Hudson Moore can’t drive down I-35 without thinking of her.
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Back in 2011, the singer/songwriter spent countless hours on that Texas interstate, driving to the girl he had met at one of his shows, a girl that conjured up a mix of anticipation and nervousness and anxiousness within him. Little did he know that he would someday feed off those exact feelings to write a song called “Nothin’ Like This.”
And little did he know that we would someday make that girl his wife.
“I lived in Austin and she lived in Fort Worth, and every other weekend we would trade off driving down 1-35 to see each other,” the University of Texas alum recalls to American Songwriter. “It was just that excited feeling, where you just want to see each other and spend time with each other. It was a really romantic time.”
Premiering exclusively on American Songwriter, “Nothin’ Like This” tells a little bit of Moore’s story along with the somewhat universal story of anyone who has felt the tingles that come along with the act of falling in sloppy, crazy, beautiful and sweet, sweet love.
“It’s basically saying that this person makes you feel unlike anything you have ever felt,” says Moore of the up-tempo song he co-wrote last year alongside frequent collaborators Lindsey Jackson, Devin Barker and Emma White. “I really wanted to channel that feeling of total and utter elation.”
The song is one of a streak of songs that has surfaced via the creativity of Moore and Jackson and Barker and White as of late, a creative crew that seems to have it down to a science how to describe the most complex feelings by using the simplest of words…and then put music to it.
“I remember Lindsey (Jackson) started playing something on the guitar and piano,” says Moore of the foundational aspects of “Nothin’ Like This.” “The track builds out from that groove you hear in the song. And from there, it flowed out really nicely. Once we built that chorus and had the melody down, it kind of just wrote itself. We wanted to keep it feeling timeless and classic.”
But at the same time, Moore says that the song also features a lush production value that he is not only proud of but would love to explore further in the near future.
“The song features a beautiful string arrangement that I’m really excited about,” says Moore. “I got to take it where I haven’t taken my songs before. Actually, I’m more excited about this one that any other song I have put out lately.”
And as excited as he is to put this song out to his fans, he might have been even more excited to share it with his wife Sarah.
“Yeah, she loved the song since day one,” laughs Moore, who is also the father of 3-year-old Hadley and 1-year-old Harper. “She has been jamming to it in the car with our girls for months now. It just feels classic. And with it being Christmas time, it just feels good. It’s heartwarming.”
It’s this heartwarming feeling that Moore seems to be able to effortlessly infuse into every song he has a role in writing. Unlike so many other artists constantly looking to write the most complex of arrangements, Moore is content with writing music that is simple and sweet…and memorable.
“For me, it’s all about hooks and creating something memorable,” says Moore, who also plays an array of instruments, including acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, drums, keys, harmonica and 6 string banjo. “I always try to get things down to their simplest form. I want to write a chorus that sticks in your head. By the second time you are hearing it, you are singing it. That’s what makes country music great. It’s not overcomplicated. There are songs where you have to stop and think about what the meaning is, but I really like songs that just talk about the things that we all go through – life and love and loss – from a musical perspective.”
And he does that beautifully, because he feels it deep in his creative soul.
“Our time here on earth here is pretty short,” he says quietly. “This year has put it all in perspective. It’s reminded me of what’s important, and for me that’s my faith and my family and my relationships and my friendships…and love.”
