Luke Bryan Reveals Writing Daring ‘What She Wants Tonight’ Gave Him a Headache

When Luke Bryan sat down to write his current single, “What She Wants Tonight,” with Ross Copperman, Hillary Lindsey and Jon Nite, he knew he wanted to push the proverbial envelope of what is normally said in country music, but he had no idea how the song would turn out. By the end of the fast writing session, Bryan was thrilled with what the four of them had accomplished, even though it made him feel ill.

“When I walked out of the studio, I literally had a headache,” Bryan told Billboard. “I had to take an Advil ’cause I felt like I was getting a migraine.”

Bryan intentionally went where he has rarely gone in his music –– writing a story about a woman pursuing a man, instead of the other way around.

“Back 20-30 years ago, that was a little more taboo for the woman to be controlling the narrative,” Bryan acknowledged. “But I feel like society has opened up a lot more. I think it’s more natural for a woman to go, ‘Hey, I like you. I’m focused in on you, and let’s see where the night takes us.’”

“Being out in the bar life and being a 20-year-old or 25-year-old, when you have a girl that’s initiating the rhetoric of the moment, I mean, that’s a powerful thing,” he added. “It’s pretty intriguing to have the girl really pushing the narrative of what might potentially happen with these two people.”

“What She Wants Tonight” follows Bryan’s latest No. 1 hit, “Knockin’ Boots.” Although he loves that song, which serves as the debut single from his upcoming next album, he knew he wanted to follow that up with something different.

“‘Knockin’ Boots’ was very fun, very lighthearted, not overly serious,” Bryan said. “And this felt like it had a little more teeth, a little more something to dig into.”

The Georgia native previously teased “What She Wants Tonight” as something that would appeal to both guys and girls.

“It just talks about this girl, she kind of owns the night,” he shared with PopCulture.com and other media. “She gets what she wants, and I get to be what she wants tonight, and it’s funny. I feel like it’s something girls will love. Girls will love hearing that sentiment, you know? I’m really excited about it. It’s a big uptempo, and even some people around the label, I’m getting a lot of excitement out of it.”

Photo Credit: Getty / Boston Globe