Some songs practically write themselves. For LoCash, “I Love This Life” started with a very specific question: What would Garth Brooks say to a stadium full of people?
During their week as guest hosts on Backstage Country with John Shomby, Chris Lucas and Preston Brust looked back at the story behind the song that became their first No. 1 hit. The duo's answer involved a room full of songwriters, a whole lot of positivity, and an attempt to channel the kind of larger-than-life energy associated with Brooks.
LoCash Tried to Write a Garth Brooks Song
LoCash wrote “I Love This Life” at Danny Myrick's house with Myrick and Chris Janson. The timing was particularly interesting: they knew Brooks was heading into the studio to record another song, so, as Brust put it, practically everyone in Nashville seemed to be trying to write a Garth Brooks song that day.
That idea quickly became the starting point for LoCash.
“We're also like, you know, if Garth was standing there in front of the arena with his headset, and he's got his hands in the air, what's the phrase he says to that crowd? And that's when we were like, ‘I love this life.’ It just feels like something Garth would say,” the duo explained.
From there, they built the song around a string of simple things worth celebrating—everything from a favorite hat and the highway to church. Rather than overcomplicate the message, LoCash and their co-writers kept piling on reasons to appreciate the life they were living.
LOCASH - I Love This Life
Mountain Dew, White Castle and a Lot of Energy
The writing session apparently had plenty of fuel behind it.
The pair recalled that co-writer Janson had downed several Mountain Dews and even joked about the group's White Castle run as they worked on the song. The room clearly had no shortage of energy, with the writers literally slapping their thighs as they hammered out ideas.
It's a funny detail, but it also captures what LoCash says they wanted from the song: something that made people feel good.
“We want to make you smile,” Lucas and Brust explained.
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