Luke Bryan: What He Gets ‘Depressed’ About In The Business

Author Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media Group

July 28th, 2023 11:11 AM

Luke Bryan is knee-deep into his 2023 summer tour “Country On,” and he puts on quite the entertaining tour full of the fun and energy you would expect from him.

Luke signed on for Season 22 of American Idol with his friends and fellow judges Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. A few years back, Bryan told me about one of the few things that make him unhappy in the music business. He said, “The only time when I get depressed in this business or down is when I can’t sing and do my job like I want to.”

He added, “As long as I can get up there and sing like I feel like that people deserve, and I gave them my best, and that’s a good feeling.”

Luke recalled that years ago, he was opening shows for Tim McGraw and his buddy Jason Aldean. Now with ten years of headlining concerts under his belt, he has the headliner thing down. He said, “When you’re out there opening for years, you know, you’re doing 20 minutes. You’re doing 40 minutes. And NOW, I do four or five shows in a row, and I’m doing almost two hours, and it’s a different animal. So, just learning how to do all that and learning what it takes. I mean, I’ve even learned what time of the day is probably the best to work out, take care of my voice and be ready to sing.”

RELATED: Luke Bryan Looks For Down Time in 'Rough Year'

Bryan recently told us of hitting the road again this summer, “I’m so excited about this year’s summer tour, the Country On Tour. I’ve got a lot of new up-and-coming artists. Some of ’em have had a hit, and some of ’em are about to have a hit.”

He added, “They’re gonna be out there with me, and I’m so excited to be around young talent and watch them enjoy the summer tour. But, yeah, my favorite part about being out there on the Country On Tour is going town to town, and nothing is better than being out on the road in the summer.”

Upcoming August Dates on Bryan’s “Country On Tour:”

7/29/2023 Denver, CO Ball Arena
8/4/2023 Salt Lake City, UT USANA Amphitheatre
8/5/2023 Boise, ID Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater
8/6/2023 George, WA Watershed Festival*
8/10/2023 Rogers, AR Walmart AMP
8/12/2023 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
8/13/2023 Brandon, MS Brandon Amphitheater
8/17/2023 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
8/18/2023 Indianapolis, IN Ruoff Music Center
8/19/2023 Pittsburgh, PA The Pavilion at Star Lake
8/24/2023 Put In Bay, OH Bash on the Bay*
8/25/2023 Evansville, IN Ford Center
8/26/2023 St. Louis, MO Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre

17 Songs That Made Luke Bryan A True Superstar

• 17. “Rain Is a Good Thing” (2010)

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  Okay, the lyrics to this song are quite simple and give a simple recipe for making whiskey, but it’s a catchy tune and infectious. Luke also released the song during Nashville’s huge 2010 flood. At the flood relief concert Bryan told the press, “Okay, rain is a good thing but maybe not 17 inches of it.”

• 16. “Drink a Beer” (2013)

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  Written by Jim Beavers and Chris Stapleton, the song tells the story of a character who honors the recent passing of a loved one by watching the sunset on the edge of a pier; he drinks a beer, which is something they would have done together. Luke lost two siblings, who each passed away at a tragically young age. So Luke brings a lot of gravitas to this song.

• 15. “Kick the Dust Up” (2015)

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  Another party song for Bryan and it is also his thirteenth number-one single and his tenth consecutive chart-topper.
• 14. “What She Wants Tonight” (2019)

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  Luke was a co-writer on this song, which he felt would appeal to female listeners because the girl in the song “controls the dynamic of the situation." He added, "I've been wanting to get a big, rocking tempo out for some time, and this is certainly it."

• 13. “The Only Way I Know” with Jason Aldean and Eric Church (2012)

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  This collaborative song is about hard work, loyalty, small-town values, and southern work ethic. The singers explain that they were raised in a small-town southern atmosphere and were taught to work hard to earn a living.

• 12. “Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day” (2015)

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  This song reached number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, giving Bryan his fourteenth number-one hit on that chart. Thematically, the song is about a rural lifestyle in Luke's home state of Georgia.
• 11. “This Is How We Roll” (2014)

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  A great collaboration. The final single from Florida Georgia Line's debut album. The video of the song shows a biker named Kenny losing a bet and having to jump a tree. He fails, resulting in his dirt bike being stuck in the tree. When he, Travis Pastrana (a professional motorsports competitor), and some other guys are found stranded by Hubbard, Kelley, and Bryan as a result of the failed dirt bike trick, Kelley invites them to a party in the back of their semi-truck, which is revealed throughout the video to consist of dancing women and beer.

• 10. “Crash My Party” (2013)

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  Luke debuted the song at the Academy of Country Music Awards in April 2013, which he hosted with Blake Shelton. It was released the same month as the first single and title track from Bryan's fourth studio album of the same name.

• 9. “All My Friends Say” (2007)

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  Our introduction to Luke when it was released in January 2007 as his debut single and the first for his 2007 debut album ‘I'll Stay Me.’ The song became Bryan's first chart entry, spending more than 30 weeks on US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, where it reached number 5.
• 8. “Someone Else Calling You Baby” (2010)

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  In the song, the male narrator sees his lover in someone else's truck and wonders if she has left him for someone else. The song became Bryan's second number one hit on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in February 2011.

• 7. “Drunk on You” (2012)

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  It was released in February 2012 as the third single from his album ‘Tailgates & Tanlines.’ It was also his first single that Luke did not have a hand in writing.

• 6. “Most People Are Good” (2017)

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  In the song, Bryan sings about making "uplifting" statements about positive things in the world. At the time, Luke said that he was "captivated" the first time he heard the song, and that "It was something that I felt like that people always need to be reassured that there's way more good going on than negative."
• 5. “One Margarita” (2020)

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  The song we all needed to hear during quarantine and what fun it brought to so many. Bryan’s wife Caroline and mother appeared with him in the video.

• 4. “Home Alone Tonight” with Karen Fairchild (2015)

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  Bryan and Karen Fairchild performed the song live at the 2015 American Music Awards. The song was a groovy kind of ballad in which a man and woman meet in a bar and plot revenge on their former lovers together.

• 3. “That’s My Kind of Night” (2013)

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  This tune is all about the beat and has a great one talking about catfish dinners, the Flint River, and where the corn rows grow. Oh, and love.
• 2. “Play It Again” (2014)

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  In the song, Luke sings about approaching a girl at a tailgate party. Suddenly, the girl's favorite song comes on, causing her to ask the protagonist to dance with her, and they both exclaim "play it again" when the song is finished. He drives her home that night, when the song comes on the radio, triggering a similar reaction."

• 1.”Country Girl (Shake It for Me)” (2011)

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  Roy Acuff (Grand Ole Opry star and considered one of the fathers of country music) had a saying, “Dance with the one who brought ya.” Acuff told many artists on the Grand Ole Opry to do just that when they performed. And like it or hate this catchy song is the one that brought Luke to the country music dance.

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Author Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media Group

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