John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16

"John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16"
Single by Keith Urban
from the album Ripcord
Released 9 June 2015 (2015-06-09)[1]
Format Digital download
Recorded 2015
Genre Country pop
Length 3:42
Label
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
Keith Urban singles chronology
"Raise 'Em Up"
(2015)		 "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16"
(2015)		 "Break on Me"
(2015)

"John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16" is a song written by Shane McAnally, Ross Copperman, and Josh Osborne and recorded by Australian country music singer Keith Urban. It was released on 9 June 2015[1] as the lead single to Urban's eighth American studio album, Ripcord.[3] The song has a slow 1970s funk vibe that carries distinct drum loops and several time changes, with production from Urban and longtime co-producer Dann Huff. The song received positive reviews from critics who praised the production, lyrics, and Urban's return to traditional country with a new sound.

History

Urban debuted the song at the Country Radio Seminar in Nashville, Tennessee in February 2015. Urban told The Boot that it "was sent to me a few months ago by one of the songwriters, and I loved it immediately".[4] Lyrically, the song uses several name-drops to illustrate the narrator's influences in life, culminating in "I learned everything I needed to know from John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16." Musically, it features a "slowed, almost '70s funk vibe with distinct drum loops and several time changes".[5] Urban recorded the song at Blackbird Studios in Nashville, and co-produced it with longtime producer Dann Huff. Urban told Nash Country Weekly that he was having difficulty creating a suitable vocal track until he took a bass guitar from the studio wall and played a bass line which he had originally intended to replace with one from a session musician, but ultimately left in the final recording.[2]

The song was released to radio on 9 June 2015, and Urban performed it the next day on the CMT Music Awards.[6]

Critical reception

Billy Dukes of Taste of Country reviewed the song with favor, saying that Keith Urban "returns to more traditional country themes while continuing to push his sound in new directions" and that it "has an everyman quality to it that heightens the song’s sharpness. It’s a good, mellow groove that won’t soon get old."[7] Tammy Ragusa of Nash Country Weekly gave the song and "A-" and said that it was "one of the catchiest, most infectious songs of the summer" and "Dann Huff lets the song's arrangement ebb and flow". She also praised the lyrics, saying "there is some depth and a message."[8]

The song was nominated for Best Country Solo Performance at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards but lost to Chris Stapleton's "Traveler".

Personnel

From Ripcord liner notes.[9]

Musicians
Technical

Music video

The music video was directed by Shane Drake and premiered in August 2015.[10]

Commercial performance

The song debuted on the Hot Country Songs chart at number 47 the week before its official release, and reached number 24 the following week. It also debuted on Country Airplay chart at number 26, and at number 7 on the Country Digital Songs chart with 36,000 copies sold in the US.[11] The song peaked at number 2 on the Hot Country Songs chart for chart dated 19 September 2015, and number 2 on the Country Airplay chart a week later. It reached number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 on the chart of 10 October 2015. The song has sold 663,000 copies in the US as of February 2016.[12] This is Keith's 18th Top 40 hit on the pop chart.

Chart performance

Chart (2015) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[13] 35
Canada Country (Billboard)[14] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[15] 40
US Country Airplay (Billboard)[16] 2
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[17] 2

Year-end charts

Chart (2015) Position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[18] 90
US Country Airplay (Billboard)[19] 25
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[20] 9
Preceded by
"Crash and Burn"
by Thomas Rhett		 Billboard Canada Country
number-one single
September 5–26, 2015 		Succeeded by
"Airwaves"
by Brett Kissel

References

  1. 1 2 Hollabaugh, Lorie (8 June 2015). "Keith Urban To Debut Single From Next Album". MusicRow. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  2. 1 2 Rodman, Sarah (10 August 2015). "Bass Pro: Keith Urban is all about that bass on new hit 'John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16', the fastest-selling single of his career". Nash Country Weekly. 22 (32): 46–47.
  3. ↑ Leahey, Andrew (27 October 2015). "Keith Urban Reveals New Album 'Ripcord'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  4. ↑ Stefano, Angela (June 9, 2015). "Keith Urban Releases 'John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16′ as New Single [LISTEN]". The Boot. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Keith Urban Debuts New Single 'John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16′: Listen". radio.com. June 9, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  6. ↑ Tom Roland (June 25, 2015). "The Long Road to Completing 'John Cougar,' Keith Urban's Newest Hit". Billboard.
  7. ↑ Dukes, Billy (June 9, 2015). "ToC Critic's Pick: Keith Urban, 'John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16' [Listen]". Taste of Country. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  8. ↑ Ragus, Tammy (July 20, 2015). "Reviews: 'John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16'". Nash Country Weekly. 22 (29): 11. ISSN 1074-3235.
  9. ↑ Ripcord (CD booklet). Keith Urban. Capitol Records Nashville/Hit Red Records. 2016. B0023591-02.
  10. ↑ Whitaker, Sterling (August 28, 2015). "Keith Urban Takes a Visual Trip in 'John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16′ Video". Taste of Country. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  11. ↑ Matt Bjorke (June 17, 2015). "Country Music's Top 30 Digital Singles: Week of June 17, 2015". Roughstock. Sales figure given here
  12. ↑ Bjorke, Matt (February 8, 2015). "The Top 30 Digital Country Singles: February 8, 2016". Roughstock.
  13. ↑ "Keith Urban – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for Keith Urban.
  14. ↑ "Keith Urban – Chart history" Billboard Canada Country for Keith Urban.
  15. ↑ "Keith Urban – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Keith Urban.
  16. ↑ "Keith Urban – Chart history" Billboard Country Airplay for Keith Urban.
  17. ↑ "Keith Urban – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Keith Urban.
  18. ↑ "Best of 2015: Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Best of 2015: Country Airplay". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Best of 2015: Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
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