Kenny Chesney is sharing the inspiration behind his new song, “Wherever You Are Tonight.” The song is from his forthcoming BORN album, out on Friday, March 22.
“‘Wherever You Are Tonight’ is simply a song about grieving, and holding on, which is something we all do when someone close to us passes,” Chesney explained, in a video shared on social media. “We don’t live forever, but the moments, the life experiences, the connection, all the love, it lingers in our life and in our soul forever.”
“You’re not gone, just out of sight. You’re here with me, wherever you are tonight.”#WhereverYouAreTonight is out now. Listen + pre-order my new album #BORN before it drops next Friday: https://t.co/52c3b9wvvV pic.twitter.com/Mjs2wIXajr
— Kenny Chesney (@kennychesney) March 15, 2024
When releasing “Wherever You Are Tonight,” Chesney said that the song, written by Mike Reid and Gary Burr, struck him because of the powerful message in the lyric.
“The thing about this song that struck me is that idea people we love never truly leave us,” Chesney said. “We can’t see them, or know where they go after they pass on, but everything we shared remains… who we are because of them, that doesn’t change. But this song suggests that beyond the grief, the pain and the memories, wherever the people we love are, they’re not so far away.”
In addition to “Wherever You Are Tonight,” Chesney also released “Guilty Pleasure,” “Just To Say We Did” and “Thinkin’ Bout,” plus his current single, “Take Her Home,” which is in the Top 15. When announcing the new record, his first since Here and Now came out in 2020, the country music superstar said the record’s title track was indicative of the theme for the rest of the record.
“As for the title, well, we’re still not quite done deciding what’s going on here, but one thing’s for sure: ‘Born’ is absolutely the title track,” Chesney said when announcing the project. “It’s got a lot of heart, a lot of soul — and it speaks the truth about living, life and what we’re all doing here. Banjo out front, a great big pocket that rocks back and forth, it feels great. But more importantly, it’s a lyric that throws out all the options, never tells you what to do and throws out the one existential truth no matter what you choose: ‘One thing’s for certain, we’ve all been living since the day we were born.’”
As with all of his previous projects, Chesney had his fans in mind when creating BORN.
“You never want to think it’s all about you, or that in this crazy world, it’s all about your music,” Chesney reflected. “I’m just trying to find songs that continue the story of who we are…how we live, breathe, work, rock, kick back and sometimes get tangled up in feelings that are anything but simple. Then you see people react the way they have to the news, and you go, ‘Well, okay…’”
Chesney will kick off his Sun Goes Down Tour on April 20 in Tampa, Florida, with Zac Brown Band, Megan Moroney and Uncle Kracker joining him on tour. Find music and tour dates, and pre-order BORN, at KennyChesney.com.