Kenny Chesney loves music, but he also loves sports. Much of the 56-year-old’s childhood centered around sports, even during the summer holiday.
“I was usually playing Little League baseball on the Fourth of July,” Chesney recalls. “I was big into sports, and the summertime in East Tennessee consisted of playing baseball, and that’s what I did on the Fourth of July. And they had a big fireworks display after all the games, and I was usually trying to win the affection of some little girl over at the concession stand.
“Things don’t change very much!“ he adds with a laugh.
Chesney loved both sports and music, but fortunately, music won out. The singer-songwriter recently celebrated his 33rd No. 1 hit, with“Take Her Home,” the debut single from his BORN album.
“It’s an amazing feeling, hearing the people singing it back to us,” Chesney says of “Take Her Home.” “It reminds you how these songs really do hold pieces of actual lives inside them, how deeply people feel these records; they’re more than hits. But when you get that call, and they tell you it’s No. 1, you realize how many people are seeing themselves on the radio. To me, that’s why I started doing this.”
The country music hitmaker is back at radio with “Just To Say We Did,” a song he credits his loyal fans with helping him choose to release, while on his Sun Goes Down Tour.
“Everywhere we went, everyone was asking for the same song,” Chesney says. “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 continues. “Don’t look down, don’t look back! Just jump into the moment and ride it for all it’s worth.”
It was his own sometimes idyllic childhood that inspired Chesney to include “Just To Say We Did” on his latest project.
“‘Just To Say We Did’ sounds like me and my friends growing up, and so many people I’ve met along the way,” Chesney explains. “It’s a song where whatever it is, why not? Get out there and live, shoot your shot, do that bucket list thing – just to say you did. When you can boil down how to create real joy into three minutes that feel this good, I want to sing that song. And I think this summer since we’ve been out on the Sun Goes Down Tour, ‘Just To Say We Did’ captures a lot of the energy we’re live on.”
Chesney will head to Kansas City, Missouri this weekend, joined on tour by Zac Brown Band, Megan Moroney and Uncle Kracker. Find all of Chesney’s music and upcoming shows at KennyChesney.com.