Blake Shelton Said He Got ‘Lucky’ With ‘Hillbilly Bone’
Blake Shelton did not write his country hit “Hillbilly Bone.” The “God Gave Me You” singer had a lot to say about the musician who wrote it. Notably, the tune performed a lot better on the country chart in the United States than it did on the all-genre chart.
The writer of Blake Shelton’s ‘Hillbilly Bone’ was behind many great tracks
During a 2010 interview with CMT, Shelton discussed putting albums together. “That’s the hardest thing about making a record — finding those songs that you instantly love that you don’t instantly get tired of,” he said. “That’s usually what happens. I was just lucky this time around with ‘Hillbilly Bone’ and ‘Almost Alright.’
“For whatever reason, [songwriter] Craig Wiseman has taken an interest in me as a singer,” Shelton added. “He’s been very active in getting songs to me as quickly as he can, which is awesome because he’s arguably one of the most talented writers in Nashville.” Wiseman was behind tracks by many country stars, including Tim McGraw, Kenny Rogers, Morgan Wallen, and Lee Ann Womack.
Blake Shelton said the song encapsulated the sarcastic side of his personality
Shelton discussed Wiseman as a songwriter. “He has a way of listening to an artist and understanding an artist,” he added. “Not that he sits down and writes songs just for me, but he has a way of writing a song and catering it to a specific person.
“I don’t know if he did that with me or not, but it sure seems like I got a handful of songs from him all of a sudden that were exactly my personality — and sarcastic — that I would definitely be happy to say and never have a problem saying,” he said. With songs like “Boys ‘Round Here” and “Ol’ Red,” Shelton has shown he has plenty of personality.
How ‘Hillbilly Bone’ performed on the pop and country charts in the United States
“Hillbilly Bone” became a modest hit on the pop charts. It reached No. 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 20 weeks. “Hillbilly Bone” performed even better on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. There, it reached No. 1 for a week, staying on the chart for 25 weeks.
“Hillbilly Bone” appeared on the EP Hillbilly Bone. That EP climbed to No. 3 on the Billboard 200, staying on the chart for 18 weeks. On the country charts, the EP was even more prominent, reaching No. 2 and remaining on the chart for 68 weeks.
The success of “Hillbilly Bone” is no surprise. A big part of modern country music is rural pride. Shelton definitely leaned into that in this song. It was probably for the best that he did! Between his gig on The Voice and his widely publicized relationship with pop star Gwen Stefani, Shelton might lose his country edge in the eyes of the public if he didn’t reinforce it through his lyrics.
Everybody had a hillbilly bone and Shelton definitely proved he did with this song.
