“Save it For a Rainy Day”
Kenny Chesney
Written by Andrew Dorff, Matt Ramsey, and Brad Tursi
Okay, now I’m confused.
Are you telling me that sometimes people go out and drink because they want to get away from a bad memory?
All these party songs of the last few years have transformed drinking from the means to an end into the means and the end.
Chesney’s the original island party boy, but he’s got enough years under his belt to add some heft to this one. It doesn’t sound like a young guy getting over a college flame. Sounds more like a serious long-term relationship went down the tubes, and he needs a day of distraction to put off the tears for a few hours.
The sun is shining today, but the storm clouds will soon gather again, and he’ll be crying along with the skies when they do.
For now, though, he’ll have a beer. Makes sense.
Grade: B+
A lot of songs on this album reminds me of Kenny Chesney from before the Beach craze, which was like When the Sun Goes down and before. It’s reminded me that yeah I am a bit of a Chesney fan, at least when he has songs like this. Great song and I’m glad it’s a single.
It’s been a while since I last enjoyed a Kenny Chesney single this much. Love the mandolin.
It seems that Chesney is beginning to take up the role of “elder statesman” in country music now that George Strait and Alan Jackson aren’t on the radio.
All of the singles off his current album were above average and they weren’t chasing any trend. This is his strongest by far.
His label tried to promote this album as his most critically acclaimed when it came out. He also called out bro country. I think this is all evidence that Chesney has accepted his age and is willing to play age-appropriate music and set a higher bar for quality.
He has my respect.
This isn’t bad. It works for what it is, although it’s ultimately forgettable.
The sound actually fits the time of year it’s aiming to peak in remarkably well. It has some of that carefree summer vibe mixed with the breezy autumnal as reflected in the blending of the crunchy guitars with rolling organ pipe. The production sounds spot-on, even if not groundbreaking by any stretch.
And that helps in terms of fleshing out the lyrics as well. If this sounded just like another “Til It’s Gone”, it wouldn’t come across as convincing because it would sound way too happy and lack the underlying tenseness and what-could-have-beens that are obviously still somewhere in the corner of the protagonist’s mind. But if the production sounded too dour or minor-key, it also wouldn’t work because then you wouldn’t believe Chesney and come across as completely unconvincing he’s making the most of these moments. It fits just right to my ears.
In six months time, I doubt this will stick well in the memory at all. But eh, I’ll take this.
I’m giving this a B.