Do my ears deceive me? Am I actually hearing a summer song, by Billy Currington no less, that nowhere mentions hot girls or cold beer? In contrast, "Love Done Gone" finds Billy singing a breakup song - but not a sad breakup song, a happy one. The lyrics offer little insight into the circumstances surrounding the breakup. The single's defining feature is, not the song lyrics, but rather a jolly melody and horn-infused production. It's clear that the song mainly aims to be catchy, and it definitely succeeds in that department.
The song's narrator essentially sounds like the same laid-back character that has surfaced in most of Billy's recent hits. In the wake of his recent split, he shrugs off any feelings of hurt or disappointment, and accepts the relationship's end as an inevitable happening that was bound to come sooner or later. The majority of the lyric sheet is filled with examples of things disappearing, fading away, or coming to an end.
Many of these various similes and metaphors - ranging from "leaves on the trees when the autumn comes" to "bubbles disappearin' in a glass of champagne" - toe the line between clever and hokey. Ultimately, the oddball lyrics and quirky production make for a single that is oddly charming, ridiculously catchy, and instantly recognizable right from the opening "ba-ba-da-ba-da-ba" hook.
Only time will tell how this single offering will wear on us. Perhaps we'll find ourselves loving it, then hating it, and then loving it again after some time away from it. At any rate, "Love Done Gone" is the most interesting single Billy's put out in quite some time. It works for me.
BILLY'S SCORE: 8
(Scores are given on a scale of 1 to 10)
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