Own It

Album: So Far (2017)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This was the first single from Bailey Bryan, who was 18 when it dropped in 2017. The song is about embracing your shortcomings because they're part of who you are. Bryan cops to having no sense of direction, no skill for flirting, and no talent for dance, but that's OK, she's going to "own it."
  • Bryan was 16 when she wrote this song on one of her many trips from her home in Sequim, Washington to Nashville, where she was launching her music career. When she was 17, she moved to Nashville with her parents and finished high school online. Once Bailey was graduated and settled, they returned to Sequim.
  • If you hear a Taylor Swift influence in this bouncy pop-country tune, that's because Swift was Bryan's role model. Knowing that Swift arrived in the Music City as a teenager, Bryan followed suit. Musically, "Own It" is very similar to early Taylor Swift.

    Over the next few years, Bryan's music got more emotional and introspective, what she called a "sensitive bad bitch" ethos. "At the time my taste was changing so rapidly that nothing felt like me in the moment," she said of "Own It" on the Songfacts Podcast. "I don't go back and listen to it, I don't want to hear it. It's something my friends like to play to give me a hard time if we are drinking at my house. It's mainly the vocals. I don't recognize that voice."
  • Bryan wrote this song with Dennis Matkosky and Casey Brown. Matkosky has been writing hits since the '80s, with "Mirror, Mirror" by Diana Ross and "Maniac" by Michael Sembello among his credits.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

16 Songs With a Heartbeat

16 Songs With a HeartbeatSong Writing

We've heard of artists putting their hearts into their music, but some take it literally.

Al Kooper

Al KooperSongwriter Interviews

Kooper produced Lynyrd Skynyrd, played with Dylan and the Stones, and formed BS&T.

Kiss

KissFact or Fiction

Kiss is the subject of many outlandish rumors - some of which happen to be true. See if you can spot the fakes.

Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds

Jim McCarty of The YardbirdsSongwriter Interviews

The Yardbirds drummer explains how they created their sound and talks about working with their famous guitarists.

The Police

The PoliceFact or Fiction

Do their first three albums have French titles? Is "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" really meaningless? See if you can tell in this Fact or Fiction.

Boy Bands

Boy BandsFact or Fiction

From NKOTB to 1D, how well do you know your boy bands?