“The Road to Lasting Love” (Kent Agee/Michael Lunn)

I think what got to me on this song were the minor-key verses swinging into that wide-open chorus. It’s the song on the album that makes me want to roll down the car windows and just drive. [RCA Label Group chairman] Joe Galante found this one, and as soon as I heard it, I loved the sound.

“Practice Life” with guest vocalist Martina McBride (Andy Griggs/Brett Jones)

Brett Jones and I were discussing valleys in our lives. The conversation swung to sickness, divorce, broken hearts, and even death. That’s where “Practice Life” was born. I recorded the song and was happy with how it turned out, to say the least. I had asked Martina McBride to join me on a song for the album. She chose “Practice Life”. Man, that woman can sing! It went from being good to out of this world, with just her first blues note.

“Always” (Chris Bergsnes/Jess Leary)

Always is one of the first songs we recorded. I was so blown away with how it turned out, I set that as a standard for the rest of the album. I’ve probably listened to that song more than any other on the album.

“Custom Made” (Andy Griggs/David Malloy/David Lee Murphy)

David Lee Murphy is a real good guy, and I love his singing. We were talking about the success he had with “Dust on the Bottle,” and I said I thought a big part of it was because it was a sing-along song. I told him and David Malloy that’s the kind of song I wanted us to write, and this is what we came up with. That’s David Lee singing harmony on the chorus with me. In fact, even Malloy joins in singing later on in the song.

“A Hundred Miles of Bad Road” (Andy Griggs/Tom Keifer/Savannah Snow)

Savannah Snow is a songwriter I’ve written a few things with. Tom Keifer of Cinderella is her boyfriend, and she introduced me to Tom. We hit it off. I’m a big rock ‘n’ roll fan, and he’s slowly becoming a country fan since I’ve been hanging around him. We listen to everything from Ozzy Osbourne to Waylon Jennings. I’m very proud of this song. I wanted something that would have a dark, acoustic, rock ‘n’ roll side, a song that was rock ‘n’ roll and country. I believed that if he and I worked hard enough, we could do it. And we did. Cinderella was getting ready to make an album, so it became, “Who gets the song?” He said, “I want to record it.” I said, “No, Hoss, I’m going to.” So that’s Tom playing on it.

“How Cool Is That” (Andy Griggs/Neil Thrasher/Wendell Mobley)

Neil, Wendell and I were talking about ‘how cool is this’ and ‘how cool is that,’ just tossing that idea around. It was just something different. That’s how it started. I didn’t realize how chancy that line about the preacher’s daughter holding a beer was until my mom heard it. Mama said, “Now, Andy, I’m not real sure about that. I think that might cross the line.” I don’t think so. I know what my beliefs are, and I’m a God-fearing Christian. To me that line is just reality.

“I’ve Learned” (Angela Lauer/Tom Douglas)

I love writing with Tom Douglas, but nothing that we’ve ever written together has ever made it onto a record. Still, I’m always hunting for songs from him, because Tom is a gold mine. He can be so philosophical and deep. And every now and then he’ll play you one that will just lay you out. “I’ve Learned” definitely did that. When it came to the line ‘kissing your folks every time you leave them, because you never know -- It just might be the last time you see them,’ just stopped me in my tracks. I could sure identify with that.

“Tonight I Wanna Be Your Man” (Rivers Rutherford/Troy Verges)

When I first got a copy of this song, I listened to it all the way home. That night, I told my wife I had been writing a lot and wanted her to hear some of the latest. I played her ‘Tonight I Wanna Be Your Man’ first. I guess I wanted to see if this song affected her the same way it had me. When I finished playing, she looked at me with bedroom eyes and told me I could quit writing songs now. I guess that was something Stephanie had always wanted me to say to her. After a moment of understood silence, I had to tell her the truth…that I didn’t write it. Her comment was, ‘Well, to me, Andy, you did.’ I hope Rivers and Troy don’t mind, but at my house, I’m the one who wrote this song.

“Sweetheart of Beinja Bayou” (Jerry Sullivan)

Jerry Sullivan, my father-in-law, wrote this back in the 70’s. He played it for me a couple years ago, and I fell out of my chair. That song is so ‘him,’ yet it’s so ‘me.’ I didn’t tell him I was going to record it. I just showed up in south Alabama one day and played him my version. This time, he was the one falling out of the chair.

"Brand New Something Going On” (Don Cook/Jamie Hartford)

I’m a big Jamie Hartford fan. He’s one of those guys that’s timeless. We’ve gotten to be good friends. He said one time, ‘I’m a big fan of yours,’ and I said, ‘Brother, you have no idea how much I listen to your music. Why don’t you send me a song?”’ A week later he played me ‘Brand New Something,’ and I had to have it.

“Where’s A Train” (Andy Griggs/Allison Mellon)

It took me about a year to write this. I’ve had a lot of valleys in my life, and sometimes I wish I could say I’m over them and have total peace. I do smile a lot and do have peace with a lot of things. But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that sometimes I throw up my hands and say, “Dear Lord, if you’ve got an empty seat on a boxcar tonight, I want it.” That’s kind of what “Where’s A Train” is about. Sometimes late at night when my wife’s asleep and I’m outside picking, I get lonesome. Lonesome for things I don’t have anymore. Sometimes I’m just lonesome for a train.

“Someone Like Me” (Mason Griggs)

Slowly but surely I want people to know who my brother was and what his songs are. I feel this is part of my mission, and I’m dedicated to it. More so than own songs, I want to introduce his music to the world. I’ve never been more proud of anything in my life than I am of this recording. The song is my cry, my tribute, my lost highway. It’s my brother’s life.

Album cover courtesy of RCA