In a review of his debut single, ''Say Anything,'' Billboard magazine praised the newcomer citing, ''It's a strong debut that displays McAnally's gifts as both a writer and vocalist.'' Billboard calls ''Are Your Eyes Still Blue,'' an appealing uptempo number... production is crisp and flatters McAnally's energetic performance... his voice perfectly conveys the sense of longing and resignation in the lyric.'' Of the most recent single, ''Run Away,'' radio veteran Tim Closson claims, ''Shane has created his own category.'' Now, with his long anticipated debut album, SHANE McANALLY due in stores October 24, he is ready to do just that.
McAnally began performing at the age of 12 and started writing songs when he was 6. By age 15, he was a featured performer at the Texans Theater in Branson, Missouri. After his run at the theater, he went back to Texas where he performed at the Johnny High Music Review, as well as at various festivals. ''It's hard to imagine a time when music didn't encompass some part of my day. As a kid, I was always singing,'' he remembers.
As Shane began to prepare for the future, it was hard for him to foresee music being a tangible career choice. However, he realized while studying accounting at the University of Texas at Austin that music was his passion, and he had to give it his all. ''One day at the end of my second semester I was in a chemistry class and, instead of taking notes, I found myself writing a song,'' he admits. ''Music is always something I have had a knack for and have truly enjoyed.''
Soon after his arrival in Nashville and a lucky break on the famed Bluebird stage, Shane met with Curb Music Publishing. There, he was provided with the encouragement to work on the craft of songwriting and introduced to Rich Herring, a singer/songwriter who wanted to produce. Herring and McAnally collaborated on the demo of Shane's song, ''Just One Touch.'' It was an unforgettable experience for him. ''Rich would put a guitar track down, I sang to it, then he produced around it. When he came to me with the finished song, I could not believe what I heard! It was exactly what I had dreamed of.''
Ultimately, a year later, that demo landed Shane a producer, a publishing deal and a recording contract. He began co-writing with Herring, as well as other songwriters. Shane found that collaborating allowed him to really stretch himself as a songwriter and to hone in on his musical style. McAnally prides himself on writing detailed songs about real situations. He is influenced by the vocals of Marty Robbins, Ronnie Milsap, and The Judds, as well as the entertaining style of Barbara Mandrell. ''The way the crowd would respond to those artists and the connection they had with their audiences
'' I want to do what they did,'' says McAnally. ''It's an extremely dramatic process,'' McAnally says of his musical evolution.
Along with Rich Herring, famed producer Brian Ahern (Emmylou Harris, Anne Murray) and Mark Bright are also part of Shane's musical team. ''He's a musical genius,'' says Shane of Ahern. ''He's very earthy and raw, just what I wanted. He took the time to say 'What do you want to do?' The sides we cut with Brian and Rich are amazing! It's not because of my vocals or because of the songs. It's because of the combination we all brought to the record.''
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Little Imperfections
Shane McAnally Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah, and it runs when it wants to
And I barely got through school
Somewhere, some say, there's a screw loose
My best friend sleeps on my couch
Yeah, he's a musician too
So it's hard for me to see
With all my little imperfections
How I don't have much direction
Singing Free Bird in the shower
And I don't water the flowers
Fall asleep in chick flick movies
Margaritas make me loopy
She keeps me guessing
Why she likes my little imperfections
My Little Imperfections
Well, my ladder of success
Has got a few rungs missin
And even when I look my best
Looks like I'm goin fishin
When her dad makes fun of me
Well she never listens
Cause that girl don't give a damn
She like me the way I am
With all my little imperfections
How I don't have much direction
Singing Free Bird in the shower
And I don't water the flowers
Fall asleep in chick flick movies
Margaritas make me loopy
She keeps me guessing
Why she likes my little imperfections
My Little Imperfections
Yeah, she likes my little imperfections
How I don't have much direction
Singing Free Bird in the shower
And I don't water the flowers
Fall asleep in chick flick movies
Margaritas make me loopy
She keeps me guessing
Why she likes my little imperfections
My Little Imperfections
I don't vote in no election
And my hair is gettin thinner
And I still love Lynard SKYNARD
I don't have alot of money
And my jokes are never funny
She keeps me guessing
Why she likes my little imperfections
My Little Imperfections
My Little Imperfections
Spoken:
One of my legs is shorter than the other one
Drives her crazy
The lyrics to Shane McAnally's song "Little Imperfections" tell the story of a man who is flawed but loved by a woman despite his imperfections. He describes himself as someone who doesn't have much direction, who sings Free Bird in the shower, who falls asleep during chick flick movies, who gets loopy on margaritas and who doesn't water the flowers. He also talks about his car that isn't too cool and barely got through school. He admits that his ladder of success has a few rungs missing and that his hair is getting thinner. He doesn't vote in any election, his jokes are never funny, and he still loves Lynyrd Skynyrd. However, despite all these shortcomings, the woman he loves likes his little imperfections.
The message of the song is that love is not about perfection, it's about accepting someone for who they are and loving them despite their flaws. The singer is grateful that his girlfriend is able to see past his imperfections and love him for who he is.
Overall, "Little Imperfections" is a heartwarming song that celebrates the beauty of imperfection and the power of love.
Line by Line Meaning
Well my car it ain't too cool
My car is not too impressive
Yeah, and it runs when it wants to
It is not reliable and breaks down frequently
And I barely got through school
My academic performance wasn't great
Somewhere, some say, there's a screw loose
There may be something wrong with me psychologically
My best friend sleeps on my couch
My best friend doesn't have a stable residence
Yeah, he's a musician too
And he's also struggling to make a living as a musician
So it's hard for me to see
It's difficult for me to understand
Why she loves someone like me
Why my partner loves me despite my flaws
With all my little imperfections
Despite my small flaws
How I don't have much direction
I'm not sure where I'm headed in life
Singing Free Bird in the shower
Singing loudly, even though it may not sound great
And I don't water the flowers
I don't always take care of the small things, like plants
Fall asleep in chick flick movies
I'm not afraid to show my emotions and enjoy romantic films
Margaritas make me loopy
I have a low tolerance for alcohol
She keeps me guessing
My partner surprises me
Why she likes my little imperfections
Why my partner loves me despite my flaws
Well, my ladder of success
My career progression
Has got a few rungs missin
Is not linear or consistent
And even when I look my best
Even on my best days
Looks like I'm goin fishin
My appearance is not always polished or put together
When her dad makes fun of me
When her father teases me
Well she never listens
She doesn't value her father's opinion of me
Cause that girl don't give a damn
She doesn't care what others think
She like me the way I am
She accepts me for who I am
I don't vote in no election
I'm not politically active
And my hair is gettin thinner
I'm starting to lose my hair
And I still love Lynard SKYNARD
I still enjoy classic rock music
I don't have alot of money
I'm not wealthy
And my jokes are never funny
I'm not a great comedian
My Little Imperfections
My flaws
One of my legs is shorter than the other one
I have a physical imperfection
Drives her crazy
It bothers my partner
Contributed by Henry N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
twanghang
I played on this record and toured in his band for 3 years. A great guy and so nice to work for/with.
Kterry Psn
twanghang he is my uncle
wheelchair89
This is awesome~! Really Awesome! I love this song.
locacheeto
love it
Dawn London
Singing free bird in the shower, 😅
locacheeto
i wis more ove his stuff was on you tube
john kerr
hi! do you have Runaway? if so could you upload it please? thanks :-)