Jon Pardi’s latest single, “She Ain’t in It” is his fourth single from his sophomore California Sunrise album. The song, written by Clint Daniels and Wynn Varble, is one of only a few that Pardi didn’t write, and maybe wasn’t one that seemed a natural one for Pardi to record. With lines like, “Don’t wanna hear her name / I don’t wanna see her face / I swear / I know it’s gonna hurt / If I run into her somewhere,” it isn’t at all like Pardi’s previous No. 1 hits like “Head Over Boots” and “Dirt on My Boots,” which is exactly why Pardi wanted to record it.
“It’s a sit down and think about what the song’s saying, what the melody is, how it feels,” Pardi shared with PopCulture.com at a recent media event. “And that’s the reason I recorded it. And I feel like it’s starting to really make an impact too on country radio. I think it’s still got a great shot of getting up to the top. But it is a little slower. It’s still one of my favorite songs, and I would never ever not think of it not being a single. And I think the music video is really good too.”
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Pardi knew “She Ain’t In It” was a risk, but it was a risk he was willing to take, which, thankfully, seems to be paying off well for the singer.
“When I picked ‘She Ain’t In It,’ when we first heard that song, we knew that it would be cool if it was a single,” he revealed. “It’s not a single because of a really fast melody, or a really catchy melody that’s familiar with pop, or familiar to another genre, or a drum beat, or a drum machine, or a whistle. Whatever is in a lot of songs in modern country. I’ll admit myself, it’s fun to dance around in your underwear, it’s cool. It’s not that song though.”
Gamble aside, the 32-year-old knew right away “She Ain’t In It” would be part of California Sunrise.
“When I first heard it, I had to listen to it over and over again, and it was so like 1980s George Strait and just something that I hadn’t heard in a long time,” Pardi said. “There’s no question. When I heard it I was like, ‘This is on the record. This has to be on the record. I want this. This is mine.’ Trying to be anything but just pure country. It’s got that heart-break to it and it’s got that moving on and just very good lyrics and a great melody, and it was one of my favorites to ever call mine. It’s going to be great. If you like country music, you’re going to like this song.”
Download “She Ain’t In It” on iTunes.
Photo Credit: Instagram/JonPardiPcis
