Best Shot by Jimmie Allen

Album: Mercury Lane (2018)

Charted: 37

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This song's romantic lyric finds Jimmie Allen promising his love interest a full commitment to their relationship.

I'm not the man I was before you
I'm not saying that I'm perfect
Oh, 'cause, girl, you know I'm not
But I'll love you with everything I've got
Girl, I'll give you my best shot

The song was inspired by advice that Allen's grandmother gave about women. He explained it was "how they just want to know that we care and that we're trying - her words always stuck with me."
Written by Jimmie Allen with Josh London and JP Williams, this was released as the singer's debut single on February 20, 2018. Allen said that he offered up "Best Shot" as it is a great example of who he is as an artist. "At the end of the day, I just want to make my grandmother proud," he explained. "She was my everything."
The song was included on Allen's debut album, which takes its name from the street the singer grew up on in Delaware. The record pays tribute to the influence home and family has had on his journey.

"All those morals were instilled in me on Mercury Lane," he explained to ABC Radio. "So Mercury Lane to me is a great place, and every time I think about that place, or when I go back to Delaware, I always go back. I just get chills, man. It's awesome."
Jimmie Allen went through several versions of "Best Shot" before the song was released. Speaking with KIX 105.7, the singer explained that he's "a vibe guy" so when a melody gets in his head, he can't forget it.

The melody for this song was a case in point. Allen bought it to Josh London and JP Williams, telling them this is one they needed to write, which they did over a couple of sessions. When they came to demo the tune it was an uptempo rock version, "like Nickelback meets Florida Georgia Line." They knew it wasn't right.

Later, Allen was performing a set at Nashville's Bluebird Café and he played this song with just acoustic and vocals. His manager, Ash Bowers, didn't recognize the tune as it was so different from the demo. When Allen told Bowers the song he'd just played was "Best Shot," they agreed that was the version he needed to record.

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