Bryan is a five-time "Entertainer of the Year", being awarded by both the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Country Music Association. In 2019, Bryan's 2013 album Crash My Party received the first Album of the Decade award from the Academy of Country Music.
Luke Bryan was born in Leesburg, Georgia, to LeClaire and Tommy Bryan, who owned a peanut farm. Shortly before Luke was going to move to Nashville at age 19, his elder brother Chris was unexpectedly killed in a car accident. His mother, LeClaire, had made a statement: "We knew Luke at some point would come to Nashville," his mother said. "But ... you can't leave your family, and ... I couldn't bear the thought of him being away."
Instead, Luke went to college at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia, where he joined the Sigma Chi fraternity, briefly dated his future wife Caroline, and graduated in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. Luke reconnected with Caroline several years later when he was performing at a bar in Statesboro when she was in town, later resuming their relationship and eventually marrying.
Two years after graduating from college, Bryan finally made it to Nashville, when his father urged him to pack his truck to pursue a career in music. He initially gained success as a songwriter, but soon after signed as a performer; his first major success was "All My Friends Say".
2006–2009: I'll Stay Me
Soon after his arrival in Nashville, Bryan joined a publishing house in the city. Among his first cuts was the title track of Travis Tritt's 2004 album My Honky Tonk History.
He was later signed by Capitol Nashville to a recording contract. In the meantime, Bryan co-wrote Billy Currington's single "Good Directions", which went to number one on the Hot Country Songs chart in mid-2007. Bryan co-wrote his debut single, "All My Friends Say", with producer Jeff Stevens. This song reached a peak of #5 on the Hot Country Songs chart. In August 2007, Capitol Nashville released Bryan's debut album, I'll Stay Me. Bryan wrote or co-wrote all but one of its 11 songs. The album's second single, "We Rode in Trucks", peaked at #33 while "Country Man" reached #10.
2009–2011: Doin' My Thing
On March 10, 2009, he released an EP titled Spring Break with All My Friends that featured two new songs, "Sorority Girls" and "Take My Drunk Ass Home," plus an acoustic version of "All My Friends Say". After this EP, he released his fourth single, "Do I" in May 2009. Bryan wrote the song with Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood of Lady A, whose lead singer Hillary Scott also sings backing vocals on it. The song reached #2 on the Hot Country Songs chart.
"Do I" was included on Bryan's second album, Doin' My Thing, which was released in October 2009. Also included on the album was a cover of OneRepublic's "Apologize". Bryan wrote the album's next two singles, "Rain Is a Good Thing" and "Someone Else Calling You Baby", with Dallas Davidson and Jeff Stevens, respectively. Both of these songs went to #1 on the country music charts. AllMusic gave this album a positive review as well, with Stephen Thomas Erlewine considering Bryan more "relaxed" in comparison to his debut. On February 26, 2010, Bryan released a second EP, titled Spring Break 2...Hangover Edition, which featured three new songs: "Wild Weekend", "Cold Beer Drinker", and "I'm Hungover". While Bryan is mainly known as a country music singer, he has explored other genres like alternative rock with his cover of "Apologize".
Bryan appeared on the April 18, 2010, episode of Celebrity Apprentice alongside fellow country star Emily West. The task for each team was to make over an up-and-coming country star, with Bryan being selected by Team Rocksolid, led by Bill Goldberg, and West being selected by team Tenacity, led by Cyndi Lauper. Bryan's makeover failed to impress the judges, leading to Rocksolid losing the task. Bryan's single "Rain Is a Good Thing" and West's single "Blue Sky" were both sold on iTunes, with a month's worth of sales being donated to Lauper's charity, the Stonewall Community Foundation, resulting in $25,000 being raised.
2011–2013: Tailgates & Tanlines
Bryan released his third EP, Spring Break 3...It's a Shore Thing, on February 25, 2011, featuring four new songs - "In Love With the Girl," "If You Ain't Here to Party," "Shore Thing," and "Love In a College Town". This release was followed by Bryan's seventh single, "Country Girl (Shake It for Me)", which was released on March 14, 2011. Also co-written by Bryan and Davidson, it served as the lead-off single to his third studio album, Tailgates & Tanlines, which was released August 9, 2011. The album peaked at #1 on the Top Country Albums chart and #2 on the Billboard 200 chart. "Country Girl" peaked at #4 on the country music charts and #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The album's next three singles - "I Don't Want This Night to End", "Drunk on You", and "Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye" - all reached #1 on the country music charts. Bryan, along with Eric Church, sang guest vocals on Jason Aldean's "The Only Way I Know," the second single from his 2012 album, Night Train.
