ABC/Image Group LAKeith Urban‘s nearing the top of the chart with his latest hit, “We Were” — and this time, he’s taking one of his friends with him: Eric Church.
Ironically, the Aussie superstar had no idea The Chief helped craft the song when he recorded it.
“As soon as I found out he was a writer, the first thing I wanted to do is, I wanted to hear him sing that song,” Keith recalls. “’Cause in my head I heard it top to bottom, and so I called him and I said, ‘Would you come in some time and do a version?'”
“At the end of the summer, he came by and we spent a couple of hours at Sound Emporium Studios,” he continues, “just hearing him sing the song and do his own thing to it — changing all the phrasing, changing the melody, the odd lyric changing.”
In fact, Keith says Eric’s interpretation of “We Were” was different on every take.
“I sat there and watched him sing it several times back to back,” Keith recalls. “He never did it the same way twice — ever. And I said to him, ‘You change it every time.’ He goes, ‘Yeah. Why would I do the same thing twice?'”
“It’s just the way he rolls,” Keith explains, “because he’s a storyteller, you know? He’s an amazing songwriter, one of the best in town period.”
You can stream or download the version of “We Were” that features both Keith and Eric now.
Previously, the two pals and label mates topped the chart in 2015 with “Raise ‘Em Up.”
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