What We Ain't Got

"What We Ain't Got"
Single by Jake Owen
from the album Days of Gold
Released August 11, 2014 (2014-08-11)
Format Digital download
Genre Country
Length 3:39
Label RCA Nashville
Writer(s)
Producer(s) Joey Moi
Jake Owen singles chronology
"Beachin'"
(2014)		 "What We Ain't Got"
(2014)		 "Real Life"
(2015)

"What We Ain't Got" is a song recorded by American country music artist Jake Owen. It was released in August 2014 as the third and final single from his fourth studio album Days of Gold. The song was written by Travis Meadows and Travis Jerome Goff.

Content

The song is a ballad accompanied mainly by piano, with backing vocals by Sarah Buxton.[1] In it, Owen sings about wanting back a loved one who has left him, and reflecting on those who want what they cannot obtain.[2] It is in alternating bars of 3/4 and 4/4 time signatures, with a main chord pattern of A-D-A-D-E-D-E-F♯m-A/E-D-Esus4-A. The song's approximate tempo is 63 beats per minute, and it has a vocal range of F♯3-E5.[3]

Owen told Taste of Country said that he knew the song would be a "risk" to release as a single, as he usually releases up-tempo songs about partying and "fought" to release a song with a stronger subject matter. He told the publication that "I’m at a point in my life where it’s important to me to release songs like this that I’ve always believed in".[1]

Reception

Critical

Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe gave the song a B+, saying that "Though the song starts a bit too slowly, it develops into a fully realized performance that’s as good as anything I’ve heard this year from a radio artist."[4] Markos Papadatos of Digital Journal rated it 4.5 out of 5 stars, praising the lyrics and Owen's "rich yet haunting baritone vocals." He also thought that the song contrasted with party-themed songs on the corresponding album and displayed Owen's musical versatility.[2]

Commercial

The song entered the Hot Country Songs chart at No. 40 on December 14, 2013 on the release of the album, Days of Gold. It entered the Country Airplay chart on August 9, 2014, and peaked at No. 18 for the chart dated February 7, 2015. Due to increasing radio play, it re-entered the Hot Country Songs for the chart dated September 6, 2014, eventually peaking at No. 20 on February 21, 2015. It also entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 95 on January 17, 2015, reaching No. 89 four weeks later. The song has sold 369,000 copies in the US as of May 2015.[5]

Music video

The music video was directed by Mason Dixon and premiered in November 2014.[6]

Chart performance

Chart (2013–15) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[7] 90
Canada Country (Billboard)[8] 30
US Billboard Hot 100[9] 89
US Country Airplay (Billboard)[10] 14
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[11] 19

Year-end charts

Chart (2015) Position
US Country Airplay (Billboard)[12] 68
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[13] 71

References

  1. 1 2 Dukes, Billy (1 December 2014). "Jake Owen: 'What We Ain't Got' Is the Perfect Song at an Imperfect Time, Wrote by an Unknown Writer Justin Matthews of Dayton, Tn". Taste of Country. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  2. 1 2 Papadatos, Markos (14 August 2014). "Review: Jake Owen captivates on new single 'What We Ain't Got'". Digital Journal. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  3. ↑ "'What We Ain't Got' sheet music". MusicNotes.com. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  4. ↑ Coyne, Kevin John (7 August 2014). "Single Review: Jake Owen, "What We Ain't Got"". Country Universe. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  5. ↑ Matt Bjorke (May 20, 2015). "Country Music's Top 30 Digital Singles: Week of May 20, 2015".
  6. ↑ Schillaci, Sophie (November 24, 2014). "EXCLUSIVE: Jake Owen Steps Outside His Comfort Zone with Emotional 'What We Ain't Got' Video". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Jake Owen – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for Jake Owen.
  8. ↑ "Jake Owen – Chart history" Billboard Canada Country for Jake Owen.
  9. ↑ "Jake Owen – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Jake Owen.
  10. ↑ "Jake Owen – Chart history" Billboard Country Airplay for Jake Owen.
  11. ↑ "Jake Owen – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Jake Owen.
  12. ↑ "Billboard Country Update for December 14, 2015" (PDF). Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. December 14, 2015. p. 7. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Best of 2015: Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
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