Luke Bryan Says His Song ‘Up’ Proves He Does Make Country Music
Luke Bryan returned to his country roots with this 2021 original. “Up” from Born Here Live Here Die Here details the life of a small town farmer and, according to the award-winning artist, if that isn’t “country” enough for listeners, they “just officially lost their mind.”
Luke Bryan’s ‘Up’ lyrics and meaning
What a way to grow (as an artist). For 2021’s Born Here Live Here Die Here, Bryan released “Up,” a track which since earned over 13 million Spotify plays. This song primarily discusses the life of a farmer, with religious themes in the lyrics.
“Up In the sky, there’s a guy,” the chorus states. “Lookin’ down on us / Lookin’ up / Our whole life, raised up right / In a town nobody knows / What a way to grow.”
There are references to driving a truck and spending work days waiting for the weekend. That is, until the day these small town folks pass, as Bryan sings, “Keepin’ that faith, waitin’ on the day / He calls us.”
Luke Bryan acknowledged rock influences in songs like ‘One Margarita’
Even if “Up” primarily discusses farming, there’s other subject matter in Bryan’s discography. During an interview with The Boot, Bryan elaborated on the “beauty” of his original song — and how it differs from other tracks.
“The first line of the song paints the picture of a farmer’s life,” Bryan said, “and, luckily, in my career, I can sing a song about ‘One Margarita’ one minute, I can sing a song about ‘Huntin’, Fishin’ [and] Lovin’ Every Day,’ then I can do some songs that have a lot of rock influence and Southern rock.”
“And then I can come out with a song like ‘Up’ and talk about what a farmer’s life is: waking up early in the morning when you hear that Devil’s dust, praying it rains down on the Devil’s dust, then rows come popping up,” he added.
Luke Bryan said ‘Up’ is for people who think his songs are ‘not country’
Even if Bryan is a prominent voice in the country music scene, this artist sometimes pulls inspiration from other genres. He previously worked with Jason Derulo for CMT Crossroads, forming a close friendship with the pop artist.
Still, Bryan wants listeners to know that his strongest roots are in country. He solidified his reputation with “Up.”
“Sometimes I get a little — I get thrown under the bus for maybe not putting the countriest of country songs out, but certainly, on this song, if anybody listens to this song and tries to call it ‘not country,’ I think they just officially lost their mind,” Bryan noted in the same interview.
He snagged a handful of “Entertainer of the Year” nods from the ACM Awards, with his latest album, Prayin’ In a Deer Stand, available on most major streaming platforms.
