Joe Nichols is celebrating being back in the Top 20 with “Good Day for Living.” The Arkansas native, who last had a Top 20 hit in 2014 with “Yeah,” still can’t quite believe his newfound success.
“I thought [Morgan] Wallen would have half of the Top 20 right now,” Nichols jokes to People. “Somebody told me the other day that had been nine years since my last Top 20. That was kind of shocking.”
“Good Day for Living” is the title track of Nichols’ latest album, out last year. The 46-year-old knew, even when they were recording the song, that it had potential to be a big hit.
“It sure felt like it when we were wrapping up in the studio,” Nichols recalls. “When we listened to the last seven or eight things that we cut [for the album], we all looked at each other and said, ‘Yeah, this feels like a real, real good single.’ ‘Good Day for Living’ just kept rising to the top.”
Nichols’ eponymous freshman album came out in 1996. In the more than 25 years since hten, Nichols has tried hard not to waver from the music he loves, and that fans expect from him.
“I didn’t stray too far off the path, and I think it’s authentic to what I am and who I am,” Nichols shares. “Therefore, I think it’s recognizable. To hear people connect with that sound again is truly a blessing.”
Even Nichols admits that he couldn’t have predicted the longevity of his career, or that he would still be having hits, even after all of these years. Nor could he imagine how happy he could be in his personal life, with his wife, Heather, and his three daughters.
“I catch myself every day pinching myself, thinking about how I got here,” Nichols admits “My story sometimes is unbelievable even to myself. Just the way that I wound up married to my wife, the way we wound up with our children, the way I wound up still alive after all these years.”
“There’s a lot of ways that this story could have gone. It didn’t have to turn out like this, where I’m living with the woman of my dreams, and I have three beautiful children that I would die for,” he adds. “I just have way more than I deserve. If somebody wrote a story on my life with all the twists and turns, it would be rather odd. I don’t think I would even believe it.”
Find all of Nichols’ music and upcoming shows at JoeNichols.com.
