Luke Combs’ New Song Riff Inspired By 1988 Pop Classic
Luke Combs has a new song out called “Going, Going, Gone,” and he has had the song on his mind for quite a while. Luke told us, “‘Going, Going, Gone,’…
Luke Combs has a new song out called "Going, Going, Gone," and he has had the song on his mind for quite a while.
Luke told us, "'Going, Going, Gone,' I wrote with James McNair and Ray Fulcher. I had honestly had that title on my phone for a really, really long time. And I just loved that riff so much. We were sitting there in the basement in Montana. And, you know, I just was messing around with the guitar. And this same thing happened when we wrote 'What Memories Are Made Of on This One's For You.'"
He continued, "It was like, we were in this weird tuning back then. And I came up with this riff that turned into 'What Memories Are Made Of.' Same thing happened with this one. We're sitting there; we're trying to figure out what we're going to write. And we had decided we were going to write going on. And as we sat there trying to come up with stuff, I was just playing this riff and the riff really became the focal point of the song for me."
Combs added, "I've always loved Tracy Chapman's 'Fast Car,' and no way is this song even close to as good as that one. But I've always loved how that riff immediately, you know, the second it gets played, you know what song it is, and you love it. And I think I wanted to try to kind of, you know, create something that was my own version of that. This is my first time playing guitar on the album. I was super nervous to do that. Somehow I got it done. Shout out to Chip and Jonathan for helping me through that one. But this one's really great. And one of my favorite songs, melodically and musically, that we did on the whole record."
Chapman's "Fast Car" won a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1989.
The chorus of the song includes the lyrics, "Like a runaway Southbound train / Like an Arizona desert rain / Like lightning in the sky / Like fireworks in July / Like a left field homerun ball / Like a whiskey shot at last call / It's like she was made for moving on / That girl is going, going, gone."
Luke Combs is getting ready to release his latest album, Growing Old, later this month (3/24), and then he kicks off his world tour, which will play stadiums all over the world. That is not bad for a guy who studied criminal justice in college just over ten years ago.
As his country star continues to rise, Luke became a new dad in July of last year (2022) and has been busy helping out his wife Nicole take care of his son Tex. He also performed as a multiple nominee at the Grammy Awards show in February (2/5).
Combs celebrates his 33rd birthday today (3/2), and to honor him; we rank his 16 biggest and best songs.
RELATED: Luke Combs Career Was Criminal Justice Until He Picked Up A Guitar
16. "Does to Me" (featuring Eric Church) (2020)
SonyA collaboration between Luke and Eric Church, who he cites as a musical hero. It was the third single from Combs's 2019 album What You See Is What You Get.
15. "Cold Beer Calling My Name" (featuring Jameson Rodgers) (2020)
SonyAnother collaboration, this time with new artist Jameson Rodgers. Rodgers served as an opening act for Combs during Luke’s 2019 "Beer Never Broke My Heart Tour."
14. "One Number Away" (2018)
SonyThis song is a ballad about a man conflicted with not wanting to break down and call his ex-girlfriend. "One Number Away" reached number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, giving Combs his third No. 1 country hit overall.
13. "Brand New Man" (with Brooks and Dunn) (2019)
SonyA remake of a Brooks & Dunn classic on the Country Music Hall of Fame duo’s ‘Reboot’ album. Luke is a huge fan of the duo, and when this writer interviewed him at the start of his career, one of his main goals was to meet Kix and Ronnie. Well, he did, and the rest is history.
12. "Better Together" (2020)
SonyCombs performed the song on October 15, 2020, on the telecast of the Billboard Music Awards. During the performance, he appeared in a suit, and without his trademark baseball cap and was accompanied solely by a piano player.
11. "When It Rains It Pours" (2017)
SonyThe song's music video features Luke encountering his ex-girlfriend, and then driving, celebrating with his friends, getting a phone number from a waitress (played by his then-girlfriend, now wife, Nicole Hocking), and celebrating over winning money on a lottery ticket. It was nominated for Video of the Year at the 2018 CMT Music Awards.
10. "She Got the Best of Me" (2018)
SonyCombs said that he wrote this song four years prior to its recording, at a bar in Nashville, Tennessee called the Tin Roof. It was added to his debut album This One's for You as a bonus track due to fan demand.
9. "Even Though I'm Leaving" (2019)
SonyIn the song’s first verse, Luke sings of a child who is afraid of monsters under his bed, while the second features the son as a young adult going off to serve in the military and the final verse features the son becoming emotional over his father's death.
8. "Cold as You" (2021)
SonyCombs uploaded an acoustic rendition of "Cold as You" in October of 2020 and dedicated it to his parents, wife, and fans. The tune told the story of a broken-hearted guy finding his way to a barstool.
7. "Doin' This" (2021)
SonyThis song was inspired by interviewers asking Luke what he would do as a career if his country music career didn’t take off. His answer is in this song saying that if he didn’t make it big, he’d still be “doin’ this.” He debuted the song at the 2021 CMA Awards.
6. "Six Feet Apart" (2020)
SonyThis song only charted in the top ten, but most of us related to it, as It perfectly describes what so many of us were feeling at the beginning of the pandemic.
5. "Lovin' on You" (2020)
SonyThe video for this song is epic as it portrays Luke and his wife Nicole meeting at a skating center as kids. Combs performed the song on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" in July 2020.
4. "Hurricane" (2016)
SonyThis is the song that started it all for Luke in Nashville. The song reached number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. Its second week atop that position gave Combs two distinctions: the first artist to have a multi-week number one debut single chart since Florida Georgia Line's "Cruise" in 2012 and the first male solo artist to accomplish that since Darius Rucker's "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" in 2008.
3. "Beautiful Crazy" (2019)
SonyA beautiful love song. Luke first posted videos to Facebook of himself performing the song. In 2018, he re-issued his debut album This One's for You (titled This One's for You Too) with a studio version as a bonus track.
2. "Forever After All" (2021)
SonyA song that tells the tale of his love for wife Nicole. The video of the song features footage from Combs’ August 2020 wedding. The song is a continuance of "Beautiful Crazy" and "Better Together," which were both dedicated to his wife.
1. "Beer Never Broke My Heart" (2019)
SonyThis is Luke’s signature song, and what a great concept for a song. The fun song hit No. 1 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart dated August 4, 2019, which made this Combs' sixth number one on the chart. The song was certified Platinum by the RIAA on October 24, 2019.
