‘Guilty Pleasure’ by Kenny Chesney - Lyrics & Meaning

‘Guilty Pleasure’ was one of the welcome ‘grat tracks’ released ahead of Kenny Chesney's 2024 album, BORN, with the light-hearted, uptempo song showcasing a different side to the project compared to the euphoric, carpe-diem-infused ‘Just To Say We Did’, the sinuous, full-circle ‘Take Her Home’, the sparse, deeply moving ‘Wherever You Are Tonight’ and the angsty, simmering ‘Thinkin’ Bout’.

Co-written by Kenny Chesney with Josh Osborne, Ross Copperman and Shane McAnally, ‘Guilty Pleasure’ finds Kenny playfully reassuring his temporary lover that he knows their fling won't last long, but this doesn't mean it can't offer them comfort in the meantime.

The multi-Entertainer-of-the-Year-winning Knoxville crooner has never shied away from the more sensual side of country music, and ‘Guilty Pleasure’ is another stellar offering to add to Kenny's unrivalled catalogue of sultry fire-starters.

The rhythmic, steel-soaked composition of ‘Guilty Pleasure’ mirrors the song's seductive humidity, with Kenny's baritone combining seamlessly with the tongue-in-cheek feel of the electric guitar riff and the sashaying, staccato drum pattern.

BORN thrives in how it explores an eclectic, far-ranging array of moods, ambiences and themes, and ‘Guilty Pleasure’ epitomises this, with the tropical, sensual atmosphere of this uplifting track feeling reminiscent of much-loved songs in Kenny's formidable repertoire such as ‘Magic’ and ‘When The Sun Goes Down’.

“I’ve been staring at the sunset

Wondering if it means what it usually means

If you ain’t found the one yet

I can keep being the one between

The man of your dreams

Some guy at a bar

I’m a secret you keep

Yeah I know what we are”

The curtain opens on Kenny Chesney looking off into the horizon as the sun descends, wondering whether the night will bring what it usually does - a hook-up call from the girl he's singing to.

In a breezy, carefree tone, Kenny shares that he has no qualms about being the one to tide her over while she keeps searching for ‘Mr. Right’. He knows their relationship isn't serious enough for him to be the man of her dreams, but that they're also past the stage of him merely being a guy at a bar she decides to spend the night with.

“You can call me on the weekends

When you’re bored with your life

And you’re tired of your friends

You only want me when you’re drinking

And you’ve got a mistake you wanna make again

You can just text you don’t have to call

You can say that you love me, but you don’t have to fall

I can be your guilty pleasure

And you don’t have to feel guilty at all”

Kenny Chesney emphasises to the girl that he knows exactly where they stand, and that she's more than welcome to shoot him that knowing look, regardless of whether it's out of drunken lust or idle boredom. It's the embodiment of ‘no strings attached’.

He even outlines how she can tell him she loves him, but that she doesn't have to fall in love with him, as he repeatedly conveys how he embraces the casual nature of their romance.

Kenny concludes the infectious hook with the titular lyric, stressing that he can be the girl's ‘guilty pleasure’, but that there's no need to feel guilty. This implies the girl views their romance as something she feels she should move on from as she seeks a lasting relationship, but Kenny amiably shrugs his shoulders and puts her mind at ease, assuring her there's no reason to feel bad about their arrangement.

“I don’t know your mama

And it’s probably better if we keep it that way

Won’t be no breakup or drama

When you finally call me up and say

‘It’s been real, yeah it’s been fun’

But until whatever we been doin’ is done”

Kenny plays the part of the swaggering ladies’ man in the second verse, as he jovially explains how he's never met the girl's mother - but that it's best if they keep it that way, suggesting she won't approve of his relaxed approach to the relationship.

Interestingly, the protagonist also embraces the fact that their flame will one day extinguish - but until then, they can keep having their fun. This message of acknowledging the transience of their enjoyment, but still setting out to make the most of the time they have together regardless, captures the joi de vivre Kenny laces into BORN.

“A little guilty pleasure never hurt nobody

A little guilty pleasure never hurt nobody, no”

The ‘Just To Say We Did’ singer-songwriter maintains the levity of the track by charmingly reassuring his lover that they shouldn't feel guilty about the pleasure they bring one another.

Before it was made available, Kenny Chesney championed how unique ‘Guilty Pleasure’ is, “I have absolutely never heard a song like this... ever. And I’ve heard a lot of songs! It’s such an unusual, fresh way to come at something you think you know and have heard everything all about. And then something falls out in a writing session, everyone looks at each other – and you all say, ‘OH! We’re writing that’”.

Kenny went on to delve into the inspiration behind the track, “To me, that outro... ‘A little guilty pleasure never hurt nobody, no, no...’ is pretty true. There are plenty of nice girls out there who haven’t met the one. The guy in this song gets that, understands that before that guy shows up, he can be a good time and fill the void until he does. No trouble, no drama, just whatever it is, whenever it is, all good”.

“I’ve been staring at the sunset

Wondering if it means what it usually means

If you ain’t found the one yet

I can keep being the one between

The man of your dreams

Some guy at a bar

I’m a secret you keep

Yeah I know what we are

You can call me on the weekends

When you’re bored with your life

And you’re tired of your friends

You only want me when you’re drinking

And you’ve got a mistake you wanna make again

You can just text you don’t have to call

You can say that you love me, but you don’t have to fall

I can be your guilty pleasure

And you don’t have to feel guilty at all

I don’t know your mama

And it’s probably better if we keep it that way

Won’t be no breakup or drama

When you finally call me up and say

‘It’s been real, yeah it’s been fun’

But until whatever we been doin’ is done

You can call me on the weekends

When you’re bored with your life

And you’re tired of your friends

You only want me when you’re drinking

And you’ve got a mistake you wanna make again

You can just text, you don’t have to call

You can say that you love me, but you don’t have to fall

I can be your guilty pleasure

And you don’t have to feel guilty at all

No, not at all

A little guilty pleasure never hurt nobody

A little guilty pleasure never hurt nobody, no

You don’t have to call

You can say that you love me, but you don’t have to fall

I can be your guilty pleasure

And you don’t have to feel guilty at all

No you don’t have to feel guilty at all

A little guilty pleasure never hurt nobody

A little guilty pleasure never hurt nobody, no”

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