Kenny Chesney recently had another No. 1 hit, with “Take Her Home.” The song, written by Michael Hardy, Zach Abend and Hunter Phelps, reminded Chesney why he still loves Nashville, even after all these years.
“I live in a town where you can wake up one morning, and get an email or hear a song that didn’t exist the day before, that could actually change lives, or could actually change your life, or could find commonality with a lot of people,” Chesney said at an industry event, celebrating the song’s success. “That’s exactly the way ‘Take Her Home’ happened. I woke up, I got a text from HARDY, and he goes, ‘I think we wrote something yesterday, and we kind of had you in mind for it.’ I listened to it.”
According to Chesney, he and his longtime producer, Buddy Cannon, went into the studio just one week later to record “Take Her Home,” the final song recorded for Chesney’s latest BORN album.
“We were kind of done with the record, but we’re never really done … I’m just so thankful that I live in a town where you can wake up one day and have a song like ‘Take Her Home’ sent to you,” Chesney remarked. “It’s part of the magic of this town, and I really appreciate it.”
Chesney spoke about “Take Her Home” on Audacy’s Superstar Power, recalling how he felt the first time he heard the impactful song.
“I went, ‘Wow! I’ve been looking for this for a while,’” Chesney recalls (via American Songwriter). “It’s one of those life-moment songs. I just felt like, in my head, I knew that it was very well done … I knew that there would be a part of this song that would really resonate with [my fans].”
“I drove around in my car and I listened to it over and over,” he continued. “I bet I listened to it 15 times in a row. And, I said ‘If I hear this on the radio by someone else, I’m gonna be really mad at myself.’”
Chesney is back at radio with “Just To Say We Did,” also from BORN.
“There’s a lot of music on this record that holds a significance for me or they wouldn’t have made the record,” Chesney told his record label. “I think the most authentic one for me is ‘Just To Say We Did.’ It truly is a part of my DNA, my life experiences, but it doesn’t have to be the experiences that we describe in the song. It can be anything you do with friends, with family — whatever it is to create connection and the intimate details that later in life that you’re going to look back on.”
It was while Chesney was on his Sun Goes Down Tour that he realized that fans were resonating with “Just To Say We Did.”
“Everywhere we went, everyone was asking for the same song,” Chesney said. “Everybody wanted us to release ‘Just To Say We Did.’ It was insane how almost unanimous it was, but it’s also pretty much a perfect summer song. I mean, if there’s ever a time when you’re gonna get out of your comfort zone, do something crazy or unthinkable, it’s now.
“And the thing I loved about the song when we were putting BORN together was that idea of ‘shoot your shot!’ Whatever it is, forget the excuses – just do it!” he added. “Don’t look down, don’t look back! Just jump into the moment and ride it for all it’s worth.”
Find “Take Her Home,” “Just To Say We Did” and all of Chesney’s music and upcoming shows at KennyChesney.com.