Where It's At

Album: Where It's At (2014)
Charted: 42
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The throwaway phrase "yep yep" is dropped seven times into this song. The hook was a late addition when Cary Barlowe ("American Honey") visited East Nashville on June 25, 2013, for a writing appointment with Zach Crowell ("See You Tonight") and Matt Jenkins ("Cop Car").

    When Barlowe arrived the other two had already started a song arising from a comment that Crowell has made. "I can't remember what I was talking about — maybe a pizza place, and I said, 'Ooh, that pizza place, that's where it's at, right there,'" Crowell recounted to Billboard magazine. "I recall Matt going, 'That's the title — 'Where It's At.' Probably two seconds later Cary walked in the door."

    The trio proceeded to write lyrics about how the right woman is such an important part of a well-lived life. "We tried to make it light and fun," said Jenkins. "It's not rocket science, certainly. It's just feel-good, and you want to crank it up and jam it."

    Within less than three hours, they were close to finishing the song, but had a phrase in the chorus — "Dressed up, hair down, in a ball cap. As long as I get that" — that had a gap in the middle that needed to be filled, so Crowell suggested the "yep, yep" part. "I probably thought it was bad," he said. "I probably pitched it in a very unconfident kind of way, but they thought it was good."
  • Lynch told Radio.com the song is the perfect tune to celebrate warm weather fun. "The first time I heard it, it's infectious," he said. "The guitar licks are like ear worms, they stay in your head forever. I just thought, 'What a perfect summertime song.'"

    "It's about the simple things in life. It's about the easy," he continued. "It's not glam. It's a girl that's chillin' out in her pajamas. There's nothing better than that, than being with somebody in the comfort of your own home."
  • Lynch titled his second album after this song. "It's where I am, as a person and an artist," he told Rolling Stone Country. "All the songs on the record are moments I've captured and put down. They were inspired by my excitement for life. So [the album title] 'Where It's At' sounds pretty perfect."
  • The song was written early in the process of making the Where It's At album. Dustin Lynch admitted to Rolling Stone Country that originally, it wasn't in the running to be the leadoff track. "In the making of an album when we're writing songs and listening for months and months, sometimes the stuff that comes in first you get tired of. We didn't think it was a single," he explained. "Something magical happened with the guitars when we recorded it. Here's a song that took me a while to even consider it in the game, and now I'm the one championing it to be the first single. It was like the Cinderella story of the album."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks

Ron and Russell Mael of SparksSongwriter Interviews

The men of Sparks on their album Hippopotamus, and how Morrissey handled it when they suggested he lighten up.

Strange Magnetics

Strange MagneticsSong Writing

How Bing Crosby, Les Paul, a US Army Signal Corps Officer, and the Nazis helped shape rock and Roll.

Elton John

Elton JohnFact or Fiction

Does he have beef with Gaga? Is he Sean Lennon's godfather? See if you can tell fact from fiction in the Elton John edition.

Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root

Michael Glabicki of Rusted RootSongwriter Interviews

Michael tells the story of "Send Me On My Way," and explains why some of the words in the song don't have a literal meaning.

Bands Named After Real People (Who Aren't In The Band)

Bands Named After Real People (Who Aren't In The Band)Song Writing

How a gym teacher, a janitor, and a junkie became part of some very famous band names.

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in Songs

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in SongsSong Writing

Elvis, Little Richard and Cheryl Cole have all sung about Teddy Bears, but there is also a terrifying Teddy song from 1932 and a touching trucker Teddy tune from 1976.