Morgan Wallen had a big hit with "Sand In My Boots," but it almost went to another superstar instead. The song, written by HARDY, Josh Osborne and Ashley Gorley, made it onto Wallen's 2021 Dangerous: The Double Album, after Luke Bryan first passed on the song.
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"There was one point in my career, I had sang about trucks enough to where I passed, stupidly...on 'Sand In My Boots,' because it had Chevrolet in it," Bryan says on Bobby Bones' BobbyCast podcast.
Indeed, "Sand In My Boots" includes the lyrics, "Yeah, but now I'm dodging potholes in my sunburnt Silverado / Like a heart-broke Desperado, headed right back to my roots." It was enough to deter Bryan from recording the song, a decision he now regrets.
"I just went through two years of my life where I was like, 'I sing about trucks a lot, I sing about tailgates,'" Bryan concedes. "I think I got in my head a little bit because I think I had a lot of negativity, socially, on socials, that I was getting pegged as maybe a one trick pony in that lane."
Luke Bryan's 18 Years of Hits
Bryan might have passed on a potential big hit for him, but he's still had plenty of success. The 48-year-old has had an astonishing 31 No. 1 singles. His success is a testament to his ability to always give fans what they want.
"I was 34, 35, 36, 37, making Spring Break albums appealing to 20-year-olds," Bryan shares. Bryan adds that it worked for his audience at the time. "It didn't get weird. It just felt like, it's time to move on from maybe the spring break me trying to sing college songs. But it was fun for me, and it was awesome."
Bryan is back with another hit, "Country Song Came On." The song is from his latest Mind of a Country Boy record.
"'Country Song Came On' is like a honky tonk gem for me," Bryan says. "When I heard it, I was like, it brings me back to the days when I was playing a lot of honky tonks early in my career. And the fact that I was able to put ETC, which is a nod to Earl Thomas Conley, one of my favorite artists ever, just makes me smile every time I hear it. And this song will definitely make you want to drink a draft beer."
"Country Song Came On" is also the name of Bryan's upcoming tour. Bryan will be joined on the road by George Birge, Drake Milligan, Randall King and more. The tour begins on May 29 in New York.
