Table Of Content
- 2013: It'z Just What We Do and Here's to the Good Times
- What's The Greatest Chorus of the 21st Century? Vote Now!
- 'Cruise': The Story Behind Florida Georgia Line's Smash Hit Single
- The Meaning Behind The Song: Cruise by Florida Georgia Line
- Top 10 Florida Birding Hotspots Royal Caribbean Cruises
- Grab Your Tickets for Encore Drive-In Nights on June 1...
- Genius is the world’s biggest collection of song lyrics and musical knowledge

The unbothered blending of country, rock and hip-hop influences that became Florida Georgia Line’s specialty would reshape country’s commercial sound completely, to the chagrin of both traditionalists and outsiders — and expand its reach exponentially. Jesse Rice, Chase Rice and Kelley — Hubbard was called away for some long-forgotten work obligation — had gotten together to write at Jesse’s house. They were working on a ballad called “When God Runs Out of Rain,” and felt pretty good about it — good enough to take a lunch break. As they sat back down to finish the song after lunch, Kelley started strumming the chords G-D-Em-C – a progression that Jesse had used as the backbone to a rap medley during long cover gigs.
2013: It'z Just What We Do and Here's to the Good Times
The song is a mid-tempo in the key of B-flat major with a main chord pattern of B♭-F-Gm7-E♭.[14] It is about an attractive woman that the male narrator wants to cruise with in his pick-up truck.
What's The Greatest Chorus of the 21st Century? Vote Now!
Distinguished as an American Heritage River, it is one of only three rivers in the nation that flows north. Moi invited Kelley and Hubbard to his recording studio, where they recorded a demo of “Cruise,” a song they had been working on but had not yet finished. The chorus of the song was inspired by a chant that a fraternity brother of Kelley’s used to do. As Billboard celebrates the chorus of the country megahit "Cruise" on our 100 Greatest Choruses of the 21st Century list, the Florida Georgia Line guys talk about what makes the song so special. The song began when Kelley, Chase Rice and Jesse Rice (no relation) were sitting in Jesse's living room one afternoon. They had been writing another song when Kelley started playing something very different.

'Cruise': The Story Behind Florida Georgia Line's Smash Hit Single
The song has been streamed over 1.7 billion times on Spotify alone, making it one of the most popular country songs of all time. Perhaps most importantly, “Cruise” helped redefine the sound of contemporary country music. The song incorporated elements of hip-hop and pop music into its sound, paving the way for a new generation of country artists who would continue to push the boundaries of the genre. The song went on to become the best-selling country digital single of all time, reaching number 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and staying there for a record-breaking 24 weeks.
The Meaning Behind The Song: Cruise by Florida Georgia Line
Our custom Pre-Cruise Package provides you with a seamless way to experience Jacksonville and easily board the ship. The package includes a 1 night stay at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, located on the riverfront and steps away from the dock. Every hit song has its own unique origin story, but few are as intertwined with serendipity and chance as “Cruise” by Florida Georgia Line. The country duo, consisting of Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard, first met in 2008 while attending Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. Even with the hits Kelley and Hubbard have crafted since, they both admit it’s hard to beat “Cruise” as the best chorus they’ve ever written.
Charts and certifications

