Billy Currington – “Love Done Gone”

Songwriters: Shawn Camp and Marv Green

Nowhere is it written that a great summer song–even a great country summer song–must be about beer and girls and trucks. In fact, from a purely competitive standpoint, one of the smartest things a writer of a fun summer song could do is make it about something else entirely, such that it might less readily bleed into the sea of sun-crisped contenders that begin hitting the airwaves around this time of year.

Dealing in precisely the same subject matter as “Staying’s Worse Than Leaving,” “Love Done Gone” takes a dramatically different tack, trading in all the soul-searching lyricism of Sweeney’s song for matter-of-fact acceptance and celebration. In doing so, it focuses almost exclusively on the exhilarating part of moving beyond a relationship that, for whatever reason, simply was not working anymore. It’s a less multifaceted view of the breakup situation, certainly, but ultimately quite an infectious one.

With lyrics as vague about future plans as they are about causes of the split (“it ain’t nothing we ever said or ever did wrong/It’s just love done gone“), much of the song’s message comes via its sound, a lively fusion of contemporary country and Dixieland jazz (complete with horns and–oddly but memorably–backing vocals that mimic them) signaling greener pastures ahead. Currington is right in his mid-tempo sweet spot here, and the obvious ease with which he settles into the song’s carefree groove reinforces the impression that this particular parting, little as we actually know about it, was definitely for the best. Otherwise, why would he sound so darn happy?

In keeping with the theme of “love done gone,” the lyrics of the chorus are filled out by examples of things disappearing suddenly. Such a simple conceit could be a recipe for disaster, but thankfully the examples used are of generally high quality: “dogwood blossoms in a late spring rain,” “disappearing bubbles in a glass of champagne,” “a red kite lost in a blue sky wind.” Those are some fairly vivid, memorable images for a song whose most immediate ambition is sounding catchy.

He might push the horns back a bit and nix the cheesy vocal backing, but the song itself wouldn’t sound out of place in George Strait’s recent discography, which probably bodes well for its chances at becoming Currington’s seventh #1 single. If that does come to pass, no complaints here.

Listen: Billy Currington – “Love Done Gone”