Here, Thomas Rhett sings about the addictive nature of being in love:
Never had something that I can't walk away from
Girl, my self-control's so paralyzed
When it comes to you, no, I ain't got no patience
There's something about you that I just can't fight
Rhett said that he can readily relate to the song's emotional picture of, "a guy and a girl really, really wanting to be with each other the moment they part ways, and are basically just obsessed with each other."
The song came out of a co-writing session that Rhett was supposed to be part of with Julian Bunetta, who's best-known for writing and production credits on One Direction and singer-songwriter Dave Barnes. However, the artist had to drop out after he fell sick. When Bunetta sent Rhett the demo the following day, he loved it right away.
"I remember putting it in my truck for the first time, it was like, 'Dang, this is really, really good,'" Rhett said, adding that he loved the '80s uptempo vibe. "So I put it on hold for forever, and it was one of the ones that kind of stood the test of time. So we didn't cut the record until probably six or seven months later, and I just remember that one really coming to life in the studio."
This features the vocals of Maren Morris, who came into the studio and completed her parts for the song in just an hour. Rhett said that working with Morris was "amazing."
"It was so nice to be able to work with - you know, there's a lot of females that are killing it right now, and Maren is definitely one of those girls whose voice is just undeniably powerful and soulful, and on top of that, [she's] just a really, really sweet person to work with," he said. "I think she just adds so much life and so much intensity to this song."
Rhett said that the song transports him right back to the '80s. He explained: "There's that Phil Collins-sounding drum, the stuttered bass notes. I'm a huge lover of the music from that genre and I think this song taps right into that vibe. And my fans know that I thrive on being unpredictable."
When Dave Barnes and Julian Bunetta sat down for their song writing session, it was Barnes who suggested the title, which he'd had for a while. "I just remember loving the idea of craving," he recalled to
Taste of Country. "It's such a powerful sentiment. More than wanting; it's like, 'Man, I'm not gonna do well if I'm not having this thing.' And Julian loved it."
The two co-writers then proceeded to write the song in three hours. "It was just a really, really fun, easy, wonderful day," Barnes remembered. "It was one of those days that you think, 'Gosh, if that was how this always was, it would feel like cheating.'"
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Directed by TK McKamy and shot in Nashville over two days, the song's music video is an action-packed movie trailer-style caper featuring Thomas Rhett and Maren Morris as a bank robbing duo. That's Rhett's real-life wife Lauren, playing the singer's pregnant significant other
"There are a lot of crazy action scenes – a lot of firsts for me in general in this video," Rhett said. "I've always wanted to get to do a fight sequence and play a tough guy, but I think Maren definitely shows me up! TK really pushed us both since we'd never really acted before."
Maren Morris jumped at her role. "I was like, 'OK, I get to hold a shotgun the whole time'… I don't want to like give the whole thing away, but I sort of end up being the villain. And I have always wanted to do that," she revealed. "I get to beat someone up with my gun and just be a total bada--. I think certain people think that's my personality, but it's totally not."
TK McKamy described the clip as "Jason Bourne meets Oceans Eleven meets Snatch."
Thomas Rhett told reporters about the thinking behind the music clip. "It would be unfortunate to make a video like that and then go make something average for the next few," he shared. "But, I think, with these songs, it's really all about finding the right idea and then figuring out how to execute it. [With] 'Craving You,' I've had that idea for a long time, of just wanting to make somewhat of an action-packed movie trailer of a music video - not that it really even related to the song "Craving You" at all. It was just fun to make, and I thought it was a cool visual, that my fans had never really seen me in that environment before."
Thomas Rhett recalled how Julian Bunetta persuaded him to record the tune. "When I first heard the song, I liked it, but I didn't think I was going to record it," he told
The Boot. "Maybe that was because I didn't have anything to do with the writing process. Sometimes, when I didn't write a song, I can't fully attach myself to it."
"Julian was super persistent, though," Rhett added. "He was like, 'Dude, you need to play this song in your car. Play it at the gym. Play it before you go to bed. Play it on the bus. I really think this song is a hit for you.' Maybe he was just very convincing, but he was right. We cut it, and it came out incredible."
