This is a certified bop.
To anyone who went through a phase of loving The All-American Rejects, Fall Out Boy, or the Gym Class Heros in the early 200s but now enjoys a steel-soaked country ballad, this is the song for you.
The All-American Rejects released “Dirty Little Secret” in 2005, which became the band’s first top-ten single. The song became an anthem for many teenagers and preteens, as the lyrics describe a man who has had an affair and hopes the other woman will keep their “Dirty Little Secret.” The original cut highlights the classic modern punk rock sound that many bands were creating at the time, and with the lyrics, they had a massive hit on their hands. I still love this single today.
However, the song was initially meant to have more of a country flair.
The group formed in Stillwater, Oklahoma, in the thick of Red Dirt music’s inception. This means other bands like Cross Canadian Ragweed, Jason Boland and the Stragglers, and Stoney LaRue were also running around town, creating the next significant subgenre of country music. Because of this, they were influenced by the sound around them, initially writing the song to be more of a country track.
Frontman Tyson Ritter said:
“‘Dirty’ was like, it was written as this kind of country, acoustic song. Like it used to swing like… no sh*t. That’s how Nick translated it. ‘Cuz he wrote the opening riff, and that was the riff… and then when we in to Atlanta, we just put it on the floor, Chris straightened it up.
We’re like, let’s just make this possible to see what this feels like as a rock, sort of, interpolation or something. And then it worked, it was just that easy. But yeah, it started out with me laying on the floor of the place we were living down in Florida, and I was chasing my girlfriend at the time around, singing that chorus to her, just that little hook…”
Nick Wheeler, guitarist and co-founder of the band, added to Ritter’s statement during their sitdown with The Zach Sang Show:
“We were trying to sh*t out songs real fast, so there was just acoustic guitar and a vocal. So the way I strummed it, just made it sound like a sh***y Tom Petty B-side.”
@zachsangshow @All-American Rejects say “dirty little secret” was originally written as an acoustic country song #dirtylittlesecret #aar #theallamericanrejects #country #acoustic #zachsangshow #zachsang #fyp #foryou @Amazon Music ♬ original sound – Zach Sang Show
While The All-American Rejects have not shared a version of the song and how they initially strummed it, a duo called MackMartin saw the interview clip and put their heads together to spin the track into a country ditty, and it WORKS.
After seeing the interview, they shared a clip of their take on “Dirty Little Secret.” Social media exploded with comments asking for a full version, which they delivered. The Nashville-based duo describes itself as an alternative country group, and putting its spin on this “emo” song perfectly highlights its sound. The acoustic guitar riffs highlight a country swing in the notes, and they also added a stellar fiddle lick that accentuates the country sound started with the guitars.
When the locals come in, they have the perfect amount of twang to indicate that they are covering the hit 2005 song while making it their own.
This song is a certified country heater while keeping that nostalgic feeling. Fire it up.