Six Feet Apart

Album: What You See Ain't Always What You Get (2020)
Charted: 58
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Luke Combs' diary entry for April 14, 2020 included a reminder that he had a scheduled Zoom songwriting call with hitmakers Brent Cobb and Rob Snyder. The day before, the three exchanged text messages and Combs queried whether the coronavirus home isolation they were all enduring was a suitable topic for their session. "I think I just asked them out of the blue, 'Hey, do we write a song about this thing? Or is that too cheesy?'" he recalled to The Tennessean. It turned out Cobb and Snyder were both wondering the same thing, and they pitched him the title "Six Feet Apart."

    The next day, Combs logged into Zoom and the trio penned a song that captures what fans and artists across the world are feeling: stuck in their homes and missing family, friends and doing the things they love.
  • Combs reflects somberly during the song on all the small things he used to take for granted before COVID-19 social distancing.

    I miss my mom, I miss my dad
    I miss the road, I miss my band
    Giving hugs and shaking hands


    However, he adds the shutdown won't last forever.

    There'll be life after dark
    Some day when we aren't six feet apart
  • Combs dropped an acoustic version on fans during a livestream concert the day after he wrote the song. The country star spent all day trying to remember the words and chords, but it worked well, and "Six Feet Apart" quickly became one of YouTube's top-trending videos.
  • Combs released the official studio version of "Six Feet Apart" on May 1, 2020, making him the first major country artist to write and record a coronavirus-inspired song during the pandemic. The social distancing-friendly recording session involved no more than 10 people.

    "Everyone was wearing masks and in separate rooms from each other," Combs said. "I never even went in the same room as the band that was playing on it. There were probably seven or eight people there, tops, including the band, myself, the engineer and his assistant. That was really it. They wiped everything down, and all the doors had been kept open so nobody had to grab the doorknobs."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Sarah Brightman

Sarah BrightmanSongwriter Interviews

One of the most popular classical vocalists in the land is lining up a trip to space, which is the inspiration for many of her songs.

Phone Booth Songs

Phone Booth SongsSong Writing

Phone booths are nearly extinct, but they provided storylines for some of the most profound songs of the pre-cell phone era.

David Bowie Lyrics Quiz

David Bowie Lyrics QuizMusic Quiz

How well do you know your David Bowie lyrics? Take this quiz to find out.

Bass Player Scott Edwards

Bass Player Scott EdwardsSong Writing

Scott was Stevie Wonder's bass player before becoming a top session player. Hits he played on include "I Will Survive," "Being With You" and "Sara Smile."

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17Songwriter Interviews

Martyn talks about producing Tina Turner, some Heaven 17 hits, and his work with the British Electric Foundation.

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New York

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New YorkSong Writing

Can you be married in one country but not another? Only if you're part of a gay couple. One of the first famous singers to come out as a lesbian, Janis wrote a song about it.