On March 6, 2012, Bryan released his fourth Spring Break EP entitled Spring Break 4...Suntan City. Along with the title track, which Bryan co-wrote with Dallas Davidson, Rhett Akins and Ben Hayslip, the EP includes "Spring Break-Up," "Little Bit Later On," and "Shake the Sand". On January 30, 2013, Bryan announced his first compilation album, Spring Break...Here to Party, which includes 14 songs - 12 from his previous Spring Break EPs and two new tracks. It was released on March 5. The album debuted at #1 on both the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and the Billboard 200 chart, becoming the first album of his career to top the all-genre album chart. One of the new Spring Break songs, "Buzzkill", reached the top 20 on the Hot Country Songs chart.
2013–2015: Crash My Party
Luke Bryan's fourth studio album, Crash My Party, was released on August 12, 2013. The album's first single, "Crash My Party", was premiered in a performance at the 2013 ACM Awards and released on April 7, 2013. It reached #1 on the Country Airplay chart in July 2013. The album's second single, "That's My Kind of Night", was released to country radio on August 5, 2013. It reached #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart in August 2013 and peaked at #2 on the Country Airplay chart in October 2013. The album's third single, "Drink a Beer", was released to country radio on October 24, 2013. It reached #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart in January 2014 and #1 on the Country Airplay chart in February 2014. During the kickoff show for his 2014 That's My Kind of Night Tour in Columbus, Ohio, Bryan announced to the crowd that "Play It Again" would become the album's fourth single. This song reached #1 on both the Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts in May 2014. At the same time, Bryan sang guest vocals on Florida Georgia Line's 2014 single "This Is How We Roll". On July 14, 2014, the song "Roller Coaster" was released as the album's fifth single. It reached #1 on the Country Airplay chart in October 2014. The album's sixth single, "I See You", was released to country radio on November 3, 2014. It reached #1 on the Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts in February 2015.
On March 11, 2014, Bryan began his sixth year of spring performances at Spinnaker Beach Club in Panama City Beach, Florida. On the same day, he also released his sixth Spring Break EP, Spring Break 6...Like We Ain't Ever.
Bryan is the only country music artist to release an album of six #1 singles on both the Billboard's Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts.
2015–2018: Kill the Lights and What Makes You Country
On November 11, 2014, it was confirmed that Bryan had begun writing and recording songs for his upcoming fifth studio album. His last Spring Break album, Spring Break...Checkin' Out, was released on March 10, 2015. It includes the six songs from the previous year's EP and five original new songs.
On May 19, 2015, Bryan released his first single from his fifth studio album, Kill the Lights, "Kick the Dust Up", which peaked at #1 on the Country Airplay chart. He co-wrote over half of the songs on this album. This album provides not only his country flare, but also has tracks that include a disco type beat along with the songs of romance. The album's second single, "Strip It Down", was released to country radio on August 4, 2015. The album was released on August 7. Kill the Lights sold 345,000 total copies its first week and beat out Dr. Dre's Compton to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. "Strip It Down" went #1 in October 2015, making fourteen cumulative #1's. The album's third single, "Home Alone Tonight", released to country radio on November 23, 2015. The song also became his 15th song to reach #1. The album's fourth single, "Huntin', Fishin' and Lovin' Every Day", released to country radio on March 14, 2016. All six of the singles released from Bryan's Kill the Lights album reached #1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, making Bryan the first artist in the 27-year history of the chart to achieve six #1 singles from one album.
It was announced that Bryan would perform at halftime of the 2015 Thanksgiving match-up between the Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers.
In 2016, Bryan was selected as one of 30 artists to perform on "Forever Country", a mash-up track of "Take Me Home, Country Roads", "On the Road Again" and "I Will Always Love You" which celebrates 50 years of the CMA Awards.
On February 5, 2017, Bryan performed the National Anthem at Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium in Houston, TX. In September 2017, Bryan was announced as a judge for the revival of American Idol on ABC.
Bryan released "Light It Up" in mid-2017. It served as the lead-off single to his sixth album, What Makes You Country, which was released on December 8, 2017. "Most People Are Good" and "Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset" were released as the album's second and third singles, respectively. The album's fourth single, the album's title track, released to country radio on October 22, 2018.
When American Idol returned for another season on ABC, Bryan returned along with Katy Perry and Lionel Richie as judges.
2019–2021: Born Here Live Here Die Here
"Knockin' Boots" was released to country radio in March 2019. In October 2019, "What She Wants Tonight" was released to country radio as the second single from his upcoming album. In January 2020, Bryan announced his next album would be titled Born Here Live Here Die Here and was scheduled to be released on April 24, 2020. The announcement of the album followed the announcement of his upcoming Proud to Be Right Here Tour. On March 13, 2020, "One Margarita" was released as the third single from his upcoming album. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bryan delayed the release of the album to August 7, 2020, and rescheduled the Proud to Be Right Here Tour to 2021. On June 12, 2020, Bryan released the track "Build Me A Daddy" along with a music video for the song. On October 19, 2020, the song "Down to One" was made the fourth single from the album. A Deluxe edition of Born Here Live Here Die Here, released on April 9, 2021, produced the album's fifth single, "Waves", as well as its sixth single, "Up," which was released on October 11, 2021. In October, it was announced that Bryan would host the 55th Annual Country Music Association Awards for the first time, making him the first solo host in 18 years.
