Single Review: ‘Hey Pretty Girl’ – Kip Moore
11 years ago Liv Carter 7
Songwriters: Kip Moore, Dan Couch
To follow up the #1 success of his previous two singles, ‘Somethin’ ’bout a Truck’ and ‘Beer Money,’ Kip Moore is changing gears. ‘Hey Pretty Girl’ is a sweet, quiet, and beautiful love song.
On first listen, this sounds like the telling of a couple’s love story, phase by phase. The titular phrase evolves from a pick-up line to referring to their new baby girl. Digging a little deeper, Moore and co-writer Dan Couch did more than just story-telling. By setting each part, except for the very last, in the present tense, this plays like the character’s imagining of what life might become, making it even more intimate. Telling the story this way takes you into his private thoughts rather than just description. It is done subtly enough that you can hear this both ways and have it still make sense, but after repeated listening one starts to suspect that Moore is really telling himself that ‘Life’s a long and winding ride / Better have the right one by your side / Happiness don’t drag its feet / And time moves faster than you think.’
The unobtrusive arrangement is built around very simple guitar lines. Steel floats around in the background and scattered piano notes provide some sparkle. As the story progresses, so does the mix, with soft drums not making an entrance until the second act. Brett James’ production rightfully directs all focus to Moore’s vocals by sparsely dressing up the basic track, and by letting percussion drop away entirely when not needed, as in the last four lines.
With this perfect single choice, ‘Hey Pretty Girl’ should continue Kip Moore’s successful run at radio.
‘Hey Pretty Girl’ will impact radio on January 29.
This is obviously not the radio version of this song, but I love his introduction here. It reinforces my belief that songwriters often use their songs’ characters to talk to their own inner selves.
Liv Carter
She holds several certificates from Berklee College of Music, and a certificate in Positive Psychology from UC Berkeley.
Her main influences are coffee, cats, and Alexander Hamilton.
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