Format Digital download Length 3:45 (album version) | Genre Country Label Arista Nashville | |
Released September 14, 2015 (2015-09-14) Writer(s) Brad Paisley
Chris DuBois
Kelley Lovelace | ||
"Country Nation" is a song recorded by American country music artist Brad Paisley. It was released on September 14, 2015 by Arista Nashville as the fourth and final single from his tenth studio album, Moonshine in the Trunk. He co-wrote the song with Chris DuBois and Kelley Lovelace, and co-produced it with Luke Wooten.
Contents
Composition
The song is an up-tempo country song about the different types of people who make up the United States. The song makes reference to work performed, college athletics, trucks, country music, and NASCAR.
Paisley worked different college sports team nicknames into the song, including the Mountaineers, Volunteers, Crimson Tide, Seminoles, Longhorns, Wildcats, Wolverines, Tigers (referring to Auburn, LSU and Missouri), Buckeyes, Bruins, Bulldogs, Hogs, Hurricanes, Blue Devils, Tar Heels, Rebels, Fighting Irish, and Cavaliers.
He also made note of cheering for different numbers (presumably NASCAR), including: 14 (Tony Stewart), 24 (Jeff Gordon), 48 (Jimmie Johnson), and 88 (Dale Earnhardt, Jr.).
Music video
The music video premiered on The Today Show on September 3, 2015. Part of the video was shot in Nashville, Tennessee and was directed by Jeff Venable. It also features the mascots from Georgia, Tennessee, West Virginia, Duke, Ohio State, Miami, Virginia, Kentucky, LSU, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Arkansas, Auburn, Alabama, Purdue, Oklahoma State, Baylor, Michigan State, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, Oregon, Austin Peay, and also a Brad Paisley mascot.
Synopsis
The video celebrates the blue-collar spirit and America's love of sports. They are cut to performance shots of Paisley at Vanderbilt University's football stadium, some of the mascots are shown working at jobs such as at a car wash, on a farm, pizza delivery. Towards the end of the video the mascots are all shown playing football together.
Commercial performance
The song was first released in August 2014 as a promotional single and charted at number 37 on the Hot Country Songs chart. It debuted at number 53 on the U.S. Billboard Country Airplay chart for the week of September 7, 2015, a week before its official release to radio.
Chart performance
The song debuted on the Country Airplay chart at number 53 for the week ending September 19, 2015. It peaked at #12 on that chart for the week ending January 30, 2016, holding that spot for three non-consecutive weeks.