June 17, 2009 — Kenny Chesney’s made quite a career by singing about alcohol and attraction, and his current single, "Out Last Night," blended both in a catchy manner that brought him the 19th No. 1 hit of his career.
Kenny wrote the song with Brett James near the end of last year while visiting the islands, and he recorded it in enough time to make it the only new song on his latest release, Greatest Hits II. Fans sang the chorus back rather loudly to him Sunday at the CMA Music Festival in Nashville less than 24 hours before Kenny found out the song would top the charts. They clearly connect to it — likely to its easy-going melody and certainly to its party-time lyrics.
"Growing up, going out was everything to us," Kenny says. "And as I've gotten older, not much has changed. When I've got friends down in the islands with us, we're heading out, seeing what kind of people we can meet, fun we can have, jokes we can tell. Some things never change. So if I'm gonna have a song on the radio right now, I can't think of a better one for it to be."
Kenny might have one current song on the radio and the charts, but Brett’s got several. In addition to "Out Last Night," he’s a co-writer of Rodney Atkins’ "It’s America" and Rascal Flatts’ "Summer Nights." Among the other Brett James hits that are likely familiar: Sara Evans’ "Cheatin’," Jessica Andrews’ "Who I Am" and Carrie Underwood’s "Jesus, Take The Wheel."