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Luke Bryan kicked off the weekend with a summer anthem that’s a nod to everything “country.” Bryan includes shout-outs to farm boys, cowboys, barkeeps, firemen, soldiers, hometowns and Nashville’s driven musicians — among other staples that are classically “country” — as he declares that “we ain’t seen our better days” in the U.S.A.
“I love that the song uplifts the hardworking American people out there, and it brings a lot of unity,” Bryan said in a statement. “It just has feel-good vibes all the way around it and anytime you can reference country music fans in a song, and you can really make it feel natural, it’s great. And this song does just that.”
David Frasier, Styles Haury, Mark Nesler and Mitch Oglesby teamed up to write “Country On.” Bryan knew he had to record it because of Nesler’s voice on the demo, explaining in a statement shared by his record label: “He’s just got one of my favorite artist voices, songwriter voices I’ve ever heard, and when I heard him perform ‘Country On,’ and the way he sold it in the demo, to me, it just spoke to me. And all I wanted to do was capture what Mark Nesler was able to capture when he recorded the demo. It spoke to me, and I think it’s gonna speak to a lot of people out there.”
The five-time Entertainer of the Year is in the midst of his “Raised Up Right Tour” and his Las Vegas residency, taking his music on the road with a series of high-energy performances. Bryan anticipates “Country On” resonating with many listeners and audience members: He said: “My favorite place to be is on stage performing to country music fans. So thankful every night when I walk out on that stage and know you are there to have a blast along beside me. It never gets old.”
“When you hear, ‘Hey Farm Boy…’ I mean that certainly spoke to me right off the bat, and the fact that we were able to put so many different aspects of the way, the country American way of life out there, and I felt like this song really, really nailed it,” Bryan added in a statement. “It was something that really spoke to my heart and being able to put it out in the heart of summer, right against the Fourth of July, I feel it’s gonna talk to, speak to a lot of people out there.”
Listen to “Country Now” here: