For Blake Shelton, the best song always wins. Shelton doesn’t write a lot of his own music, preferring to rely on the many talented songwriters in Nashville. But just because he cuts a lot of outside songs for his records, it doesn’t mean he isn’t also gifted as a songwriter.
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These four Blake Shelton songs prove he has a lot of talent as a songwriter.
“The Dreamer”
“The Dreamer” is the title track of Shelton’s sophomore album, and one of only two songs Shelton wrote for the project. But what makes “The Dreamer” stand out is that not only did Shelton write it, but he wrote it by himself.
The song seems very autobiographical to Shelton, especially at that point in his career. Out in 2003, the song says, “Guess you could call me a dreamer / And I’ve seen it all come true / So I smile when I need to look happy / And do all the things they tell me to / Yeah I’m a big self-made man / And a fool who can’t understand / I thought I needed fortune / I thought I needed fame / But all I need is to hear you / Whisper my name.”
“Go Ahead And Break My Heart”
“Go Ahead And Break My Heart” might be the most vulnerable and honest song Shelton has ever recorded. Out in 2016, the song is on his If I’m Honest… album. Shelton sings the song with Gwen Stefani, who also wrote “Go Ahead and Break My Heart” with him.
When Shelton and Stefani wrote “Go Ahead And Break My Heart”, they were just beginning their relationship, after both going through very painful and public divorces.
“She and I sat down and wrote this song about some serious insecurities that we had when we first started down this road with each other, and we both had trust issues,” Shelton tells People. “We were getting over it, but we wrote this song about it. And it’s perfect. … It is like people getting a look at something personal for the first time.”
“Go Ahead And Break My Heart” says, “You can’t tell me that we’ll still be friends / And maybe someday we can try again / If you really need a brand new start / Why don’t you go ahead and break my heart?“
“All Of My Love”
“All Of My Love” is on Shelton’s latest For Recreational Use Only album. Written by Shelton, Matt McGinn, Colton Swon, and Zach Swon, the song celebrates the joy of love later in life, likely inspired by his romance with Stefani.
“All Of My Love” says, “Wish I coulda met you younger / Got a jump on callin’ you mine / Add a couple more kissin’ you summers / And a few more Friday nights / Girl, even if you and me live / To see past 99 / Yeah, knowin’ me, I’d still need / A little more time to give you .. All of my love.”
“Turnin’ Me On”
Shelton only wrote one song on his 2017 Texoma Shore record, and it’s “Turnin’ Me On”. Shelton wrote the song with Josh Osborne and Jessi Alexander.
“Turnin’ Me On” begins with, “Her kisses taste like whiskey / Burnin’ through my veins / She don’t know how to miss me / She hits right where she aims / Baby’s got my number and she’s calling me up / Knows what she’s doing with a single touch / She’s turning me on, turning me on.”
Photo by Christopher Polk/Penske Media via Getty Images
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