“Chasing After You” written by Brinley Addington and Jerry Flowers honored at No. 1 party
By Preshias Harris
First of all, Hayes Andrew Hurd is the sweetest, cutest two-year-old you could ever meet! And speaking of babies… Nine months is a fairly standard gestation period – if you are parents, anticipating the arrival of your bundle of joy. But if you are a recording artist or a songwriter, nine months can seem like a lifetime, from the moment your song cracks the chart, going for adds, increasing spins, streams and sales, until it finally rises to the top.
A nine-month chart climb is by no means a record-setter, but it was doubtless a nail-biter for Ryan Hurd and Maren Morris who recorded “Chasing After You” and also for Brinley Addington and Jerry Flowers, the writers of the hit song.
The song’s success was celebrated Tuesday, May 31 at a Number One party on the rooftop of BMI’s offices in Nashville. Hurd and Morris (with son Hayes) joined friends, music publishers and industry execs to fete Addington and Flowers.
MaryAnn Keen, Associate Director of Writer/Publisher Relations at BMI, was the party’s ‘hostess with the mostest’ and introduced Jerry Flowers and Brinley Addington to the partygoers. Keen noted that she and Addington have been friends since 2008 and have often said, “Cannot wait until we are celebrating [Addington’s] first Number One,” and now it had come to fruition. She also pointed out that this song was the first chart-topper for both Addington as writer and Ryan Hurd as artist.
Kele Currier, Asst. VP of Strategic Services for ASCAP, gave kudos to their songwriter Jerry Flowers. Currier said, “The song begins with the songwriter.” He went on to sing praises for Jerry and his cuts on superstars Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Lady A, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Jason Aldean and list goes on. Currier announced, “Jerry is celebrating his fifth Number One today.” Here came the applause!
If nine months sounds like a long time, “Chasing After You” was written seven years before it was finally cut and released by Hurd and Morris.
A little backstory: Flowers, at age twenty, had met a young Keith Urban and, together with Peter Clarke, they started a trio called The Ranch. Later, Flowers gave a demo of “Chasing” to Urban who loved the song and put it on hold but ultimately did not cut it. The first time Addington performed the song at a Writers’ Night, Hurd and Morris – not even dating at the point – happened to be part of the same show. After the show, Hurd liked the song enough to ask Addington about it. The song got passed around for years, had been on hold several times, even recorded but never released. Eventually it became available for Hurd who had always liked the song and finally had the opportunity to record it as a duet with Morris, now his wife.
Ashley Gorley of Tape Room Music took the stage to talk about the song and how the Ryan and Maren gave it their all. Gorley said “Chasing” was one of the biggest radio airplay songs of the year for 2021. It has been certified Double Platinum and racked up 358 million on-demand streams.
As Jerry Flowers took the mic, he noted, “It was the first song we had written together.” He recalled, “I was playing a melody when Brinley walks in and says, ‘what’s that?’ No introduction!” He added, “The song came so quick.” During his remarks, he thanked his beautiful wife for her support.
Brinley Addington began his remarks by saying, “I wanted this for more than seven years. If this was an overnight success it was a long night!” Referring to arriving at that first writing session with Flowers, he said, “That was October 2014. The riff Jerry was playing froze me in my tracks. I didn’t introduce myself till three hours later. I came in like the Kool-Aid Man!”
One of Addington’s biggest shoutouts was to his mom. “If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be here,” he said to her from the stage. “I wouldn’t have moved to Nashville. I wouldn’t have believed in myself enough to write these songs. Choking back his emotion, he thanked her for always leading with her faith.
When it was time for the artists’ comments, Ryan Hurd gave a sweet gesture to their son who was making baby noises in the back of the room. Hurd said, “Hang on. I am almost done, bro.” This brought a big laugh from the crowd.
Regarding “Chasing” being his first Number One, Hurd choked up expressing how blessed he was to be celebrating this career milestone with his wife.
Maren Morris’ comments were the icing on the cake. Noting that both she and her husband are songwriters, she talked about the importance of cutting the best song even though you may not have written it. Morris said that she had first heard the song at the Writers’ Night seven years ago. “It has gone through so many evolutions over the years,” she said. “I am so proud that during COVID we said, ‘Let’s take one more stab at it.’”
“Chasing After You” is a song that set out on a seven journey, with a few diversions along the way, and finally ascended to Number One.
Watch the official music video. For “Chasing After You” here at YouTube.
- Jerry Flowers has writing credits on major hits for Jason Aldean, Sam Hunt and Billy Currington among others. Additionally, Flowers is an in-demand bass guitarist. As well as touring as part of Keith Urban’s band, he has been on the road with the likes of Counting Crows and The Chicks.
- Brinley Addington became entranced by country music during a childhood family visit to the Grand Ole Opry. Following his dream to Nashville, he attended Belmont University graduating in 2010 with a BSc degree in Entertainment Industry Studies. He landed a publishing deal, penning radio singles for Tyler Farr, Walker McGuire, Kevin Fowler, and Kyle Park.
More about Maren Morris at her website and @MarenMorris. Stay current with Ryan Hurd at his website and @RyanHurd.
Preshias Harris is a music journalist and music career development consultant with the emphasis on new and aspiring artists and songwriters. Her book, ‘The College of Songology 101: The Singer/Songwriter’s Need to Know Reference Handbook’ is available at www.collegeofsongology.com Follow her blog at www.nashvillemusicline.com