Luke Bryan: His ‘Game Plan’ For The CMA Awards

Author Lauren Hoffman and Jeff Kurkjian

November 6th, 2023 9:50 PM

Luke Bryan is no stranger to hosting duties but one thing is for sure, he must have a game plan and that’s all thanks to his co-host, Peyton Manning.

RELATED: Luke Bryan Remembers His Very First Award Show

The country superstar will return to co-host the 57th Annual CMA Awards live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday night alongside the former NFL quarterback.

Bryan didn’t hold back on his thoughts leading up to Country Music’s Biggest Night and let us know that there would be “no winging it” when it comes to the show, especially when it comes time for his jokes.

“We’re in the middle of writing them. And no winging it here because, you know, Peyton grew up playing football. You just don’t wing plays, you gotta have a plan. You have to have a game plan and an offensive strategy. And that’s what that’s the way Peyton rolls,” Bryan told host Justin Franiak.

Bryan even spoke up on his fashion sense ahead of the award show while joking that every year he tries to hurt his “bottom line as a businessman” with his “annual clothing budget.”

You might ask, what does that entail? Well, he’s trying to beat it again this year so you’ll have to tune in to see all of the “But I Got A Beer In My Hand” singer’s outfit changes.

We also couldn’t let the time with Bryan slip away without taking a look back on his 2023 Country On Tour with supporting acts Chayce Beckham, Tyler Braden, Ashley Cooke, Jackson Dean, Jon Langston, Conner Smith, Alana Springsteen, and Hailey Whitters.

“This year was really fun for me because we did bring out a lot of a lot of new, fresh faces,” Bryan said “I kind of got to bond and hang with with all the acts that came out. Yeah, but Alana is certainly on her way doing great things and then had Ashley Cook and Chase Beckham and Connor Smith and Jackson Dean.”

17 Songs That Made Luke Bryan A True Superstar

• 17. “Rain Is a Good Thing” (2010)

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  Okay, the lyrics to this song are quite simple and give a simple recipe for making whiskey, but it’s a catchy tune and infectious. Luke also released the song during Nashville’s huge 2010 flood. At the flood relief concert Bryan told the press, “Okay, rain is a good thing but maybe not 17 inches of it.”

• 16. “Drink a Beer” (2013)

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  Written by Jim Beavers and Chris Stapleton, the song tells the story of a character who honors the recent passing of a loved one by watching the sunset on the edge of a pier; he drinks a beer, which is something they would have done together. Luke lost two siblings, who each passed away at a tragically young age. So Luke brings a lot of gravitas to this song.

• 15. “Kick the Dust Up” (2015)

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  Another party song for Bryan and it is also his thirteenth number-one single and his tenth consecutive chart-topper.
• 14. “What She Wants Tonight” (2019)

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  Luke was a co-writer on this song, which he felt would appeal to female listeners because the girl in the song “controls the dynamic of the situation." He added, "I've been wanting to get a big, rocking tempo out for some time, and this is certainly it."

• 13. “The Only Way I Know” with Jason Aldean and Eric Church (2012)

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  This collaborative song is about hard work, loyalty, small-town values, and southern work ethic. The singers explain that they were raised in a small-town southern atmosphere and were taught to work hard to earn a living.

• 12. “Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day” (2015)

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  This song reached number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, giving Bryan his fourteenth number-one hit on that chart. Thematically, the song is about a rural lifestyle in Luke's home state of Georgia.
• 11. “This Is How We Roll” (2014)

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  A great collaboration. The final single from Florida Georgia Line's debut album. The video of the song shows a biker named Kenny losing a bet and having to jump a tree. He fails, resulting in his dirt bike being stuck in the tree. When he, Travis Pastrana (a professional motorsports competitor), and some other guys are found stranded by Hubbard, Kelley, and Bryan as a result of the failed dirt bike trick, Kelley invites them to a party in the back of their semi-truck, which is revealed throughout the video to consist of dancing women and beer.

• 10. “Crash My Party” (2013)

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  Luke debuted the song at the Academy of Country Music Awards in April 2013, which he hosted with Blake Shelton. It was released the same month as the first single and title track from Bryan's fourth studio album of the same name.

• 9. “All My Friends Say” (2007)

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  Our introduction to Luke when it was released in January 2007 as his debut single and the first for his 2007 debut album ‘I'll Stay Me.’ The song became Bryan's first chart entry, spending more than 30 weeks on US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, where it reached number 5.
• 8. “Someone Else Calling You Baby” (2010)

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  In the song, the male narrator sees his lover in someone else's truck and wonders if she has left him for someone else. The song became Bryan's second number one hit on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in February 2011.

• 7. “Drunk on You” (2012)

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  It was released in February 2012 as the third single from his album ‘Tailgates & Tanlines.’ It was also his first single that Luke did not have a hand in writing.

• 6. “Most People Are Good” (2017)

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  In the song, Bryan sings about making "uplifting" statements about positive things in the world. At the time, Luke said that he was "captivated" the first time he heard the song, and that "It was something that I felt like that people always need to be reassured that there's way more good going on than negative."
• 5. “One Margarita” (2020)

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  The song we all needed to hear during quarantine and what fun it brought to so many. Bryan’s wife Caroline and mother appeared with him in the video.

• 4. “Home Alone Tonight” with Karen Fairchild (2015)

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  Bryan and Karen Fairchild performed the song live at the 2015 American Music Awards. The song was a groovy kind of ballad in which a man and woman meet in a bar and plot revenge on their former lovers together.

• 3. “That’s My Kind of Night” (2013)

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  This tune is all about the beat and has a great one talking about catfish dinners, the Flint River, and where the corn rows grow. Oh, and love.
• 2. “Play It Again” (2014)

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  In the song, Luke sings about approaching a girl at a tailgate party. Suddenly, the girl's favorite song comes on, causing her to ask the protagonist to dance with her, and they both exclaim "play it again" when the song is finished. He drives her home that night, when the song comes on the radio, triggering a similar reaction."

• 1.”Country Girl (Shake It for Me)” (2011)

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  Roy Acuff (Grand Ole Opry star and considered one of the fathers of country music) had a saying, “Dance with the one who brought ya.” Acuff told many artists on the Grand Ole Opry to do just that when they performed. And like it or hate this catchy song is the one that brought Luke to the country music dance.

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Author Lauren Hoffman and Jeff Kurkjian

Category:

• Backstage Country
• Country 102.5
• Music

Tags:

2023 CMA Awards,Luke Bryan