CURRENT SINGLE: “Hard Days”
Brantley Gilbert has always said that each one of his albums is a chapter in his life. It doesn’t mean he only writes about things that happened in the year or two since he released his last album. It could be that his perspective about an old situation has changed since he first wrote about it, so he writes about it in a new way. Brantley says one of the reasons he’s always stuck with the same formula when it comes to writing for his albums is because, “If I stay with that same foundation, then I know what I’ve talked about in the past, I know what I haven’t talked about, I know what to say different. You know, if I’ve learned something about the subject that mirrors anything that I’ve written a song about before.”
For instance, Brantley knew his wife, Amber, for almost a decade before they got married almost six years ago, and he’s written a ton of songs about her over the years. But he says. “[Back] then she was my girlfriend, or before that she was this girl that I just couldn’t believe existed. She was amazing. Writin’ those songs, you watch growth that way. And I’ve changed as a man, so there’s a lot of things that I look at differently.”
Getting past his alcohol and opioid addiction changed Brantley’s perspective. Having two kids changed Brantley’s perspective. Perhaps spending a year off the road because of the pandemic has changed his perspective. But all of that just means that he can write about new experiences, or write about old experiences in a new way.
Brantley Gilbert – evolution of life in songs :28
“If I stay with that same foundation, then I know what I’ve talked about in the past, I know what I haven’t talked about, I know what to say different. You know, if I’ve learned something about the subject that mirrors anything that I’ve written a song about before. You know, in my case, a lot of the songs are about my wife, and then she was my girlfriend, or before that she was this girl that I just couldn’t believe existed. She was amazing. Writin’ those songs, you watch growth that way. And I’ve changed as a man, so there’s a lot of things that I look at differently.”