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Feel the Country Breeze on Rodney Atkins’ “Take A Back Road”

Rodney Atkins' "Take A Back Road"
by
  • Arden is a Senior Country Music Journalist for Country Thang Daily, specializing in classic hits and contemporary chart-toppers.
  • Prior to joining Country Thang Daily, Arden wrote for Billboard and People magazine, covering country music legends and emerging artists.
  • Arden holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Tennessee, with a minor in Music Studies.

Once in a while in life, taking the back road does the trick. Rodney Atkins’s “Take a Back Road” is a song that remembers the excitement of escaping from the uproar of day-to-day life, really savoring that moment and clearing up with your mind and body. 

It is a song composed by Rhett Akins and Luke Laird. Rhett Akins drafted the single’s title when his friend mentioned that he “wants to ride a dirt road this instant” after listening to a Hank Williams Jr. album. Then, Laird thought of a tune and drum loop. They replaced the line to “take a back road” and produced it in a rhythmic phrasing. 

“Take A Back Road” is about getting away from the city and active life to experience life in rural areas and enjoy things with your loved ones or friends – long car trips and just having fun. The single was bound to be the vacation song of the year with its bright, fun lyrics and matching guitar strum. Something you like to simply play because of its windows-down, carefree summer mood. It’s like traveling to an unfamiliar place because when you do that, you end up witnessing things that none has sighted before. Which implies you can express the view creatively. 

The title track has climbed the charts faster than any single he has recorded. Among Rodney Atkins’ songs, with “Take A Back Road,” he attained the fourth-largest crowds at country radio since 2005. The song got the #1 spot on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in October 2011 and placed 3rd on the 2011 year-end ranking of the said chart. 

Let’s travel together by listening to Rodney Atkins‘ “Take A Back Road” below.

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