This was Ronnie Dunn's first release on his own independent label, Little Will-E Records. Dunn debuted the single for fans attending Nashville CMA Music Festival when he ambushed Rippy's Bar and Grill on Lower Broadway for an impromptu performance. The song was released on July 29, 2013 with HitShop Records executing radio promotion while Dunn's label retained personal brand control. After an unsuccessful run the singer and HitShop Records parted ways making it exclusively a Little Will-E Record deal.
The song was written by Don Schlitz (Kenny Rogers' "The Gambler") and Josh Kear (Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now"). It was produced by Dunn with Jeff Balding, who is primarily known for his work with country music acts such as Faith Hill, Trace Adkins, and LeAnn Rimes, but has also worked with pop stars such as Amy Grant and Celine Dion.
The song's music video finds Dunn travelling all over the world. Amongst the famous places he visits are the White House, the Statue of Liberty, the Grand Canyon, Buckingham Palace and Nashville. The clip was directed by the late Sherman Halsey, an award-winning videographer who passed away in October 2013. Halsey is credited with filming many of country music's most memorable visuals, including Tim McGraw's "It's Your Love," as well as several of Brooks & Dunn's promos, such as "Hard Working Man" and "Little Miss Honky Tonk."
Dunn admitted to Billboard magazine that when he first heard the demo, it threw him for a loop. "Four or five publishers came over and pitched a total of about sixty songs one day," he recalled. "They were only able to play ten in the pitching session, so they each left a CD. After they left, I went through them, and I found it."
"Once I found out Don Schlitz had written it, I was curious," Dunn continued. "It was totally different than anything I had heard of. It was processed with a different sound, and the guy was rapping the words. I assigned a melody to it, and looped the drum machine in, and that's what we got."
This Peace, Love, and Country Music track is a particular favorite of Dunn's. "That vocal - going down in the studio – sometimes they just click and lock," he told Billboard magazine. "Sometimes, you have to work a little bit to catch it, but that one felt really good."
"I like the unique twist that he puts on the hook. 'You look better than you did with me,"' Dunn added. "He's looking back in a reflective sense."
