Simply beautiful.
Today, Luke Combs teamed up with Jon Bellion for a stunning new ballad called “Why,” which chronicles the highs and lows of becoming a father and loving another human so much that the fear of what might happen, or how you might screw something up, creeps in and can become overwhelming fear at times.
Of course, Luke is a father to two young songs, and put out an entire album about becoming a dad in 2024 called Fathers & Sons. It was one of the most heartfelt and authentic projects he’s ever released, and I personally don’t think it got nearly the credit it deserved.
If you’re not familiar with Bellion, you might’ve heard his 2016 song “All Time Low,” which peaked in the Top 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. He has also written and produced for artists like Maroon 5, Justin Bieber, the Jonas Brothers, Halsey, Camila Cabello, Selena Gomez, Tori Kelly and more. It seems like an incredibly random pairing for Luke and him to team up, but now that I’ve heard the full song, I actually think it makes a ton of sense.
Luke is definitely leaning into the more sensitive parts of being a dad and what a challenge that can be, and his powerhouse voice is just perfect on this song in particular.
Jon Bellion says he wrote “Why” two days before his first son was born, and he knew he wanted Luke to be on it from the start:
“I wrote ‘Why’ about two days before my first son was born. It’s about the anxiety of falling in love with a child and the vulnerability that brings upon your life, questioning what love is, and if you’re going to be a good enough dad. I was like, ‘Man, if I had Luke Combs singing that, it would take the song to a whole other level.’
I cold FaceTimed him and was like, ‘I’ve been a fan for a super long time. I’ve got a song about my son, about anxiety around the love of a father, and I’d love to send it to you.’ He literally was like, ‘You don’t even need to send me the song. I’m in, whatever it is.’ I realized how much of a blessing it really was that he did this feature with me, because he didn’t have to do that…That’s a life changer for sure.”
Luke added that he’s been a fan of Bellion for years, and considering the message of the song and his role as a father, there was no question he wanted to be part of it:
“I’ve been a massive Jon Bellion fan for years. He reached out to me with the song and I loved it. With me having two sons of my own and knowing how much I love them and how big of a role they play in my ‘why,’ it was a no brainer. I was all in. I’m super pumped about this song and I’m grateful Jon asked me to be a part of it.”
While the lyrics were obviously inspired by Bellion’s journey as a dad, I think so many people will relate to the overarching message of love and fear of losing what’s most important to you:
“Stressed and strung out about things that could happen
And I could move mountains with the worryin’ I’ve done
So I called my father and he started laughing
He said, ‘You think it’s bad now? Wait ’til you have a son’
So why love anything, anything, anything at all?
Why love anything at all?
If the higher I fly is the further I fall
Then why love anything at all?”
I’m not a parent, but I imagine these are extremely valid feelings that never go away once you have a child of your own. It’s incredibly well-written, and Luke was absolutely the perfect feature for “Why.”
It’s been a long time since I’ve heard a country artist on a pop song that was this good, but goodness, they nailed it and I have to imagine it’s one of the best songs on Bellion’s forthcoming album FATHER FIGURE. Even if you don’t typically listen to this kind of music, I think you might be really impressed with what they’ve come up with here, especially if you’re a parent.
Check it out:
