When Chris Janson first released “Drunk Girl,” it was hailed as “quite possibly the most important song to come out of Nashville in years” (CMT), and the value of its message continues to prove itself. The breakout star took home the award for Song of the Year at last night’s MusicRow Awards, the 30th annual ceremony honoring writers and publishers on the craft of songwriting.
“I just have to tell you, I always wanted to write with Tom Douglas, and I always wanted to write with Scooter Carusoe,” said Janson on stage at the ceremony. “It was not so easy picking this song because it’s a lot to take on, and we knew that when we wrote it. I have to honestly give the reins and the credit to the two guys right here up on stage with me. Because without passion for real songs, sometimes as artists / writers we get lost in what we think is going to work real fast – and that’s the wrong way to look at songs. That’s what I’ve learned from these guys. I’ve learned how to be a better songwriter and how to be just a better human, better Christian, better dad and a better husband.”
During the presentation, MusicRow Publisher / Owner Sherod Roberton read a portion of Robert K. Oermann’s review of “Drunk Girl,” saying, “Each vocal performance seems more impressive than the one before. He drew me into this with extraordinary intimacy. It’s also a wonderfully inventive lyric about behaving like a gentleman. A superb record.”
Of the winning song Janson described, “You want your kids to be treated with respect and you want people to love your kids as you love them. The only thing I can say is… I see drunk people in the audience every night, I see people who are not drunk in the audience every night. We all see people getting taken advantage of in this world, and if it was my daughter I’d just hate that. And if it was my son, I’d hate it even worse. If you’re a parent in here, I pray that your kids are blessed with the knowledge to know better in life and to do the right thing. That’s really what this song’s about.”
The singer / songwriter has earned nearly 30 million streams with “Drunk Girl” as it climbs into the Top 25 at country radio.
