Courtesy of The Valory Music Co.
NASHVILLE, TN (July 4, 2021) – Aaron Lewis has spent the last decade establishing himself as an authentic Country voice. For the Staind frontman, raised on his grandfather’s Waylon, Haggard and Cash 8-tracks, standing up for what he believes is part of the deal.
With little fanfare, the gravel-voiced baritone dropped “Am I The Only One” (The Valory Music Co.), a lean slice of questioning the state of nation, on Independence Day Eve. The song, which had been buzzed about via live performances, was released on Lewis’ social platforms – and the song catapulted up iTunes All Genre chart to No. 1 and No. 2 (for the explicit version), even as his Buddy Cannon-produced SINNER and STATE I’M IN hit the Top 60 on iTunes all-genre Album chart.
By midday, it was discussed on Newsmax’s noon show, SiriusXM’s Patriot Radio host Andrew Wilkow’s afternoon show, and FOX News led their entertainment report with “Country singer Aaron Lewis released a new single on Friday that he dedicated to ‘all the patriots.” In less than 24 hours, the lyric video was not only No. 1 at YouTube, it had amassed well over a half million views.
The father of three offers his truth voice raw and arms extended in solidarity to those who share his views. Opening with a soul searching “Am I the only one, here tonight, Shakin’ my head, thinkin’ somethin’ ain’t right/ Is it just me? Am I losin’ my mind,Am I standin’ on the edge of the end of time?,” thousands of retweets, comments and hundreds of TikToks using the song have been pouring across the Internet.
Breitbart’s David Ng called it, “a country ballad that affirms his patriotism and shows his dismay and bewilderment at the direction the country has taken in recent months.” The Federalist’s Senior Editor Mollie Hemingway tweeted, praise for “Powerful song by @Aaronlewismusic about the feelings of tens of millions of Americans…” and Rogan O’Handley aka dc_draino opined on Instagram, “This is Aaron Lewis. He loves America, speaks the truth without fear, and that’s why his new song ‘Am I The Only One’ is TOP 5 at iTunes” early in the day.
“You know,” Lewis said of the response, “I couldn’t believe I was the only one feeling the way that I was, but I also know when you hold strong convictions, you often stand alone. It’s amazing to me how many other people have looked at their TVs, shook their heads or their fists – and felt like nobody understood how angry and unhappy they were. I had to write the song… and put it out… and create a space where anyone who can’t figure this out can rally around that feeling.”
From the_typical_liberal calling Lewis “a LEGEND” to hardcore Country site Whiskey Riff offering, “Aaron Lewis Unleashes Fed-Up Political Rant With New Song, ‘Am I The Only One.’ Aaron Lewis is back, and once again, he doesn’t give a flying fuck…. you can just listen to music and give a fuck who they voted for. It’s all up to you, but with this one, it’s going to be pretty hard to separate the music from the politics…,” the conservative and music media are lining up behind the libertarian’s sweeping acoustic anthem.
But so are the people. Beyond topping the iTunes charts, they’re raising their voices in solidarity. Rachel Higgins (@RachelH45836262) retweeted Breitbart with this, “In every crisis in history, one song becomes the anthem of the time and this one is ours! Been a fan since Staind!”
Echoing no less than Merle Haggard’s “The Fighting Side of Me,” “Okie From Muskogee” and “That’s The News,” the song is one man’s attempt to reckon the new world order. A passionate force of nature who seeks to speak for those frustrated by the state of the nation, he offers one man’s view, serves as an invitation to veterans, patriots and people seeking old school values.
