Kenny Chesney's latest No. 1 might sound like it was destined for the top, but the song actually spent years waiting for its moment.
During his week co-hosting Backstage Country, Chesney revealed that “Carry On” had been sitting in a folder on his computer for more than five years before he finally found the right home for it.
36th No. 1 Hit
The song has since become his 36th No. 1, but Chesney said the journey to that milestone was anything but predictable.
“I've had ‘Carry On’... for over five years in that file, waiting for its moment,” he explained.
The reason he didn't put it on an earlier album came down to something Chesney takes seriously: making a record feel cohesive.
“It didn't fit on other records,” he said. “If it had been on other records, that whole album wouldn't have been as cohesive. So, I'm a big believer in cohesive records.”
That patience eventually paid off in a big way. “’Carry On’ finally found its place and made its way into the world. And there's a lot in ‘Carry On’ that's kind of become my life mantra. And it's something that when I go back out there on the road, it's going to be a message to my audience.”
Kenny Chesney - Carry On (Official Music Video)
Kenny Chesney: “We’ve Been Doing This for a While”
Chesney also discussed the remarkable response from country radio. “Carry On” received adds from every country radio station during its first week the third time such a thing has happened in the format's history and the first time an independent label had accomplished it.
For Chesney, the moment carried some extra weight because he remembers what it was like when radio didn't automatically embrace his music.
“We've been doing this for a while together,” he told Shomby. “And I'm sure that you'd remember the time when it wasn't that way. My relationship with country radio and everybody out there has been built over time because there was a long while where I release a song and it was 180 degrees the other way.”
After years of grinding and hoping stations would play his records, seeing everyone add “Carry On” felt almost surreal. “I'm very grateful for that, and it doesn't happen to every song. It didn't happen. It's only happened three times in the history's format, so it made me feel incredible.”
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