Sound Off: Is Alan Jackson’s ‘The Older I Get’ a Hit? [Listen]
Alan Jackson's new single "The Older I Get" is the sort of lyrical masterpiece a young artist dreams of. It's a bittersweet ballad that found the perfect voice for all the wisdom, good advice and adages the writers had to offer.
Could anyone else have worked through this song with the patience Jackson shows? Despite being past the peak of his commercial success, the Country Music Hall of Famer still gathers songs from some of Nashville's best and then customizes them without taking credit. Officially Adam Wright, Hailey Whitters and Sarah Allison Turner wrote "The Older I Get," but in a press release the 59-year-old admits to nipping and tucking each verse and chorus to his specifications.
As he nears official senior citizen-dom, Jackson has fallen into the role of mesmerizing commentator, a la Morgan Freeman. The rise and fall of his phrasings, the way he'll pull off a word instead of powering through and his unique dedication to storytelling all come at no expense of vocal quality or melody. It's effortless, which means that enjoying songs like "The Older I Get" are, too.
Proof Alan Jackson Has Always Kept It Country
Did You Know?: "The Older I Get" is the first sample of a new Alan Jackson album expected in 2018.
Alan Jackson's "The Older I Get Lyrics:
The older I get / The more I think / You only get a minute, you better live while you’re in it / Cause it’s gone in a blink / And the older I get / The truer it is / It’s the people you love, not the money and stuff / That makes you rich.
And if they found a fountain of youth / I wouldn’t drink a drop and that’s the truth / Funny how it feels I’m just getting to my best years yet.
The older I get / The fewer friends I have / But you don’t need a lot when the one’s that you got / Have always got your back / And the older I get / The better I am / At knowing when to give and to just not give a damn.
I don’t mind all the lines from all the times I’ve laughed and cried / Souvenirs and little signs of the life I’ve lived.
The older I get / The longer I pray / I don’t know why, I guess that I / Got more to say / And the older I get / The more thankful I feel / For the life I’ve had and all the life I’m living still.
Proof Country Music Is Alive and Well: