"Feed Jake" is a song written by

Danny Mayo Daniel Mayo (October 2, 1950 – October 2, 1999) was an American songwriter, primarily known for writing country hits for artists such as Alabama (American band), Alabama, Tracy Byrd, Pirates of the Mississippi and Confederate Railroad. Byrd's " ...

, and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

band

Pirates of the Mississippi Pirates of the Mississippi were an American country music band founded in 1987 in Nashville, Tennessee. The original members were Bill McCorvey (lead vocals, guitar), Rich Alves (lead guitar, background vocals), Jimmy Lowe (drums), Pat Severs ( ...

. It was released in February 1991 as the third single from the band's

self-titled An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...

debut album. The song is also the band's highest chart peak, having reached number 15 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

) charts.

Content

"Feed Jake" is a ballad accompanied mainly by

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

and synthesized

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

. In the chorus, the male narrator reminisces on his childhood friend, a dog named Jake ("If I die before I wake / Feed Jake..."). The narrator also addresses societal stereotypes toward

homeless Homelessness, also known as houselessness or being unhoused or unsheltered, is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. It includes living on the streets, moving between temporary accommodation with family or friends, liv ...

people and of the gay community, of whom the latter are addressed in the final verse. Guitarist Rich Alves said of the song that it "means something different to everyone who hears it."

Music video

Deaton-Flanigen Productions Deaton-Flanigen Productions is an American film company based in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S., headed by Robert Deaton. The company has between 10 and 50 employees. Overview The company was named after the surnames of founders Robert Deaton III ...

directed the song's

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

, which was one of the first of its kind in the country music industry to not feature the artist at all. Most of the music video was filmed southwest of

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

Tennessee State Route 100 State Route 100 (SR 100) is a west–east state highway in both West Tennessee and Middle Tennessee that connects Whiteville with Nashville. It is long. Route description Hardeman County SR 100 begins as a primary highway in West ...

as well as on Highway 70 in White Bluff, Tennessee. It tells the song's story through two men, who are childhood friends, as shown in flashbacks. Later on, one of the men is attending the other's funeral, and the surviving man goes to meet his dog Jake, a Labrador which he and the deceased friend adopted together, at the cemetery. Upon its release, many viewers interpreted the video as depicting a relationship between two gay men, one of whom dies of

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

at the end. Kimberly Lansing, then the executive producer of Deaton-Flanigen Productions, said that the video was "not meant one way or another" regarding the back story or the one man's death. Lansing also said that the video is about returning home and not fitting in anymore. Additionally, because of the

Persian Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

, some people have also assumed that the man's death is war-related.

Critical reception

In the book ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music'', Tom Roland wrote that the final verse, with its theme of tolerance towards gay people, showed a shift in political beliefs for the typically

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

country music audience. In 2019,

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

ranked "Feed Jake" No. 37 on its list of the 40 saddest songs in country music.

Chart performance

"Feed Jake" debuted on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of March 16, 1991. It spent 20 weeks on the ''

'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now

) charts, peaking at number 15 the week of June 8, 1991.

Other versions

A live recording appeared on the band's 1995 album ''

Paradise In religion and folklore, paradise is a place of everlasting happiness, delight, and bliss. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical, eschatological, or both, often contrasted with the miseries of human ...

'' for Giant Records. This version was produced by

David Malloy David Ernest Malloy is an American country music and pop songwriter, record producer and A&R executive with 41 number one hits in some category. He has received multiple Grammy nominations, as writer and/or producer, and has worked with many ...

References

{{authority control 1991 songs 1991 singles Capitol Records Nashville singles Gay-related songs Music videos directed by Deaton-Flanigen Productions Pirates of the Mississippi songs Song recordings produced by James Stroud Song recordings produced by David Malloy Songs about dogs Songs about homelessness Songs written by Danny Mayo