Jake Owen may have a bit of a rep as a party boy enamored of beaches, go-kart racing, and general reckless living, but on his latest single “What We Ain’t Got” he definitely can shift gears into serious mode — surprising his fans with his heartfelt delivery about lamenting love lost.
“This song is the best song I’ve ever recorded,” Owen boasts from stage. “This song was written by my best friend, Travis Meadows.”
“What We Ain’t Got” is the third single from Owen’s Days of Gold record. The tune, with lines like, We ain’t happy where we are / There’s greener grass in the neighbors yard / A bigger house and a faster car / We ain’t happy where we are, resonated with Owen.
“There’s a line that goes, I wanted the world ’til my whole world stopped,’” Owen says. “I know what he meant by that. I have to be careful to not want too much out of this world and lose my own.
“Even though I have a lot in my life right now, and I’m thankful for everything, I find myself working really hard every day to attain more and more,” he adds. “But yet, sometimes by doing that, I disregard the things I already have that are precious to me, whether it’s my wife, who gets upset sometimes because I’m always on my phone, or it’s my twin brother, who is like, ‘Dude, you never call me back.’”
“I take a lot of pride in being a pretty good singer, and songs like “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” and “Beachin”, where I’m kind of just talking, don’t showcase that,” he admits.
“For the first time in my career, I feel like it’s imperative for me to put out a song that offers some validity.”
