Single Review: ‘I Drive Your Truck’ – Lee Brice
11 years ago Liv Carter 15
Songwriters: Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington, Jimmy Yeary
Though he is an extremely accomplished songwriter, Lee Brice has not shied away from searching for outside songs for his own projects. For his Hard 2 Love album, he selected the emotional ballad, ‘I Drive Your Truck,’ penned by Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington, and Jimmy Yeary. There can be little doubt that this will be a #1 hit.
Harrington got the idea after hearing a radio interview with bereaved parents, who had lost their 18-year-old son shortly after he joined the military. Their way of coping was holding on to his presence by driving his truck. The lyrics give lots of details about the vehicle and little about the protagonist’s emotions, leaving the listener free to fill those in. When a scene is described this well, it allows for stepping into the story and triggering emotions, as it did with Brice when he first heard the track. For him, the song reminded him of his grandfather and I am sure most people hearing ‘I Drive Your Truck’ will have someone in mind. Grief is one of the most individual experiences; understood and described by the writers in the powerful lines: ‘And momma asked me this morning / if I’d been by your grave / but that flag and stone ain’t where I feel you anyway.’
While the piano-based production swells into bigger choruses, the main focus remains on Brice’s intense vocal performance. By the last pass of the chorus he almost speaks the ‘I roll every window down’ line, emotionally spent and trying to hold on. ‘I Drive Your Truck’ will be one of the most meaningful songs on country radio playlists this fall, and besides likely spending a few weeks at the top of the charts, may also prove to be a career-defining single for Lee Brice.
Liv Carter
She holds several certificates from Berklee College of Music, and a certificate in Positive Psychology from UC Berkeley.
Her main influences are coffee, cats, and Alexander Hamilton.
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