Pioneers

Album: Burn the Ships (2018)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The closing track of Burn The Ships, "Pioneers" finds Luke and Joel Smallbone comparing marriage to being a pioneer.

    Let's be pioneers
    And we'll build our home
    In the great unknown


    Marriage is kind of like pioneering," Luke Smallbone observed to Billboard. "You find this beautiful place to build a home, and once it's built you get to see the glory. You look back on what it was like to build that new home and plant those crops, whatever it might be. It feels like you are pioneering."
  • The For King and Country pair decided it would be befitting to include their wives, Courtney and Moriah, on the track. "Joel and I originally started singing this song, just him and I, and it was very weird," Luke explained. "It's like, 'We're not pioneering together.' It was a strange thing and so then we were like, 'Well what if we ask our wives to do it,' and it was cool!"
  • The song's music video was shot in Iceland with Moriah and Courtney Smallbone. Luke and Joel explained: "Iceland serves as a picturesque version of what it means to carry on in relationship as a married couple with the desolate, volcanic backdrop of this beautiful country."

Comments: 2

  • Hello Y'all from EarthI love this song it's so good
  • Kaitlynn S from CanadaI love this new album that For King and Country has released. I wish I could be just like them. Spreading Gods word through song.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Matt Sorum

Matt SorumSongwriter Interviews

When he joined Guns N' Roses in 1990, Matt helped them craft an orchestral sound; his mezzo fortes and pianissimos are all over "November Rain."

Al Kooper

Al KooperSongwriter Interviews

Kooper produced Lynyrd Skynyrd, played with Dylan and the Stones, and formed BS&T.

Best Band Logos

Best Band LogosSong Writing

Queen, Phish and The Stones are among our picks for the best band logos. Here are their histories and a design analysis from an expert.

Brian Kehew: The Man Behind The Remasters

Brian Kehew: The Man Behind The RemastersSong Writing

Brian has unearthed outtakes by Fleetwood Mac, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Costello and hundreds of other artists for reissues. Here's how he does it.

Dave Alvin - "4th Of July"

Dave Alvin - "4th Of July"They're Playing My Song

When Dave recorded the first version of the song with his group the Blasters, producer Nick Lowe gave him some life-changing advice.

Charlotte Caffey of The Go-Go's

Charlotte Caffey of The Go-Go'sSongwriter Interviews

Charlotte was established in the LA punk scene when a freaky girl named Belinda approached her wearing a garbage bag.