Hardy has become extremely well-known within the ranks of country music not only for his solo songs, but also for his one-of-a-kind songwriting skills.
He has written or co-written a lot of songs you have heard on the radio from other artists, including Blake Shelton’s latest chart-climber, “Let Him in Anyway.”
Shelton was speaking with Country Now when he described the moment he informed Hardy that he would be recording the song.
“He [Hardy] said, ‘Well, man, that song means a lot to me. I wrote it with some friends and I’m really excited that you’re cutting it. I just didn’t believe them for … I thought they were messing with me’ or whatever, which I don’t know why he thought that. I’ve cut a bunch of his songs over the years. He’s an incredible talent.”
Shelton was speaking with Country Now when he described the moment he informed Hardy that he would be recording the song.
“He [Hardy] said, ‘Well, man, that song means a lot to me. I wrote it with some friends and I’m really excited that you’re cutting it. I just didn’t believe them for … I thought they were messing with me’ or whatever, which I don’t know why he thought that. I’ve cut a bunch of his songs over the years. He’s an incredible talent.”
Blake Shelton’s Tragic Personal Loss
Shelton experienced the tragic loss of his older brother, Richie Shelton, who died in a car crash at age 24. The singer was only 14 at the time.
Hardy explained to Country Now backstage at CMA Fest that when he sent the song to Shelton, he didn’t know about the loss that Shelton has dealt with over the years.
With a powerful first four bars of the song, little did Hardy know that this song hit Shelton closer to home than Hardy thought it would.
Ain’t it a scary thing / When somebody’s time here ends? / Layin’ flowers on their grave / Wonderin’ where their soul went,” the song begins.
Hardy said, “It’s a very polarizing song. And to be honest, when I sent that to Blake, I didn’t know about his story about his brother and all of that. I think more than anything, it speaks to like if you have a message that you want to tell, convey to one of your friends, whether that’s witnessing to them or even just telling them to calm down a little bit or whatever it may be, I think it’s just a good message to send out to the world.”
What Songs Has Hardy Written for Blake Shelton?
Hardy has written four songs for Shelton to date:
- “God’s Country”
- “Let Him in Anyway”
- “Hell Right”
- “Come Back as a Country Boy”
