We round out the latest edition of ‘What the Kids are Listening To’ with one more track by Morgan Wallen — his third this week. Wallen is at #14 this week with ‘Just in Case,’ right behind Billie Eilish at $13 with ‘Birds of a Feather.’
‘Just in Case’ is the fourth single from Wallen’s album I’m the Problem (which drops today), and it’s less of a banger than the first three. This one is a heartsick ballad more in line with the pre-Wallen country landscape, but it demonstrates that he can score a hit in that space as well.
This look at the current Billboard chart suggests that musical success right now is split about evenly between rap, country, and main pop girls. Rock, in either its classic or alternative forms, appears to be officially dead.
I ain’t sayin’ that I always sleep alone
I ain’t sayin’ that I ain’t met no one else
Done a little bit of midnight movin’ on
And I ain’t sayin’ when I do that it don’t help
Leave with someone, I don’t know her name
Pull her real close, but I leave some space
And I could forget you, girl, for good
Even though I should
[Chorus]
I never let my heart go all the way
Every time I try, I just hit the brakes
And there’s always a couple tryna take your place
But I never fall in love, baby, just in case
You wake up wantin’ me out of the blue
You lay down needin’ what I used to do
Yeah, every now and then, I go get a taste
But I never fall in love, baby, just in case
Just in case
[Verse 2]
I always take it to the edge, then I back it up
They don’t know I got a reason for actin’ up
I ain’t felt a damn thing, baby, after us
Yeah, I’m just hopin’ you’ll come back to us
That’s wishful thinkin’, baby, honestly
But I know you ain’t forgotten me
[Chorus]
So I never let my heart go all the way
Every time I try, I just hit the brakes
And there’s always a couple tryna take your place
But I never fall in love, baby, just in case
You wake up wantin’ me out of the blue
You lay down needin’ what I used to do
Yeah, every now and then, I go get a taste
But I never fall in love, baby, just in case
Just in case
[Bridge]
Leave with someone, I don’t know her name
Pull her real close, but I leave some space
Yeah, I could have three words on my tongue
But I won’t ever say ’em
[Chorus]
‘Cause I never let my heart go all the way
Every time I try, I just hit the brakes
And there’s always a couple tryna take your place
But I never fall in love, baby, just in case
You wake up wantin’ me out of the blue
You lay down needin’ what I used to do
Yeah, every now and then, I go get a taste
But I never fall in love, baby, just in case
Just in case
Meet Me In Montauk 
Wow! Pronouncing rock dead is quite the declaration! Similar epitaphs were written in the disco era of the 70s and then came punk and heavy metal, and again in the 80s and then came grunge. I suspect rock will be resurrected again, probably ny the end the decade, but we shall see.