Kenny Chesney has as big ol' hit about life's small details. And when a songwriter pitched the country superstar the infectious song, "American Kids," Chesney knew he had something special - something unlike anything he'd ever cut before.
"When Shane (McAnally) played me the song," Chesney recalls, "I knew I was going to cut it. In fact, I gave him a hard time for not playing it for me sooner. Not only is it musically so engaging, but the pictures it paints are undeniable! No matter where you're from, there are pieces of that song that're just who you are ... and they show you at your very best. We're all, like the song says, 'a little messed, but we're all alright'."
Three weeks before his "The Big Revival" album hits stores Sept 23, "American Kids," the propulsive song about the inherent spirit of people coming of age, topped Billboard's Country Airplay chart. The song paints a portrait of people who make their own fun, understand life is how you live it and that the small details are what it's all about.
"Some songs, you just know they capture how people feel, what they think, how they are," offers Chesney. "I've had a few like that: 'Young' being the first. The moments in this song are all very real, and while they're universal, they're anything but generic, so I think people grabbed a hold of it for that - and because of the way it moves."
Written by Rodney Clawson, Luke Laird and McAnally, "American Kids" evokes the little pink houses and born in the USA of several generations, while embodying the swept-up-in-the-moment urgency and complete abandon of today's teens and 20-somethings.
Like he has with "American Kids," Chesney scored mega-hits with "When the Sun Goes Down" (with Uncle Kracker) , "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem," "Anything but Mine," "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy" and "The Good Stuff."
Co-producing with longtime collaborator Buddy Cannon, "The Big Revival" marks Chesney's 15th studio album. And with the meteoric success of the album's debut single, "American Kids," it looks like Chesney will be adding more hits to his legacy.
