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Keith Urban and Eric Church Put A New Spin on “We Were”

 

After achieving 40 top 10 hits- the fortieth being his current single, “We Were”, Keith Urban surprised fans with a new version of the ballad. Fellow CMA-nominee for coveted Entertainer of the Year title (November 13th, 2019), Eric Church joined Urban on the new duet. The track was written by Church along with Jeff Hyde and Ryan Tyndell.

Urban teased the duet on October 19th, sharing videos and photos of the two artists in his home studio. “I love his voice!” Urban can be heard on camera excitedly, watching Church cut the vocals from the booth. He sits by the mixing board, appearing to be helping with the production of the new collab.

The song starts out the same way it does when you hear it on the radio. Urban always picks songs that don’t fit the cookie-cutter radio formula, always choosing songs that speak directly to him. The song is a reflective, mid-tempo song about the past and what life was like then and what was like now. “I am who I am, I just miss who I was when we were,” he sings on the chorus.

The lyrics are the same in both versions of the song. In the new version, it isn’t until the second verse does Chuch’s voice kick in. The song is mixed so well that for a moment, it’s hard to tell it’s Church singing. Once he finishes the first line of the verse, it’s easy- and wonderful to hear his traditional outlaw country voice shine on the track. He makes it more rock, and it’s an infusion of both artists’ sounds.

On the second chorus, Church takes the lead with Urban singing background vocals over him. There’s some harmony, but it’s more of stacks of combined, mixed vocals taking over the track. Both Urban and Church have very distinctive verses, so it is easy to decipher who is singing which part.

Sometimes a post-success single remix isn’t necessary, but the new version of “We Were” actually brings something new to the song. Church and Urban should try singing together more often because their voices blend perfectly together. Their last collaboration, “Raise ‘Em Up” hit the top of the country radio charts, back in 2015, proving fans love the duo together.

To keep up with Keith Urban, find him on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

To keep up with Eric Church, find him on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

“We Were” is now available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released music on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.

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Keith Urban Strips It Down On Heart-Tugging New Single “We Were”

We Were Keith Urban

Keith Urban returns with new music, and a familiar sound that’s a warm welcome after the recent years of uptempo, heavily-produced singles. “We Were” does what country music does best: tells a story.

Written by Eric Church, Jeff Hyde, and Ryan Tyndell, the track is a mid-tempo ballad that reminisces an old relationship that though over, lingers on in the person’s head with what-if’s and memories of their younger, wilder days. Fans may draw parallels to Urban’s 2013 duet with Miranda Lambert (“We Were Us”), but this song for one, is more wistful and drips with an aching sense of keep-it-all-together heartbreak.

“We were just a couple years short of the age by my name on my fake ID / And still ’bout a hundred away from the day your daddy said you could run with me / We were a couple of line-steppers that just couldn’t wait to step over the line / Never thinking we wouldn’t last / I was your first and you were mine”

A song packed with lyrical imageries, “We Were” was also co-produced by Urban and Dan Huff, the same pair in part responsible for both Ripcord and Graffiti U. It is worth noting, too, that the banjo in this song is placed so seamlessly and fittingly, that it isn’t a forced approach to “country-fy” the tune.

Perhaps the hook of the chorus best encapsulates the entire story well: “I am who I am, I just miss who I was when we were.”  One can definitely fully move on (or at least attempt to), but there’s only so much there can be done to live unperturbed by the old memories that were all, made with love.

To keep up with Urban, follow him on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

“We Were” is now available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released music here on our New Country music playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.

—————————-

Thank You for supporting Country Music in NYC & Beyond!

Subscribe to our Weekly Round-Up here 
for ticket giveaways, meet & greet contests, upcoming events,
and all things country music in the New York metro area and beyond!

+ Follow our country music adventures on InstagramTwitter & Facebook: