite movie of all time.
Christian H.
December 10, 2017 @ 2:04 pm
Hate to sound cliche, but read the McMurtry book; even better than the miniseries.
DJ
December 10, 2017 @ 2:36 pm
Christian H.
December 10, 2017 @ 2:04 pm
Hate to sound cliche, but read the McMurtry book; even better than the miniseries.
………….
I have. At least half a dozen times. LOL
ShadeGrown
December 9, 2017 @ 5:48 pm
You should watch last week’s South Park
Trigger
December 9, 2017 @ 11:55 pm
Have no idea what you’re talking about Seak05. Won’t argue with anything you said, but nothing I said is germane to your comment. I feel like you’re arguing against the viewpoint you think I have, as opposed to the one presented.
seak05
December 10, 2017 @ 9:12 am
Seriously? I’m quoting from your piece
“One of the discussion points commonly lost in the latest rash of sexual harassment and assault claims is how hard it is to know how to navigate the current waters as a single man with so many mixed signals out there about how to court a woman. Despite how the media and public love to paint the kind and gentle man as the ideal, we all know that in the merciless realm of the animal kingdom that is human dating, nice guys finish last. ”
“Men are predisposed through the inalienable design of evolution to stare at women’s breasts, to philander, to want to find a mating partner much younger than them, and to spread their seed far and wide. ”
“The reason so many powerful men in sports, entertainment, business, and politics are being called out for inappropriate behavior is because these are the alpha males of society who have risen in their respective professions by being aggressive, and often that aggressiveness has not just been rewarded in their career, but in their sex lives.”
Maybe you didn’t mean it how I read it.
Honky
December 9, 2017 @ 2:27 pm
I vehemently disagree with the first line of this article. This dude can’t sing.
Honky
December 9, 2017 @ 2:33 pm
And what a moronic, pandering, deluded song this is.
Most of the women I took home were unzipping my pants before I could even get them there.
Honky
December 10, 2017 @ 9:26 am
Trigger,
Are you not going to let my comment through?
Trigger
December 10, 2017 @ 9:35 am
You mean the one where you referred to women with a derogatory term? Just edited and posted it.
Honky
December 10, 2017 @ 1:48 pm
That’s what we always called those kind of women, and always will. You are such a crybaby.
Troy
December 10, 2017 @ 4:33 pm
… and there still isn’t a cure for still herpes. You got to pick and choose your dance partners carefully.
Kevin C.
December 9, 2017 @ 5:33 pm
The video at the end of the article disproves your claim nicely.
Honky
December 9, 2017 @ 2:37 pm
“You don’t even need corresponding sex parts.”
There’s some left-wing science for you.
Corncaster
December 9, 2017 @ 2:42 pm
thanks, Chris, we dads appreciate it
Wesley Gray
December 9, 2017 @ 3:58 pm
Really nice piece you wrote here. I have not heard “Drunk Girl” (the only song of his i HAVE heard is the deplorable “Fix A Drink”) but I’ll go give it a listen. And as far as I’ve gone about “making a move” on a woman, I have never kissed one for the first time without asking her “can i kiss you?”. I know that probably sounds absurd to you guys but let me also say that I was never turned down when I asked because the lady had already made it very apparent that she was in to me. Still, I always asked first. The appreciation of that question toward those women of my past, as well as my wife of 6 years now, was almost too good. They always thanked me profusely for asking first (after the makeout session or etc. of course). They all thought that it was a very sweet and thoughtful way for a guy to go about that first kiss. Just my two cents! …and maybe some good advice for those of you fellas still in the dating pool. Ask her first. To me, that shows a huuuge amount of respect for the girl in question. And women love being respected just as much as guys. 👍
GrantH
December 9, 2017 @ 6:49 pm
Man, I had literally no clue this guy had even released a second album. Talk about failed promotion from the label. I’m not even saying that because I’m a fan of Chris Janson, it’s just crazy how these artists get such a massive push behind their first singles and their mainstream debut albums (like Janson did in 2015) but are then hung out to dry and fend for themselves after the success initially hits.
Jacob W.
December 9, 2017 @ 7:13 pm
Pandering…
Ulysses McCaskill
December 9, 2017 @ 7:45 pm
Fix a drink and buy me a boat are two of the worst songs I’ve ever heard.
I had the same reaction to fix a drink that Wheeler had:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uhh1zqSzMhM
Corncaster
December 9, 2017 @ 7:46 pm
I cut in on a guy dancing with a beautiful girl because he was doing it all wrong and she deserved better. She and I have been married twenty-three years and counting.
