Darius Rucker – “Alright”
Songwriters: Frank Rogers and Darius Rucker
Until the steel guitar signals (ding ding ding!) country music at exactly 11 seconds into Darius Rucker’s latest single, it’s easy to mistake the tune and for a new sampling from ’90s alt-rock band Sister Hazel. Rucker’s vocals sound very similar to the group’s lead singer Ken Block, who helped make effervescent songs like “All For You” and “Change Your Mind” college dorm room staples.
It’s not particularly surprising—both singers cut their teeth in similar markets and radio airwaves as front men for bands developed out of grassroots, cult-like regional followings. But if “Alright” is any indication of the turning country tide, I have to wonder who will be the next 90s pop-rock singer to crossover.
Despite sounding like a song that ended up on the Sister Hazel cutting room floor, Rucker’s newest radio offering employs a catchy, effervescent chorus that’s a nice change of pace from the melancholy “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It” and bittersweet “It Won’t Be Like This For Long.”
A song meant to be sung at a concert (complete with built-in echo), “Alright” is perky and funky with a timely message about doing more with less. Although the song didn’t receive as much buzz as tracks like “All I Want” or “I Hope They Get to Me In Time” when Learn to Live first came out, Rucker’s camp must have decided it was time for a toe-tapping summer anthem.
Rucker plays with a widespread theme in country music, a genre that embraces the common man and, according to John Conlee, his common van. While Rucker certainly gets his point across with lines like “Don’t need no concert in the city/I’ve got a stereo and the best of Patsy Cline,” some of his examples of the contrast between the luxury life and the simple life sound a little off—although props to Rucker for working “Dom Perignon” into a country song.
Like Josh Turner’s “Everything is Fine,” Rucker relies on an understated adjective to carry off his air of nonchalance; however, it also shares Turner’s song’s main weakness: with such underwhelming commentary and resolution, both songs turn into a self-fulfilling prophesy of being only fine and just alright.
Mention the name Darius Rucker, and inevitably the word “commercial” will be tossed into the conversation, no matter how much lip service Rucker pays to making “traditional country music.” Despite Rucker’s reported interest in making a record inspired by Buck Owens and two-steppin’ shuffles, even Capitol Records Nashville exec Mike Dungan ratted out the album’s tempered, radio-friendly production.
Held in that regard, “Alright” is a peppy piece of commercial fluff that will fare well on country radio. Unfortunately, despite the pervasive steel guitar, Dungan is correct—it’s a lot more Hootie and a lot less Haggard.
Listen: Darius Rucker – “Alright”
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May 20, 2009 at 1:58 pm Permalink
Please tell me that this crap ain’t the future of country music….
May 20, 2009 at 2:28 pm Permalink
And dammit, it’s “All Right.” “Alright” isn’t a word.
May 20, 2009 at 2:32 pm Permalink
you’re giving spelling tips to guy who used to go by hooty?
May 20, 2009 at 2:35 pm Permalink
Just heard it on the radio this morning.
Sounded OK to me, especially the “stereo and Patsy Cline” line.
May 20, 2009 at 3:11 pm Permalink
And dammit, it’s “All Right.” “Alright” isn’t a word.
Neither is “dammit”.
May 20, 2009 at 3:15 pm Permalink
Its “Alright” not “All Right”, and yes “Alright” is a word
May 20, 2009 at 3:30 pm Permalink
he went by hootie, not hooty alright?!?!
May 20, 2009 at 4:03 pm Permalink
Another yawner.
May 20, 2009 at 4:07 pm Permalink
It’s not horrible … but it’s not all that good either. It’s to generic and similar to almost all the other songs on the radio right now.
May 20, 2009 at 4:09 pm Permalink
I stand by my assertions.
May 20, 2009 at 4:26 pm Permalink
@Chris N.: Are you also one of those people who breaks the word “Also” into two words, “All So”
Either way, you’re wrong, sorry to break it to you
May 20, 2009 at 4:35 pm Permalink
I don’t know where you’re getting your information, Nicolas, but the usage of “alright” isn’t technically correct, despite common usage (that won’t stop me). Either way, you’re bein’ a bit cheeky, ain’t ya?
May 20, 2009 at 5:02 pm Permalink
“JD” said “Please tell me that this crap ain’t the future of country music….” No JD, its actually the here and now of Top 40 country music. Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, and The Jonas Brothers are the future of mainstream country music…..
PaulaW said “It’s not horrible … but it’s not all that good either. It’s too generic and similar to almost all the other songs on the radio right now.” Bingo Paula, and that’s exactly what Top 40 country radio programmers are seeking these days. Playing it safe and predictable to the point of stifling mediocrity is how country radio hopes to survive the weak economy. It may work for soccer moms and tween girls, but it drives real faaans of country music to listen elsewhere…
May 20, 2009 at 5:06 pm Permalink
There’s a difference between “Alright” and “All Right”
“Alright” is another word for “ok”, and “All Right” could be used as another way to say “All Good”
Anyways, there’s tons of songs with the usage of “Alright”, see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alright
May 20, 2009 at 5:07 pm Permalink
They’re interchangeable but I think its definitely obvious that “Alright” is acceptable
May 20, 2009 at 5:42 pm Permalink
He never went by “Hootie” anyway. That was just the name of a band for which he served as the lead singer.
May 20, 2009 at 6:02 pm Permalink
I usually just lurk here but some of these comments made me post. “alright” is a word and so is “All Right.” Taken from Dictionary.com (A much better source than Wikipedia anyway)
al⋅right
/ɔlˈraɪt/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [awl-rahyt] Show IPA
–adverb
all right.
