Song Spotlight: Eli Young Band – Love Ain’t

Struggles, success, and how “Love Ain’t” is more than just a song.

The Eli Young band is known for unique, edge teetering, country music so when you first hear their new song Love Ain’t I didn’t think it was going to invoke all of the feelings, but t did. Lyrically as you’re listening to the song you’re picturing a guy telling a woman that she’s in a relationship that is loveless however he may not know exactly what love is, but he does know that what she’s in, is not love. The chorus pretty much sums it up, or so I thought.

“Love ain’t you on a sidewalk in your new dress all alone

Love ain’t you calling me ’cause he ain’t picking up his phone

The way you’re talking sounds like he’s somebody you should hate

I may not know what love is girl, but I know what love ain’t

Come over let me show you what he can’t

‘Cause he can only show you what love ain’t”  

With an upbeat tempo along with a hard-hitting drum kick to keep you in the beat, it is hard not to want this song to succeed. Finding yourself seeing situations that fit this song, like while walking in a big box store hearing a couple argue and thinking and even singing under your breath…”Love ain’t” in all its catchiness glory.

And after listening to the song many times due to its ability to either rise you up or mellow you out,  I was prompted to watch the music video. Which gave me an entirely new perspective on the song. Just in the beginning knowing that I was going to need my box of tissues when they mentioned they were proud supporters partnered with the Wounded Warrior’s Project I knew I was in for a tear-jerker.

Wounded Warriors is a non-profit that supports veterans and active-duty servicemen with pressing needs. The video spotlights veteran Taylor Morris, who became a quadruple amputee after an explosion in Afghanistan, along with Danielle his wife. You can check out the audio clip here. 

Mike Eli, was quoted from Westwood One, about the video saying,

“This couple went through something that we’ll never be able to imagine and their story, the way that you see these photos and these videos of what they’ve gone through, it’s just the perfect life lesson.”

The video makes the bold statement at the beginning talking about what is about to come…Love Ain’t always easy…but that is when it matters most. Danielle proved that neither tragedy nor distance could keep her away from her love, and she’s been right by his side every step of the way in his recovery. Full of pictures and videos of struggles and success and an amazing homecoming by the hundreds of friends, family, and supporters in his hometown of Cedar Falls Iowa.

Mike Eli hopes the video will shed light on the struggles and sacrifices men and women face when returning from deployment as he knows the military family life well with two brothers being in the Marines he saw first hand what his sisters went thru, and I have no doubt that it will.

At the time of writing this Love Ain’t has been firing up the charts and had jumped from #4 to #3 on the Music Row Country Break-out chart. And if that wasn’t good enough news, the Eli Young Band just announced it will release a new album called; THIS IS ELI YOUNG BAND (GREATEST HITS) on March 29.

“This is the first time you’ve ever been able to get some of that older music, new music, and the hits all in one place,” shared EYB’s Mike Eli during his Facebook Live.

I know what you are thinking, How can they already have a “Greatest Hits” album? Well, they were founded at the University of North Texas circa 2000, the Eli Young Band has history under their belt and we are glad it is coming together on this next album I can’t wait to get my hands on.