Rising country artist Johnny Dailey won’t release his brand new song, “Burns Like Whiskey,” until Friday (June 4), but he’s decided to share an exclusive early listen with readers of Country Now one day early!
Written by Dailey alongside Jimi Bell and Aaron Eshuis, “Burns Like Whiskey” tells the story of a man recalling the memory of a romance that’s no more. Even though things didn’t work out with his former flame, he looks back fondly whenever moments they shared together replay in his mind.
“It sounds like Seger on the radio running / Down another sunset crew cab loving / Up to Fort Payne where your mama use to stay / It taste like a shared cigarette on the levy / Easy and free young wild and ready / Baby your memory / Feels like summer and burns like whiskey,” Dailey describes the feeling he used to get when spending time with his old flame over a country-rock melody that pays heavy tribute to Bob Seger.
Of writing the nostalgic tune with Bell and Eshuis, Dailey told Country Now, “There wasn’t really one particular experience that inspired this song, but I think it’s one that can take everyone back to a certain moment in their life. After we wrote it, I knew it was special.”
“The song really came out of nowhere the day we wrote it,” he continued. “The title ‘Burns Like Whiskey’ was thrown out that day after we had been talking about Bob Seger and how much we loved the sound of his music. We meshed those two things together that day and got “Burns Like Whiskey.” I think it turned out really great!”
As for what Dailey has planned on the horizon, the Argo, Alabama native says, “More music for sure. I’ve been in Nashville for a few years, piling up songs that I can’t wait to get out in the open. We’re planning to release a few singles and then an EP after that.”
Fans can look for Dailey this summer, as he will be performing several acoustic shows, as part of Old Dominion’s upcoming We Are Old Dominion: Live at the Ballpark Tour, beginning on July 17. Be sure to listen to “Burns Like Whiskey” in the video above.
