While He's Still Around

Album: Dig Your Roots (2016)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • At the age of 20 Tyler Hubbard lost his 43-year-old father in a helicopter crash. Three years later Brian Kelley's dad, Ed, had a major heart attack. Hubbard and Kelley raced to Ed's bedside and started praying.

    "We sat there, he put his arms on me he just prayed... man, we prayed," Kelley recalled to Taste of Country. "They were sitting up there at the top of the hill for a while with the doors open and I'm like, 'Why is this taking so long?' Finally I get to the hospital, 30 or 45 minutes later, and I come to find out he went into cardiac arrest. They had to shock him back to life. Little did we know, Tyler was praying when that was going on."

    These events inspired this song, which FGL started in 2010 with Chase and Jesse Rice (who also lost their father early) and finished shortly before completing Dig Your Roots. Hubbard noted to reporters: "'While He's Still Around' is a really special song that BK sings, after my dad passed and after his dad almost passed."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Meshell Ndegeocello

Meshell NdegeocelloSongwriter Interviews

Meshell Ndegeocello talks about recording "Wild Night" with John Mellencamp, and explains why she shied away from the spotlight.

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.

Joe Ely

Joe ElySongwriter Interviews

The renown Texas songwriter has been at it for 40 years, with tales to tell about The Flatlanders and The Clash - that's Joe's Tex-Mex on "Should I Stay or Should I Go?"

Laura Nyro

Laura NyroSongwriting Legends

Laura Nyro talks about her complex, emotionally rich songwriting and how she supports women's culture through her art.

Classic Metal

Classic MetalFact or Fiction

Ozzy, Guns N' Roses, Judas Priest and even Michael Bolton show up in this Classic Metal quiz.

Ian Astbury of The Cult

Ian Astbury of The CultSongwriter Interviews

The Cult frontman tells who the "Fire Woman" is, and talks about performing with the new version of The Doors.