Go Home W U
by Keith Urban (featuring Lainey Wilson)

Album: High (2024)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Go Home W U" is a bouncy, whiskey-soaked story of two folks who maybe had one (or perhaps a few) too many. Keith Urban and Lainey Wilson trade verses, confessing to a night gone a little too long. With the kind of optimism that only comes after a few drinks, they see this tipsy situation as an opportunity: "I think I should probably go home with you." It's a cheeky proposition, a playful plead to avoid a potentially disastrous drive home.
  • Urban wrote "Go Home W U" in 2020 with Breland, Sam Sumser and Sean Small. "We had a blast writing it," said Urban. "It started out as a late-night drum loop, I grabbed a bass guitar and started playing a simple recurring bass line. Before we knew it, we were writing a chorus that could be sung by any drunk person in any bar anywhere in the world."
  • "Go Home W U" was originally written to be sung solo, but when a friend suggested making it a duet, Urban immediately thought of Wilson. "She's got the swagger and attitude that fit so well with the song," Urban shared.

    So, Urban sent Wilson a text message back in April 2023, asking if she'd be interested in lending her voice to the track.

    "Hey ya Lainey," the text reads, "It's Keith (Urban) here. Hope you're good. Would you be game to sing on a song of mine if it suited ya?!"

    "I've been sitting on one for a while that I think you'd dig... and I'd love to hear you on," it continues. "It's on the chorus... and various bits and pieces... a chill bar singalong vibe."

    The rest, as they say, is history. Wilson hopped on board, and "Go Home W U" simmered several months before finally hitting the airwaves on May 3, 2024.
  • The music video is a psychedelic road trip meets classic barroom singalong. Black-and-white footage of Urban and Wilson cruising alternates with animated cutouts of the singers grooving to the beat.
  • Urban first heard Wilson in the early 2020s and immediately fell in love with her voice. He set out to find something they could do together. "I actually thought we might write a song at some point," he recalled to Taste Of Country Nights' Evan Paul. "'Go Home W U' was sitting around and it wasn't a duet, but turned out to be a great duet."

    "I sent it to Lainey, she loved it," he added. "Killed the second verse. When I heard her sing it, I loved her voice so much on the track that we wrote a bridge on the song that wasn't in it originally, just so I could hear more of Lainey."
  • Urban, Breland, Sumser and Small wrote the song during the 2020 COVID lockdown. "That's one of the quarantine-type songs where everything was shut down," Urban told Billboard. "We so missed being in a packed club with your friends and music and fun, fun, fun."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Andrew Farriss of INXS

Andrew Farriss of INXSSongwriter Interviews

Andrew Farriss on writing with Michael Hutchence, the stories behind "Mystify" and other INXS hits, and his country-flavored debut solo album.

Danny Kortchmar

Danny KortchmarSongwriter Interviews

Danny played guitar on Sweet Baby James, Tapestry, and Running On Empty. He also co-wrote many hit songs, including "Dirty Laundry," "Sunset Grill" and "Tender Is The Night."

Chris Frantz - "Genius of Love"

Chris Frantz - "Genius of Love"They're Playing My Song

Chris and his wife Tina were the rhythm section for Talking Heads when they formed The Tom Tom Club. "Genius of Love" was their blockbuster, but David Byrne only mentioned it once.

Dean Pitchford

Dean PitchfordSongwriter Interviews

Dean wrote the screenplay and lyrics to all the songs in Footloose. His other hits include "Fame" and "All The Man That I Need."

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many Songs

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many SongsSong Writing

For songwriters, Johnny represents the American man. He has been angry, cool, magic, a rebel and, of course, marching home.

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star RidersSongwriter Interviews

Writing with Phil Lynott, Scott saw their ill-fated frontman move to a darker place in his life and lyrics.