Top Ten Songs of 2011 – #2
Brad Paisley’s This is Country Music is a typical Brad Paisley album. That means it features his patented blend of wry humor and heart-on-sleeve sentimentality, set to the sounds of a peerless backing band, led by Paisley’s own lead guitar heroics.
After discovering Paisley through his previous (and still career best) album, American Saturday Night, I snapped up everything in his discography and discovered that he’s one of the most consistent artists working today. You know what you’re gonna get from Brad Paisley, and it’s exactly what you want.
But the biggest surprise on This Is Country Music, and my favorite song on the album, is something I didn’t expect at all. On ‘Working On a Tan,’ Paisley channels Dick Dale and the Beach Boys and delivers a blistering guitar solo that’s part ‘Misirlou’ and part James Bond.
This is a surf-rock opus that kick-started the summer like a hand-grenade in a watermelon.
She’s got the time
She’s got a deeper shade in mind
She’s got headphones
She’s got spring break
Swimsuit and Coppertone 8
She’s working on a tan
She’s sitting in the sand
Chilling in a chair
Flower in her hair
Margarita in her hand
Soaking up the sun
Getting next to nothing done
There’s a term paper due in a week or two
Only she don’t give a damn
She’s working on a tan
Working on a tan
All the Kappa Sigma boys been lifting weights
Hitting that gym, drinking protein shakes
They got a cooler full of beer and it’s loaded in the jeep
Why do you think they’re going to the beach?
Because she’s working on a tan
She’s sitting in the sand
Chilling in a chair
Flower in her hair
Margarita in her hand
Soaking up the sun
Getting next to nothing done
She’s attracting a crowd
Got their tongues hanging out
But she don’t give a damn
She’s working on a tan
Working on a tan
Yeah so many things run through her mind
Reapply…
So this week while you’re stuck in your cubicle
Or you’re serving Starbucks or you’re still in school
Far from rubbing sunscreen on your skin
Sorry but I have to rub it in
She’s working on a tan
She’s sitting in the sand
Chilling in a chair
Flower in her hair
Margarita in her hand
Soaking up the sun
Getting next to nothing done
Forget her grades
Forget her GPA
She don’t give a damn
She’s working on a tan
Working on a tan
Meet Me In Montauk 
Well, I can’t comment on the song because, apparently the YouTube gods have yanked it due to copyright infringement.
Argh! Fixed.
That’s better. Such a fun song, and the guitar work is great. I’m ready to lie out on a beach blanket right now with this song playing.
Love the line “Yeah so many things run thing her mind
Reapply…”
Guess that line should have said “run through,” not “run thing.” That’s what I get for copying and pasting:)
Fixed that too!
My favorite line is “Sorry, but I have to rub it in.”
I enjoyed this song very much when we first listened to the album, but I’m not sure it’s my favorite on the album, let alone the year!!