Watch Keith Urban Perform His Top 10 Tune, “Coming Home,” on “The Tonight Show”

Watch Keith Urban Perform His Top 10 Tune, “Coming Home,” on “The Tonight Show”

Keith Urban took his talents to New York City on June 26 for a dynamic performance of his current single, “Coming Home,” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Keith tiptoed through hallowed ground when he decided to record and release, “Coming Home,” a tune that features a riff from one of country music’s most sacred songs, Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried.” Even though Keith reached out to Merle’s widow, Theresa Haggard, and son, Ben, to secure their blessings, he was still nervous about releasing the tune.

“I was very much [nervous] . . . I didn’t want to just shove [the riff] into a song,” said Keith. “A lot of times when you hear a sample [from another song], it’s just kind of shoved into the middle of a song as it is, and I wanted something a little bit more artistic with it. J.R. Rotem, who co-wrote ‘Coming Home’ and co-produced it, he took the sample from the original recording of ‘Mama Tried,’ and then manipulated it a bit and wrote these chords around it. When he had done that and I sat in the studio and listened to the music, I just . . . I wrote that chorus out, almost stream of conscious. But, it was really that lick from Merle that made me miss home, think about home, growing up in Australia—all of it just came flooding back and it was that riff that triggered it, so it was a really important part of the song for me.”

“Coming Home,” which was co-penned by Keith, J.R. Rotem, Julia Michaels, Nicolle Galyon and Merle Haggard, is currently No. 10 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart after 14 weeks. The tune also features vocals from Julia, who appeared via video during Keith’s Tonight Show performance.

Watch Keith’s performance below.

photo by Jason Simanek

Blogs

Scotty McCreery And Dustin Lynch Announce Two For The Road Tour

On Monday (April 28), Scotty McCreery and Dustin Lynch announced the dates and details of  their joint co-headlining Two For The Road Tour. The 12-date run is set to kick off on November 6 at the Dow Event Center in Saginaw, Michigan, and conclude on December 6 in Duluth, Minnesota, with special guests Walker Montgomery…

Scotty McCreery And Dustin Lynch Announce Two For The Road Tour

On Monday (April 28), Scotty McCreery and Dustin Lynch announced the dates and details of  their joint co-headlining Two For The Road Tour. The 12-date run is set to kick off on November 6 at the Dow Event Center in Saginaw, Michigan, and conclude on December 6 in Duluth, Minnesota, with special guests Walker Montgomery…

Shaboozey Announces 2025 Great American Roadshow Tour Dates

On Monday (April 28), Shaboozey announced the dates and details of his 2025 Great American Roadshow Tour. The 12-date run is scheduled to kick off on September 22 in Indianapolis, and will hit various cities across the United States, including Detroit, Philadelphia, Nashville, and Houston, before concluding on October 16 at the House of Blues…

Shaboozey Announces 2025 Great American Roadshow Tour Dates

On Monday (April 28), Shaboozey announced the dates and details of his 2025 Great American Roadshow Tour. The 12-date run is scheduled to kick off on September 22 in Indianapolis, and will hit various cities across the United States, including Detroit, Philadelphia, Nashville, and Houston, before concluding on October 16 at the House of Blues…

Toby Keith’s Horse Beat The Odds To Qualify For The Kentucky Derby

Toby Keith’s daughter Krystal is celebrating fulfilling her late father’s lifelong dream by having one of his horses, Render Judgment, race in the 2025 Kentucky Derby. Krystal announced the exciting news on Instagram on Sunday (April 27), saying "Toby will have the best seat in the house" as he cheers on his horse from Heaven.…

Toby Keith’s Horse Beat The Odds To Qualify For The Kentucky Derby

Toby Keith’s daughter Krystal is celebrating fulfilling her late father’s lifelong dream by having one of his horses, Render Judgment, race in the 2025 Kentucky Derby. Krystal announced the exciting news on Instagram on Sunday (April 27), saying “Toby will have the best seat in the house” as he cheers on his horse from Heaven.…

Gretchen Wilson Goes on ‘The Road’ With CBS Music Competition Show

Gretchen Wilson will play a pivotal role in CBS’s upcoming music competition show, The Road. This series, created by Taylor Sheridan and Blake Shelton, features aspiring musical acts touring with headliner Keith Urban. Scheduled for a fall debut, The Road will see Wilson as the show's tour manager offering mentorship to competing performers and showcasing…

Gretchen Wilson Goes on ‘The Road’ With CBS Music Competition Show

Gretchen Wilson will play a pivotal role in CBS’s upcoming music competition show, The Road. This series, created by Taylor Sheridan and Blake Shelton, features aspiring musical acts touring with headliner Keith Urban. Scheduled for a fall debut, The Road will see Wilson as the show’s tour manager offering mentorship to competing performers and showcasing…