You might be sitting here thinking “really Chris, another article where you say HARDY released the best song ever?” And my answer to that is… Yes, and you can thank me later. Last time we had a HARDY discussion, I said that “wait in the truck” was the best country song we’ve heard in a very long time. I also said it’s going to be a smash hit by the end of the year. Well in just 5 weeks at radio the song is already sitting at #32. To put into perspective how high that is, one spot above him is Sam Hunt, who’s been on for 14 weeks. One spot below him is Michael Ray, who’s been climbing for 29. It’s also sitting #13 all genre on the iTunes chart… so I’d say that my take is aging very well.
Hardy is now dropping his next song on us, and for this one he’s going back to rock. If you saw HARDY at all live this summer, he introduced you to his friend “Jack.” If you didn’t get the opportunity, you’ll finally get to meet “Jack” today! “Jack” is undeniably a rock song. Sorry country radio, this isn’t going to be your next hit. It’s the second true rock song HARDY has dropped, following up “Sold Out” from earlier this year. The story with this song is the same as all HARDY’s music. Lyrics? Clever, well worded, well organized, done well. Music? Awesome, total banger. If you ask me, yes, it’s the best song of all time, as was the last one, and as the next one will be. Is that a lame way to describe the song? Absolutely, but listen to it and then tell me I’m wrong.
If you didn’t guess, let me clue you in on a little secret. Jack… is Jack Daniels. I know right? Shocker. I love how the song progresses too. At the beginning Jack is a good guy, he was HARDY’s dad’s friend and helped him pick up the hot blonde at the bar. As the song progresses, Jack takes over and becomes a little more aggressive. “Don’t listen to your mama” is the first line in the chorus… tells ya something might be up. In the second verse as the Jack is kicking in, he talks about how his friends are pissing him off. He doesn’t like that they are telling Hardy he has a drinking problem. Jack is saying that all he’s done is make HARDY happy, and he shouldn’t listen to his friends. He isn’t the devil after all. At the end of the final verse, Jack says “rock bottom ain’t so bad when your rolling with me.” That line is straight fire.
Listen, I know every HARDY song can’t be the best one ever. But “Jack” brings a fun new element to HARDY’s set. It feels like a much more aggressive version of “Boots.” It’s the story of a guy slipping into alcoholism, and the alcohol lying about how he’s doing the right thing. So well done HARDY, and as much as I’m enjoying all these singles, I’m now very ready for the entire album. I hope it’s at least twenty songs long, and I hope everyone hits as good as “Jack” and “wait in the truck” have. HARDY is a cheat code and can’t be stopped. I’m here for it.