Mighty Is The Pen: Shane McAnally
These days you can’t highlight one country music artist over another on social media without the inevitable “That’s not country music” comment getting spat back out at you from the readers, and to be honest, a lot of times us journalists tend to agree. For the fans, you listen to an hour or two (some quite a bit more) of country radio a day on your commute to work or as background music to get you through the things that need done. Meanwhile we get both the pleasure AND torture of listening to the flood of sounds coming out of Nashville and beyond nearly all day every day with the specific task of analyzing and tearing it apart to see what it’s made of. It’s a labor of love and sometimes we stumble across patterns long before the fans figure them out. For example, those artists that you love so much… that your soul finds shelter in the songs they sing… well, they’re getting by with the help of a particular friend and a mighty powerful pen! Enter Shane McAnally. He’s the guy that writes the songs that make the young girls cry. Or dance. Or laugh. Or raise a glass. While looking for the writing credits on a particular playlist we noticed that his name kept popping up on almost EVERY hit being played on Nash.FM. For example, here’s a list of songs Shane has written or co-written that you might not have realized were his: Body Like a Backroad – Performed by Sam Hunt Fingerprints – Performed by Eli Young Band Something’s Going On – Performed by Trace Adkins Black – Performed by Dierks Bentley Cosmic Hallelujah – Performed by Kenny Chesney Girl Problems – Performed by Chris Lane Hero – Performed by Maren Morris If I Told You – Performed by Darius Rucker Ripcord – Performed by Keith Urban Vice – Performed by Miranda Lambert 35 MPH Town – Performed by Toby Keith Kill The Lights – Performed by Luke Bryan Love Somebody – Performed by Reba McEntire Cold Beer Conversation – Performed by George Strait Tangled Up – Performed by Thomas Rhett 747 – Performed by Lady Antebellum For a complete list visit AllMusic.com The list goes on and on, and he markedly managed to manifest what seems like the entire soundtrack of the hit TV show Nashville, as well as held the pen behind literally HUNDREDS of chart-topping hits over the last decade. Next time you want to celebrate the song that soothed your soul, or curse the fact that so many these days sound the same, take a look at who’s behind the curtain… I’m pretty sure Shane McAnally will be there.
