Songfacts®:

• "Straight Line" is an upbeat and anthemic country-pop song with a positive and energetic vibe. Keith Urban sings about reclaiming control and breaking free from life's shadows. "'Straight Line' is wanting to break out of a soul-sucking routine that you might be stuck in: maybe in a relationship, a job, with creativity, with yourself... whatever it is," he said. "It's a message of feeling alive again and getting out from under that dark cloud."
• Urban co-wrote the song alongside Chase McGill, his bass player Jerry Flowers, and Greg Wells. He co-produced it with Wells. The Canadian songwriter and producer Greg Wells' previous collaborations with Urban include "Wasted Time" and "My Wave."
  
  "The four of us had never written together," Urban told Billboard. "We had two days to write. And the very first day we wrote a song and the very second day we wrote 'Straight Line.'"
  
• "Straight Line" is the lead single from Urban's 12th album. He picked this song to set the tone for the entire record because it embodies the energy and spirit that runs as a common thread throughout the album.
  
  "While 'Straight Line''s lyrics are about being stuck and trying to break out of the monotony, the melody and energy are a boulevard of nothing but green lights," said Urban. "Every song on this album – even the ballads – carries an energy and a life force that became a very strong through line. I hope you feel it."
• The song initially started with a drum machine, but something felt off. Adding real drums was the missing piece, injecting the energy and direction the song craved.
• A lyrical twist of fate sparked the song's title. While brainstorming, Urban misheard "late night lover" as "straight line lover."
  
  "We were wondering what 'straight line lover' meant," said Urban, "and so we just trimmed it down to "Straight Line."