“Waves” by Luke Bryan

According to Luke Bryan’s explanation of the lyrics of “Waves”, it is primarily about a couple of “kids falling in love during the summer”. 

So considering that at the time the singer himself is in his mid-40s, even though he is singing from a first-person it’s sort of as if he is harping back to the past, portraying the role of a teenager so to speak. 

But that is not to say that the lyrics are necessarily age-specific. The only line which really may be indicative of such is when Luke is admiring his lover’s tan lines. But you know, it’s not like middle-aged women don’t also go to the beach rockin’ bikinis these days, where this narrative is set.

But perhaps most-indicative of this song’s youthfulness is not the wording but rather the overall tone. The listener can easily get the impression that the featured romance is one bordering on infatuation. 

Lyrics’ Motif

The motif of the lyrics centers on the vocalist feeling as if this particular summer season he is spending with the addressee is perfectly suited for their romance, almost as if by fate. But what all of those assertions ultimately boil down is the fact that he is enamored by her. Or put more bluntly this reads like a case of puppy love, or perhaps we even say the singer’s first love. 

Basically he is in a state where he feels everything about his partner, specifically from a physical standpoint, is ideal. So accordingly they end having a passionate night, “blanket down”, right there on the beachside. 

And again, some older folk may prefer bonking on the naked coast also. But Luke Bryan really drives the youthful point home in the music video, which features a couple of tween-ish lovers as its main characters.

Song’s Title (“Waves”)

And as for the title of the track, it focuses on the narrator’s desire to keep this experience alive. He wants “this summer” love which he is experiencing with his lady friend to “just keep on coming in waves”, i.e. last as long as it possibly can. 

And of course the whole “waves” metaphor is also related to the fact that the song is for the most part set on a beach. 

And conclusively we can postulate that country musicians, who tend to be more from the interior parts of America, obviously appreciate the beachside also.

Facts about “Waves”

This track is part of the Deluxe Edition of “Born Here Live Here Die Here” and came out via Capitol Nashville and Row Crop Records on 12 April 2021.

The standard edition of “Born Here Live Here Die Here” was issued in August of 2020. It reached the pinnacle of Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart (as did the four albums Luke Bryan released before it). 

Additionally it peaked at number 5 on the Billboard 200 and number 3 on the UK Country Albums Chart. And the deluxe edition of the project, which came out on 9 April of the following year, featured six additional tracks which Bryan added to the playlist.

Luke Bryan debuted this song a few days before its release date, via Good Morning America, on 9 April 2021.That was also the same date upon which the music video was uploaded onto YouTube.

This song was written by Chase McGill, Zach Crowell and Ryan Hurd.

Luke played no role in composing this song. According to him, he fell in love with it the instant he heard it.

Upon being released, “Waves” quickly proceeded to blow up on country radio stations.

Luke Bryan

As implied by the above-mentioned chart facts, Luke Bryan is an established country music star.  He was born in Georgia (where there are in fact beaches) but traces his musical origins to Tennessee, the US capitol of country music (which is actually landlocked).

Luke started making music professionally in 2001 and within about 20 years had sold more than 15 million albums around the world. His most-successful album to date, from a global perspective, would probably be 2015’s “Kill the Lights”, which topped the Billboard 200.

Commercial-wise however the album that preceded it, 2013’s “Crash My Party”, is his highest seller, having gone quadruple-platinum in the US and double-platinum up north. 

And as far as Bryan’s singles go, 2011’s “Country Girl (Shake It for Me)”, despite not having a killer chart showing (compared to some of his other tracks), still managed to be certified sextuple-platinum by the RIAA, thus making it his best-seller song wise. 

And of course he has won a plethora of awards to boot, with 2012 being his most-outstanding year in that regard, in which Bryan took home a whopping 10 American Country Awards.