Blake Shelton’s "Home" Celebrated

Blake Shelton at the Academy of Country Music Celebrity Golf Classic on Saturday, May 17, 2008 in Las Vegas, NV. Photo provided by the Academy of Country Music.

Aug. 26, 2008 — Blake Shelton’s "Home" was a No. 1 record if ever such a thing existed — not only did it go to the top of the charts in both Billboard and Country Aircheck, its video also reached the top of GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown.

The performing rights organization BMI, which represents songwriters, paid homage to Blake’s single and to the composers — pop singer Michael Buble, Amy Foster and Alan Chang — with a party in Nashville on Monday. BMI, Country Weekly, the Country Music Association and Country Radio Broadcasters all presented numerous awards to the writers, to Blake and to record producer Brent Rowan.

Blake called it "a song that’s turned my career around," but it’s done the same thing for the writers. Michael, who was not present, reached a whole new audience when Blake’s version of "Home" made country fans aware of the traditional-pop singer. It also took Michael’s co-writers to No. 1 for the first time.

Alan, who serves as musical director for Michael, noted that the song reflected some real-life frustration.

"We were in Italy finishing up a long few months," Alan said. "Michael came to soundcheck one day and he had the first few lines about wanting go home, he’d been to Paris and Rome — that whole thing — and I [got sarcastic]: ‘Oh great, complain about Europe. That’s a good, strong idea. Let’s go with it.’ He had the melody in his head, and we just kinda worked on that section, and I just tried to basically find something that lent itself to that [homesick] emotion."

After a couple of impromptu sessions, they sent the germ of the lyrics and the melody to Amy, who was quite sensitive to the song’s lyrical challenge.

"It shouldn’t really be a song about bashing on Europe — especially since he’s really big over there," she laughed. "So I made it about just the difficulties of being away from home but not disparaging the opportunity of the great success that he’s had at the same time."

Though it was originally a pop success for Michael, Blake was not surprised when country fans likewise responded to it.

"‘Home’ to me has never really felt like anything other than a country song," he insisted. "Buble’s version, before I even imagined recording it, I’ve always thought it was a country song. There’s nothin’ about it that seemed like anything other than that, from a lyrical standpoint and melodically, too. And I think the reason people connected with it is the same reason that I do. Even as I sit right here, I haven’t been home in two months — I’ve not been to my house in almost two months — and it’s ironic that [Tuesday], after this party, I’ll get to go home. I’m just dyin’ to get there. It’s all I’m thinkin’ about. I wanna see my home, I wanna see my family. It’s just such a true, true song, and it’s so simple. It’s no wonder people connected to it."

It appears that the audience may be connecting with Blake’s follow-up single in the same way. "She Wouldn’t Be Gone" debuted last week in Country Aircheck at No. 50 and has already jumped 11 notches to No. 39.