By the time he was two, Adam had already displayed some musical talent.
Singing came much later, unless you count the video of four-year-old Adam, sporting a leather jacket and sunglasses, performing Ray Charles’ “I Got A Woman.”
Even though he demonstrated musical talent, as a youngster, Adam also excelled in sports. There was soccer, t-ball, and even ice hockey. The Mississippi Sea Wolves played in a rink an hour south of Hattiesburg, and his parents drove him there so he could participate in a league.
Adam also played baseball until he was 13, when he gave it up for golf. “I was away every weekend playing tournaments.” Halfway through his Junior year in high school, he was offered a full golf scholarship to Delta State University. With offers for golf and basketball already on the table, after being talked into playing baseball his Senior year by his friends, the University of Southern Mississippi made its own offer of a baseball scholarship after just one year of playing. Adam accepted and went on to win three rings in four years as the Southern Miss. Conference USA Champ. He also played in the College World Series in 2009.
That decision changed the course of his life. “It’s unbelievable how much one decision can impact where life takes you,” he says. His college roommates were on the baseball team with him – and they were all guitar players. “That’s where I learned my first chords. On Dec. 29, 2010, I wrote my first song while on vacation in the Dominican Republic.” It was the first time out of the country for the Mississippi native who had only experienced Hattiesburg and family vacations in Florida. “I remember sitting on a hotel balcony on the third floor, watching people of all different ethnicities and walks of life. I’d never seen any of that before, and that gave me the idea for my first song, ‘Travel On.’ I put it on YouTube and the next thing I knew, it had 450,000 views.”
Adam wrote four more songs and released an EP while he was still playing baseball. Over one thousand people showed up for a CD release party in his hometown. Then Adam hit the road, and for the first time, sang live in front of people. Success on the road led to more songwriting and a full-length album. “I was driving back and forth to Nashville to write songs so I decided to move there to write with other people.” Adam arrived in Music City on Oct. 15, 2012. “It’s a happy, driven city,” he says. “Everybody is chasing after something they love to do.”
Things moved relatively quickly for Adam in Nashville. In a little over a year, he had already experienced having his first song played on the radio. His mother called to let him know she heard “I Put It On Ya” on SiriusXM’s The Highway, and Adam quickly tuned in so he could hear it himself. “Hugh Freeze, the head football coach at Ole Miss, loves the song and blares it over the stadium speakers when the team is practicing.”
He then met Jake LaGrone, who became his manager, and in 2015, signed a publishing deal with Sony/ATV. He’s played nearly 400 shows the last two years, but has scaled back live performances lately to allow more time for writing songs. He’s penned upwards of 200 songs since the day “Travel On” was written on the balcony in the Dominican Republic, and in the last few months, several country superstars have put holds on some of his compositions, including Kenny Chesney, Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker, Justin Moore and David Nail.
What’s next for the country artist whose diverse influences range from John Mayer to the Eagles and Chris Stapleton? He’s about to record a new EP and has been taking meetings with various labels in Nashville. His dream is to play the big stadiums and arenas and every day brings him one step closer to fulfilling that dream. Look for his name on the charts soon – both as a songwriter and as an artist, one of country’s next superstars.
