Keith Urban's Heightened New Reality
It all started with Merle Haggard.
That's where Keith Urban first got the idea for his new song "Coming Home." And on Thursday (May 31), he released the video to brings that song to life.
“The concept for the video was really Andy Hines’ idea,” Urban said of his producer. This was the first time Urban has worked with Hines, whose work includes videos for Logic featuring Khalid and Alessia Cara, Big Sean featuring Kanye West and John Legend, Kali Uchis, Jim James and more.
“He suggested the heightened reality that we see in the video, which keeps it more like a dream -- an idea, more than an actuality. It was also important to have Julia (Michaels) there," he said. "She’s great energy to be around and I love singing with her, so I wanted us to be on stage at the same time to capture that.” The pop star joins him in the video, and on the album cut, and co-wrote the song with Urban, J.R. Rotem and Nicolle Galyon.
The late Haggard also has songwriting credit on the song, because Urban openly admits that the idea of the song came to him while listening to Haggard's 1968 "Mama Tried" about a young man leaving home and turning bad, even though his mother tried to raise him better.
“'Coming Home' started with an idea I had of using the intro of one of my favorite Haggard songs 'Mama Tried.' I took the idea to J.R. Rotem and he put some chords around it. I jotted down the first words that the music made me feel, jumped on a mic and sang the chorus.”
Urban related to that 50-year-old song and that message, he said, because it brings him back to a time when he was getting ready to leave home and head all the way to Nashville.
“Hearing that rolling Haggard guitar lick sparked memories of my childhood -- and my dream to come to America. I knew right then the story (of the song) was about the struggles of being in a city where your dreams have brought you," he said, "but far from your home -- wherever, whomever and whatever that is for each of us.”
Urban's tour kicks off on June 15 in St. Louis, and he wants fans to weigh in on his set lists.
