Music Review: Florida Georgia Line "Cruise"

Florida Georgia Line

Cruise

Album: Here’s To the Good Times

Year: 2012

          Brian Kelley makes a pass at a random girl while hanging at Sea Camp in the boorish “Cruise.”

          Part of the chorus starts the single. He slices the hamburger on the grill, checking to see if it’s medium. He calls his friend over, letting him know his hamburger is ready, he sees a blonde haired girl splashing her friend in the ocean. (“Baby you a song/You make me wanna roll my windows down and cruise.”)

           He continues to watch her as she swims back to shore. While she glides out of the water, he can only stare at her breasts as she adjusts the loose strap of her turquoise bikini. Another friend hands him a paper plate, asking him for his hot dog. He lifts up the hot dog and misses the plate, concentrating on her golden legs, shimmering in the sun light. He gives his friend the spatula and tells him to take over the grill. On the way to the shore where she’s still standing, he tries to think of how to impress her. (“Hey Baby/When I first saw that bikini top on her/She's poppin' right out of the south Georgia water/Thought, "Oh good Lord!" she had them long tan legs/Couldn't help myself so I walked up and said:”)

           She’s the embodiment of that one great song you hear on the radio where upon the first note, you already know what it is and then have to blare it. He decides to go with that idea. He compliments her, calling her as pretty as a song and then says he would like to take a drive with her. They would skip the main streets and go straight through the neighborhoods, taking their time. (“Well baby you a song/You make me wanna roll my windows down and cruise/Down a back road blowin' stop signs through the middle/Every little farm town/With you/And this brand new Chevy with a lift kit/Would look a helluva lot better with you up in it!/So baby you a song/You make me wanna roll my windows down and cruise.”

         She smiled back him and nodded. She told to just let her grab some of her stuff and then they can go. Once they were in his truck, she was chatting with him about growing up in North Carolina. When he would respond or if there was a lull in the conversation, she would take swigs from her bottle of Southern Comfort. Sometime during the drive, she got a hold of his IPod and put Marshall Tucker Band’s “Last of the Singing Cowboys” on repeat, singing along off-key to every word. (“Yeah she was sippin' on Southern' and singin' Marshall Tucker/We were falling in love in the sweet heart of summer/She hopped right up/Into the cab of my truck/And said, "Fire it up! Let's go get this thing stuck!")

        The chorus is sung again.
 
         In the bridge, they decide to stop at the park. He turned to stare at her, watching her view the sun set. Her eyes were wide and she had a serious expression on her face. He wondered what she was thinking about. She turned to her side, catching him and held his gaze. It was inspiring, forming strings of lyrics and notes in his mind. From the backseat of his truck, he reached for his guitar, telling her he has something special for her. He then begins to play the song in his head. (“When that summer sun fell to it's knees/I looked at her and she looked at me/And I turned on those KC lights and drove all night/
Cuz it felt so right/Her and I man we felt so right/I put it in park/And grabbed my guitar/And strummed a couple chords/And sang from the heart/Girl you sure got the beat in my chest bumpin/’Hell I can't get you out of my head!”)

        The first part of the chorus is sung twice.

         The second half of the chorus is sung once with a lyric from the first part blended with it. . (“And in this brand new Chevy with a lift kit…Baby you a song/You make me wanna roll my windows down and cruise!/Come on girl!/Get those windows down and cruise!/Ah.”)

      Kelley and Tyler Hubbard’s rustic, slow-witted vocals are lowbrow, catcalling and whistling as a way to signal interest. However, the average woman doesn’t have a chance.  Leggy, toothpick-thin with long, flowing blonde hair and big breasts is the standard. Personality is unneeded.

      The ogling “Cruise” only cares about looks, relying on cheesy pick up lines and insincere tricks to get a date.