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Six years after he released it, Scotty McCreery says that "Five More Minutes" is still the most special song he's ever put out.
There's lots of reasons why that is: A historically high-charting independent hit and a song that funneled new steam into McCreery's then-faltering career after he'd been dropped from his label, "Five More Minutes" returned the singer squarely to the middle of the spotlight, a journey that he explains on a career-spanning new interview for CMT Stages. But perhaps the most special aspect of the song is the shift it represented in McCreery's evolution as a songwriter.
"I had just lost my Granddaddy Bill, and this might have been some of the first times I was really just straight-up writing from the heart," the singer says. "Like, writing from true, raw emotion, as opposed to writing for, 'Alright, what's radio gonna play? What's gonna be a hit?'"
The song was originally written with McCreery's childhood memories in mind, detailing the moments with late family members that he wishes he could go back and revisit. But after becoming a dad to his first child, Avery, last October, the message behind "Five More Minutes" has become even more powerful.
"I think being a dad changes your perspective on a lot of things," he goes on to say. "For me, I think 'Five More Minutes' now, being a dad, it's like, 'Hey, man, live in the moment. Be there as often as you can be there, and try not to miss anything.' Because you don't wanna be down the road wishing you had that time because you missed out on it."
"I don't wanna miss a thing with little Avery, because of that song," McCreery continues.
Since the release of "Five More Minutes," McCreery has continued to prioritize writing from the heart. He's currently at work on his next album, which contains some baby-themed songs, according to a late March conversation the singer had with Taste of Country. There's even one song about baby Avery that made his wife, Gabi, cry the first time she heard it.
"Definitely some waterworks for some of the songs, for sure," he admits. "There's one song that talks about him leaving his little boots up next to mine on that mat — that kind of thing."
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