Wake Up Beautiful
Adam Doleac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When this drunk town sobers up from the neon light
When the high heels are long kicked off your dancing feet
When that dress is off and you're tangled up in sheets
I bet you wake up pretty all sleepy eyed
Looking even better than you do tonight
When your face touches that morning light
Looking like a feeling that I had just now
Watching you spinning this room around
When the sun comes up and the moon falls down
I bet you wake up beautiful
I bet you wake up beautiful
Damn that lucky mirror in the morning
And that coffee cup you press against your lips
I'm jealous of the pillow underneath your head
Well don't get me wrong baby you look good like this
But I bet you wake up pretty all sleepy eyed
Looking even better than you do tonight
When your face touches that morning light
I bet you wake up, bet you wake up
Looking like a feeling that I had just now
Watching you spinning this room around
When the sun comes up and the moon falls down
I bet you wake up beautiful
I bet you wake up beautiful
When all the taxis turn off their signs
When you open up your eyes thinking 'bout tonight
Oh, I bet you wake up pretty all sleepy eyed
Looking even better than you do tonight
When your face touches that morning light
I bet you wake up, bet you wake up
Looking like a feeling that I had just now
Watching you spinning this room around
When the sun comes up and the moon falls down, yeah
I bet you wake up beautiful
I bet you wake up beautiful
I bet you wake up beautiful
I bet you wake up beautiful
I bet you wake up beautiful
The lyrics in Adam Doleac's song, Wake Up Beautiful, describe a moment of admiration for a significant other after a night out in the town. The singer acknowledges that the excitement and chaos of the night is over when the taxis have turned off their signs and the neon lights of the city have faded away. The singer describes a moment of intimacy where they are left alone with their significant other. They marvel at the sight of their lover, who is no longer in their party attire, but instead is "tangled up in sheets." The singer paints a picture of their lover waking up in the morning, with sleepy eyes and looking even more beautiful than they did the night before.
The lyrics reveal the singer's admiration for the natural beauty of their significant other. They marvel at how their lover looks with the morning light touching their face, and they are envious of the mirror that has the opportunity to greet them at the start of each new day. The singer acknowledges that their lover looks stunning in their current state after a night out, but they believe that they will look even more beautiful in the morning. The singer's honest admiration for their lover is a refreshing change from stereotypical lyrics that focus on superficial beauty.
Overall, Wake Up Beautiful is a beautiful, heartfelt song that describes a moment of adoration for a significant other after a night out. It serves as a reminder to appreciate the true beauty in life, including the beauty of loved ones.
Line by Line Meaning
When all the taxis turn off their signs
When the hustle and bustle of the nighttime comes to a close and the streets empty, silence prevails.
When this drunk town sobers up from the neon light
When the drunkenness and chaos of night subsides and the city wakes up to a new day.
When the high heels are long kicked off your dancing feet
After a long night of dancing and celebration, when finally the feet can rest and heels are discarded.
When that dress is off and you're tangled up in sheets
After the glamorous dress is removed and the morning light reveals a tangled mess of sheets and covers, where dreams were woven.
I bet you wake up pretty all sleepy eyed
Despite being groggy with sleep, you wake up looking beautiful and charming, a sight to behold.
Looking even better than you do tonight
Your beauty surpasses even the glamour and glitz of the night before, in the light of a new day.
When your face touches that morning light
When the sunrise illuminates your face, casting a warm and beautiful glow across your features.
Looking like a feeling that I had just now
Your beauty is reminiscent of a feeling that was just felt, a warm, enchanting, and blissful feeling that lingers in the air.
Watching you spinning this room around
Memories of seeing you dancing in the dim light of the night before come flooding back, spinning round and round.
When the sun comes up and the moon falls down
As the night turns into day, the sky lightens, and the moon fades away, making room for the blazing sun in the sky.
Damn that lucky mirror in the morning
A lighthearted expression of envy towards the mirror that gets to witness your stunning beauty before anyone else.
And that coffee cup you press against your lips
A playful remark on how the beauty of the coffee cup pales in comparison to the beauty of your lips, which it gets to touch.
I'm jealous of the pillow underneath your head
Even an inanimate object like the pillow has the privilege of being close to you, causing a playful feeling of jealousy.
But I bet you wake up pretty all sleepy eyed
Despite feeling a little envious, you still wake up looking like a breath of fresh air, enchanting and beautiful, even in your grogginess.
When you open up your eyes thinking 'bout tonight
As you wake up, thoughts and memories of the night before come flooding back, giving you a smile and a familiar warmth in your heart.
Oh, I bet you wake up pretty all sleepy eyed
The sentiment is repeated playfully, teasingly, and lovingly, reaffirming the awe-inspiring loveliness of waking up next to you every morning.
Writer(s): Jeremy Stover, Adam Doleac
Contributed by Cole O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.