Chase Rice is celebrating the friendships that stand the test of time with his new song “Joe,” out now. The Diamond-certified songwriter opens the track with the famed “Good Better Best” chant that originated with Rice’s state champion high school football team and has since been embraced by the Chicago Bears, as chronicled on ESPN’s “NFL Countdown.” From there, the solo-written song offers a nostalgic, story-driven tribute to fall.
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It Was Never Really About Football
Inspired by Rice’s own circle of longtime friends from North Carolina, “Joe” draws from the traditions and shared experiences that have kept the group connected through the years. What begins as a nostalgic look back at those memories gradually reveals a more meaningful truth, with each chorus delivering a different variation of the same realization: turns out the damn thing wasn’t about football, ducks, baseball at all.
“I wrote ‘Joe’ exactly a year ago, sitting in a duck blind,” recalls Rice. “I was watching the sun come up with a bunch of buddies from Carolina and I just felt gratitude. Grateful for the years I’ve lived and all the people who have made my life so awesome. Grateful for the ducks, the dogs that get ’em and all the conversations had sitting in that blind. I realized I still have friends in my life from the time we were teenagers, and I realized how rare that is, and even more so how much of a blessing it is. I thank God every day that I get to do music for a living, and that I can turn these stories into songs.”
That moment of gratitude ultimately became the foundation for a song that celebrates not just the memories made along the way, but the friendships that make them worth holding onto. While “Joe” is a tribute to the group as a whole, its title nods to the one person who holds it all together most.
“Everybody Needs a Joe in Their Life”
“Everybody needs a Joe in their life – that person who brings everyone together, who shows up when it matters most and who you know you can count on through the good times and the hard times,” adds Rice. “I’m lucky to have this group of guys in my corner, and I hope everybody listening can think about who their ‘Joe’ is, too.”
Chase Rice’s Storytelling Evolution Continues
A 10x Platinum artist who burst onto the scene as a Diamond-certified songwriter (“Cruise”), Rice has posted two No. 1s of his own at country radio with hits like “Drinkin’ Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen.” and “Eyes On You,” and has over 3 billion streams to his credit. His eighth studio album, ELDORA, was written in Colorado and inspired by a hidden mountainside town. Working hand-in-hand with co-writer/producer Oscar Charles, the 12-song set marked his most raw, unguarded expression to date.
That artistic evolution continues with “Connie Lou,” a joyful, deeply personal tribute inspired by the true story of his parents’ romance, and now “Joe,” further cementing his commitment to authentic, character-driven songwriting rooted in his own life and the American West. Listen to “Joe” HERE.
