Songfacts®:

• "Coming Home" is a country love song that speaks of the longing and excitement of a reunion. Old Dominion's lead vocalist, Matthew Ramsey, sings of a weary traveler yearning for the comfort and love of their partner.
• Old Dominion wrote the song with producer Shane McAnally (Carly Pearce, Sam Hunt) at Nashville's Sound Emporium. McAnally suggested the title "War," inspired by a book he'd read about The Vietnam War. He linked the concept of a soldier returning from war to the emotional intensity of a homecoming.
  
  "I thought that was intriguing," McAnally recounted to Billboard.
  
  The original payoff line he envisioned for the hook was "Love you like I'm coming home from war," but that was changed to "Kiss you like I'm coming home from war," adding a tender, intimate touch.
  
  Old Dominion keyboardist Trevor Rosen began experimenting with chord progressions, searching for the right musical path. Once they found the progression they wanted, the rest of the band joined in to bring the song to life, each adding their own touch to this heartfelt anthem.
• There was some debate over the title "War." Although provocative, it didn't quite capture the essence of the song's narrative. After some deliberation, Old Dominion settled on "Coming Home."
• One other major decision came with the instrumental solo. A harmonica seemed to fit the ragged goal, but they weren't initially sure who to hire. Ramsey, who used to play harmonica casually during his pre-Old Dominion days in Virginia, stepped up. His second attempt yielded a soulful, authentic performance.
  
  "It's not like I'm a virtuoso," he told Billboard with a laugh. "I was like, 'Just let me give it a shot.' I went in, and I played it, and then I could hear everybody in the control room going, 'What the f–k was that, man? We've known you for 25 years, and you've never told us that you could do that.'"