Boys, learn how to read the girls. You’ll win some and lose some. It’s not rocket science.
All this legalistic bullcrap exists for two reasons: you’re too arrogant to read and respect women, and women have been pushing back to take your belligerence down a peg.
Response? Get better at being a man: read women better, merit their surrender, don’t let them take all your pride. (Deep down, they hate doing that.)
Janson is right. But when she calls the number you left her, be a little skeptical. In the back of your mind, expect better from her. Be willing to drop her (many fish in the sea). If you can read her accurately, you’ll know what to do. Have a look at her mother.
It’s common to say young men and women are in a world of hurt right now, but I’m not entirely convinced.
I just got back from a big work-related party with co-worker children, some of whom were checking each other out. They legalistic environment hanging over them is something that should be hated, because their desires are so honest and natural.
If they were brought up to be honest and respectful in their desires, there would probably be more happy and procreative people.
Jtrpdx
December 9, 2017 @ 8:31 pm
Again, in the time it took to write about this clown, a Jeremy Pinnell review could have been written. Go check out his album “Ties of Blood and Affection”, folks.
Code
December 9, 2017 @ 8:44 pm
Maybe its just me, but I am a 21 year old pre-vet major currently enrolled in college. The reason I say that is because I am always too busy to take drunk girls home for any reason. I know that women like to be respected and they should be. From my perspective though, I see lots of girls that do not have respect for themselves at all. I know plenty of girls that would think that if a guy took them home and did not boink them, it was because they were not pretty enough or something stupid. Or they would think that there was something wrong with said guy that took them home. I consider myself to be respectable to girls, and I have a lot of friends that are girls. I just have not found any that are interested in taking things slow and getting to know me. Plus there is the whole snapchat, tinder, texting, horseshit that makes things even more complicated. If I am a successful veterinarian, then that is all I want, but maybe I will eventually find a girl that has grown up from being a “drunk” girl.
Jtrpdx
December 9, 2017 @ 10:09 pm
You are still young, it sounds like. Focus on school and the girl thing will fall into place. Second, apply to Colorado State for vet school, and go there if you get in. Go RAMS!
DJ
December 10, 2017 @ 6:55 am
Based on this reply you’re one of the rare cases that gives old guys like myself hope for the future.
I’ve personally met very few. Congratulations!
Terry
December 15, 2017 @ 9:40 pm
Find a female vet that shares your passions and ideals… and all will be good. Better to be a gentleman and know where you’ve been & what diseases you haven’t contracted… than end up with something ajax won’t take off, or a paternity test (followed by 18 to 25 years of child support from a one night stand)… or some bogus accusations that you ‘took advantage’ of someone that was in the same or worse state of mind than you were. YOL is a wonderful saying, but often breeds irresponsibility and lacks awareness of consequences of the actions one takes. I’d guess your family is proud of you… but I’m sure you likely already know that. Finish your schooling, check out VetSupplements.com (horse & dog stuff, joint & digestion)… and enjoy the music while you can.
Jtrpdx
December 9, 2017 @ 9:57 pm
If this song is considered a “hidden gem”, as trigger writes, I am not sure what to say about the direction of SCM. First Parker McCollum, then this? Is this some sort of belated April fool’s joke that trigger is playing on us all? Serious question….
Wesley Gray
December 9, 2017 @ 10:41 pm
Parker McCollum’s album is incredible. I stand by it. It’s a fantastic record and could serve as a gateway to pop-country fans discovering actual country music. Yes, it is very polished and almost has a pop-punk/rock feel to it at times…that said, amazing songwriting and musicianship. Do you hate Turnpike, too? very similar approach, in my opinion. It’s catchy. that doesn’t make it automatically suck.
Benny Lee
December 9, 2017 @ 11:23 pm
Been watching the comments lately, and Parker seems to have a good number of fans around these parts. I’m with Jtrpdx, I don’t get it. And I don’t hear anything remotely special in “Drunk Girl” either…
Thoroughbred
December 10, 2017 @ 8:37 am
I’m with ya, I can’t get into Parker McCollum…now Parker Millsap? I’m down with him.
Jtrpdx
December 10, 2017 @ 9:54 pm
Wesley – those are good points. From what I could stand to hear (sorry, it really didn’t inspire me one bit), I will admit Parker is better than the standard pop “country” crap on the radio. Standard Rock that is nothing that impressive. It is funny that you mention turnpike too. I downloaded their recent album and listened to it once. I have all the respect in the world for them and what they are doing, but the standard rock / southern rock thing doesn’t really impress me. I fully admit it could be me that is “messed up” : ) And I hear they put on a great live show, and hope to see them someday. Maybe I will change my mind… oh, and to be clear, I listen to everything from G Perico to Slayer, from Dolly to Melvins. So I am not one of the “That ain’t country!” Assholes on here. I really just find both Parker and Turnpike way to pedestrian for something I would actually listen to at fulll volume in my truck or get all that excited about.
Christian H.
December 10, 2017 @ 2:22 pm
Hey Jtrpdx,
Firstly, thank you very much for the Jeremy Pinnell recommendation. Based on your comments I bought the album and it is one of my favorites for the year. Top 5 or better. Great advice.
And Parker McCollum? Yeah, I’m not into his sound at all; may have even commented about it in the review.
But there is nothing wrong with Trigger reviewing this Chris Jansen song. The kind of dialogue sparked by the juxtaposition of Drunk Girl and Fix Me A Drink by the same artist or songwriter in the current media climate deserves a fair shake. I may be getting older and more “conservative,” but I have a pre-teen daughter and I’d much prefer Drunk Girl in the mainstream (that I have been avoiding for 20+ years). And I’d like the “boys” to hear this message and many more that could help turn them into gentlemen, at least in the right moments.
Jtrpdx
December 10, 2017 @ 10:04 pm
Thanks Christian. The word on Pinnell needs to be spread far and wide. The readers of SCM need to be made aware of him one way or another. I fully admit and understand that me mentioning him in the comments is annoying to a few, and certainly to a certain person. And I don’t plan to do it much longer….I don’t want to be “that guy”. Great points about the article and completely agree about your takeaways. My wife and I have a niece, but no daughters of our own, and it sounds like you are doing things right with your daughter.
Wesley Gray
December 13, 2017 @ 8:56 pm
I fully understand why people aren’t into Parker and hey; Turnpike ain’t for everyone either! I do recommend seeing Turnpike live, though. I live in Oklahoma so i have seen them play many times. GREAT live show. And yes I am also a biiig music fan. Country and roots music is obviously my main focus (why else would i be here? haha). Here is a rundown of SOME the shows i went to this last year and the year before as well as some of the shows I will be at next year (the ones i already have tix for or am buying as soon as available). The last two years highlights have been Tool, Primus, Margo Price (her live shows kick her albums’ asses), Colter Wall, Sunny Sweeney (a must see!), Alice Cooper (always awesome. seen him too many times to count), Wheeler Walker Jr., Turnpike Troubadours, Sam Outlaw, Father John Misty, The Mavericks (!!!), Sleep, Whitey Morgan, Cody Jinks, Ward Davis, Old Crow Medicine Show, Corb Lund, John Moreland, and Robert Earl Keen. All great shows! I have Marilyn Manson, Margo Price (again), Colter Wall (again), and possibly Steve Earle in the next few weeks, if i can afford it after buying Christmas gifts for loved ones. Mostly country and rock shows. Had to miss Asleep At The Wheel…i was not happy about missing that one, let me tell y’all. Either way, I go to a lot of shows and I like a lot of different types of music. Maybe that is why I like Parker’s record? anyhoo, listen to what you like, folks! i’m lostening to Marvin Gaye right now! “What’s Goin On” is one of my all time favorite albums! 😁
albert
December 10, 2017 @ 8:37 pm
hmmm…
sweet sentiment….young girls would like it , I guess.
unremarkable vocal performance
under-written lyric more preachy than honest-sounding…narrative doesn’t sound experience-driven
very awkward phrasing …congested
sounds like a well-intention-ed poem desperately searching for a memorable melody
still WAYYY better than his other stuff ..
CountryKnight
December 11, 2017 @ 12:14 pm
The 1960s sexual revolution and free love undermined our concept of sex. Which led to the mess that we currently are dealing with. Society cheapened sex.
RD
December 11, 2017 @ 12:21 pm
Women were “liberated” from their fathers and husbands, so they could become sexual toys, and more importantly double the workforce and drive down wages. Those were the real goals of the feminist movement.
CountryKnight
December 11, 2017 @ 12:15 pm
Most girls don’t want nice guys. They say they do because it looks good to say so but they really don’t.
ShadeGrown
December 11, 2017 @ 6:00 pm
“Treat ’em rough and get the muff” – Ali G
Summer Jam
December 11, 2017 @ 1:29 pm
Chris Janson is the type of new talent we need in the mainstream country scene. He can write fun music while keeping it country, and also shows his serious side. Bravo, chris.
