Tim McGraw, 58, Swaps Tailgate Anthems for Life Lessons
Look, I don’t want to be the one to break it to you, but apparently even country legends hit an age limit on bikini and tailgate ballads. Tim McGraw, now riding the 58-year-old train, told Tracy Lawrence on the TL’s Road House podcast that he’s officially “no longer comfortable” crooning about flip-flops and cold beers. He admits he’ll slip in the occasional fun tune—“if the song’s right,” he sighed—but mostly he’s chasing tracks that “make me learn something about myself.”
Yes, McGraw’s gone full philosopher. He pointed to emotional milestones like 2004’s Live Like You Were Dying and Humble and Kind as proof that he’d rather drop a wisdom bomb than belt out another “tailgates and bikinis” cliché. His mission? “What song’s gonna make me learn something about myself?” he asked, sounding like a self-help seminar gone country. And don’t think he isn’t aware how absurd that sounds coming from a guy whose first karaoke gig was probably in a honky-tonk.
He did give a grudging nod to experimentation, name-dropping his 2014 oddball Lookin’ for That Girl—complete with Auto-Tune and hip-hop beats—as proof he’s not stuck in a musical rut. That track, he admitted, was “different and weird,” which, yes, is a polite way to describe a country voice over autotuned synth. But his real sweet spot? “A life-affirmation song,” he grumbles, as if he’s tired of saying the same thing while he stomps his foot.
In a move dripping with both wisdom and elder-statesman condescension, McGraw confessed he’s passing off any songs that skew “too young” to his nephew, rising star Timothy Wayne. No surprise—after six No. 1 albums and a Hollywood role in Tomorrowland, the uncle-ly duties must include scrapping neon-teen pop for a fresher face.
And lest you forget, he’s still half of country’s grumpiest power couple with Faith Hill. The duo recently cheered on daughter Gracie’s Carnegie Hall debut (standing ovation, tears, the works), while eldest Audrey landed a Paramount+ gig on Landman and will tour with Brandi Carlile. So yes, while Daddy’s busy ditching beach-party ditties, the McGraw-Hill dynasty keeps churning out new talent.
I told you so: you can’t keep a legend singing about jukebox anthems forever. And that, dear reader, is why we can’t have beach party songs past fifty—move along, please.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and People Magazine, Dotdash Meredith Feed
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
