Blake Shelton loves country life so much he wouldn’t change a thing. And his new single, “Come Back As a Country Boy,” he pledges allegiance to his backwoods roots — in this life and the next.
Released October 1 as a lifestyle anthem filled with resolute pride, the track was written by Michael Hardy, Josh Thompson and Jordan Schmidt with a new take on the eternal circle of life. Featuring stacked vocals and a dark country-rock sound reminiscent of Shelton’s 4x Platinum hit, “God’s Country,” the tune mixes chest-thumping grit with stand-your-ground attitude and a comforting melody that almost feels like a lullaby, as an Everyday Joe embraces his place in the world — whatever may come.
“When I die I wanna come back as a country boy / No, there ain’t no better life if you ask me / If my neck don’t come out red, then Lord, just keep me dead / ‘Cause a country boy’s all that I know how to be,” goes the chorus.
“I think this song is an anthem for everyday hardworking country people out there,” Shelton said before the track was revealed. “We have so much pride in who we are and what we do that, if we ever died and got the chance to live life over again, we probably wouldn’t do it if we couldn’t be country.”
“Come Back As a Country Boy” is one of the new tracks on Shelton’s upcoming deluxe version of his Body Language album (due December 3). It follows his recent Top 10 hit, “Minimum Wage,” and a Platinum Number One with “Happy Anywhere” (featuring Gwen Stefani).
Looking ahead, Blake Shelton will wrap his Friends and Heroes 2021 with shows in Michigan and Wisconsin this weekend, and he’s back on TV each week with new episodes of NBC’s The Voice.