I'll Stay Me
Luke Bryan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't like much on TV
Caviar and a Triscut
Ain't no redeye gravy on a biscut
My deep Southern drawl
Makes the conversation crawl
You're gonna have to hang around
Long enough to hear me out
Some folks aren't happy like they are
Some wanna take things just a little too far
Singers wanna be Hollywood actors
And millionaires wanna ride old farm tractors
I'm just what I am
I'm just what you see
So I'll make it easy
I'll stay me
My granny and pawpaw
Still missing hee-haw
I love my little town
Where the people don't let you down
There's a girl down the street
Got a kiss just waitin on me
Hot dog sweet potato fries
When I go over tonight
She knows exactly who I am
A soft touchin' her love loving
Hard working man
Quarterbacks wanna play lead guitar
And supermodels want smaller body parts
Change is good sometimes
But I still believe
I'm gonna make it easy
I'll stay me
Yeah, singers wanna be Hollywood actors
And millionaires wanna ride old farm tractors
I'm just what I am
I'm just what you see
So I'll make it easy
I'll stay me
I'll stay me
I'm gonna make it easy
I'll stay me
The lyrics to Luke Bryan's "I'll Stay Me" are all about staying true to oneself in the face of the changing world around us. Bryan starts off by describing his simple style of dress, his love for basic foods, and his southern drawl, which he indicates may not always be easy to understand. However, he believes that people just need to give him a chance and stick around long enough to hear him out. Bryan goes on to mention that some people are never satisfied and always want to take things to the extreme, but that he's content being exactly who he is.
The second verse starts off with Bryan reminiscing about his grandparents and their love for the old TV show "Hee-Haw." He then moves on to talk about the pride he has for his small town and its people, specifically a girl down the street who is waiting for him with hot dogs and sweet potato fries. Bryan sings about how she loves him for who he is, a hard-working man with a soft heart. Again, Bryan emphasizes the importance of staying true to oneself, as he notes that people are often trying to be something they're not, like quarterbacks who want to play lead guitar or supermodels who want to alter their bodies.
Overall, "I'll Stay Me" is a song about staying true to who you are, even as the world around you changes. Bryan encourages listeners to embrace their identities and resist the pressure to conform to society's expectations. By doing so, one can live a happy and fulfilling life, just like Bryan himself.
Line by Line Meaning
T-shirt, blue jeans
I prefer to dress casually.
Don't like much on TV
I don't watch a lot of TV.
Caviar and a Triscut
I don't need fancy food to be satisfied.
Ain't no redeye gravy on a biscut
I prefer simple food over complicated dishes.
My deep Southern drawl
My accent may be hard to understand for some people.
Makes the conversation crawl
People may have a hard time understanding me at first.
You're gonna have to hang around
It may take some time to get to know me.
Long enough to hear me out
But if you do, you'll find that I have a lot to say.
Some folks aren't happy like they are
Some people are always looking for something more.
Some wanna take things just a little too far
Some people go overboard in their pursuits.
Singers wanna be Hollywood actors
Some musicians aspire to be in the acting industry.
And millionaires wanna ride old farm tractors
Some wealthy people enjoy simpler things.
I'm just what I am
I am content with who I am and what I have.
I'm just what you see
I don't pretend to be someone else.
So I'll make it easy
I won't try to be someone I'm not.
I'll stay me
I will remain true to myself.
My granny and pawpaw
My grandparents are important to me.
Still missing hee-haw
I miss the TV show Hee-Haw, which reminds me of my childhood.
I love my little town
I am proud of where I come from.
Where the people don't let you down
The people in my town are dependable and trustworthy.
There's a girl down the street
I am interested in a girl who lives nearby.
Got a kiss just waitin on me
I have plans to see this girl later and we may share a kiss.
Hot dog sweet potato fries
We plan to eat fast food for our date.
She knows exactly who I am
The girl I am interested in accepts me for who I am.
A soft touchin' her love loving
We have a romantic connection.
Hard working man
I am a dedicated worker.
Quarterbacks wanna play lead guitar
Even successful athletes may dream of pursuing a different career.
And supermodels want smaller body parts
Even those who are considered physically attractive may feel insecure about their appearance.
Change is good sometimes
Change can be positive.
But I still believe
However, I believe in staying true to myself.
I'm gonna make it easy
I won't put unnecessary pressure on myself or try to be someone I'm not.
I'll stay me
I will remain true to myself.
I'll stay me
I will remain true to myself.
I'm gonna make it easy
I won't put unnecessary pressure on myself or try to be someone I'm not.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: JEFFREY DAVID STEVENS, LUKE BRYAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind