Online by Brad Paisley

Have you ever pretended to be someone that you are not online ir slightly stretched the truth, to convince someone of something that isn’t necessarily 100% true? While most of you are may be thinking “Oh Gosh I would never do that,” I'm sure most of you have thought about the possibility.

The Internet is a beautiful thing. It’s a pivotal technological advances like electricity and the telephone that has changed society. Like every major advance in technology there are things that develop that we are not so proud of. The innovation of industrialization led to kids working in factories in unsafe working conditions, advances in medicine have inadvertently helped create illegal drugs. And the sense of anonymity on the internet has enabled people to misrepresent themselves that have led to heinous crimes (have you ever watched those pedophiles trying to lure kids in on “To Catch A Predator” it doesn’t get more disgusting than that).



But it’s all not that bad.

Brad Paisley’s “Online” celebrates this feeling freedom that the internet provides. Is it a little sad and pathetic to spend time in your parents’ basement having a “three-way chat with two girls at the same time”? But if everyone involved in enjoying the interaction and living out a fantasy through each other, is it really all that bad?

Country music isn’t all about cowboys, drinking booze and being on a farm. Brad Paisley continues to lead country music into the 21st century commenting on the realities on modern life, sometimes with a serious tone but more often than note with his quick wit and a mischievous smile.

Paisley’s lyrics tell the story of a guy who lives a fantasy life online that is a stark contrast to his own reality living in his parents basement. His rhyme are smooth and clever, “I drive a Maserati, I’m a black-belt in karate.” Like the great lyrics of Motown, the rhymes don’t draw attention to themselves but rather add to the cohesiveness of the song.

Paisley’s sing with a unpretentious everyman voice while his other voice, his guitar is just out of this world. The solo after the bridge in which he trades off with the violin, oh good lord, it’s just wrong how effortless that sounds.

The music video for “Online” is a hilarious as the song featuring Jason Alexander and William Shatner. Itadds an ending that’s not in the song. The protagonist realizes that the girl across the street is better than any fantasy that he could have online encouraging us to get out of our basements.

We all have fantasy worlds we escape into whether its in books, sports, films or playing online games. These fantasies allow us to live a different life, experience drama in a more immediate and safe way but they are just fantasies. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that even though in life it can be more difficult reach out and connect with others, it its that face to face human connection that is the most meaningful connections of all.