Usage note:
The form alright as a one-word spelling of the phrase all right in all of its senses probably arose by analogy with such words as already and altogether. Although alright is a common spelling in written dialogue and in other types of informal writing, all right is used in more formal, edited writing.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/alright
May 20, 2009 at 6:34 pm Permalink
I maintain that “alright” is an abomination in the eyes of the spelling gods, no matter how common it may be.
May 20, 2009 at 9:09 pm Permalink
Ha–love that the grammar topic has sparked more debate than the song itself. The next 9513 giveaway should include a copy of the book “Eats Shoots and Leaves.” :)
May 20, 2009 at 9:40 pm Permalink
Actually, I’m pretty sure there’s supposed to be a comma after “Eats.” ;)
May 21, 2009 at 12:10 am Permalink
Oxford would also request a comma after shoots. :-)
As for the alright vs. all right debate, I refuse to acknowledge the existence of “alright”. To me, “all right” is the only acceptable spelling. Additionally, who the hell separates “also” into “all so”? That’s a straw man argument if I’ve ever seen one.
May 21, 2009 at 4:01 am Permalink
“All I Want” should have been Rucker’s new singe. That song is awesome…
May 21, 2009 at 5:48 am Permalink
I say give the guy a break. I know it’s not one of his better songs, but the man can sing. Did you see “Backstory” on GAC? He made a pure traditional album and they refused it and say, “Even George Strait couldn’t get this on country radio”, so he had to “pop” it up. Perhaps when he’s here a few more years and has more albums under his belt, he can then do the true Country album he wanted to do.
May 21, 2009 at 6:33 am Permalink
Also…it is not “Its Hard to Say”…by Sister Hazel…the song is called “All For You”..only one of the most played song since 1997, by the platinum selling group.
May 21, 2009 at 7:38 am Permalink
Hey Bill–you’re right. Wrong lyric for the title. Thanks!
May 21, 2009 at 9:51 am Permalink
How about this compromise: If country music starts pushing songs that aren’t light-pop disposable ditties, we’ll excuse songwriters from adhering to the AP Style Guide.
May 21, 2009 at 1:20 pm Permalink
How about this one: “Alright Already” from the 90s? Technically it should be “All Right All Ready”
May 21, 2009 at 1:32 pm Permalink
“Are you feelin’ alright? I’m not feelin’ too good myself,” — “Feelin’ Alright,” written by Dave Mason.
Perhaps his bad feeling came from pain created in his grammatical area.
May 21, 2009 at 1:44 pm Permalink
Matt B.,
That would be “All Right Already.” Already does not equal all ready; they have two different meanings. Alright, however, means the same as all ready, and is gramatically inferior.
May 21, 2009 at 1:45 pm Permalink
Typo! “Grammatically.”
(I figured I’d point it out before someone else did it for me.)
May 21, 2009 at 1:46 pm Permalink
And “alright, however, means the same as all right.”
Wow, I’m having a bad day. I need to start clicking “preview” before I post.
May 21, 2009 at 2:03 pm Permalink
It baffles me why “All I Want” wasn’t released as the third single. It’s no less hot weather-friendly than this but, unlike this, is dripping with much more traditional country leanings musically while packing a strong chorus hook.
This and “History In The Making” are easily the two worst songs on an album I’m otherwise more than satisfied with, when it comes to debut records.
Come on, Capitol Nashville! Get “All I Want” or “Drinkin’ & Dialin’” out there.
May 21, 2009 at 2:09 pm Permalink
I will add one note, however.
It was mentioned in an earlier article around the time the album was released last September that Dungan actually explained to Rucker, when he presented both Texas two-step shuffles and Vern Gosdin-style tear-in-your-beer ballads to Capitol Nashville, that radio wouldn’t touch them, and it was HE that encouraged him, among others at the label, to “move more to the Hootie side of things”.
So, to Rucker’s credit, I think his aim to record more traditional-style country is genuine, but when you’re signed to a major, powerful label like Capitol Nashville, there will be limitations abound surely………..at least until you become a particularly colossal star.
May 22, 2009 at 2:01 pm Permalink
Summertime-friendly or not, this song is grossly inferior to the first two singles.
May 28, 2009 at 5:11 pm Permalink
“Alright, alright, alright!”
-Matthew McConaughey
June 6, 2009 at 11:15 am Permalink
In all honesty, I almost hear a combination of “Our Song” (which Dan at Country Universe heard in it as well) with a later Hootie AC hit, “Get Out of My Head.” Basically the former’s instrumentation with the latter’s melody/vocals.
July 14, 2009 at 9:40 am Permalink
Where has the world come to, when someone wants to make a country record and they say that it’s to “country” from a “country” label. Lets go back to the old days on Country.
August 5, 2009 at 8:15 pm Permalink
You people arent even listenin to the message that this song gives all your worried about is the way he says alright!!i mean whio give a flyin flip!!!!and where i come from alright is the way we say it so i think its right!!
August 7, 2009 at 11:46 pm Permalink
The discussion wasn’t about how he said it, it’s about how he spelled it. “Alright” and “all right” are pronounced the same way. And the message basically boils down to “I don’t need the finer things in life because I have you,” which is something that only 30,000 other songs in different genres have conveyed.
September 18, 2009 at 8:04 am Permalink
“Eats Shoots and Leaves.”
You’re right there should be a comma between eats and shoots but not after shoots like someone else said. you don’t put a comma before the and. sorry just had to throw that in there :)
September 25, 2009 at 11:32 am Permalink
i think it is a great song me and my boyfriend listen to it everyday so its great Darius
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