The guys in Old Dominion have built a reputation as some of the best songwriters in Music City, crafting hits for the likes of Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, and Blake Shelton, as well as themselves, of course.
But just how good are they? The story behind their new single, which comes out Friday, will give you a clue.
“I Was on a Boat That Day” is an idea concurrent with their debut release, which came out in January of 2015.
“Actually, the title is one that we’ve had for many years,” Brad Tursi says of the new song. “We had the title the same time we were writing ‘Break Up with Him,’ and it got brought up and put down over the years.”
“And finally, when we went to Asheville [North Carolina] to make this next batch of songs,” he continues, “we told the title to [frequent collaborators] Shane [McAnally] and Josh [Osborne] and they loved it. So we ended up finally writing it.”
The CMA and ACM Group of the Year goes on to reveal “I Was on a Boat” isn’t the only recurring idea that had almost become something of a joke among the band, but instead came full circle during their writing and recording retreat during the pandemic. They even float the idea some others may make their next record.
So what exactly is the message of “I Was on a Boat That Day”?
“It’s just… a little heartbreak song,” Brad explains, “about a guy who’s not really heartbroken in this particular moment because he’s on a boat and he’s having fun and he’ll deal with the rest tomorrow.”
You’ll be able to hear OD’s new fun summer anthem on Friday, the same day most tickets go on sale for their Live at the Ballpark Tour.
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