See Also: Montgomery Gentry and the Denver Broncos: Lord knows I'm a "Lucky Man"... or am I?
Remember that one time when the Doors were all set to play the Ed Sullivan Show and the network brass strongly implored Jim Morrison and company to alter the lines of "Light My Fire" from "girl we couldn't get much higher" to "girl we couldn't get much better"? This is exactly like that, only it doesn't involve censorship and ends with a lot more zeros on the check.
Earlier this week, Jason Aldean's record label, Broken Bow Records, reportedly sent a note out to radio programmers alerting them that Mr. Big Green Tractor is in the process of inking a deal with Coors, and in deference to our hometown brewer, he had evidently changed and rerecorded a line in his latest single, "Take a Little Ride," striking the reference to Shiner Bock in favor of "a couple of Rocky Tops" (whatever that is), and if the radioheads could be a dear and kindly swap the old version for the new one, that would be swell.
"Jason Aldean is in the process of signing an endorsement deal with the Coors Brewing Company. With that, he has changed the 'Shiner Bock' line in the song 'Take a Little Ride' to "a couple Rocky Tops.' We respectfully request you exchange this version with the one you are currently playing."
Look, while the purist in us would typically be aghast at the mere notion of something like this, changing things up to suit your suitor is hardly a new one these days, especially in country music (see the altered version of Montgomery Gentry's "Lucky Man" whose original line namechecks the Bengals but, in this market, gives dap to the Broncos). Oh, and as far as compromising his art -- let's be honest here: Aldean isn't exactly painting Picasso.
Been going round and round all day Bailin' some hay and stacking it all up Can't wait for the sun to go down, Roll into town, shine the old truck up Swing by the quick stop, grab a couple Rocky Tops Then ease on out your way To your place around 8 o'clock
The thing that offends our delicate sensibilities more here is this: Modern country music is ostensibly supposed to be reflective of the everyday lives of everyday people, right? That said, who the hell do you know who works hard all day stacking hay, driven by the sole ambition of stopping by and picking up a couple of Rocky Tops? Side note: What the hell is that anyway? Giving dude the benefit of a doubt here, maybe we're just dense -- which, if you know us, is entirely plausible -- and "Rocky Tops" is a euphemism for Coors. That would sure make more sense.
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