Damn

Album: Greetings From… Jake (2019)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Jake Owen originally wrote this song back in the 2000s with David Lee Murphy and Brett James the morning after the CMA Awards in Nashville.

    Owen recalled to Taste of Country that Kellie Pickler had presented an award in a black leather outfit and when she came out, he exclaimed: "damn!" He added:

    "It occurred to me that my stylist, Jennifer Kemp, used to always say to me - every time I put on clothes to try something on - she'd go, your mama should've named you damn! So that next morning, I told that story to David Lee Murphy and Brett James and I said we've got to write a song about this girl that's just like, her mama should've named her damn."
  • Owen laid down a rough acoustic version of "Damn" which has been on YouTube since 2008, but it wasn't included on a studio album for another decade. The singer explained it harks back to the classic sounds of the '90s and when he wrote it the new wave of music such as his "Barefoot Blue Jean Night" was taking off, so the timing was out. By 2019, Owen felt the circle had come around and '90s country was back.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

When Rock Belonged To Michelob

When Rock Belonged To MichelobSong Writing

Michelob commercials generated hits for Eric Clapton, Genesis and Steve Winwood in the '80s, even as some of these rockers were fighting alcoholism.

Oliver Leiber

Oliver LeiberSongwriter Interviews

Oliver Leiber talks about writing and producing hits for Paula Abdul, and explains his complicated relationship with his father, the songwriter Jerry Leiber.

Matt Sorum

Matt SorumSongwriter Interviews

When he joined Guns N' Roses in 1990, Matt helped them craft an orchestral sound; his mezzo fortes and pianissimos are all over "November Rain."

Mark Arm of Mudhoney

Mark Arm of MudhoneySongwriter Interviews

When he was asked to write a song for the Singles soundtrack, Mark thought the Seattle grunge scene was already overblown, so that's what he wrote about.

Cheerleaders In Music Videos

Cheerleaders In Music VideosSong Writing

It started with a bouncy MTV classic. Nirvana and MCR made them scary, then Gwen, Avril and Madonna put on the pom poms.

James Bond Theme Songs

James Bond Theme SongsMusic Quiz

How well do you know the 007 theme songs?