Long Live

Album: Life Rolls On (2020)
Charted: 45
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley have come a long way since their bro-country debut hit "Cruise." (The first use of the term "bro-country" was in a New York magazine article talking about that song). Now both happily married, on "Long Live" the Florida Georgia Line pair harken back to their younger days as they raise their glasses to cold beer, dirty trucks and pretty girls.

    Long live longneck bottles and wide-open throttles
    And old dirt roads with no name
    Long live them country girls, long legs in cut up jeans


    Florida Georgia Line announced on social media the song is one "for the late nights with great friends and cold drinks. It's time, y'all!"
  • The Florida Georgia Line duo wrote the summer song with Josh Miller, David Garcia and Corey Crowder during the Can't Say I Ain't Country Tour on August 10, 2019. Recorded at their home studio, the pair released the track on September 10, 2020.
  • Tyler Hubbard, Corey Crowder and Brian Kelley's rock-flecked production recalls the duo's early recordings with producer Joey Moi.
  • It was Crowder who came up with the anthemic song title. Inspired by a catchy instrumental track that Garcia had built prior to their session and the FGL shows he'd witnessed the previous nights, Crowder's suggestion fit both the music and the FGL live experience. "What a cool time to be writing a song like that, when we're about to go watch the boys crush it in front of 20,000 people," he told Billboard. "You know, country music fans having the time of their life. What a song to write in that atmosphere."

    The five knocked out a couple of verses where they recall a field party in the country and midnight gatherings in the Walmart parking lot. "When you talk about 'long live' something, it's something that has been around for a while," observed Hubbard. "The title alone makes you think of memories, and it makes you go back in your mind."
  • Brian Kelley told ABC Audio that he and Tyler Hubbard were kicking around song ideas on the bus with Josh Miller, David Garcia and Corey Crowder. Suddenly, "somebody threw out 'Long Live' or 'Long Live Nights Like These' and we were off to the races," he recalled.

    From there, the five started talking about things that mean a lot them, "The simple things: workin' hard, playin' hard, families, good friends, good times, Walmart parking lot parties," said Kelley. "Hey, love 'em - always have!"

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Artis the Spoonman

Artis the SpoonmanSong Writing

Even before Soundgarden wrote a song about him, Artis was the most famous spoon player of all time. So why has he always been broke?

The Evolution of "Ophelia"

The Evolution of "Ophelia"Song Writing

How five songs portray Shakespeare's character Ophelia.

N.W.A vs. the World

N.W.A vs. the WorldSong Writing

How the American gangsta rappers made history by getting banned in the UK.

Martin Page

Martin PageSongwriter Interviews

With Bernie Taupin, Martin co-wrote the #1 hits "We Built This City" and "These Dreams." After writing the Pretty Woman song for Go West, he had his own hit with "In the House of Stone and Light."

David Clayton-Thomas of Blood, Sweat & Tears

David Clayton-Thomas of Blood, Sweat & TearsSongwriter Interviews

The longtime BS&T frontman tells the "Spinning Wheel" story, including the line he got from Joni Mitchell.

Boy Bands

Boy BandsFact or Fiction

From NKOTB to 1D, how well do you know your boy bands?