Watermelon Moonshine

"Then I looked at the lists and tried to combine my likes and dislikes into titles. My least favorite food of all time is watermelon and my least favorite alcohol is moonshine … I think I turned those lists into a handful of titles, but ‘Watermelon Moonshine’ is the only one I ever resonated with enough to try writing it."

(Josh Kear / billboard.com, June 8, 2023)

In the radio (Billboard Country Airplay) chart of September 1, 2023, Lainey Wilson 's current single climbs one notch up to number 10, giving her the third top-10 solo hit of her still young career. ' Watermelon Moonshine ' is a nostalgically happy summer song reminiscent of young summer love. A summer love that also led to the first intimate touches

It was right after senior year,
just before the summer disappeared.
We went a-ridin' them old farm ruts,
hangin' out on the gate of his truck.
 

We threw a blanket 'neath the sunset,
bein' brave as 18 gets.
We gave each other more than our hearts
with the help of a mason jar,

drinkin' watermelon moonshine.

(Watermelon Moonshine / Josh Kear, Lainey Wilson, Jordan Schmidt)  

The term moonshine stands for home-distilled alcohol, which was illegally produced at night during Prohibition - i.e. the legal ban on the production, transport and sale of alcohol in the USA in the 1920s. Unspectacularly, the recipe for Wartermelon Moonshine calls for equal parts watermelon juice and high-proof ethyl alcohol Everclear, often peppered with lime and made in a mason jar. It can now also be purchased under the Midnight Moon and Ole Smoky Tennessee brands.

The title of the song not only stands for a first encounter with alcohol, but also allows for a first sexual experience. "This song is about young, wild, and crazy love that we all hope to experience," Lainey Wilson is quoted by holler.country about the song's subject. "From locking eyes for the first time, to playing spin the bottle with an Ole Smoky mason jar, to being too crazy about each other to tame it."

The official video for the song goes for the theme of nostalgic memories, triggered by a mason jar that probably once contained the moonshine. It also becomes a hook and a common thread when it reveals its content as a time capsule at the end of the video. A harmlessly nice video where only the skimpy bikini looks a bit out of place.

"A lot of folks have compared it to 'Strawberry Wine'", Lainey Wilson tells americansongwriter.com , referring to the 1996 Deana Carter hit written by Matraca Berg, which also deals with first sexual experiences and a summer love. "There will never be another 'Strawberry Wine', but this could be the modern take on it. Maybe we need to do a little mash-up or something."  

The decision to make 'Watermelon Moonshine' the second single after ' Heart Like A Truck ' (number 7 on the radio charts) from her current album "BellBottom Country" came after Lainey Wilson sang the track during the 5th season of the hit series Yellowstone in December of 2022. Director Taylor Sheridan had written a small role for the artist and invited her to the hit series after her music had previously been featured as part of the soundtrack. 

Lainey Wilson is by far the most popular and successful female artist in the genre right now. On September 26th she will even be appearing for the first time at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheater near Denver. Anyone wanting to watch the show live by the way, can do so at short notice from anywhere in the world via veeps for the price of $14. However, he or she must be aware of what that means: the concert starts at 3 a.m. CET.

After her debut number one hit of 'Things A Man Oughta Know ' she is still missing a follow-up. But there is definitely no need for worry as her career is still young and maybe with a little help from some watermelon moonshine she will soon be able to celebrate just that ...