Songs of Nashville: The Real Stories Behind Country Music’s Greatest Hits

Inspiration for country songs can come from a variety of sources. Music journalist Brown (Nashville Songwriter: The Inside Stories Behind Country Music’s Greatest Hits) presents new and archival interviews of the writers behind some of Music Row’s classic and contemporary chart toppers. Each chapter offers an unembellished behind-the-scenes look at the songwriting process, as each subject recalls it. For instance, Bobby Braddock originally wrote “I Wanna Talk About Me” with Blake Shelton in mind after hearing him rap; the song eventually went to Toby Keith and became a No. 1 Billboard Hot Country hit. Lori McKenna wrote Tim McGraw’s Grammy-winning song “Humble and Kind” after creating a list of things she wanted her children to know. And a lunch with friends inspired Earl Bud Lee to cowrite Garth Brooks’s smash hit “Friends in Low Places” after Lee was unable to pay for his portion of the meal. Each chapter of Brown’s book highlights a few songs, supplemented by lists of the other tunes written by the subjects.