The chance to cheat can easily emerge even when you’re in a committed relationship. And that chance gets magnified if you’re a successful musician like countrified pop-rocker Andy Grammer. But no matter how tempting someone might seem in the moment, the best thing to do is just stay true to the one you love.
That’s the message of Grammer’s seriously catchy first hit,
“Honey, I’m Good.”
The story is pretty straightforward. Grammer plays the part of a dude drinking at a bar who realizes that indulging another round might increase the likelihood of giving in to temptation with a woman intent upon taking him home.
“Nah, nah, honey, I’m good,” he tells her. “I could have another, but I probably should not/I got somebody at home.”
That compact chorus encapsulates the song’s entire message. But Grammer does flesh the story out a bit more. “You look good, I will not lie,” he tells his would-be paramour. “But if you ask where I’m staying tonight/I gotta be like, Oh, baby, no, baby, you got me all wrong, baby/My baby’s already got all of my love.”
A bit further on, Grammer gives this persistent lady another version of the same message, only this time, there’s some crude objectification tossed into the mix. “I got her, and she got me/And you’ve got that a–.” Still, he insists again that he’s “good.”
Well, mostly.
We hear yet more declarations of this man’s determination not to end up in the arms of an illicit lover (“I gotta bid you adieu/To another, I will stay true”). But then we get an odd and rather wistful-sounding nod to the idea that while it’s not OK for him, it might be just dandy for someone else (“Oh, I’m sure ya, I’m sure ya will make somebody’s night/But, oh, I assure ya, assure ya, it sure as h—‘s not mine”).
Grammer admits the temptation he’s singing about is one he’s experienced firsthand. “Well, you know I’m married now,” he told the Miami Herald earlier this year. “So when I go out on tour, well, there are always hot girls around. The song’s about staying honest and being like, ‘Yes, you are smoking hot, but I’m good. I got a lady at home who is incredible. It’s worth staying truthful.'”
In a separate interview with hollywoodlife.com, he added that it’s important to be realistic about such temptations. “I totally am a good guy. I’ve never cheated on my wife ever. But to say that [temptation] doesn’t exist or it doesn’t happen and saying you never deal with it would be lying.”
So I can wholeheartedly applaud Grammer for a couple of significant things here. First, his commitment to his marriage in the face of temptation is absolutely praiseworthy. This 31-year-old singer seems determined not to betray his wife. And that commitment to faithfulness is hardly a given in the entertainment industry in general and the music world in particular.
Second, I really like Grammer’s forthrightness. He doesn’t try to deny that temptation exists or pretend he’s strong enough to easily resist it. He’s realistic about the fact that temptation is part and parcel of his chosen profession. That kind of pragmatic realism could play an important part in helping him stay out of situations where the temptation is more than he can bear. (2 Timothy 2:22 calls it fleeing “youthful lusts.”)
That said, the guy in this song isn’t doing that. This married (or at least committed) man seems to be knocking back rounds by himself in a bar … not exactly the wisest choice if resisting temptation is something you aspire to.
That he says no to a woman’s attractive offer is laudable. That he put himself in her line of sight to begin with, well, not so much. And, of course, then he spends a fair amount of time ogling her, too, calling out her “attributes” along the way.
The video playfully illustrates the song’s theme of faithfulness by weaving together a montage of real-life couples who lip sync lyrics as they proudly hold up signs showing how long they’ve been together. The romantic timeframes here seem to be focused on marriage, as an early sign says that one couple just got engaged. On the other end of the spectrum, we see an elderly couple hold up a sign celebrating their 71-year-union.
I’ll note that as might be expected these days, virtually every iteration of couplehood circa 2015 is represented. And that diversity includes several gay and lesbian couples.
After serving as an associate editor at NavPress’ Discipleship Journal and consulting editor for Current Thoughts and Trends, Adam now oversees the editing and publishing of Plugged In’s reviews as the site’s director. He and his wife, Jennifer, have three children. In their free time, the Holzes enjoy playing games, a variety of musical instruments, swimming and … watching movies.
