Jackson Dean released his full-length debut album Greenbroke in 2022. Since then, the Maryland native has been making a name for himself on the road with headlining shows and opening slots for some of the biggest names in country music. Today (August 2), Dean announced his sophomore album On the Back of My Dreams. Hear the latest sample from the album, “Heavens to Betsy” below.
Dean has already quietly released two preview tracks from the album. “Big Blue Sky” and “Train” will appear on the forthcoming 13-track collection. Produced by Luke Dick, On the Back of My Dreams sees Dean digging into themes of freedom, pain, youth, mortality, and solace.
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“The title can be interpreted from a few different angles but the face value of that phrase is that in-between state, when you’re in the process of waking up, but reality hasn’t quite set in,” Dean shared in a statement. “Each song on this project has a little bit of that magical surreal feeling,” he added. Then, he explained that the title comes from a line in the song “Jane.” “This kind of otherworldly, misty tune that immediately embedded in my brain.”
“I’ve lived a lot of life and have watched a lot of life be lived,” Dean said. “Each of these songs were written from a single frame of life, almost as vignettes, drawn from daydreams, nightmares, and everything in between.”
Jackson Dean on “Heavens to Betsy”
Jackson Dean co-wrote “Heavens to Betsy” with Benjy Davis and Driver Williams. It’s available to stream everywhere today and will impact country radio later this month. “’Heavens to Betsy’ is like the little song that could,” Dean shared. “We wrote it and never thought it’d see the light of day but I started playing it on a radio tour to get it out of my head and kill time and I saw a grown man break down and cry to it,” he recalled. “That’s an image that will hit you like a ton of bricks.”
After that, Dean started working “Heavens to Betsy” into his setlist. Then, he recorded it on his 2023 release Live at the Ryman. “I thought the Live at the Ryman version would be the only place it lived. But once again, this song exceeded my expectations. Night after night, people tell me how it’s helping them through their grief—which is just a beautiful thing,” Dean said. “Just the other day, someone told me that their father died 11 years ago, and hearing ‘Betsy’ gave them the closure they’ve been seeking. That’s the reason we do this.”
On the Back of My Dreams Tracklist
- “Big Blue Sky”
- “Duct Tape Heart”
- “Talkin’ to Backroads”
- “Daddy Raised”
- “Long Goodbye”
- “Real Eal”
- “Heavens to Betsy”
- “Train”
- “Free”
- “Sweet Appalachia”
- “Jane”
- “Heaven”
- “Another Century”
On the Back of My Dreams drops on September 6 via Big Machine Records
Featured Image by Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock
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