Album: Bones The EP (2024)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Bones" is a declaration of enduring devotion, a love letter set to music. Russell Dickerson takes us on a journey through pivotal moments in his relationship with his wife, Kailey, before confidently asserting that theirs is a love built to last a lifetime.
  • Dickerson penned "Bones" alongside Chase McGill (known for Kane Brown's "Lose It" and Cole Swindell's "Break Up In The End"), Parker Welling ("Thomas Rhett's What's Your Country Song?," Kelsea Ballerini's "Love Is A Cowboy") and Chris LaCorte (Sam Hunt's "23" Tucker Wetmore's "Wind Up Missin' You").

    The song took shape in a cozy, wood-paneled studio on Dickerson's Tennessee property just as Thanksgiving 2023 was rolling around. The title "Bones" was Dickerson's suggestion, and the team jumped right on it - never mind that Maren Morris had hit with a similar name. As McGill casually put it, "They're just completely different songs."
  • Dickerson started by strumming a simple guitar progression, and LaCorte added a gritty riff, giving the song its raw, earthy texture. On the lyrical front, they brainstormed different ways to weave the word "bones" into the narrative, coming up with phrases like "shaking right down to my bones" and "flesh and bones."
  • The production, led by Josh Kerr (with LaCorte and Dickerson co-producing), added an eerie, atmospheric quality, thanks in part to a windy sound in the opening section. "That's my old Moog Model D synthesizer, and it has this one mode on it that's just called 'Noise,'" LaCorte explained to Billboard. "Sometimes it just adds kind of a cool texture in the background, [but] it's more felt than heard."
  • Since tying the knot with her in 2013, Kailey has been Dickerson's continual muse, inspiring a series of heartfelt love songs. They include "Yours," "Blue Tacoma," "Every Little Thing," "Love You Like I Used To," "Home Sweet" and "God Gave Me A Girl."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Keith Reid of Procol Harum

Keith Reid of Procol HarumSongwriter Interviews

As Procol Harum's lyricist, Keith wrote the words to "A Whiter Shade Of Pale." We delve into that song and find out how you can form a band when you don't sing or play an instrument.

Yacht Rock Quiz

Yacht Rock QuizFact or Fiction

Christopher Cross with Deep Purple? Kenny Loggins in Caddyshack? A Fact or Fiction all about yacht rock and those who made it.

Dave Edmunds

Dave EdmundsSongwriter Interviews

A renowned guitarist and rock revivalist, Dave took "I Hear You Knocking" to the top of the UK charts and was the first to record Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk."

Victoria Williams

Victoria WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

Despite appearances on Carson, Leno and a Pennebaker film, Williams remains a hidden treasure.

David Gray

David GraySongwriter Interviews

David Gray explains the significance of the word "Babylon," and talks about how songs are a form of active imagination, with lyrics that reveal what's inside us.

Andrew Farriss of INXS

Andrew Farriss of INXSSongwriter Interviews

Andrew Farriss on writing with Michael Hutchence, the stories behind "Mystify" and other INXS hits, and his country-flavored debut solo album.