Keith Urban‘s newest album, flow state, was released on June 12, 2026. The album contained multiple features, including John Mayer, Little Big Town, and legendary Doobie Brothers singer Michael McDonald. In June, Keith Urban invited McDonald on stage to perform the song “We Go Back” at CMA Fest in Nashville. It’s the only original song on the album that is filled with yacht rock covers.
On Melbourne Today, Keith Urban explains how the album came about after purchasing a studio in Nashville. “It wasn’t planned. The short version of the story is, I bought a studio in Nashville and I spent about nine months getting it back up and running. By the time it was ready to hit red to see if it works, I was about to start our High Tour. I thought, well, I wanted to record something. So let’s just do yacht rock songs because songs were already written and already arranged.”
Urban was surprised with the result and how well the songs suited him. Everyone agreed this would be the next release.
How Keith Urban Got Michael McDonald Onboard
On working with Michael McDonald, Urban stated, “The album was finished. My new producer, Johnathan Daniel was listening to the record and said, ‘You know what would be great? You can have a song with Michael McDonald on it.’ Because we wrote a song in 2020 called ‘We Go Back’, and when we wrote it, my writers and I imagined Michael McDonald singing the chorus. It was a yacht rock song. We had ten days to record the song, meet Michael, hope that he loved the song, mix, master, and send it back to the record company.”
“We Go Back” is about a separated couple who rekindle feelings. They wonder if they still have a chance at a happy ending together. It’s about second chances, learning from mistakes, and reminiscing about good times shared. The song fits well on the yacht rock covers album as the only original track.
I know I never should have let you go
I was young and dumb, and I messed it all up bad
You tell me that it’s too late now
‘Cause there’s somebody new around
But what we’ve got is the one thing you’ll never have
We go back
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