Blake Shelton has a Top 25 hit with “Stay Country or Die Tryin’.” The song is the second release from his For Recreational Use Only album, out in May. The song follows “Texas,” Shelton’s 30th No. 1 single. Keep reading to find out everything to know about his latest hit.
Who Wrote “Stay Country or Die Tryin'”
“Stay Country or Die Tryin'” was written by Drew Parker, Graham Barham, Sam Ellis and Beau Bailey. Shelton’s longtime producer, Scott Hendricks, produced “Stay Country or Die Tryin’,” along with the other 11 songs on the record.
Why Did Blake Shelton Record “Stay Country or Die Tryin'”
For Recreational Use Only is Shelton’s first album since Body Language came out in 2021. The Grand Ole Opry member was understandably selective about what songs would make it on his long-awaited project, but knew as soon he heard “Stay Country or Die Tryin'” that it was the perfect song for him.
“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 got so much energy and is full of those little catchphrases and things we say out in the country. I absolutely fell in love with it. I’m proud of this recording—and I love singing it live even more.”
Shelton also says the song reminds of him of some of his musical heroes, artists he has spent his entire career trying to emulate.
“I’ve got this new album out, and it’s our second single off of the album,” Shelton says on The Bobby Bones Show. “I’ve got this thing where, I can’t get past some of those old Alabama records, and I’m quite a bit of a copycat sometimes when I’m making my records. ‘Cause I always want to end up putting something on my records that’s like something my heroes did.
“And for me, that always goes back to Travis Tritt or Alabama or Earl Thomas Conley or Mark Collie, some of these people,” he continues. “I come up with these records that I think, ‘Oh, they would have done that.’ And ‘Stay Country or Die Tryin” is a little bit of that, especially the intro of the song. I always think, I imagine that I was in Alabama when that song comes on.”
Why The Video For “Stay Country or Die Tryin'” Is Significant
Shelton put as much thought into the video for “Stay Country or Die Tryin'” as he did the single. The video, directed by Adam Rothlein and Jennifer Ansell, uses AI to cover seven generations, as mentioned in the opening line, “Seven generations from a dirt road corn crop / Boots ain’t ever seen easy street.”
“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.”
Find “Stay Country or Die Tryin'” and all of Shelton’s music and upcoming shows at BlakeShelton.com.