When Blake Shelton had a No. 1 hit with his 2001 debut single, “Austin”, likely not even Shelton could have predicted the career he would have. More than 24 years after “Austin” was released, Shelton is back near the top of the charts with his current “Stay Country Or Die Tryin’” single. It’s a song that seems likely to become his 31st No. 1 hit, following “Texas”.
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“Stay Country Or Die Tryin’” is on his latest For Recreational Use Only album. Written by Beau Bailey, Graham Barham, Sam Ellis, and Drew Parker, the song celebrates the beauty of both country music and the country way of living. It’s a trend that many artists are trying to get away from, but fortunately not Shelton. It’s Shelton who is firmly planting his flag in country music, making the genre better for it.
“Stay Country Or Die Tryin’” says, “From the red, white, and blue flyin’ high at the farm / To the Boone and Crockett stud on the wall in the barn / Where the magnolias bloom, there’s a lab on the lawn / Where your buddy and your boat both got the name John / In God, we trust / Detroit, we rust / Redneck letter testifyin’ / From the born in the cut / ‘Til the day that I’m dust / I’m-a stay country or die tryin’.”
Why Blake Shelton Recorded “Stay Country Or Die Tryin’”
Shelton knew as soon as he heard “Stay Country Or Die Tryin’” that he wanted to record the song.
“When I heard ‘Stay Country or Die Tryin’,’ it took me back to the first time I heard ‘Ol’ Red’ or ‘God’s Country,’” Shelton recalls. “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.”
The song perfectly sums up Shelton’s life, especially on the Oklahoma ranch he calls home.
“The lyric is just a bunch of almost phrases and things that are picturesque to growing up in the kind of backwoods and country, and that diehard mentality,” Shelton tells American Songwriter. “It’s, ‘I know where I come from.’ That’s kind of how we are — a little very prideful, a little bit stubborn. And that’s kind of the guy in that song. There’s a pride to being a hillbilly and not going to town for any damn thing.”
Shelton’s 30 number one hits, with the likelihood of soon having 31, puts him in an elite list of country artists with that many singles landing at the top of the charts. The other artists on that list include George Strait, Alabama, Kenny Chesney, and Ronnie Milsap
Photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
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