Country superstar Luke Bryan is trading the stadium lights for the radio mic this week as he co-hosts Backstage Country with Elaina Smith. The five-time Entertainer of the Year steps into the host chair to share more than just good music, he’s bringing the stories behind some of his biggest hits.
Luke Bryan Hits
‘Country Song Came On’
Bryan described “Country Song Came On” as a tribute to the honky tonk era of country music. “I grew up learning guitar and building my band, my first band back in high school and college, listening to 90s honky tonk music.”
He added, “So when I heard it, it just felt like an environment that was so comfortable to me, an environment that I spent a lot of time [in]. I have spent some time and honky tonks on stage and out on the dance floor.
And I love the fact that this guy was trying to have a simple night, but boy, the right country song came on and everything kind of changed.”
He continued, “It just spoke to me. It was the style of song that I haven’t done in a minute. I think in some of my early albums, I had some heavy steel guitar sound and stuff.
But I was like, ‘Hey, this is a part of me, a part [of] my music and what I love. So, I was glad to be able to put it out and watch the fans sing. It has been pretty special.”
‘Rain Is a Good Thing’
Smith asked Bryan if he considers “Rain Is a Good Thing” as his first number one song, since there are some technicalities with the charts. The Georgia native replied, “Well, I was number one in one chart, and I guess ‘Rain Is a Good Thing’ probably was number one in both charts.
So, I kind of consider it my first one.” He chuckled, “But, you know, ‘Rain Is a Good Thing’ is really special because I wrote it with just me and one of my best friends, Dallas Davidson. He and I wrote from a saying that we grew up hearing down in Georgia. The saying was, ‘Rain makes corn, corn makes whiskey.’”
He continued, “A lot of guys would, when you had a whiskey drink, you’d be like, ‘Here’s to the…’ it was like a little ‘Cheers.’ So, the fact [that] we were able to take that little thought and build a fun, up-tempo, high-energy song around it that still, to this day, when I play it and you kick off the guitar lick and the energy of it.
That part of my career, I was really trying to find out who I was really as an artist, still then.”
Throughout the week, Bryan isn’t just hitting play on his songs you know and love, he’s opening up about the moments, memories, and people behind them. Don’t miss Backstage Country and get ready to see (and hear) him like never before.
