Analysis of Kenny Chesney’s “Anything But Mine”

Kenny Chesney is a name that every country music fan knows. He has a different type of country music than most classic country music artists, though. Chesney is known for his island sounding, tiki howling songs that certainly could be heard sitting around a bonfire on the beach.

Since releasing his first studio album (In My Wildest Dreams) in 1994, Chesney has sold over 30 million albums worldwide. He has also received dozens of awards, including awards from the Academy of Country Music (ACM) and Country Music Association (CMA).

In January 2005, Chesney released a single called, “Anything But Mine.” It was the fifth single from his ninth studio album, When The Sun Goes Down, and was written by songwriter Scooter Carusoe. “Anything But Mine” hit No. 1 in just six months and has become a classic song of Chesney’s.

The song follows a young teenage boy and girl as they spend their last night together before he leaves for his hometown of Cleveland, TN. Presumably on a summer vacation in a beach town, the lyrics describe the night in detail.

“Walking alone beneath the lights of that miracle mile,
Me and Mary making our way into the night.
You can hear the cries from the carnival rides,
The pinball bills, skee ball slides,
Watching the summer sun fall out of sight.”

The rest of the first verse describes the atmosphere during this exact moment. When you reach the chorus, you’re hit with a loud belting of the line:

“And in the morning I’m leaving, making my way back to Cleveland,
So tonight I hope that I will do just fine.”

A picture I took during “Anything But Mine” at The Brothers of the Sun Tour in 2012 at FirstEnergy Stadium

Up until researching the lyrics of this song, I had always thought this line in the chorus was referring to Cleveland, OH. Although about the city in Tennessee, Chesney still embraces it when he comes to Ohio.

I’ve seen Chesney live twice and both times he ended his show with this song. The most epic ending to a set I’ve ever seen occurred during The Brothers of the Sun Tour in the summer of 2012. The tour consisted of Chesney and Tim McGraw headlining. The tour rolled into FirstEnergy Stadium (formerly Cleveland Browns Stadium) in the middle of downtown Cleveland.

Chesney performed this song while the buildings of Cleveland towered over him and his stage and when he sang the chorus, the stadium echoed his words. It was an unreal and chill-worthy moment that I will never forget.

The last line of the chorus reads: “And I don’t see how you could ever be anything but mine.” This line adds the cherry on top to a perfect sounding stanza of lyrics. (I’m a big fan of this song, can’t you tell?)

The song continues with events that they experience throughout the night and comes to a close with an acoustic and haunting chorus.

“Anything But Mine” has been certified gold and you can watch the music video below.

Country Music Through The Years

Music is all around us. Everywhere we go, we are affected by music. Country music has been around for many years and, according to a 2012 blog post, now holds the position as the most popular genre of music.

The first generation of country music began in the 1920s, and Atlanta’s music scene is credited for playing a major role in launching country’s earliest artists. For some time, country music was dubbed “hillbilly” music. Those who recorded “hillbilly” music began recording blues music into the next decade.

The second generation of country music took place from the 1930s to 1940s. During this generation, many different country music sounds were born, including western swing, hillbilly boogie, bluegrass, folk, gospel and honky tonk. Hank Williams’ career took off during this generation. Williams’ style was eventually referred to as “traditional” country which paved the way for country legends, such as George Jones and even Elvis Presley.

Nashville, Tenn. (Photo taken by me)

The 1950s and 1960s are referred to as the third generation of country music. It was during this generation that Nashville began playing a bigger role in country music’s history. Beginning in the mid-1950s, the “Nashville sound” emerged, turning country music into a multimillion-dollar industry. Names like Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn topped the charts during this period. In addition, the country soul and country rock sounds were introduced.

The fourth generation took place in the 1970s and 1980s. Outlaw country dominated the genre for a while, with artists like Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson. This was also the beginning of country pop and Dolly Parton’s failed campaign to cross-over to pop music.

The 1990s are considered to be the fifth generation of country music. Garth Brooks, who recently appeared on the final show of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, is credited for the world domination of country music in the 90s due to his enormous success. Other huge names saw success during this generation, including Shania Twain, Reba McEntire, Clint Black, Brooks & Dunn and George Strait.

Currently, we are in the sixth generation of country music. This is the most success this genre has ever seen. Some industry experts credit Taylor Swift for rekindling the country music genre among teens and young adults, including artists such as Keith Urban and Blake Shelton.

Country music has a clear place in today’s music industry. Now, more than ever, country plays a huge role in mainstream music. So much so that iHeartRadio is hosting its first-ever iHeartRadio Country Festival in March. Following the success of their first two all-genre festivals, iHeartRadio announced the country festival last month. It became an instant sell-out and will take place in Austin, Texas.

Some people rag on country music for being all the “same” (prime example from BuzzFeed) but, while mainstream country music can be repetitive, doesn’t the same apply for all music genres? I’m not going to lie, that video made me chuckle. But country music and its history have a much more relevant place in music history than that. I hope to prove that to my readers with each post I make.

What am I listening to? Raised On It – Sam Hunt