Growing up in Milton, Delaware, 32-year-old Jimmie Allen was just your average, everyday guy before moving to Nashville in 2007. Like many would-be stars, he was looking to make a name for himself in country music. But people didn’t like Allen’s sound. Or his Western look. But he refused to trade in his cowboy boots for a prescribed style.
Years later, Allen has finally arrived. He’s gone from living out of a Chevy Malibu to being the father of the three-year-old boy he loves deeply. And Allen’s distinct style is finally catching the ears of listeners. His debut album, Mercury Lane, landed in October, and his single “Best Shot” has climbed to the top of Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. It’s a soul-filled, guitar-led track sung from the perspective of a man who is grateful for a woman who has changed his life for the better.
Allen launches into the song by recalling failures and stinging setbacks: “I’m just flesh and bone, heart and soul/And I’ve earned a couple scars/I’ve let once-in-a-lifetime kind of things slide right out of my arms.” Then he adds, “I’ve struck out, I’ve been knocked down more times than I can count.”
Those days, however, are over. “But that don’t matter now,” he tells us. That’s because the faithful woman he sings about here always sees the best in him and encourages him (“You saw a spark inside of me that no one else could find/ … And there’s no doubt because of you I’m not the man I was before you”), and he vows to love her with his whole heart (“I’m not saying that I’m perfect, oh, ’cause girl you know I’m not/But I’ll love you with everything I’ve got”).
And Allen’s not done gushing about this special lady yet, even adding some spiritual allusions. He tells her, “Girl you’re always on my mind/… It’s like angels singing every time I hear your name.” He recalls the moment they first met (“When I saw you for the first time/I knew I’d found amazing grace”). And he also admits again, “I’m not saying that I’m perfect,” this time adding, “God knows I’m not.”
The only problematic line in this romantic ode to a good woman is one that very subtly implies waking up in bed with his lover, with no definite confirmation that they’ve tied the knot: “Your good-morning eyes, they get me high.”
As for the song’s video, it features clips from Allen’s childhood. He reminisces on the past, and we see images of him as a boy playing with toy cars and developing a love for music, flashing forward to more home videos and family pictures. It’s a series of images that reinforce the main theme of this upbeat song: becoming a better man.
According to Taste of Country, Allen said of his single “I’m humbled and grateful … to know that my song is connecting with people and resonating in a way that hopefully makes us all better people in the end, because that’s really what ‘Best Shot’ is all about.”
Those words ring true in his lyrics and in his video. “Best Shot” is about being a better person for the one you love, while recognizing a partner’s huge contribution to the person you are. It’s about understanding that the people who love us have the greatest impact on our lives, and remembering that they are worth every moment, every effort and every breath.
Kristin Smith joined the Plugged In team in 2017. Formerly a Spanish and English teacher, Kristin loves reading literature and eating authentic Mexican tacos. She and her husband, Eddy, love raising their children Judah and Selah. Kristin also has a deep affection for coffee, music, her dog (Cali) and cat (Aslan).
