Kenny Chesney’s 21st studio album – Silver Sands Marina – is here, and it includes a not-so-veiled shot at Elon Musk.
The country music star and leader of “No Shoes Nation” has made a career out of delivering songs that pass the vibe check. Some of his biggest hits, like “Summertime” and “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem,” will be played for years to come… especially anywhere that boasts an ocean breeze.
With his latest album, Chesney takes listeners to a familiar place – though not a place where’s he taken them with any of his prior projects. There’s still some tracks that would pair great with a day out on the water, like “Burn My Boat” or “Goldfish.” But this set of songs are designed to take you to a mom-and-pop marina up in New Hampshire, instead of an island in the Caribbean.
He put it like this:
“‘Silver Sands Marina’ is here. 11 songs built on moments, memories and emotions that make us feel alive. I hope this album brings you joy and takes you to your own Silver Sands Marina, wherever that may be.”
And in case you were wondering, yes, Silver Sands Marina – the album art and title track for Kenny Chesney’s latest album – is a real place.
It’s an incredibly interesting album to listen to all the way through, and when you get down to track 8 – titled “Shot A Car Into Space” – odds are you know exactly who Chesney is talking about with that one. The song doesn’t focus on Space X and Tesla inventor Elon Musk for its entirety… but it does point him out right off the bat, and obviously, the title of the track itself definitely hones in on the billionaire:
“I heard about a fella sent a car into space
I wonder what it’s like to have money to waste?
I bet I could blow a billion in a million different ways
But I probably wouldn’t use it to shoot a car into space.”
Considering there’s only one person that’s ever shot a car into space (a Tesla Roadster, to be exact), there’s not really a “I wonder who he’s talking about” with this song.
Now many might see the name of the song and assume that Kenny Chesney is preaching politics. It’s important to note that a) Chesney has openly said he doesn’t feel like it’s his job to talk politics on stage and b) the country star didn’t pen any of the songs featured on Silver Sands Marina.
Written by Adam Chaffins, Brit Taylor & Adam Wright, “Shot A Car Into Space” is really just using Elon Musk as an example. The lyrics go on to list other stories about people having too much money, and how consumerism and materialism often leads people to spend up to the amount they make. The chorus lays out the idea that no amount of money is ever enough:
“Blue collar, white collar
Don’t make a difference to a green dollar
The more ya got, the morе ya spend
Then you gotta get it all ovеr again.”
Or to put it another way, it’s a song that explores the age-old idea of money not buying you happiness.
The message of the song itself is a great one. And it almost seems like Chesney and his team titled it “Shot A Car Into Space” to bring some shock factor to the track list. Like I said earlier… the list of people that have shot a car into space is short (there’s just one person actually, according to my research).
That’s what draws you into the song, and then this last verse is what Chesney hopes you walk away with:
“Somebody bought an island in the middle of the sea
Half an acre and a good dog is plenty ‘nough for me
Got a truck that runs good and some cable TV
What would I do with an island in the middle of the sea?
What you want with an island in the middle of the sea?”
“Shot A Car Into Space” by Kenny Chesney
