5 Foot 9

Album: Dancin’ In The Country (2022)
Charted: 22
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • After signing to EMI Nashville in May 2022 as a solo artist, Florida Georgia Line's Tyler Hubbard dropped "5 Foot 9" as his debut solo single. The sunny, pop-inflected song is a celebration of the "good stuff" in life, such as whiskey, dirt roads and country music. Best of all is his wife Hayley, created by God.

    "It's just a reminder to take in the beauty and the simplicity of life, whether it's dirt roads, whether it's rain drops, whether it's country music," he said. "And then in the chorus for me, it's the bigger, more important picture of hey, the real good stuff in life? Just the reminder that God's responsible for making that happen and just taking that in and letting that be a daily reminder for myself and my fans."
  • Hubbard co-wrote the song with the Cadillac Three's Jaren Johnston and songwriter Chase McGill, but after speaking to Hayley when he got home from the writing session, he discovered he and his co-writers had shorted her about an inch. "She's actually 5'10"," he said. "I went home that night and said, 'Babe, remind me again how tall you are exactly. You're about 5'9", right?' She said, 'Yeah, I'm 5'10".' And I thought, 'Well, here's a new song I wrote today. I'm sorry I cut you short by an inch, but I hope you like it."
  • Hubbard recorded 18 songs for his debut solo album, and "5 Foot 9" kept coming to the top of the pile. "I think '5 Foot 9' was a good launch pad and a good foundation for the rest of this music and what's to come, and my story and where I'm at," he said. "And for me, it seemed appropriate. Something about this song felt nostalgic and familiar, but also very simple in the fact that it just reminds me to appreciate the little things in life and things that we, and myself especially, maybe take for granted at times. You know, all the things that I mentioned in the verses and then obviously just getting to sing about the good stuff in life and where I'm at right now and looking around and seeing yeah, my wife, but also my kids and my family, just the life that we're living right now. We're really in a sweet spot, and I'm reminded of where that comes from, so I'm hoping this song will do that for the fans."
  • Hubbard co-produced "5 Foot 9" with Jordan Schmidt. The producer got his first big break in April 2015, when he signed a publishing deal with Tree Vibez Music, founded by Hubbard and his Florida Georgia Line partner Brian Kelley. Schmidt also played the electric guitar on the track along with Rob McNelley. The other musicians are:

    Steel guitar: Justin Schipper
    Dobro: Ilya Toshinskiy
    Bass: Jimmie Lee Sloas
    Piano: Alex Wright
    Synthesizer: Alex Wright
    Drums and percussion: Nir Z
    Fiddle: Lars Thorson

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Billy Joe Shaver

Billy Joe ShaverSongwriter Interviews

The outlaw country icon talks about the spiritual element of his songwriting and his Bob Dylan mention.

Jay, Peaches, Spinderella and other Darrining Victims

Jay, Peaches, Spinderella and other Darrining VictimsSong Writing

Just like Darrin was replaced on Bewitched, groups have swapped out original members, hoping we wouldn't notice.

Eric Burdon

Eric BurdonSongwriter Interviews

The renown rock singer talks about "The House of the Rising Sun" and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood."

Spooner Oldham

Spooner OldhamSongwriter Interviews

His keyboard work helped define the Muscle Shoals sound and make him an integral part of many Neil Young recordings. Spooner is also an accomplished songwriter, whose hits include "I'm Your Puppet" and "Cry Like A Baby."

Glen Ballard

Glen BallardSongwriter Interviews

Glen Ballard talks about co-writing and producing Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill album, and his work with Dave Matthews, Aerosmith and Annie Lennox.

Intentionally Atrocious

Intentionally AtrociousSong Writing

A selection of songs made to be terrible - some clearly achieved that goal.