Brooks & Dunn - “Proud of the House We Built”

The spankin’ new single from superduo Brooks & Dunn is a retreat from the in-your-face sound of their previous hit, “Hillbilly Deluxe,” into the safe, mid-tempo world of contemporary working-class America. “Proud of The House We Built,” (Written by Dunn) is a song about the struggle to start, and maintain, a stable family amid the stress and financial difficulties of everyday life. While the hook is exceptional, the song itself underachieves. “I’m proud of the house we built/it’s stronger than sticks, stones, and steel,” from the chorus, is a fine sentiment, but that’s as deep as the emotion of the song ever goes. Lyrically, the verses are nothing more than generic paraphrases of what we’ve heard so many times from so many other artists. In that sense, it is simply formulaic–we get the marriage proposal, we get the unexpected pregnancy, we get the stack of bills they can’t pay, and we get the assurance, in the bridge, that, “we’ve come such a long, long way,” (whatever that means).

Still, this is going to be a big hit for B&D, partly because they are B&D, and partly because this topic, no matter how many times it’s been done, resonates with today’s country audience. And while the lyrics may be strongly lacking, the hook, again, is memorable, and the melody is singable, and when we’re talking about radio, that’s what matters.

The connoisseur of country music, however, is almost sure to walk away from this feeling incredibly unfulfilled.

Listen: Brooks & Dunn - “Proud of The House We Built”