Luke Bryan is tipping his hat to the hardworking men and women of America with the release of his brand new single, “Country On.”
Co-written by Mark Nesler, David Frasier, Mitch Oglesby, and Styles Haury, and co-produced by Jeff Stevens and Jody Stevens, the song shouts out farm workers, truckers, first responders, soldiers and more and encourages those perseverant individuals to “Country On,” or in other words, keep going.
“Hey fireman, boys and girls in blue/ We could sure use a lot more like you/ You come runnin’ in anytime, anything goes wrong/ Country on/ Hey soldier, wherever you might bе/ Hats off to keepin’ us free/ All our thoughts and prayers ’til you get back home/ Country on,” he sings while Sarah Buxton provides background vocals.
Bryan recently sat down with Country Now and other media outlets via Zoom to discuss the song and reflected on the moment he first heard it.
“The first time I heard the song, you know, I loved what was being said. I loved who it was being said to,” he shared. “I think as I listened more and more to the demo of the song, I just started telling myself, ‘you know, it’s just one of those classic-sounding songs that that sends the message right without being too… it just says it in a real, honest place.’”
When deciding whether or not he wanted to cut the song, Bryan said thinking about his fans is what helped drive the decision home.
“I’m a country artist singing music to country people, and, I try to think about what my fans and what most of your country music fans out there, what makes them wake up every day and get to work and get to rocking and I just felt like this song really embodies a lot of that and really tells that story of just how important it is for everybody to ‘Country On’ through all the stuff.”
Out now, just days ahead of the Fourth of July, the song shares what Bryan believes is a timely message.
“I think when you hear, ‘hey, hey, U.S.A., we ain’t seen our better days,’ I mean, I love what that says. When you hear all of the segments of human beings that are represented in this song… “
The Georiga native says putting out ahead of Independence Day was a no-brainer.
“‘Hey, let’s look at putting this thing out on 4th of July weekend,’” he recalled saying to his team prior to the song’s release. “It seems like a song that everybody can rally around and really enjoy listening to.”
“Country On” offers fans a first taste of what’s to come on Bryan’s next album, which he says he’s about “halfway” finished with.
The five-time Entertainer of the Year began shooting the music video this week and said that the treatment will embody the “hardworking Americans out there every day doing the things that are referenced in this song.”
Early Friday morning, Bryan was seen filming portions of the video on Nashville’s infamous Broadway strip alongside several members of the Metro Nashville Police Department.
“THANK YOU to @lukebryan for including Officer Evan Grace, Sgt. Zach Bevis & Officer Kelly Turcios in the video for his new song, ‘Country On,’ The video was recorded in downtown Nashville this morning,” the department shared on Twitter alongside several photos from the video shoot.
While the video is still in the works, fans can stream “Country On” now by clicking HERE.
Luke Bryan is currently in the midst of his Raised Up Right Tour, which is set to pick back up after the July 4 holiday with shows in Virginia Beach, Virginia, Raleigh, North Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia. The tour will visit 30+ cities before wrapping in late October with Riley Green and Mitchell Tenpenny.