The song’s victory, though, was the integration of a Black hip-hop artist into a huge hit that anyone asked would call country, and the destruction, however temporarily, of the fundamental, racist genre divide that has defined American recorded music from the start. The "Cruise (Remix)" was released to iTunes on April 2, 2013 and then to pop radio later. Two music videos exist for the song — one with Hubbard and Kelley for the original version and one with Nelly for the remix. When “Cruise” was released in August 2012, it was an immediate hit with fans of country music.
Top 10 Florida Birding Hotspots Royal Caribbean Cruises
Though there were some conversations inside the label about whether the satellite success of “Cruise” would translate over the terrestrial airwaves, and even whether they should send “Tip It Back” — a slightly more familiar-sounding song off the duo’s second EP — to radio first. Instead, they decided to move ahead with “Cruise,” and it made its way up the country charts. “The very first time we worked in the studio together, it was partially about breaking them of the mentality that going in to record the song doesn’t mean it’s done,” says Moi. “Let’s dig back into these lyrics and make this better.” So they tinkered, “tightening the screws” on the lyrics, as Kelley describes it, for a few hours — distilling the song’s core idea into a pop monolith. "Cruise" kicked off the country career of Florida Georgia Line in a way that is rarely seen in country music — with a worldwide hit.
Behind the Song: Florida Georgia Line's 'Cruise' - CBS News
Behind the Song: Florida Georgia Line's 'Cruise'.
Posted: Tue, 25 Mar 2014 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Grab Your Tickets for Encore Drive-In Nights on June 1...
The song’s catchy hook, infectious melody, and party-oriented lyrics struck a chord with listeners across the United States. And, he continued, "It starts with a chorus. A lot of the old rock songs started with the chorus, and they all went to No. 1. This one was the same way. We started with the chorus that day." It was filmed outside Nashville, and featured the duo driving and performing against an American flag backdrop at a colorful paint party, and showed shots of women as well as a game of strip poker.[21] In the remix, it features the duo, Nelly, and another friend of theirs, driving down a road.
The intervening years have brought more efforts by both FGL and Nelly (among a number of other well-intentioned and like-minded artists) to correct that inequity. But “Baby you a song” isn’t just like Country Grammar — it is country grammar, a grammar that is as influential in country music today as ever. The song-about-a-song is a straightforward-sounding, meticulously-constructed earworm that hinges on the most appealing and specific version of the now-ubiquitous masculine country checklist (lusty descriptions of women, backroads, trucks). It turned out to be something of a “generational gauntlet,” as critic Jody Rosen puts it — particularly in the form of its blockbuster Nelly-featuring remix, released 10 years ago this week. Its massive success colored much of what came after its 24 record-breaking weeks atop the Hot Country Songs chart, whether that was songs trying to imitate it or the tidal wave of critical backlash. The year was 2012 when a previously-unknown duo called Florida Georgia Line, made up of Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley, took over country radio waves with their feel-good, debut single, "Cruise." The song and the duo soon caught fire, and it's a flame that has yet to run out.
His keyboard work helped define the Muscle Shoals sound and make him an integral part of many Neil Young recordings. Spooner is also an accomplished songwriter, whose hits include "I'm Your Puppet" and "Cry Like A Baby." The Texas songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker wrote "Mr. Bojangles" after a weekend in jail where a fellow inmate told him his life story. Take in the beautiful weather of northern Florida as you disembark from your tour of the South. Reflect upon the wonderful time had and the new friends made as you start your journey home.
Whether you prefer to spend your days lounging on secluded beaches, teeing up on award-winning golf courses, kayaking through lush mangroves teeming with wildlife or salsa-stepping from dusk until dawn, cruises from Florida are the perfect opportunity to experience the best things the Sunshine State has to offer. "All of a sudden Brian [Kelley] pops up and strums a chord and starts humming this melody," Chase Rice told Radio.com. "That ended up being the 'Cruise' melody, and we looked at each other, all of us three, and we were like, 'What the hell is that?' He was like, 'I don't know, but we should write it.' As we got more into it, we completely dropped the other song we were writing that day, and I'm glad we did."
Remember to “share” the Florida Georgia Line Cruise song with friends and family that like Country-Pop music. The song was written by group members Brian Kelly, Tyler Hubbard, Joey Moi, Chase Rice and Jesse Rice. A life-changer for all involved, "Cruise" has a relatability to country fans that helped take it to No. 1. Kelley knew the song would be the perfect fit for Florida Georgia Line, and he looks back fondly on that very special day. For our latest installment of Behind the Song, Radio.com talked with FGL's Kelley and Hubbard as well as Chase Rice, a singer and songwriter who also had a hand in turning the catchy song into an unfathomable hit.
The original song and the remix with rapper Nelly have sold 7 million copies in the US, leading to "Cruise" becoming the best-selling country digital song of all time and earning Diamond status (11x Platinum). "Cruise" went on to spend three weeks atop the Country Airplay chart—the most weeks at No. 1 on Country Airplay for a new act's first charted title since Gretchen Wilson's "Redneck Woman" in early 2004—and 24 weeks (over three different runs including the Nelly remix) atop the new Hot Country Songs chart. When the song reached its tenth week atop Hot Country Songs on May 18, 2013, it became the second song (Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together") to spend that many weeks at No. 1 since Buck Owens's "Love's Gonna Live Here" (16 weeks between October 1963 and February 1964). On August 24, 2013, it logged its 24th week at No. 1, the longest run at No. 1 in the chart's 69-year history (the previous record was 21 weeks held jointly by three songs, the last of which was Webb Pierce's "In the Jailhouse Now" from February to June 1955). It certainly makes sense that hip-hop influences felt as intuitive for FGL-generation country artists as for any others who have come of age since hip-hop became mainstream pop. Watching Nelly perform alongside the duo, though, is a stark reminder of how in that exchange of ideas, the money tends to only flow one way; that while it might feel like hip-hop is “in [FGL’s] DNA,” it’s not.
“Cruise” also earned Florida Georgia Line numerous award nominations, including three Grammy nominations. Kelley and Hubbard bonded over their shared love of country music and started writing and performing together. However, the turning point came when they decided to attend a songwriter’s night at a local venue in December 2011. This is where they met songwriter Joey Moi, who was impressed with their vocal harmonies and songwriting skills.
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