Joel Lee kicks up his heels on his exhilarating new hillbilly rocker Jump Jump — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
The Nanaimo country musician’s latest single is like a breath of fresh air in the genre, and that’s no coincidence. Lee admits he penned the song after he found himself tiring of the standard topics of country music. Whether it was the breakups, cheating, or the ballads of beer-soaked regret Lee was seeking something new, fun and exciting. Jump Jump more than meets that need.
Lee says the inspiration came from a quiet Saturday evening, one where he wasn’t “pouring myself out like the cheap beer being consumed on the dance floor in front of me.” The musician aspired to capture that feeling, being “right there at that moment” in a near-capacity watering hole with shouts for Free Bird audible from the back.
Jump Jump has all the makings of a hit single with its punchy verses and even punchier chorus. From the steady drumming courtesy of Lee’s son Brayden Wiggers to the mandolin work that recalls the iconic riff in Aerosmith’s Walk This Way, the single is an attention-grabber from the outset. The hook and melody instantly become ear worms as Lee sings of seizing the day and making every moment count regardless of any hurdles or inner hesitations:
“My mama said, don’t be a’scared of nothin’
Take the world on a one-way ride
Try something new that you ain’t never done
Baby raise that bar tonight
Shout shout, let it all out, let all your free birds fly
Bottoms up to the bottom of the cup, let’s get loose tonight
Jump, jump, Forest Gump, take it nationwide.”
The song came together so fast that the rough demo was done 90 minutes after the initial inkling. The singer describes it as an “uptempo disco-country banger” while melding it “to a groove that even Kool & The Gang would savour.” Another kernel of inspiration came from the title character of the 1994 Oscar winner for Best Picture.
“Truth be told, I absolutely loved the movie, and Tom Hanks is one of my favourite actors,” Lee says. “I interpreted the character of Forrest Gump as fearless, willing to jump at any opportunity that presented itself, and in doing so, he touched so many lives.” Mirroring Gump’s adventurous streak, Lee ended up doing a freestyle rap near the song’s homestretch in one take.
“I have never rapped before in my life and was actually going to lean on some of my friends who are fantastic rap artists,” Lee says. “But I figured, ‘What the heck?’ To my delight, the redneck rap actually came to me quite naturally and so quickly. Mind blown.”
Inspired by performers from Eric Church and Keith Urban to bands like Kings Of Leon and Coldplay, Lee first made headway in Canadian country circles with 2020’s Adrenaline and 2021’s The Party Ain’t Over. Check out Jump Jump above, hear more from Joel Lee below, and run over to his website, Instagram and TikTok.
