Growing up in Alabama, Walker Hayes has plenty of first-hand experience when it comes to life in the South, and he says his new song, “Y’all Life,” perfectly sums it all up.
“Where I grew up — the song just says it like it is,” the singer tells ABC Audio. “From Alabama, it’s all football and Jesus. That’s it, bro. And that’s all that matters down there.”
Walker describes his new single as a “two-and-a-half-minute snapshot of where I grew up,” going on to offer more images from the song that speak to what life is like growing up in a place like his Alabama hometown.
“I love the images this song has — the furniture in it, the ice cream truck,” he rattles off. “It is a football game, and you know, we’ve got the marching band feel in there.
The song also tips its hat to a legendary 2000 anthem for rapper Nelly — “Country Grammar” — in one of its lyrics, sampling the iconic first line of that song’s chorus. “I wanted to use that [line] — ‘Down, down baby’ — but I was like, ‘You know, let’s just go there and we’ll sort out the co-write stuff later,’” he explains.
Nelly’s influence on the song isn’t the only instance of a potential future “Y’all Life” collaboration, Walker hints. “I would imagine we’re going to have some pretty sick collabs with this song throughout its life,” he says.
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