Blake Shelton Singing "God's Country" Is a Fiery, Spiritual Experience

Backed by a full band and stormy clouds, former The Voice Coach Blake Shelton delivered a fiery and spirited performance of his hit song "God's Country" at the 2019 ACM Awards, and the audience couldn't help but be moved.

Performing for a crowd that included the likes of Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood and Brandi Carlile, Shelton proudly declared himself a resident of "God's Country," asking to be buried in any box, under any tombstone, just so long as he's in his state's dirt.

It's a perfect example of classic southern rock for a contemporary audience, and Shelton's denim-on-denim look is just the cherry on top. 

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What to know about "God's Country" by Blake Shelton

Born and raised in Oklahoma, where he now lives on a farm with his wife and fellow The Voice Coach Gwen Stefani, Shelton was immediately struck by the rock song's love for home, wherever that may be. "God's Country" was written by by Devin Dawson, HARDY, and Jordan Schmidt, and Shelton loved it the first time he heard it.

"'God's Country' is a song that was sent to me by [producer] Scott Hendricks," Shelton revealed in a behind-the-scenes video. "I was actually here in Oklahoma, on the ranch, and I'll never forget it...I had to stop and just listen to this song, because the song was talking to me about a place that I was in at that moment, which was a place in the middle of nowhere that meant something to me that probably nobody else could ever understand...what it is inside of me and what my connection is to the land.

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"At that moment, I realized, 'I've gotta record this song,'" he continued. "And I think I even decided before I even recorded it, 'This has got to be the song that I put out next.'"

"God's Country" can be interpreted as an ode to any hometown but is more explicitly about small, rural communities in the South, and includes the clever line, "The Devil went down to Georgia but he didn't stick around; this is God's country," a reference to the 1979 song "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" by the Charlie Daniels Band. 

Released in 2019, the song was a hit and won Single of the Year at both the ACMs and CMAs.