Jana Kramer, ‘I Got the Boy’ [Listen]
Jana Kramer continues to prove she’s one of country music’s most underrated female storytellers during "I Got the Boy." The characters and emotions of this lamenting love song rise from the speakers, as if to act out the story in the ether.
Jamie Lynn Spears, Connie Harrington and Tim Nichols penned the ballad, but it’s Kramer’s scarred heart that makes it real. One forgets that while her relationships were beginning and ending in the tabloids, they were very real — and painful — for her. Vulnerability peeks over a hardened iron shield as she sings:
“I got the first kiss and she'll get the last / She's got the future, I got the past / I got the class ring, she got the diamond and wedding band / I got the boy, she got the man.”
Vocally Kramer is forced to hold notes longer than before during much of this chorus. It’s at the verse where she really gets a chance to slip into a more comfortable storytelling mood. The second verse tells of this relationship’s backstory:
“Yeah there's an old you that I knew / Fake IDs to get into those Spring Break bars / Back woods on a four-wheel, hanging on tight, I can still feel my racing heart / And now you're cleaned up with a haircut, nice tie and shoes / If things were different and I had a choice, which would I choose.”
“I Got the Boy” is the second single from Kramer’s upcoming new album. It follows up “Love,” which was a very different kind of lost-love song. Whereas that one looked forward to what is on the horizon, this one is more nostalgic. It’s sure to resonate deep with country fans prone to doing likewise.
Why Fans Will Love It: Few female vocalists show hurt as well as Kramer. It's a great performance.
Key Lyrics: "I got the class ring, she got the diamond and wedding band / I got the boy, she got the man."
Did You Know?: Kramer did get the man. She's currently engaged to football player Michael Caussin.
Listen to Jana Kramer, "I Got the Boy"
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