Luke Combs: ‘Growing Old’ Album Details Where His ‘Head Space’ Is
Luke Combs’ new album out today (3/24), Growing Old, seems to be a continuation of his CMA Album of the Year winner Growin’ Up, which came out in the summer…
Luke Combs' new album out today (3/24), Growing Old, seems to be a continuation of his CMA Album of the Year winner Growin' Up, which came out in the summer of last year, and there is a reason for that.
Luke told us how the two albums connect, "All the songs that were on 'Growin' Up' and the songs that are now on this one, 'Getting Old,' were all recorded in the same era. And what I mean by that is we were in the studio a bunch and recording what was then going to be my third album. I began to compile this list of songs; we must have recorded forty (songs) over two years."
He continued, "As I began to compile the track list that was going to be 'Growin' Up,' I was having so much trouble coming up with this track list because there were two sets of songs that were so different from each other. I thought, 'Well, I've got this song called 'Growin' Up and Getting Old,' which the hook was 'in the middle of growing up and gettin' old,' and that is really where I feel like I am."
Combs added, "I am a dad now, and I've reached a pretty awesome level of success in my career, and that's where I feel that I am; when I am home, I'm changing diapers, and when I am not home I'm on stage performing in front of thousands of people. It's just so crazy different, and that's where a lot of these songs came from is that headspace. All these songs existed at the same time, and I wanted to showcase where my music has been and where my music is going, and this, to me, was the best way of doing that."
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Luke also told us that while his life is a happy one right now with one baby at home and another on the way, he is still able to come up with heartbreaking songs thanks to his co-writer in the room.
He said, "It goes back to the beauty your co-writers can bring to the writing room and to the record is, I can be in this amazing place and then come up with this guitar riff and have this song title that my co-writer goes, 'Aw man, I get that, I am there right now.' You just try to bottle that magic when you have it and know you can write from a place of experiencing that, they're writing from a place of being in that moment, and you can be writing for someone who at one point will be in that moment."
Luke Combs is getting ready to release his latest album, Growing Old, later this month (3/24), and then he kicks off his world tour, which will play stadiums all over the world. That is not bad for a guy who studied criminal justice in college just over ten years ago.
As his country star continues to rise, Luke became a new dad in July of last year (2022) and has been busy helping out his wife Nicole take care of his son Tex. He also performed as a multiple nominee at the Grammy Awards show in February (2/5).
Combs celebrates his 33rd birthday today (3/2), and to honor him; we rank his 16 biggest and best songs.
RELATED: Luke Combs Career Was Criminal Justice Until He Picked Up A Guitar
16. "Does to Me" (featuring Eric Church) (2020)
SonyA collaboration between Luke and Eric Church, who he cites as a musical hero. It was the third single from Combs's 2019 album What You See Is What You Get.
15. "Cold Beer Calling My Name" (featuring Jameson Rodgers) (2020)
SonyAnother collaboration, this time with new artist Jameson Rodgers. Rodgers served as an opening act for Combs during Luke’s 2019 "Beer Never Broke My Heart Tour."
14. "One Number Away" (2018)
SonyThis song is a ballad about a man conflicted with not wanting to break down and call his ex-girlfriend. "One Number Away" reached number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, giving Combs his third No. 1 country hit overall.
13. "Brand New Man" (with Brooks and Dunn) (2019)
SonyA remake of a Brooks & Dunn classic on the Country Music Hall of Fame duo’s ‘Reboot’ album. Luke is a huge fan of the duo, and when this writer interviewed him at the start of his career, one of his main goals was to meet Kix and Ronnie. Well, he did, and the rest is history.
12. "Better Together" (2020)
SonyCombs performed the song on October 15, 2020, on the telecast of the Billboard Music Awards. During the performance, he appeared in a suit, and without his trademark baseball cap and was accompanied solely by a piano player.
11. "When It Rains It Pours" (2017)
SonyThe song's music video features Luke encountering his ex-girlfriend, and then driving, celebrating with his friends, getting a phone number from a waitress (played by his then-girlfriend, now wife, Nicole Hocking), and celebrating over winning money on a lottery ticket. It was nominated for Video of the Year at the 2018 CMT Music Awards.
10. "She Got the Best of Me" (2018)
SonyCombs said that he wrote this song four years prior to its recording, at a bar in Nashville, Tennessee called the Tin Roof. It was added to his debut album This One's for You as a bonus track due to fan demand.
9. "Even Though I'm Leaving" (2019)
SonyIn the song’s first verse, Luke sings of a child who is afraid of monsters under his bed, while the second features the son as a young adult going off to serve in the military and the final verse features the son becoming emotional over his father's death.
8. "Cold as You" (2021)
SonyCombs uploaded an acoustic rendition of "Cold as You" in October of 2020 and dedicated it to his parents, wife, and fans. The tune told the story of a broken-hearted guy finding his way to a barstool.
7. "Doin' This" (2021)
SonyThis song was inspired by interviewers asking Luke what he would do as a career if his country music career didn’t take off. His answer is in this song saying that if he didn’t make it big, he’d still be “doin’ this.” He debuted the song at the 2021 CMA Awards.
6. "Six Feet Apart" (2020)
SonyThis song only charted in the top ten, but most of us related to it, as It perfectly describes what so many of us were feeling at the beginning of the pandemic.
5. "Lovin' on You" (2020)
SonyThe video for this song is epic as it portrays Luke and his wife Nicole meeting at a skating center as kids. Combs performed the song on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" in July 2020.
4. "Hurricane" (2016)
SonyThis is the song that started it all for Luke in Nashville. The song reached number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. Its second week atop that position gave Combs two distinctions: the first artist to have a multi-week number one debut single chart since Florida Georgia Line's "Cruise" in 2012 and the first male solo artist to accomplish that since Darius Rucker's "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" in 2008.
3. "Beautiful Crazy" (2019)
SonyA beautiful love song. Luke first posted videos to Facebook of himself performing the song. In 2018, he re-issued his debut album This One's for You (titled This One's for You Too) with a studio version as a bonus track.
2. "Forever After All" (2021)
SonyA song that tells the tale of his love for wife Nicole. The video of the song features footage from Combs’ August 2020 wedding. The song is a continuance of "Beautiful Crazy" and "Better Together," which were both dedicated to his wife.
1. "Beer Never Broke My Heart" (2019)
SonyThis is Luke’s signature song, and what a great concept for a song. The fun song hit No. 1 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart dated August 4, 2019, which made this Combs' sixth number one on the chart. The song was certified Platinum by the RIAA on October 24, 2019.
