![Will Hoge, ’17’ [Exclusive Premiere]](http://townsquare.media/site/623/files/2017/08/will-hoge-17-song-premiere.jpg?w=630&h=420&zc=1&s=0&a=t&q=89&w=980&q=75)
Will Hoge, ’17’ [Exclusive Premiere]
Ahead of the release of his forthcoming new album, Nashville singer-songwriter Will Hoge is premiering his song “17” exclusively for readers of The Boot. Press play below to hear the track.
A breezy, nostalgic tune, "17" was written and produced by Hoge, just like everything else on his upcoming album, Anchors. According to Hoge, the song was inspired by his two sons, ages six and 10, who started up a band with their friend.
“I was sitting around one day during my period of deep doubt, then I heard these three pre-teens in my damn garage thinking they can save the world with rock 'n' roll,” Hoge explains. “It was amazing. All of the sudden, you remember the feeling of going to band practice and playing with your friends and making sure that you’ve got your jean jacket on just right so you can talk to the girl at the movie theater and try to get her to come to your show. You remember you do it because you love it and it feels right.”
“Here you come, drivin’ in your older sister’s car / See you make that left-hand turn on the Belmont Boulevard,” Hoge sings in "17." “Cigarettes and cheap black shades like some '70s rock 'n’ roll star / The only thing I’ll ever want is everything you are.”
Hoge has been a solo artist since the early 2000s; as a songwriter, he scored a No. 1 Billboard hit with his song “Even If It Breaks Your Heart,” recorded by the Eli Young Band. The song earned Hoge an armful of nominations at the CMA Awards, ACM Awards and Grammy Awards, along with performance spots on TV and a sweet gig writing songs for a Chevy trucks advertising campaign.
“All of the sudden, people were coming and offering me money to be a songwriter,” he says. “I hadn’t had a regular paycheck in 15 years at that point, and suddenly I was a paid songwriter.
Anchors is set for release on Aug. 11. Visit WillHoge.com for more information.
Listen to Will Hoge, "17":
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