You, Me & The River

Album: All In (2022)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Here, Chris Janson recounts the demise of his cheating romantic partner and her lover. Eric Church wrote the murder ballad and duets with Janson on it.
  • When Janson met Church during an all-star tribute to ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons at the Grand Ole Opry House in 2021, they bonded and became fishing buddies. Their connection led Church to send Janson a rough demo that landed in his inbox as he flew back from Whitefish, Montana. Janson recalled to Billboard that he landed at 3 a.m., pulled out his phone and saw Church had sent him a voice memo and song. He said, "Hey, this is a little bit dark, but I wanted to see what you think." Janson listened to the demo, loved it, and suggested they do it as a duet.

    "I thought he would say no," Janson continued, "but he immediately texted back, 'I'm in.'"
  • When Janson recorded "You, Me & the River" for All In, it became the first song he cut for a major-label album that he didn't have a hand in writing.
  • Janson and Church ended up collaborating on another All In track, "Flag On The Wall." That one is a co-write between the two where they went back and forth on the phone hashing out lyrics.
  • Janson and Church play out the song's sinister storyline during the black-and-white visual. "It's kind of Ozark-ish," Janson said of the clip. "We're both acting in the video, and it's shot so wonderfully, it's not even like a music video, it's more like a movie."

    Church's go-to visual collaborator Reid Long directed the video. Long received an ACM Award for Video of the Year for "Mr. Misunderstood."
  • That's Chris Janson playing the harmonica. The country star first picked up the instrument as a way to boost tips when he was playing in Nashville's nightclubs.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Jon Foreman of Switchfoot

Jon Foreman of SwitchfootSongwriter Interviews

Switchfoot's frontman and main songwriter on what inspires the songs and how he got the freedom to say exactly what he means.

Adele

AdeleFact or Fiction

Despite her reticent personality, Adele's life and music are filled with intrigue. See if you can spot the true tales.

Lori McKenna

Lori McKennaSongwriter Interviews

Lori's songs have been recorded by Faith Hill and Sara Evans. She's performed on the CMAs and on Oprah. She also has five kids.

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)Songwriter Interviews

Before "Rap" was a form of music, it was something guys did to pick up girls in nightclubs. Donnie talks about "The Rapper" and reveals the identity of Leah.

Dave Edmunds

Dave EdmundsSongwriter Interviews

A renowned guitarist and rock revivalist, Dave took "I Hear You Knocking" to the top of the UK charts and was the first to record Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk."

Andy McClusky of OMD

Andy McClusky of OMDSongwriter Interviews

Known in America for the hit "If You Leave," OMD is a huge influence on modern electronic music.