Just seven days before he died in a plane crash with his wife and stepdaughter, Grammy-winning songwriter Brett James recorded what would become his final interview, which the podcast Now Hear This released this week after James’ untimely death.
On the podcast, James opened up about his 30-plus years in Nashville, his bond with Kenny Chesney, and the song that changed everything — Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus Take the Wheel.”
The Song That Became Bigger Than All of Them
James said the ballad came together almost by accident during a casual Thursday writing session at co-writer Hillary Lindsey’s house.
“But that story just kind of came out of the blue and kind of as, you know, through the magic of songwriting, we wrote that in a little room on a given Thursday in Hillary’s house, you know, not knowing who Carrie Underwood was,” he recalled. “American Idol had just started [the fourth] season, I think. And so we never heard of Carrie Underwood, and we didn’t know we were writing it for her or anybody else. We were just trying to write something we thought was a good song that day.”
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James contrasted it with the lighter material songwriters often craft. “I would say that as songwriters, we write silly songs and, you know, songs you’re just supposed to dance to and songs you’re supposed to just make out in the back of the car to, you know, or just listen to on your way to work. And they just kind of take your mind off life,” he said. “But, you know, once in a while you write a song, you know, in a given living room on a Thursday and through the power of kind of radio and the, and the universe and the right singer, the right artist, you know, recording that song, it just becomes bigger than all of you. And that song is one of those.”
The proof, James said, was in the way audiences all over the globe connected to it. “I’ve played that song on five different continents, you know, and all around the world. And every time I play it, someone comes up and says, you know, I had a similar story in my life with this car accident or that happened to a friend of mine or, you know, I needed to hear that at that time of my life.”
His Friendship With Kenny Chesney
The podcast also gave James a chance to reflect on his long-running friendship and creative partnership with Kenny Chesney.
“Well, I have a lot of history at the Floribama,” he said of the legendary roadhouse on the Florida-Alabama line. “And the Floribama is such a special place to me. I’ve been blessed enough to have had, I think 40 or over 40 songs recorded by a guy named Kenny Chesney, who one of my dearest friends and one of my favorite artists on planet Earth.”
James noted how central the venue was to Chesney’s career and to their own shared memories: “That’s almost Ground Zero for Kenny a little bit. You know, he’s got a great song called ‘The Floribama’ and he’s played that town and that place so many times. And I’ve gotten to be up on stage with him there a few times and it’s just such a special environment.”
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A Songwriter’s Philosophy
Beyond specific hits, James spoke with gratitude about the career he built in Nashville and the values he held as a songwriter.
“I always say that my favorite thing about being a songwriter in Nashville for 30 plus years is the friendships you make,” he reflected.
He explained the vulnerability required in co-writing sessions: “Kind of one of the rules in songwriting sessions is you dare to suck. You can’t be afraid to throw out even any idea because somebody else, even if it’s not good, somebody might twist it into something that’s great.”
And he insisted on giving his best effort no matter the collaboration. “You do the best you can, and you show up the next day and do the best you can and show up the next day and do the best you can. And I always write the best idea I have in the room, I never like, it doesn’t matter who I’m writing with, I throw out all my best ideas because I feel like … that’s part of the responsibility of doing your very best in every room you can. I don’t sit down with the writers who aren’t big stars and hold back ideas. I just don’t do that.”