Josh Turner Made History in 2012 With His Song “Time Is Love”

When Josh Turner released “Time Is Love” in 2012 as the lead-off single off his album Punching Bag, it became one of the most talked-about singles on country radio. 

It debuted at No. 56 on the U.S Billboard Hot Country Songs and gradually climbed to the second spot. At the end of 2012, it was named the No. 1 Country Song of the Year despite not placing No. 1 on that chart, making it the second in the chart’s history to achieve such distinction.

The Song Caught Turner’s Attention The First Time He Heard It

Written by Mark Nesler, Tony Martin, and Tom Shapiro, “Time Is Love” is a spin-off of the famous proverb “time is money.” The man in the song describes being at work only to realize how his time would be much better to spend it at home with the woman he loves, because after all, “time is love.”

“I know I gotta put in the hours, make the money while the sunlight shines. But anything I gotta get done, it can get done some other time. Time is love, gotta run. Love to hang longer, but I got someone who waits, waits for me, and right now. She’s where I need to be, time is love, gotta run,” the song goes.

Turner admitted that he did not actually pick up the play on the phrase in the beginning. “That didn’t even cross my mind,” Turner admitted to The Boot. “Maybe that’s just the way my brain works. But once I realized it, it makes sense. I still don’t think that was the key to the song. It’s really about arranging your priorities in the right order, having the most important things first; love being above money. That was the central idea in my mind.”

Still, the song grabbed Turner the very first time he listened to it. The demo pitched by the songwriters had Mark Nesler’s vocals on it, and Turner found it to be “a good sign.” 

“It has such an infectious melody, and lyrically it really tells a message that I have been wanting to say for a long time,” he said. “It’s not about quality time but quantity time and taking the time to get to know the person better and develop a relationship with that person.”

The music video for “Time Is Love” made some buzz too. Directed by Peter Zavadil, the short clip features Tuner playing basketball with some of his friends, including a member of his band and a friend he goes to church with.

“I play basketball all the time. Me and my band play every week on the road. That’s something that I’ve never really given up since high school,” Turner said. “I wish I would’ve had a better shake at it.”

You can watch the music video below.