The Sad Story Behind Garth Brooks’ New Single, ‘Baby, Let’s Lay Down and Dance’
Garth Brooks' new single "Baby, Let's Lay Down and Dance" is uptempo, funky and suggestive. On the surface, it's one that will leave you smiling, but the singer says events around the writing of the song are bittersweet.
Kim Williams, one of the songwriters and a man who has written several of Brooks' biggest hits, died during the process of writing and recording. Williams was on vacation when he died, and Brooks remembers taking the call from his daughter.
“I thought someone was pranking me,” he tells Taste of Country. “I didn’t expect it.”
In addition to "Baby, Let's Lay Down and Dance," Williams wrote "Ain't Goin' Down ('Til the Sun Comes Up)" and "Papa Loved Mama." He also wrote two other songs on the Brooks' upcoming, still untitled studio album.
“I love seeing his names on songs, such a sweet, sweet man," Brooks says. "Miss him dearly, but hopefully through music he’ll live.”
Williams' story is one of the more inspiring stories you'll hear. He was into his 40s when he began his songwriting career. A work-related fire in 1974 left him severely burned, and he underwent hundreds of operations and procedures to recover. He signed a publishing deal in 1989, right around the time Brooks was beginning to become "Garth Brooks."
“If God doesn’t give you enough gentle hints, then he’s gonna do what he did to Kim Williams. He’s gonna put him in the hospital and change his life for Kim to realize, ‘Oh, I’m supposed to be a songwriter,’" Brooks explains.. "I can’t imagine music without Kim. And that day, which was tragic, probably one of the greatest days for music when he realized he was a songwriter.”
"Baby, Let's Lay Down and Dance" will be included on Brooks' next album, which is part of a massive box set available on Nov. 11 through Target only. He's set to release a Christmas album with Trisha Yearwood that same day.
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