Song Premiere: Jared Deck "Head Above Water" • Americana Highways

Jared Deck – “Head Above Water”

Americana Highways is hosting this premiere of Jared Deck’s song “Head Above Water,” the title track from his forthcoming album which will be released on May 10. The album was produced, mixed, and mastered by Dwight Hamlin and it was recorded at Classen Recorders in Oklahoma City.

“Head Above Water” is Jared Deck on vocals and acoustic guitar; Colby Bunch (Holly Beth, Lance Roark) on drums and percussion; Bryan Walters on bass; Clint Pope on electric and acoustic guitar; Dwight Hamlin on slide, acoustic, and electric guitars; Dan Walker (Heart, Jackson Browne) on piano, electric keyboard, and organ; Jake Simpson on fiddle; James Cook, Chanda Graham, and Myra Beasley on vocals; Kirk Palmer on trumpet; and Floyd Haynes on tenor saxophone.

Jared Deck is a representative of the Oklahoma State Legislature. He worked his way there with a lifetime of observation of blue collar living, caring about all kinds of folks, and songwriting all along the way. With a bluesy energy and call & response vocals, Jared Deck crafts surprisingly powerful songs. This one is an inspiration, indicating hope and a path forward in the midst of the division and drama thrown in the way by the average everyday narrative and the hard knocks of life.

Give me peace in a time of war
I don’t have the answers you’ve been searching for
I’ve been swimming in the deepest waters you cannot believe in
It’s all a lie
Keep your head above water oh my

This is an advice song to a younger version of myself. It’s a warning about the polarizing nature of social media and the gimmicks of grifters but also provides a hopeful path forward. Sometimes, I have to remind myself that rolling with the punches means someone is trying to punch me, and it’s okay to reject that. I don’t always have the answers, but if I learn from past experiences and keep pushing forward, I’ll be able to keep my head above water.

The overarching theme of the album is the blue-collar struggle of getting ahead in a just-getting-by world—keeping your head above water when it feels like your world is drowning. People may have opinions, lie, or only show love under certain conditions, but that doesn’t have to define or weaken us. If I have any goal with this record, I hope the folks who value my songs also value the human stories that wrote them.

This song’s arrangement was influenced by musicians who played with me in the past, particularly guitarist Aaron Squirrel and drummer Giovanni Carnuccio III (aka Nooch). Those two really helped me develop ideas over a year before it was recorded. I’ve been fortunate to be surrounded by so many great musicians and humans. – Jared Deck

Find more information here on his website: https://jareddeckmusic.com/