Alan Jackson’s New Track Is All About Being ‘Older and Wiser’

Alan Jackson, one of the newest members of the County Music Hall of Fame, released a new single last week that’s all about being “older and wiser.”

“The Older I Get” is the first song released from Jackson’s upcoming new album, his first new studio record since 2015’s Angels and Alcohol. Although it was written by Adam Wright, Hailey Whitters and Sarah Allison Turner, the song is personal for the 59-year-old.

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“This song reflects a lot of how I feel these days,” he says of the song, written by Adam Wright, Hailey Whitters and Sarah Allison Turner. “It’s a good song; I really liked it, but the message was a little different when I first heard it. I thought maybe it could be a little more positive about being older and wiser and more content, so they rewrote a few things, and this is how it ended up.”

On Sunday, Jackson was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, with George Strait, Loretta Lynn and Alison Krauss paying tribute to the legend. Since his career began in the early 1980s, he’s sold nearly 60 million albums and has over 30 number one hits.

When Jackson was named a member of the 2017 Country Music Hall of Fame class, he told Rolling Stone he didn’t think he deserved the honor. The Hall only has 133 inductees, despite being established in 1961.

“Even though I’ve done a lot, I still don’t feel quite worthy, but I feel like it’s an honor to qualify for what it requires to be in here with these great people,” Jackson said. “I’ve always tried to make music the first priority – not being a star, not being in the spotlight, just trying to make music that I loved, that the fans like, and not compromise that to fit into something else.”

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Jackson plans to release his new studio album before the end of the year. In the meantime, he will be a featured performer during the CMA Awards on Nov. 8.