Despite Crash My Party’s release in August 2013, “I See You” has surfaced as Luke Bryan’s “new” single. This is the sixth single from the album, and it is accompanied by some pretty powerful counterparts such as “That’s My Kind of Night,” “Play It Again,” and the title track, “Crash My Party.” Bryan recently revealed he struggled deciding whether “I See You” or “Crash My Party” should have been the lead single for the album — it was a great call that they went with “Crash My Party.”
In comparison to the other songs from Crash My Party, “I See You” is completely lackluster. Especially for it being the sixth song listeners have been inundated with, one would hope there would be a little more going on in this power ballad. On the surface, “I See You” is another song about Bryan’s heart getting broken and him not being able to cope with it because she’s still always with him — in his phone, subconscious, truck – the memories are everywhere! This would be fine if it were somehow communicated differently than every other time before. However, it’s the same Luke Bryan using the same buzzwords and somehow still staying afloat in the country music world.
Of particular interest is the sub-chorus “Jumpin up there with the band / Takin’ me by the hand / ‘Hey boy, come dance with me’ / Stuck like a melody,” which is a refreshing change from the same four power chords throughout the duration of the song. If Bryan gives an interview about “I See You,” he’s most likely to remark on how much he loves this part of it. He loves it for how “melodic” it is, and he’s not wrong, but what stands out to me is that it comically sounds akin to “Like A Prayer” by Madonna. Perhaps because its chord progression rivals that of the one in “Like A Prayer”’s bridge. And perhaps this is my favorite part as well, if only because it makes me feel as if I’m listening to something, anything else.
Additionally, this is another country song that feels rushed. It seems as though Bryan and his songwriters were so heavily invested in the chorus that the verses didn’t get enough attention — and why should they? As long as he speeds through them to get to the crowd-pleasing chorus, everything is fine. Moving forward, I’m hoping that Bryan will try to branch out just a little bit, but I know it’s a lost hope — the next album will probably still be full of unbelievable rhymes (“Girl you make my speakers go boom boom / … That kinda thing makes a man go ‘mm mm’”) and references to his truck. Good riddance.