It’s definitely the funniest song on his new album.
Riley Green released his new album That’s Just Me last week, which features a pretty lengthy 19-song tracklist. It also features collaborations with Hannah McFarland, Jake Worthington, Alabama’s Randy Owen, and my personal favorite, Brooks & Dunn.
Riley’s career has blown up over the last several years, and while all artists evolve, he hasn’t changed who he is fundamentally as an artist. Fans can always count on him to deliver really quality songs with beautiful lyrics and great production, and that’s what he delivered here.
Riley sat down for an interview with sports personality Pat McAfee for Spotify a couple weeks ago, and he reflected on his success thus far and what his strategy was for this next record.
Of course, the challenge is always to stay true to who you are as an artist, while also keeping the music fresh and exciting for fans. Riley has always been a rare mainstream artist who sticks to that decidedly country sound.
And even with his massive success, he tries to always include songs about his life in “small town Alabama” and things like that, which he’s written about since the beginning:
“Every year that things are going well and it grows and things get bigger, I always tend to make sure I find a way to write from that same place that got me here. Which is just small town Alabama where I grew up.
So I always try to go home and write, at least four or five songs that are going to be on every record from that mindset of just how I grew up and my family values, like I said, things I wrote about from the beginning.”
There are so many great songs on the tracklist, but easily the funniest is “Beach Happy,” and it’s a rare song where Riley didn’t actually help write it, it was written by Randy Montana, Jeremy Stover and Corey Crowder, but it’s totally his style and right up his alley.
He starts by singing about how he drove south to find the ocean and hasn’t moved all day, but even though his girl is gone, he couldn’t be happier:
“Drove five hours south, set my cooler down
Laid my towel out and I ain’t moved all day
I’m single again since I caught her with him
Like a sail in the wind, my blues is blown away
Got a lime in my beer and I’m sittin’ here
On this beach, happy”
He continues, saying that even though he’s spending money and it could rain at any time, he wouldn’t change anything and doesn’t want the girl because there’s “no makin’ that beach happy”:
“These new Tommy Bahamas
Are blockin’ out the drama
And I’m the one that’s spendin’ my cash
It could up and start a-rainin’
But nobody’s complainin’
The sand’s the only thing on my ass
I don’t want her back
‘Cause there’s no makin’ that beach happy”
I love the play on that phrase, and the writing is super clever and funny, which is something I always appreciate in a country song. Even though Riley doesn’t cut a ton of outside writes, I can totally see why he chose this one.
Riley often writes about his life back home in small town Alabama, and I think his specialty is definitely sad country heartbreakers, he talks about how much he loves those songs often so I think he would agree, but he does have a great sense of humor, so his funny songs are always great too.
The production is great, it’s really laid back and vibey which is a fun side of Riley, and I think this is one of the songs that he talked about doing something a little different while still staying true to his country roots, and it’s just perfect.
Do yourself a favor and check it out:
“Beach Happy”
“Pave All Them Dirt Roads”
That’s Just Me Tracklist
- “My Way”
- “That’s Just Me”
- “Don’t Come Any Closer”
- “Go Again” (feat. Hannah McFarland)
- “Imagine That”
- “Got That From You”
- “Bartender In Destin”
- “Beach Happy”
- “Think As You Drunk”
- “Well Well Whiskey” (feat. Jake Worthington)
- “P.O.S.”
- “Runs in the Family”
- “Pave All Them Dirt Roads” (feat. Brooks & Dunn)
- “Lookout Mountain” (feat. Randy Owen)
- “Seven Second Ride
- “Radio Road”
- “Ol’ Stray Dog”
- “More of a Man Than Me”
- “Ten Pairs of Boots”