Country Hodge Podge
December 13, 2017 @ 12:58 pm
I guess I’m the odd man out on this one. While I like the message, I think it’s poorly written. Not a fan of this song at all.
KT
January 22, 2018 @ 11:00 am
Not taking advantage of a drunk girl doesn’t make you a “man” it makes you a decent human being.
Katie
August 20, 2018 @ 8:20 pm
This song INFURIATES ME every single time I hear it. This is NOT “one of the good ones” it’s possibly the single most offensive track on this album. Let’s take the lyrics one stanza at a time, shall we?
“Couple cover charge stamps got her hand looking like a rainbow
In and out of every bar on a whim just like the wind blows
She’s either a bachelorette or coming off a breakup
Take a drunk girl home
First, since when is a couple (as in two) stamps on her hand a “rainbow”?
Next, The idea of this stanza being that the only reason a girl would have gone to more than one bar/club is either that she’s breaking up or getting married, but either way, her every decision can only ever be dictated by the presence of an absentee man in her life and that by way of his absence, she REQUIRES you to step up and take a drunk girl home. She would otherwise be incapable of pressing three buttons to order an Uber without you. And beyond that, how chivalrous that you didn’t respect a pretty hard and fast, universally understood boundary of not entering a home to which you didn’t have sober consent to enter. You could have called her an Uber, but who knows what could happen to someone so helpless as a female who’s had a few drinks! You should not only drive her home, but you should probably enter the home, just incase, (keep in mind that next stanza, the “drunk girl” is revealed to be falling out of her clothes, so you not simply driving her home and leaving makes much more sense in light of this)
Next stanza…
“She’s bouncing like a pinball
Singing every word she never knew
Dancing with her eyes closed like she’s the only one in the room
Her hair’s a perfect mess, falling out of that dress
Take a drunk girl home”
SO… her dancing, singing and having a good time means that you get to objectify her because the clothes women are socially expected to wear are actually impractical? who knew! bet you wouldn’t have thought twice about taking care of a drunk girl if she were in a Tshirt and jeans like how most guys show up to clubs, the only reason you’re paying her two seconds worth of attention, the reason you didn’t simply call an uber, the reason you didn’t simply drive her home, but why you felt the need to enter her home is clear in this stanza, shes falling out of her dress! Don’t pretend it’s some noble quest when you’re beginning the song about how she’s well on her way to naked, and the you just “casually” mention it, as if to say you barely noticed it and it wasn’t the driving force behind you’re decisions… I call BS.
Next Stanza…
“Take a drunk girl home
Let her sleep all alone
Leave her keys on the counter, your number by the phone
Pick up her life she threw on the floor
Leave the hall lights on walk out and lock the door
That’s how she knows the difference between a boy and man
Take a drunk girl home”
“LET HER sleep all alone” Oh. Dear. God. you’re gonna LET her??? How f*****g Gracious of you!
“Pick up her life she threw on the floor”- Because we all know that when a guy gets sloppy drunk particularly after the aforementioned break up, its a badge of honor having sex with a stranger you just met, but when a girl does it, shes “throwing her life on the floor”, shes not just bouncing from club to club drinking, dancing and singing, shes “throwing her life away”. WOW. just Wow.
“that’s how she knows the difference between a boy and a man”. No. hear me VERY clearly here. This is NOT the difference between a boy and a man. Its the difference between a RAPIST and a man. Statutory RAPE is NOT a matter of MATURITY. It is a CRIME. not being a criminal isn’t something you get a F*****g gold star for, you don’t get to sing a song of your chivalry because you didn’t RAPE a woman, and if you had, its not just because you’re still a boy instead of a man. You’re a rapist and a criminal. end of story.
Skip to the end of the song, where she calls you to thank you because you’re not a rapist. Seriously? WTF? How F*****g tragic that we glorify in song not being a rapist, and then we make it out that women should be Grateful for this most basic of RIGHTS, to not be raped whenever the slightest opportunity presents its self to a man. Dear Lord… I HAT this song. it is NOT one of the Good ones, I ALWAYS change the channel when I hear it, and I usually drive heave a little too.
HJ
July 29, 2023 @ 12:11 pm
Soooooo cathartic Katie!!! Was just thinking of this song yesterday, and getting more and more angry inside, and so today I found this thread by trying to see if there were any other folks out there who feel the same way. The fact that this song considers a man noble for doing the bare, basic non-criminal minimum— it just shows how far so many men in our culture have to go. Great comment.
Kris
August 28, 2018 @ 12:54 pm
Preach on Katie, couldn’t have said it better myself! 2 guns down!