After almost three decades of songwriting and artistry, Clay Walker returns once again with a classic country hit, “Easy Goin.” Co-written with Paul Sykes and Adam Wheeler, Walker feels that no matter who sings it, a song is only memorable with great songwriting. The multi-platinum selling artist and songwriter feels this track supersedes many of his recent releases.
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“I’m feeling like this is going to be the best song that people have heard from me in a long time,” the country superstar shared. “I think it’s got legs. It’s got all the things you want a classic song to have; a great hook, easy to remember, and a melody you’re going to want to sing along to. I mean, it will not get out of your head.”
The title suits the vetted artist who feels he has become more easy-going with age. The storyline reveals an unexpected double entendre. A quick melodic entrance sets the scene of a goodbye. “She’s not mad, Walker explained.“She’s not screaming, she’s not crying, but she’s leaving. And this guy made it pretty easy going.”
Walker’s new lax attitude plays into his perceived evolution as a songwriter. As a novice, Walker was a stickler for the correct form. With increased merit, the songwriter eased structurally, allowing rules like rhyme scheme and syllable count to slide while learning to pace himself in terms of output. He feels this conclusion has elevated his craft, delivering authenticity.
“I started learning the ways that you could disguise the stress of traditional song structure and just let the song feel more organic and earthy. Over the years, that’s the piece that has continually gotten better,” remarked Walker.
The seasoned songwriter described that at the center of what he described as a Venn diagram that intersects all great writers is the ability to recognize what the hook is saying and stay narrowed in on that topic throughout the song. He understands the melody that should naturally follow a hook is the nucleus of a song.
In writing for this upcoming record, Walker has shared a virtual room with Nashville’s young writers, which he very genuinely referred to as “hitmakers.” These co-writers strike a balance between respect toward him for his track record and equivocal collaboration.
“I’ve noticed that these younger, really great writers all have the same thing as every great classic I’ve ever known. And that is the ability to stay laser-focused on that, what the song is about, what the hook is. They stay in that landscape, and they’re quick to point that out with each other as well as with me,” Walker respectfully remarked of this young generation of writers. “Writing with these guys has sharpened my skills back up tremendously.”
This project syncs with the digital transformation of everything we once knew about the music industry. Having squeezed in only a few in-person sessions before COVID-19 hit, Walker has completed a majority of his writing over Zoom. What began as what he recalled as “awkward experience with many constraints” for this notoriously old-school act, has surprisingly become a more favorable transaction, fueling creativity from the comfort of his home.
“It’s actually quite fun,” Walker admitted about this inventive adaptation of traditional writing. “Because you know, you’re in your own environment. You’re comfortable. You’re not in a boring ass writer’s room.”
“Easy Goin” previews an expected record for later this year. Walker says though they have only cut four songs so far, his team is working hard toward a complete album. Today’s single is the beginning of what we can expect to be a continual flow of new music every few weeks or so until that composition is complete.
Listen to “Easy Goin” below and follow along for more to come this year from Clay Walker.
