Barefoot Blue Jean Night (song)

"Barefoot Blue Jean Night" is a song written by Dylan Altman, Eric Paslay and Terry Sawchuk, and recorded by American country music artist Jake Owen. It is the seventh single of his career, and was released in April 2011 as the first single and title track from his album of the same name. It reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in September 2011.

"Barefoot Blue Jean Night"
Single by Jake Owen
from the album Barefoot Blue Jean Night
Released	April 18, 2011 (2011-04-18)
Genre	Country
Length	2:47
Label	RCA Nashville
Songwriter(s)	Eric Paslay Dylan Altman Terry Sawchuk
Producer(s)	Joey Moi Rodney Clawson[1]
Jake Owen singles chronology
"Tell Me" (2010) "Barefoot Blue Jean Night" (2011) "Alone with You" (2011)

History

Owen told Taste of Country that he was "pretty much finished" creating the album, and was given the song about three days before it was supposed to be done. After saying that he "could not get it out of [his] head", he decided to record it after a friend told him, "You're crazy if you don't record that song." Owen also said that he identified with the song's beach-related imagery, as he grew up on a beach in Florida.^[2] Co-writer Eric Paslay told the same website that he started playing a riff on a high-strung guitar. He and the co-writers decided to make the song a summertime anthem because the first lyrics they thought of "sounded like a summertime anthem."^[3]

Critical reception

Matt Bjorke of Roughstock gave the song a positive review, saying that it "giv[es] off a fun, good time vibe". He also thought that the use of banjo and drum machine recalled the work of Mark McGuinn.^[4] Michael Sudhalter, in his review of the album for Country Standard Time, said that the song "has a perfect chorus, and it's just right for the summer time."^[5] Kevin John Coyne, reviewing the song for Country Universe, gave it a C+ rating, saying that in order for the "larger-than-life arrangement to have any traction, you've got to paint your memories with at least a nugget of lyrical depth."^[6]

Music video

The music video was directed by Peter Zavadil and premiered in June 2011. It was filmed at Center Hill Lake in Middle Tennessee. It features his then-girlfriend and now ex-wife, Lacey Buchanan. It features Owen and many friends, including his band, having a good time on the lake and singing. It also features him on a boat with Lacey, and water-skiing.

Commercial performance

Many radio station began playing the song before its official release on April 18, 2011.^[7] The song gained enough airplay for it to enter Country Airplay at No. 55 as well as Hot Country Songs for the charts dated April 9, 2011. It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at No. 98 for the chart dated April 30, 2011 after the song release. The song peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 21 on September 17, 2011, as well as No. 1 on the Country Airplay and Hot Country Songs charts. The song was certified double platinum on May 9, 2013 by the RIAA. The song has sold 2.3 million copies in the U.S. as of September 2015.^[8]

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (2011) Peak position US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[9] 1 US Billboard Hot 100[10] 21 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[11] 52 Year-end charts Chart (2011) Position US Country Songs (Billboard)[12] 2 US Billboard Hot 100[13] 79 Decade-end charts Chart (2010–2019) Position US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[14] 31

Certifications Region Certification Certified units/sales United States (RIAA)[15] 2× Platinum 2,300,000[8]

References

1. "Barefoot Blue Jean Night". Discogs. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
2. Iasimone, Ashley. "Jake Owen's Ready to Have a Good Time and 'Bring Everybody to the Party' With His Third Album". Taste of Country. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
3. Conaway, Alanna (April 29, 2011). "Jake Owen, 'Barefoot Blue Jean Night' – Lyrics Uncovered". Taste of Country. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
4. Bjorke, Matt (April 28, 2011). "Jake Owen – "Barefoot Blue Jean Night"". Roughstock. Archived from the original on April 17, 2012. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
5. Sudhalter, Michael. "Barefoot Blue Jean Night review". Country Standard Time. Retrieved August 30, 2011.
6. Coyne, Kevin John (July 12, 2011). "Summer Single Reviews Round-Up: Luke Bryan, Jake Owen, Jerrod Niemann, Zac Brown Band, Dierks Bentley". Country Universe. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
7. "First Listen: Jake Owen's "Barefoot Blue Jean Night"". Country Music Is Love. March 24, 2011. Archived from the original on May 2, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
8. Bjorke, Matt (September 8, 2015). "Top 30 Digital Country Singles: September 8, 2015". RoughStock.
9. "Jake Owen Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
10. "Jake Owen Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
11. "Jake Owen Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
12. "Best of 2011: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
13. "Best of 2011: Hot 100 Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2011. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
14. "Decade-End Charts: Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
15. "American single certifications – Jake Owen – Barefoot Blue Jean Night". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 9, 2013.