It would be easy to assume that Kip Moore‘s new video for his current single, “Beer Money,” would be a good-time video full of smiles, clinking glasses, and lots of suds.

And in some respects, that’s exactly what it is. But when you dig down a bit, “Beer Money” is actually a lot more than just a party anthem. It’s a song that builds out of a place of hardship and pain. And the video for the song reflects that.

“When the lights go down, and your stuck here in this town,” Kip sings in the opening lines of the song, just after getting his last check from his boss and sauntering, bummed and alone, to his truck.

But all is not lost–because like many resilient folks in tough situations, Kip isn’t going to let that bummer moment kill his whole day (and night). He picks up his girlfriend–a waitress, also presumably working a tough, tiring job–and takes her out for a night on the town. “Come on come on, baby I’m buying,” he sings.

With that emotional turn, the song takes on a message speaks to the core of the American spirit. We might lose our jobs and face other hardships in our day-to-day life, but struggles like that don’t need to kill our soul.

In its lyrics and American-made melody, the song clearly comes out of the tradition of artists like Mellencamp and Springsteen (the lyrics even include a line about “dance[ing] in the dark”). “Beer Money” has a big, thick melodic structure that starts in a place tinged with melancholy, then builds into a celebration. Sure it’s true, the job sucks, life is tough, and money is tight. But hey, life isn’t all bad, because, at least for tonight, Kip has a little “Beer Money”–and he’s buying.

- Kurt Wolff, CBS Local