Next Thing You Know

"A tale about a couple who meets in a bar — the guy swears he’s staying single; next thing you know, he’s not. Davis liked the idea but wanted to shoot for something bigger: not just the first exchange of glances, but the whole sweep of a lifetime romance."

(Tom Roland / billboard.com, March 7, 2023)

In 2007 Kenny Chesney released one of the most important songs of his career. Written by Chris Wallin and Casey Beathard, the lyrics of the track ponder evanescence of life in the form of a frame narrative. It is a look back at life with all its' phases and a reminder to live life in the moment. For it will be missed, if one doesn't pay attention to it. 'Don't Blink' consequently became the 13th Number-1 hit for Kenny Chesney.

Jordan Davis chose a similiar approach for his current hit 'Next Thing You Know', which holds Number-3 on the Radio (Billboard Country Airplay) Chart for June 23, 2023. With the disctinction, that the point of view of 'Next Thing You Know' remains on the level of the protagonist. It lacks the meta-position of the frame narrative and therefore does not give advice from the context. That way the song becomes a simple reflection of the positive moments in an ideal life, one can only hope for.

Written together with Josh Osborne, Greylan James and Chase McGill, Jordan Davis' song runs through life's stages within a mere 3 minutes - the art of good songwriting. It plays out from the perspective of the guy and starts with a couple meeting in a bar for the first time. Which leads into moving in with each other in the old apartement and remodelling it, which requires a first compromise.

You're tellin' your buddies three months in,
that she ain't movin' in, the next thing you know,
there's a U-Haul trailer, next thing you know,
your old apartment is y'all's new place,
there goes the carpet but the deer head stays.

(Next Thing You Know / Jordan Davis, Josh Osborne, Greylan James, Chase McGill)

Soon it is time for serious commitment and how to realize it. By now the songwriters are inputing their own personal experiences, as Jordan Davis admits in an interview with Billboard Magazine: "The best man giving the half-drunk speech — that was me. I probably had a few too many cocktails before I gave my best-man speech for my brother."

You're savin' money like never before,
just to spend it all at a jewelry store,
gettin' down on one knee on her mama's porch,
just prayin' she don't say, "No".

Next thing you know,
your best man gives a half-drunk speech
and you're sunburned on a honeymoon beach.
And your left hand's gettin' used to that ring.

Inevitably the preganancy test results lead into the next stage - the one of becoming a father. Time for Songwriter Chase McGill to contribute his own experiences: "I might have looked a little faint or something, and I just remember him going, ‘How you doing there, Dad?’ It hit me right then: ‘Holy crap, this is real, man. I’m fixing to be a dad.'" It is the stage when time seems to accelerate until the kids have grown up and make their first attempts at moving out.

Next thing you know,
it's first steps, first dates, first car.
It's 11:01 wonderin' where they are.
You're sayin' that USC's too far,
it's amazing how fast seventeen years go.

Eventually it's the entry into the final stage in life, when the kids of your own kids are romping around in the yard. It's also time for the story of the song to fade out. "We didn’t kill anybody in the song", songwriter Greylan James says. "Of which we’re very proud of [since] we’re talking about life."

'Next Thing You Know' already is the second single from the second studio album with the title "Bluebird Days", which was released February 2023. Lydia Farthing of Holler.com describes it as "a graduation of sorts for Davis, who spends much of the album diving into the concepts of life, love, family and faith."

Initially it was the intention to release 'Tucson Too Late' as the follow-up single to the Number-1 hit 'Buy Dirt'- the duet with Luke Bryan, which has already honed in on life, love and family. But streaming numbers clearly voted for 'Next Thing You Know'. With currently over 84 mio. Spotify-streams and number 3 on the radio chart, that decision is clearly confirmed.

Just like it does acknowledge the instinct of Jordan Davis for recording catchy hit songs. No wonder, all his previous 7 singles have reached the Top-5 on the Radio (Billboard Country Airplay) Chart. And chances are good, that his current single might become his 5th Number-1. Unless the 2 biggest songs of the year so far ('Last Night' by Morgan Wallen and 'Fast Car' by Luke Combs) keep on blocking him from reaching the very top!