Capitol NashvilleFor the title track of his seventh studio album, Born Here Live Here Die Here, Luke Bryan chose a song that takes him back to his beginnings in Leesburg, Georgia. 

“It tells the story of my hometown,” the four-time Entertainer of the Year explains. “Now, I’m a little bit hypocritical because I did leave my hometown and move to Nashville and chase my dreams.”

“I think it says who I am,” he adds.

In fact, if Luke hadn’t been “nudged out of the nest,” he expects he’d still be living in the Peach State. 

“I would have been that person that stayed right there in my hometown, and I would have loved every aspect of that, too…” he reflects. “If you’d told me that I would have ever called Tennessee [home], I mean, Tennessee’s my home, too, and Georgia’s my home.”

“But, you know, I thought immediately I’d move back to Georgia and live right there in that small town,” he reveals.

Ultimately, Luke believes “Born Here Live Here Die Here” conveys a message that’s at the heart of country music.

“It just pays homage to so many people that live that kind of life,” he reflects, “where they love to wake up, drink their coffee, go put in a hard day’s work, swing by the gas station, get ’em a six-pack of beer.”

“Go home,” he continues, “watch some baseball, football, and start it all over. And that’s what country music is all about.”

Luke’s album, which already boasts three number ones, is new today. 

Incidentally, “Born Here Live Here Die Here” was co-written by newcomer Jameson Rodgers, who’s enjoying his first top-fifteen hit with “Some Girls.” He says it reminds him of his hometown: Batesville, Mississippi.

By Stephen Hubbard
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.