Luke Bryan on ‘Drink A Beer’: ‘It’s One of the Coolest Sad Songs I’ve Ever Heard’
ACM Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan is showing fans his softer side with his latest single, “Drink A Beer.” The song, which the singer debuted during “The 47th Annual CMA Awards” last week, is about the loss of a loved one, something Luke knows all too well after losing his brother Chris and sister Kelly, in 1996 and 2007 respectively.
“It’s one of the coolest sad songs I’ve ever heard,” Bryan tells Radio.com about the tune, which was written by Jim Beavers and Chris Stapleton. The Georgia native admits he was immediately drawn to the lyrics because so many can relate to them.
“I just thought it was an amazingly written song,” Bryan said. He added that the subject “was something that everybody can connect with, because so many people out there have lost somebody. And their connection with them was, they used to have a beer in a bar with them, or have a beer anywhere with them. Drinking a beer with a friend is a huge connection, and that song [brings] all those emotions together.”
When it came time to record the song, Bryan invited co-writer Chris Stapleton, who has had more than 170 album cuts throughout his career, to sing background vocals on the track.
“I’m a huge Stapleton fan. I’ve always been a huge fan of his voice and his writing, so I was excited to get to get the opportunity do that,” Bryan explains. “And then obviously to have him sing backgrounds with me was pretty awesome, too.”
Fans can re-live Bryan’s moving “Drink A Beer” performance, which he dedicated to his brother and sister, below.
