It was 2008. If you turned on a rock radio station anywhere in North America, you heard that distinctive, churning guitar riff. You know the one. It felt heavy but catchy, grit-teeth aggressive but somehow tailor-made for a summer drive with the windows down. Sex is Good by Saving Abel didn't just climb the charts; it basically parked there.
Honestly, the mid-to-late 2000s were a weird, transitionary time for rock music. Nu-metal was dying out, indie rock was getting "twee," and then you had this surge of Southern-influenced post-grunge. Saving Abel, hailing from Corinth, Mississippi, landed right in the center of that bullseye. They weren't trying to reinvent the wheel. They were just playing loud, honest rock and roll about things every red-blooded human thinks about.
Why This Specific Song Hit So Hard
People often lump Saving Abel in with the "butt-rock" era, a term that’s kinda unfair when you actually look at the songwriting craftsmanship involved. Jared Weeks had a voice that sounded like it had been cured in tobacco and whiskey, but he could hit those soaring melodic notes that radio programmers crave. When they released their self-titled debut album on Virgin Records, "Addicted" was the massive crossover hit, but "Sex is Good" was the track that solidified their identity.
It’s a blunt title. No metaphors here.
Most songs at the time were trying to be overly poetic or brooding. Saving Abel just said the quiet part loud. The song works because it captures a very specific feeling of a relationship that might be messy or even toxic, but has that one undeniable physical tether. It’s relatable. It’s primal. That’s why it moved over 500,000 units and earned a Gold certification from the RIAA.
The Production Magic of Skidd Mills
You can't talk about the sound of Sex is Good by Saving Abel without mentioning Skidd Mills. He’s the producer who really shaped that "Tennessee sound" for the band. Mills has worked with everyone from Third Day to Skillet, and he knew exactly how to layer those guitars so they felt massive without becoming a wall of noise.
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If you listen closely to the track, the interplay between guitarists Jason Null and Scott Bartlett is what keeps the momentum going. It isn't just power chords. There are these little bluesy inflections and southern rock licks buried in the mix. It gives the song a "swag" that a lot of their peers in the post-grunge scene lacked. They weren't just angry; they were having a good time.
The Lyrics and the Vibe
Let’s be real for a second. The lyrics aren't Shakespeare. But they aren't meant to be.
Lines like "I'm not in love, but I'm not in a hurry to go" capture that twenty-something malaise perfectly. It’s about the gray area of modern dating. Sometimes you stay because the chemistry is just that explosive, even if you know you aren't going to be picking out furniture together in five years. This honesty is what resonated with the "Google Discover" crowd of the time—people who wanted music that mirrored their actual lives, not some idealized version of romance.
Impact on the Post-Grunge Landscape
By the time 2008 rolled around, the "Seattle sound" was a distant memory. The genre had evolved into something more polished and commercially viable. Saving Abel, alongside bands like Hinder, Theory of a Deadman, and Nickelback, formed a sort of "frat-rock" pantheon.
Whether you love the genre or hate it, the numbers don't lie. Sex is Good by Saving Abel helped keep rock music on the Billboard Hot 100 during a decade when hip-hop and pop were starting to completely dominate the airwaves. It was a defiant stance. It said that there was still a massive audience for loud guitars and gravelly vocals.
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Life After the Hit: The Evolution of the Band
Bands like Saving Abel often get frozen in time by their biggest hits. People assume they just vanished after the radio stopped playing them every hour. That's not the case.
Jared Weeks eventually left the band in 2013 to pursue a solo career, and for a long time, Scott Austin took over the front-man duties. Austin brought a different energy, but the core DNA of the band remained that Mississippi-mud rock style. However, in a move that shocked and delighted longtime fans, Weeks officially rejoined the band in 2021.
This reunion wasn't just a nostalgia play. They started hitting the road again, playing festivals and headline shows, proving that the appetite for "Sex is Good" and "Addicted" hadn't waned. There’s something about the communal experience of a rock show—smelling the pyrotechnics, feeling the bass in your chest—that streaming just can't replace.
The "Revival" of 2000s Rock
We are currently seeing a massive nostalgia cycle for the year 2008. TikTok is full of Gen Z kids discovering "Sex is Good" for the first time, often using it as a soundtrack for workout videos or "get ready with me" clips. It’s fascinating. A song that was written for a specific demographic of beer-drinking rock fans is now finding a second life as a "vintage" anthem.
It proves a point: a catchy hook is eternal.
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Technical Breakdown of the Sound
If you’re a gear head or a musician, the track is a masterclass in mid-gain distortion. They weren't using high-gain "metal" amps. It sounds more like pushed Marshalls or perhaps some boutique Vox-style amps getting hit with a solid overdrive pedal.
- Drums: The snare has that signature 2000s "crack" to it. It’s highly compressed and sits right at the front of the mix.
- Bass: It follows the kick drum religiously. It’s more of a percussive element than a melodic one in this track.
- Vocals: Heavily layered. If you solo the vocal track, you’d likely hear three or four tracks of Jared singing the same line to get that "thick" radio sound.
Misconceptions About the Band
A lot of people think Saving Abel was a "one-hit wonder."
That’s factually wrong. They had several Top 10 rock hits, including "The Mess," "18 Days," and "Drowning (Face Down)." They were a workhorse band, touring relentlessly with the USO to perform for troops overseas. This connection to the military became a huge part of their brand and their personal lives. It gave them a level of depth that many of their more superficial "party rock" contemporaries lacked.
How to Appreciate the Song Today
Listening to Sex is Good by Saving Abel in 2026 feels different than it did in 2008. The production style is definitely a time capsule. It sounds like the era of Blackberry phones and low-rise jeans.
But if you strip away the 2000s polish, it’s just a solid song. It has a beginning, a middle, and a massive crescendo. It’s built for a live environment. If you’re putting together a playlist for a road trip or a heavy lifting session at the gym, this track still holds up.
Actionable Ways to Explore Saving Abel Further
If you want to go beyond the radio hits and actually understand why this band has such a loyal following, here is how you should dive in:
- Listen to the "Acoustic Sessions": Saving Abel released acoustic versions of their hits that strip away the loud production. It highlights Jared’s vocal range and the actual soul of the songwriting. You can really hear the country and blues roots when the distortion is turned off.
- Check out the 2021-2024 Live Clips: Search for recent live footage of the band since Jared Weeks returned. The chemistry is undeniable, and they play the songs with a "veteran" tightness that sounds even better than the original records.
- Explore the "Missy" Connection: Look into their Mississippi roots. The band often talks about how the local music scene in Corinth influenced their "swampy" sound. It provides great context for why they don't sound like a band from LA or New York.
- Compare the Eras: Listen to the Scott Austin era albums like Blood Stained Blonde. It’s a different vibe—slightly more aggressive and modern—but it shows the band's versatility.
The legacy of "Sex is Good" isn't just about the provocative title. It’s about a moment in time when rock was unapologetic, loud, and focused on the simple truths of being human. Whether you’re a nostalgic millennial or a curious Gen Z listener, the track remains a cornerstone of the post-grunge era. It’s a reminder that sometimes, you don’t need a complex metaphor to make a hit; you just need a great riff and the guts to say what everyone else is thinking.