“Waves”
Luke Bryan
Written by Zach Crowell, Ryan Hurd, and Chase McGill
“That margarita saltwater sunburned lip.”
I’m going to write that again.
“That margarita saltwater sunburned lip.”
An artist repeating themselves is hardly a new phenomenon, but “Waves” is particularly egregious. It revisits one of the only memorable lines in Luke Bryan’s career – “Gave me a kiss with Bacardi on your lips” – and just changes the flavor of the kiss.
Oh, I suppose you can also give it credit for moving the action from the beach amusement park to the ocean itself.
But in the end, this is the same damn song as “Roller Coaster.” Completely different writers, seven years later, but the same damn song.
And that’s an indictment of Bryan as an artist, as much as it’s an indictment of the songwriters. Why would you record something so derivative of your own hit record?
Because you’ve never grown as an artist. That’s why. Bryan has been around for about fifteen years, and if anything, his music has demonstrated less maturity as time has gone on. At this point, he’s the fortyish dude still showing up at frat parties.
“Waves” is what a love song for the ages sounds like when it’s conceived by dudes not old enough to legally drink. He could maybe get away with it if he was still in his twenties. But not at age 44.
What a hack.
Grade: D
For the record, “Roller Coaster”, along with “Huntin, Fishing, and Lovin Every Day” and “Most People Are Good”, are probably the last few Luke Bryan songs I liked. I don’t know, I dig “Roller Coaster” in the same way I like Rascal Flatts “Fast Cars and Freedom”…it just has a driving, energetic chorus that works for me. It would probably be construed as a guilty pleasure, but darn it…you enjoy what you enjoy.
I say all that to say…yeah, “Waves” is nowhere near as interesting. I’d probably give it a “C”, but…I have no earnest desire to ever hear the song again, and it has a very “sleepy” atmosphere. I agree that it’s definitely a regression on Luke Bryan’s part.
Yikes – never heard “Roller Coaster” before but i still like Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon’s 1962 hit song “Palisades Park” which mentions a roller coaster.
I took a ride on a shoot the chute
That girl I sat beside was awful cute
And after while she was holdin’ hands with me
My heart was flyin’ up like a rocket ship
Down like a roller coaster
Back like a loop the loop
And around like a merry go round
Why does he keep making these songs when he is a married man for the past decade