More Than Just Tunes: The Stories Behind George Birge and Matt Stell’s Songs
If you’ve ever belted out “Mind on You” while in the shower or cried your eyes out to “Everywhere But On” because you miss your ex, you know that George Birge and Matt Stell can make you feel like they’re singing about your life. But what you might not know is that their tunes are filled with interesting stories, like how Birge’s first number one song almost became a Jason Aldean track.
George Birge’s “Cowboy Songs”
Birge says that his song “Cowboy Songs” was just him, trying to capture real life. “I grew up in Austin, Texas. I grew up playing in a bar band, and it’s just a story about basically me chasing my wife, who was out of my league at the time,” to which Stell joked, “She’s still out of your league.”
Ford shushed Stell and said, “You didn’t have to tell everybody that.” Birge laughed and sheepishly admitted, “But he’s not wrong. She still is out of my league, and I still am chasing her across smoky dive bars.” He continued, “I didn’t know how this song was going to land. You know, it’s kind of an out there title, ‘She only dances to cowboy songs.’ But I figure, especially if you’re chasing a country girl, if you do want a chance, you better put some cowboy songs on through the speakers. So, it’s real life. And it turns out a lot of other folks out there like dancing and cowboy songs, too.”
George Birge’s “Mind on You”
Ford asked Birge the story behind his first number one song, “Mind on You.” He admitted that the track was a “roller coaster of a song for me” and that he wrote it when his career prospects weren’t looking great. “I had basically given up the dream of being an artist at the time. I was writing songs for other people, and I wrote it with one of my best friends in the world, Colt Ford, who’s also a country artist. And when we wrote it, I knew it was special, but I didn’t really have an avenue to put it out at the time.”
He ended up pitching it to Jason Aldean, who just won Entertainer of the Year. “Twenty-four hours later I get an email back from his team saying, ‘Hey, don’t play this song for anybody else. Jason wants it for his new record.’ And at the time I had nothing going on. So, this was the biggest thing that ever happened to me.”
However, six months after, he got a record deal, and he needed to get the song back from Aldean. He called Michael Knox, Aldean’s right hand man and producer. “I’m like, you know, ‘Hey, man, I know I sent you guys this song, and I know you all took a flier saying yes to it and played it on putting it on the on the album. But I got a record deal. I got a chance to put a song out with my own name on it. And I was just wondering if you’d be willing to give me the song back.’ Without hesitation, he talked to Jason. They called me back and they gave me the song back.”
Matt Stell’s “Everywhere But On”
Stell shared he was proud of the song “Everywhere but On” from the day he wrote it with Lance Miller and Paul Sikes. “It was the kind of country music that I love. It’s like a little bit sad or heavy, and it kind of turns of phrase in a way that country music does.” He said that they wrote the song in 45 minutes and had a full demo after three hours. “I was proud of that song. I would never say that it’s a hit song. I can just say we did a good job that day, and I was pumped about it. And any time that one comes on, it’s kind of special to me.”