Sam Hunt’s Hit “Body Like A Back Road” Almost Didn’t Happen

This was a big year for Sam Hunt. Yes, he sold a lot of records. And yes, he broke a few with his 15 In A 30 Tour. More than that, though, he dropped a really, really big hit song. And Sam, his manager, co-writer and label head recently sat down with Billboard to discuss it.

Sam's "Body Like A Backroad," which dropped in February, spent more weeks at No. 1 than any other song in the history of Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. But it almost went unreleased. "To be honest, I never really wanted to put it out," he tells the publication. "I was wanting to go in a different direction musically. Sometimes as songwriters, we take ourselves a little too seriously."

"Body Like A Back Road"

Explains UMG/Nashville Chairman/CEO Mike Dungan, "In Sam's biggest singles, his lyrics are rich in imagery and really tell a story. With 'Body Like a Back Road,' it felt like, 'This will work, but it's the ditty side of Sam.'"

The "ditty side" isn't always a bad thing, however. "To diffuse some of the pressure of Sam's follow-up to Montevallo, it was decided, 'Let's put this fun song up right now,'" says manager Brad Belanger. "We didn't want to come with another heavy, dark-piece-of-art Sam Hunt song."

Read more in Billboard here about how "fun" was a better approach this time around.

Teddy McDonald is a fun-lovin' country music fan man living in Nashville, Tennessee.