Blake Shelton is opening up about the video for his latest single, “Stay Country or Die Tryin’.” The song, written by Drew Parker, Graham Barham, Sam Ellis, and Beau Bailey, is from his latest For Recreational Use Only album, out now.
“Stay Country or Die Tryin'” begins with “Seven generations from a dirt road corn crop / Boots ain’t never seen easy street / Where a skeeter gets slapped ’bout as fast as a star drops / Roots run deep in this family tree.” It’s a message that’s important to Shelton, and one he conveys in the video.
“I hope that fans see the video, and it helps them understand the lifestyle that we’re singing about, and the lyrics of the song,” Shelton explains. “This is seven generations of a family who have made their living off this same plot of corn they plant every year. And there are a lot of those families out there. They’re all over the United States, and they’re all over the world, actually. It’s a source of pride for the person that’s performing the song. I absolutely love the song, and I hope the video conveys that same message.”
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Shelton knew as soon as he heard “Stay Country or Die Tryin'” that he wanted to include it on his new record, his first on BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville.
“When I heard ‘Stay Country or Die Tryin’,’ it took me back to the first time I heard ‘Ol’ Red’ or ‘God’s Country,’” says Shelton. “It’s full of energy and packed with those sayings and moments that feel like home to me. I love singing this one live—it’s a blast.”
Not only did Shelton not write “Stay Country or Die Tryin’,” but he didn’t want to know who wrote it – or any of the other songs on his album – until after he decided to record it.
“It’s not like I’ve meant to, but I’ve always said, from day one, I don’t care who writes the song,” Shelton tells CMT. “I don’t care if it’s somebody new, or a veteran in the music industry. I could care less. I don’t even look to see who they are. I just look for the best songs I can find.
“And because of that,” he continues, “I think a lot of times it’s unknown writers that just aren’t getting their shot yet, and they’ve got a lot of great material. They just haven’t been able to get their foot in the door. It’s worked out that way a few times for me. At the end of the day, I’m a song guy. I love great country songs, and that’s all I want to record.”
“Stay Country or Die Tryin’” follows “Texas,” Shelton’s debut single from For Recreational Use Only. The song became Shelton’s 30th No. 1 single.
“It’s been a few years since I’ve had a solo No. 1 single, and I’m super fired up about this one,” Shelton said when the song landed at the top of the charts. “I had no idea if ‘Texas’ would be a number one song, but the first time I heard it, I knew that it was something different and it sounded like nothing else I’d ever done before.”
With a recent chart-topping single, and another massive hit at radio, the 49-year-old is grateful for the latest chapter of his career, one he wasn’t sure would ever come.
“I don’t think you’re being honest with yourself if you don’t have that thought, at least when you’ve been doing it as long as I have,” Shelton says on Country Countdown USA. “Like, there’s a new generation, and then another new generation that have come along in the last few years. You have to think that way or you’re not being honest. The excitement of watching ‘Texas’ take off the way it did, while we were still trying to finish up the album was even more inspiring, and lit more of a fire under me.”
Find “Stay Country or Die Tryin'” and all of Shelton’s music and upcoming shows at BlakeShelton.com.