COUNTRY LYRICS ROLL WITH IT FULL

Following this, he was inspired to create an album about ‘going to church’, but one that was aimed at an audience that was perhaps being left cold by classic faith-based music. What has Jelly Roll said about ‘Need A Favor’?ĭuring a 2023 appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience Podcast, Jelly Roll explained that ‘Need A Favor’ was born from his experience revisiting the backroad church of his youth, Whitsitt Chapel, with his daughter. Jelly Roll aims to craft music for those who are in pain and who aren't necessarily regular Sunday morning attendees at church (see Whitsitt Chapel's ‘ The Lost’, for example).īy choosing to be vulnerable and open about his self-serving approach to faith, he ensures the spirit of ‘Need A Favor’ is made more widely accessible than traditional gospel songs. “I know Amazing Grace But, I ain't been livin' them words Swear, I spend more Sundays Drunk off my ass, than I have in church Hardcover King James Only been savin' dust, on the nightstand And I don't know what to say By the time I fold my hands” ‘Need A Favor’ is pervaded by a sense of self-reproach, as Jelly questions how he can possibly expect God to hear him out and help him yet again, when he only turns to prayer when it's his last resort. For instance, the lines ‘I only pray, when I ain't got a prayer’ and ‘Who the hell am I, to expect a savior?’ both subtly flip commonly used expressions that carry religious undertones.

COUNTRY LYRICS ROLL WITH IT FULL

‘Need A Favor’ is full to the brim with witty turns of phrase and satisfying wordplay. “I only talk to God, when I need a favor And I only pray, when I ain't got a prayer So, who the hell am I? Who the hell am I, to expect a savior? Oh-oh-ohh If I only talk to God, when I need a favor? But God, I need a favor” The studio version also incorporates this, with the chorus growing more and more choral as the song progresses. When he performed ‘Need A Favor’ at the 2023 CMT Awards, Jelly Roll was accompanied by a choir, which enhanced the celestial, angelic feel of the hook, cleverly juxtaposing Jelly Roll's confessions.

Opening boldly with the chorus accompanied by simple, sparse instrumentation, the song then launches straight into Jelly Roll's introspective lines about the flaws and imperfections that he feels are obstructing his path towards spiritual redemption.

‘Need A Favor’ embodies this, with Jelly Roll's soul-searching verses pivoting powerfully around a stirring, high-octane hook.Īs usual, Jelly's raspy, evocative vocals are anchored by a driving, hip hop beat, while the rest of the sonic architecture is built upon a more country-leaning, guitar-based foundation. Jelly Roll prides himself on his chameleonic style of music, which draws inspiration from a diverse range of genres. Boosted by his rousing, choir-backed performance of the track during the 2023 CMT Awards, many expect ‘Need A Favor’ to become the second No. ‘Need A Favor’ is the undisputed keystone around which Whitsitt Chapel was constructed, and towards the end of July, the anthemic song surged to the top of the charts to become Jelly Roll's second consecutive No. Jelly often seeks to do this through religious imagery and faith-filled messaging, conveyed throughout Whitsitt Chapel on tracks such as ‘Church’ and ‘Nail Me’.

Released ahead of his hotly anticipated 2023 album, Whitsitt Chapel, ‘Need A Favor’ doubled-down on Jelly Roll's commitment to using music as a means of comforting and reassuring listeners. A post shared by Holler a troubled past that was tainted by a number of arrests, prolonged stints in jail and a variety of traumatic, life-altering experiences, Jelly Roll frequently translates his struggles into raw, visceral lyricism, epitomised by his 2022 single, ‘Need A Favor’.

Country lyrics roll with it