Story Behind the Song: Keith Urban, ‘The Luxury of Knowing’
In 2010, Keith Urban released his seventh studio album, Get Closer. The original release, a No. 1 album, contains eight songs, but a deluxe edition adds three additional songs (and four live cuts), including "The Luxury of Knowing."
Written by ace tunesmith Lori McKenna, "The Luxury of Knowing" was never a single, but it grabbed the ear of more than one country star; in fact, it was Faith Hill who nudged Urban to record the song. Read on as McKenna explains the story behind "The Luxury of Knowing," in her own words.
I don't know exactly where this song came from, but I always liked the term "the luxury of knowing." We all see it and hear it all the time in politics and sports. There was this really funny Saturday Night Live segment when Will Ferrell was on it: He is a spy and sits next to Maya Rudolph in a bar and uses a code word; he says, "Do you like luxury?"
So I was driving and thinking about that and picking apart what the term means. In a love song, it might mean one person understands the love and one doesn't.
Songs will sneak up on you. They can start in one direction, and you think they will be one way, and then the song takes over and changes direction. Those are the songs that work best.
My favorite kind of writing is when the words and music come at the same time. I'm not good at taking words and applying them to music or the other way around. That's why this is a lick-based song.
I didn't write it the same day I was driving around. I have a little book I write down things in. I can usually tell by the title if I'm better off writing it by myself, if it's too hard to explain to a [co-writer]. The idea for this song came the one day and then [developed] when I had a couple days to think about it ... and play my guitar.
Keith Urban can really play guitar. He did such a great job on it. I am a very limited guitar player. The way he played it really made it awesome and brought so much to the song. It kind of made me want to cry.
[Faith Hill] is the one who told him about the song. [Keith] had heard the song and liked it and was drawn to the title, but Faith put a bug in his ear and sort of reminded him about it. She is a really great person and has done so much for me and my whole family. [She and Tim McGraw] are just wonderful people.
This story was originally written by Nancy Dunham, and revised by Angela Stefano.
10 Things You Might Not Know About Keith Urban
Unforgettable Keith Urban Moments