The song is about the narrator driving a truck owned by his brother, who died in action in the United States Army. Co-writer Connie Harrington was inspired to write it after hearing an interview on Here and Now with a father, Paul Monti, whose son, Medal of Honor recipient Jared, was killed in Afghanistan while trying to save a fellow soldier. In the interview, he states that he drives the truck to feel close to his son.[1][2][3]
The truck that appears in the music video is a 1973 Ford F-100. The actual truck driven by Jared Monti, and then his father, Paul, was a Dodge Ram 1500 adorned with decals, including the 10th Mountain Division, the 82nd Airborne Division, an American flag and a "Go Army" decal.[4] On September 1, 2022, Jared's truck was driven by two of his Army comrades during the funeral procession for Paul Monti.[5]
Critical reception
Billy Dukes of Taste of Country gave it 4.5 stars out of 5, saying that "Brice’s strong lyrical performance[…]should broaden the story’s scope, making it a big hit commercially and artistically."[2] Tammy Ragusa of Country Weekly gave the single an A grade. She said that Brice "sings it like his life depends on it" and praised the detail of the lyrics.[6]
The song gained sufficient airplay to debut on the Country Airplay for chart dated February 23, 2013, and eventually reaching No. 1 on this chart on April 20, 2013, making it his third consecutive No. 1.[8] It also debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 91 in February 2013 and peaked at No. 47 on April 13, 2013. It reached No. 6 on the Hot Country Songs and No. 11 on the Country Digital Songs. The song has sold 870,000 copies in the US as of April 2014.[9]
