Country MP3

Keith Urban - “You Look Good In My Shirt”

Songwriters: Mark Nesler, Tony Martin, and Tom Shapiro

Back in 2004, Keith Urban was preparing to release a 5th single from his Golden Road album, but when “Days Go By” the single from his then upcoming Be Here album was ready, plans for the 5th single were dropped and “Days Go By” was released in its place.

Even without any sort of promotion, the would-be 5th single, “You Look Good In My Shirt,” was picked up by a handful of stations and hit #60 on the Billboard chart and has since become a frequent part of Urban’s live show. Now, finding himself between album releases, and with his Love, Pain, and the Whole Crazy Thing World Tour DVD to promote, Urban decided to revisit the song and finally officially release it as a single.

I like this song. It kicks off with a country-rock guitar riff that is probably going to be the most enjoyable bit of pickin’ on the radio this summer and–despite the fact that Urban feels inclined to shout out “woooohoooo” and “yeah yeah yeah”, as well as chant “ba-ba-bow ba-ba-bow-bow-bowbown” along with the guitar in the outro–the production on this one is restrained and not terrible.

The riff that drives this song is good, and the 70’s guitar fills are cool too, but what makes this song the unqualified winner that it is, is just how sincerely cute it is. “Cute” can be a dicey proposition. Too much cute is completely unforgivable, but the cool riffs, the simple verse-chorus structure, and the understated narrator kept the cuteness in this one from crossing over from enjoyable into insufferable territory.

The main image of the song, the girl in his shirt (presumably only his shirt?), is an impactful one to be sure, but I’m glad that the writers decided to give us a narrative that made the image interesting and engaging as well. This isn’t a Pasiley-esque song about being happy-as-the-day-is-long in a relationship that’s ostensibly perfect and without challenges. Instead, this one features a broken-up couple who, having decided to pursue continued chemistry the night before, are now faced with the morning after. The narrator knows that everything isn’t resolved between them, and he isn’t sure what lies ahead, but he does know that “she looks good in his shirt.”

Read more...