Kenny Chesney Salutes ‘Characters’ With New Song ‘Guys Named Captain’

Kenny Chesney is sharing another song from his upcoming album, Here and Now, releasing “Guys Named Captain” on Friday, April 17. The plaintive and wistful song paints a picture of a series of colorful figures, who Chesney shares are all named “Captain.” “Guys named Captain are always characters / Living by the water somewhere in the Americas,” Chesney sings. “South or Central, or some Virgin Island / barefoot and sunkissed, always smiling.”

It’s a description that could apply to Chesney himself, who is known for his love of the beach and has led what can surely be called an adventurous life. “Any time you find yourself near the water, you’ll find these guys… tucked into a table in a corner, or sitting near the far end of the bar,” the singer wrote on Instagram. “The adventures they’ve had, places they’ve gone, the way they live their life for the sea… Free spirit might be too restricting a label for them. There’s nobody more loyal or more committed to their friends. Hell-raisers, heartbreakers, poets, pirates, they dream on the water and carry themselves with a whole other kind of strength.”

The song is carried by a piano and an acoustic guitar and lets Chesney’s voice take center stage as the star salutes the men he describes. “Every one of the guys in this song, every one of the people I’ve met in the islands, Key West, Mexico and even on the road, they’re all very different, except how much they love the water or the road,” Chesney added in a second post. “Those things take them away, bring them back, but mostly allow them to be free. This song feels like it distills their soul into just a few lines.”

“Guys Named Captain” is the third song fans have heard from Here and Now — Chesney has previously released the album’s title track, which is also its lead single, as well as “Knowing You.” Here and Now will be released on May 1, and Chesney is set to head out on his Chillaxification Tour on May 30. The trek was originally supposed to begin in April but has been delayed due to the coronavirus. “You can’t take risks without really understanding the consequences,” Chesney said in a statement. “In times of uncertainty, I won’t take chances with those I love. I can’t imagine, as much as we love being out there playing for the fans, being able to do that through the worry our nation is experiencing.”