Say About Me

Album: Real Friends (2019)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Chris Janson was born and raised in the small Missouri town of Perryville; he moved to Nashville after finishing high school to pursue music. The country star talks during this rap-influenced song about his pride in his rural upbringing.

    At the end of the day I'm just a redneck boy in the hills of Tennessee
    And I was raised not to care what people say about me


    Janson also celebrates how well life has treated him, having cashed in on his hard work.

    Skip from a Bentley to a 350
    I wake up in the morning to see how it hits me
  • Janson wrote the autobiographical song with Shy Carter. "I said I wanna write a song somewhere between Hank Jr. '83 rowdiness and the Migos," Janson told Taste of Country Nights.

    Shy Carter has form for introducing hip-hop elements into his tunes. The country singer-songwriter has contributed rap breakdowns to cuts by such Nashville stars as Keith Urban ("My Wave") and Tim McGraw ("Way Down").
  • Chris Janson recorded a second version of the track with Migos rapper Offset. Though Janson doesn't often do collaborations, he told his label he would be open to doing one with Offset. The label reached out to the Migos rapper and he agreed. The hook-up was sealed two months when the pair, who had never met before, ran into each other in a queue at a Los Angeles Shake Shack while waiting to order some hamburgers.

    "We just come from two different backgrounds, but we also come from a similar background in that we don't come from a whole lot," Janson explained to Radio.com. "We had to build our careers from the ground up. We worked really hard for that, and we're proud of that. Just being around the guy for five minutes, I could tell he's a real hustler."

    The remix is a bonus track on the digital version of Real Friends.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Michael W. Smith

Michael W. SmithSongwriter Interviews

Smith breaks down some of his worship tracks as well as his mainstream hits, including "I Will Be Here For You" and "A Place In This World."

Verdine White of Earth, Wind & Fire

Verdine White of Earth, Wind & FireSongwriter Interviews

The longtime bassist of Earth, Wind & Fire discusses how his band came to do a holiday album, and offers insight into some of the greatest dance/soul tunes of all-time.

Concert Disasters

Concert DisastersFact or Fiction

Ozzy biting a dove? Alice Cooper causing mayhem with a chicken? Creed so bad they were sued? See if you can spot the real concert mishaps.

Oliver Leiber

Oliver LeiberSongwriter Interviews

Oliver Leiber talks about writing and producing hits for Paula Abdul, and explains his complicated relationship with his father, the songwriter Jerry Leiber.

The Real Nick Drake

The Real Nick DrakeSong Writing

The head of Drake's estate shares his insights on the late folk singer's life and music.

Francesca Battistelli

Francesca BattistelliSongwriter Interviews

The 2011 Artist of the Year at the Dove Awards isn't your typical gospel diva, and she thinks that's a good thing.