Story Behind the Song: Rodney Atkins, ‘Caught Up in the Country’
Rodney Atkins' "Caught Up in the Country," the title track of his 2019 album, is all about the connection between nature and spirituality. Read on to learn the story behind the song, in Atkins' own words.
I love songs that have a connection between the ground and the sky. That is the No. 1 goal in songs, creating that. [My 2011 single] "Take a Back Road" does that: You're in a bad place, and you keep finding a way to enjoy it. [My 2006 single] "If You're Going Through Hell," obviously -- ground and sky. "Watchin' You," [also released in 2006], is about cussin' and prayin'. [The 2007 single] "These Are My People" has the line "It ain't always pretty, but it's real."
When I saw the title "Caught Up in the Country," I kinda cringed, because people are always like, "Man, I'm country as this, country as that." This ain't that; this is about spiritual connection. It's why I like being outdoors: It's that thing of, some people go to church and think about fishing, and some people go fishing and think about God. That's me, and I think a lot of people are that way. That's what I wanted to capture in this song.
I wrestled with a lot of these tunes to make them not over-produced, just having what needed to be there, and then I would take instruments away. "Caught Up in the Country" doesn't have a lot of stuff; it's just guitar, kick drum, a few little fills and vocals. And that kinda represented what this project is really about: songs that can take you somewhere, and if you give it a minute to sit inside of those songs, they'll do a number on you.