Its lyrics are childish, immature and there is a great deal of objectification in them (“Got hips like honey, so thick and so sweet, it ain’t no curves like hers on them downtown streets,” he sings, in one of the verses). High school or college students could have written lyrics with more meaning and substance. Most of the lyrics in “Body Like a Back Road” are cliché. Also, does it really take four songwriters to write this forgettable tune?
First and foremost, the song is hardly even country. The term “bro-country” or pop would be more appropriate for its genre. “Body Like a Back Road” sits at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Airplay charts this week, and just the thought that it might be taking over the top spot on those charts is quite ludicrous, especially when there are so many better songs in the contemporary country music scene that never see the light of day on country radio.
There are so many songs far better written, better performed (vocally and instrumentally), and they are actually country, yet country radio seems to ignore and bypass them to play this irritating tune instead. Very distributing indeed. This is an example of a singer’s popularity (Sam Hunt’s) and heartthrob status exceeding the quality of the music that he puts out.
The Verdict
Overall, Sam Hunt’s latest single “Body Like a Back Road” garners 1 out of 5 stars. It is one of those songs that one instantly wants to switch the radio station each time that it comes on. Even the country-pop singles that he released earlier on in his career (“Leave the Night On,” “House Party” and “Take Your Time”) were far better quality than this horrid and annoying track.