Gotta say I just heard the new single by Keith Urban, and it is an instant classic! The upbeat, playful tune is titled "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16". Not in the least bit preachy, in spite of the Biblical reference in the name.
Keith's been away since 2013, and with his stint on American Idol coming to an end, it's time for him to focus solely on the music once again.
For me, his 2009 album, Defying Gravity, was one incredible disc! Chock full of great songs- everything from "Kiss A Girl" to "Hit the Ground Runnin'" captured the fun of country music. I even found a bit of the Eagles and their California meets Arizona stylings in the underrated "Only You Can Love Me This Way".
Radio.com has this great but short interview with Keith about his new album and particularly his new single:
“It’s a great feeling to be back in the studio shaping a new album,” Urban said in a press release about the song. “‘John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16’ was sent to me a few months ago by one of the songwriters and I loved it immediately—loved it so much that right before I walked out on stage at the Ryman (Auditorium) for CRS a few months back, I thought I’d play the song solo acoustic to see what the audience thought.
“Flash forward and there’s no doubt that their response that day helped make it the first single from what will be my next album.”
“John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16″ was written by Shane McAnally, Ross Copperman and Josh Osborne and co-produced by Dann Huff and Urban. Urban said that the song “resonated deeply” with him the movement he heard it.
“It’s the poetic use of the three Johns and what each represents to me,” he said.
