american nights

Album

Great American Bar Scene,The

Label

Warner Records

Genre

Country

Composer(s)

Zachary Lane Bryan

Entered Chart

Jul 20, 2024

Peak Date

Jul 20, 2024

"American Nights" is a foot-stomping slice of Americana that encapsulates the beauty of American life while tipping its hat to the sacrifices made by those who serve. It's Zach Bryan's love letter to the everyday American dream, but with a clear-eyed nod to the reality of what it means to wear the uniform. Zach Bryan, who enlisted in the US Navy at 17 and served honorably for eight years until his discharge in November 2021, brings a unique perspective to his music. He understands deeply how military service leaves an indelible mark on those who serve, and he translates this understanding into his lyrics. Take the verse: Dockhand boys all say goodbye To the women that they swear are gonna be their wives They'll be gone by the wintertime Here, "dockhand boys" is Bryan's poetic stand-in for young sailors bidding farewell to their sweethearts, fully believing in forever but knowing, deep down, that time and distance might tell a different story. And then there's the nod to Don McLean's "I took my Chevy to the levy" lyric from "American Pie": We snuck our Fords to the shore and drank a bottle bone dry This line ties Bryan's narrative to a long tradition of American nostalgia. It's a lyrical high-five across the decades, filled with references to baseball games and porch singers, the kind of imagery that makes you want to kick back with a cold one and reminisce. Zach Bryan wrote and produced "American Nights" himself, recording it for his fifth album, The Great American Bar Scene, which hit the shelves on July 4, 2024. On this track, Bryan handled the guitar duties. The other musicians who contributed are: Monsune (Scott Zhang): Electric guitar, piano, background vocals. A Canadian indie-pop and synth-pop musician from Toronto, Ontario, Monsune played piano on eight tracks and contributed various instruments throughout the album. Jake Weinberg: Drums, background vocals. This New Jersey-based engineer, producer, and musician played drums or bass guitar on 13 out of the 18 tracks. Gabe Wax: Bass guitar, background vocals. An American record producer, musician, and sound engineer from Brooklyn, New York, Wax also played bass on the track "Funny Bone."

Screen door cracked, the ball game on
Man on the porch singin' baritone
Tan line leads to that gentle place
Between her collarbone and her stone-cold face

Dockhand boys all say goodbye
To the women that they swear are gonna be their wives
They'll be gone by the wintertime
And they don't wanna bother with no friend of mine

Wet, hot, American nights
Shake your body dry under coastline light
Wet, hot, American nights
We snuck our Fords to the shore and drank a bottle bone-dry
We snuck our Fords to the shore and drank a bottle bone-dry

Davey got back from his first tour
He ain't the same boy that he was before
Twenty's too young to nearly die
American boys are a friend of mine

Delco Danny cut a deal with the dealer
That he met out at the Rivers Casino
He got caught countin' cards, then them spades broke his heart
Then the Point Breeze boys broke his nose
Heard Mary got that job that she wanted out of town
She was better than the sum of all of us anyhow
She still stops by whenever she can
She's tougher than my brother with her balled left hand

Wet, hot, American nights
Shake your body off under coastline light
Wet, hot, American nights
We snuck our Fords to the shore and drank a bottle bone-dry
We snuck our Fords to the shore and drank a bottle bone-dry

Screen door cracked, put the ball game on
Man on the porch singin' baritone
Tan line leads to that gentle place
Between her collarbone and her stone-cold face