Get the latest gossip

Jordan Davis Talks Swinging for the Fences With ‘Bar None’

Billboard looks at the writing and recording behind Jordan Davis's "Bar None."

In a parallel world, anyone keeping score at the tavern will understand the results in Jordan Davis ’ play-by-play of a guy attempting to drown out his past: “You and your memory, one/ Me and this bar, none.” His team is behind, trying desperately to catch up in what looks like a losing battle. They spent perhaps 20 minutes debating the familiarity of “bar none” — Phelps even texted his wife, whose response was simple: “Yeah, everybody’s heard that phrase.” Ultimately, he trusted them and they plowed forward, with Johnson developing a fast-paced stomp-clap percussion bed to set a lighter tone. They purposely dropped internal rhymes (“burn,” “bourbon,” “hurtin’,” “certain”) and alliteration (“banged-up broken heart”) into key spots to create some playfulness, and they unintentionally cemented the sports theme with a mid-chorus reference to a scoreboard for the guy’s heartache.

Get the Android app