In 2012, “Drunk On You” was released to country radio and became a big hit for Luke Bryan. It was co-written by songwriting heavy-hitters Rodney Clawson, Chris Tompkins, and Josh Kear and appeared on Bryan’s Tailgates & Tanlines album. But, the song could have had an entirely different story.
In an interview on Audacy’s Rockin’ Country Saturday Night show, host Coop asked his special guest Jason Aldean if there was a song he most regretted passing on.
“The one that always kind of stands out to me is a song called ‘Drunk On You,’ that Luke Bryan ended up cutting,” Aldean admitted.
He went on to share that he first heard the song as an option to record for the album he was working on at the time. He ultimately decided to pass on it, which is how it ended up in Bryan’s hands. His friend and fellow Georgian eventually played it for him, causing Aldean to regret the decision to not record it himself.
“Luke came over and played me, he ended up playing me some songs off his record and that [‘Drunk On You’] was one of them and I was like ‘ughhh!’ It went on to be a big ol’ hit for him,” recalled Aldean.
While there is an air of regret, Aldean acknowledged that he believes the song always lands where it’s supposed to be. Case in point: “Big Green Tractor.” The song was a breakout hit for Aldean in 2009, but was almost recorded by Jake Owen. However, Owen decided the song wouldn’t be as believable coming from him since he grew up on the beaches of Florida.
“The times I’ve talked to Jake, he’s been really honest,” Jason shared. “He goes, ‘I’m a Florida kid… it was a hit, but it just wasn’t believable for me to sing about it and it would’ve just never worked.’”
Jason Aldean is currently back in the studio working on his upcoming tenth studio album.
