Scotty McCreery has a Top 40 hit right now with “Fall of Summer,” the second single from his latest Rise & Fall album, released last year. The song, which inspired the title of his new album, was written by McCreery, along with Brent Anderson, Derek George, Frank Rogers and Monty Criswell.
“Every album until this one, I’ve just picked a song title that I thought represented kind of where we’re at or the lead single,” McCreery said when Rise & Fall was released. “But this one, something felt different, and I didn’t think there was a song title that totally captured the feeling that I had for the whole project. And I’m old school; I know it’s a single-driven world nowadays, but I want my album to tell a story, start to finish.
“I want it to be a cohesive unit,” he added. “And I didn’t feel like there was one title that did that. So I was just listening down to the songs, probably on a plane to California or something. I was listening to ‘Fall of Summer’ and I heard, ‘Here’s to the rise and fall of summer,’ and I thought, ‘Rise and Fall.’”
McCreery wrote “Fall of Summer” along with the other tracks on Rise & Fall, while with a group of his songwriting friends in his home state, instead of in Tennessee.
“I had a blast writing this song,” McCreery tells the Country Music Association. “Typically I’m in Nashville and writing in an office building or writers’ room. But I took all my Nashville buddies to the mountains of North Carolina, and we just piled around the fireplace without guitars and some cold drinks, and wrote country music. It felt like the old days, and ‘Fall of Summer’ was one of those songs we wrote on that trip. We were all vibing to it.”
The 31-year-old admits that “Fall of Summer” is a bit of a different sound for him, but if it’s a slight departure, it’s one that works. “Fall of Summer,” which follows Cab In A Solo,” his sixth No. 1 single, was the most-added at country radio when it was released last May.
“I think it’s a different flavor for me and my music,” acknowledges the singer. “Sometimes it’s easy to stay in your lane and keep your head down, do your own thing. But I also think it’s just as important to try new things, and try new sounds. We tried that with this song. I enjoy singing it.”
McCreery liked the song so much, he named his 2024 headlining tour after the song, which remains one of his favorite to perform live.
“The tour name, I just figured, I was going to tell that story though the song, through the setlist, so I figured it was also an appropriate title for the tour,” McCreery explains.
“Fall of Summer” is about a summer romance that changes as the season ends. Although McCreery has been with his wife Gabi, whom he wed in 2018, since high school, he reveals that their relationship also had a big test, early in his career.
“If me and Gabi had a ‘Fall of Summer’ love story, like one moment that was big for us, I was making records and writing songs and out on tour,” McCreery recalls. “She was thinking about breaking up with me, because I wasn’t making time for her. She brought that to my attention, and it was an eye-opener for me. I realized if she’s the most important thing in your world, you’ve gotta treat her like that. From that day forward, that’s been my goal every day.”
McCreery will spend part of 2025 opening for Kane Brown on Brown’s The High Road Tour. He will also headline his own UK Tour this year. Find “Fall of Summer” and all of McCreery’s music and upcoming shows at ScottyMcCreery.com.