Songfacts®:

• Lee Brice starts off his eponymous fourth studio album with this cut, which he co-penned with Jessi Alexander, Ross Copperman, and Pete Wilson. You might well recognize Alexander and Copperman's names as they are two of Nashville's top songwriters, but most country fans will be unfamiliar with Wilson. Brice told Billboard that Wilson is the preacher at his church and this song was inspired by a book penned by the pastor titled What Keeps You Up at Night?: How to Find Peace While Chasing Your Dreams.
  
  "I was in church with my wife and my kids," the singer explained. "We were listening to my preacher, who had written a book, and said that they were going to have a big book release/spaghetti party to launch the book. He said the book is called What Keeps You Up At Night? So that was that. We left church, and went home, but the title of that book just stayed with me. I didn't even know what the book was about."
  
  "I had a writing appointment that week, and when I was driving in, that title was weighing so heavy on my heart," Brice continued. "I called my co-writers on the way in, and one of them is a very musical guy. I said 'Hey, man. I want you to do this.' Then, I called Jesse, who has the lyricist's heart. I pulled up to the co-write, and had to sit in my truck for a little while, and I could hardly gather myself. I had this intense and deep feeling about what was about to happen. Little did I know this was going to be the foundation of this whole record."
  
  The South Carolina native concluded: "'What Keeps You Up At Night' is a very honest song about a man – me – and the things that matter the most to me at this point in my life, and it was all because of the title of this book by my preacher."
• So how did Wilson respond to being a credited songwriter? Rather well, said Brice.
  
  "I called him and said 'I hope it's okay. I wrote a song with this title.' He said 'Are you kidding me? That's awesome!" I sent him a piece of paper with the songwriting credits, and he was on it. It was his title. 'This song would have never existed without you.' One night, I get a call from him, and he said 'Hey, Lee. I just wanted to tell you. I told my wife this morning that she went to bed with a preacher, and woke up with a songwriter.'"