Where The Wild Things Are

Album

Gettin' Old

Label

Columbia Records

Genre

Country

Composer(s)

Dave Turnbull;Randy Montana

Entered Chart

Dec 2, 2023

Peak Date

Feb 17, 2024

"Where The Wild Things Are" spins a tale of outlaw living, a mid-tempo saga centering on an older brother who's the epitome of a free spirit. He lives life on his own terms, tearing down the highway astride his Indian Scout motorcycle, endlessly chasing adventure. For Luke Combs, this older brother is a beacon of inspiration. The younger sibling aspires to emulate his daredevil bro and follows him to the sunny shores of California. The golden dreams quickly tarnish as the singer realizes he's not built for the wild and unforgiving life his brother leads. This narrative of the renegade older brother's flight from his humdrum life echoes the rebellious spirit of James Dean's 1950s America. A twist emerges when Combs' brother's speeding motorcycle meets its doom at half past three, much like the fateful accident that claimed the life of the legendary film star, James Dean. Dean's own fatal encounter involved a speeding Porsche 550 Spyder colliding with another vehicle on Highway 331 near Cholame, California at 5:45 PM on September 30, 1955, just two hours and fifteen minutes after receiving a speeding ticket at 3:30. Combs didn't write "Where The Wild Things Are." It was penned by singer-songwriter Randy Montana and Nashville songwriter Dave Turnbull (Kenny Chesney's "The Boys of Fall," Brad Paisley's " Old Alabama"). Randy Montana has co-penned several of Combs' previous hit songs, including "Beer Never Broke My Heart" and "Cold As You." "Where the Wild Things Are" was released as the third single from Luke Combs' fourth album, Gettin' Old, on October 16, 2023. Combs is known for writing songs about his own personal experiences, so it is unusual for him to release a story single he didn't write, but he clearly connected with the tale told in "Where the Wild Things Are."

My big brother rode an Indian Scout
It was black like his jacket
American Spirit hangin' outta his mouth
Just like our daddy
He kicked started that bike one night and broke mama's heart
He pointed that headlight west
Out where the wild things are

He'd call me up every couple of weeks
From South California
Talk about the desert and the Joshua Tree
And his pretty girl stories
And how he bought an Airstream trailer and a J-45 guitar
Said, "Little brother, you'd love it out here
Out where the wild things are"

Oh, it's hearts on fire and crazy dreams
Oh, the nights ignite like gasoline
And light up those streets that never sleep when the sky goes dark
Out where the wild things are

I called my brother from the back of that plane
The second I made it
We started drinkin' on the strip in LA
And then it got crazy
Ended up at a house in the hills with some Hollywood stars
Kissin' on a blonde in a backyard pool
Out where the wild things are

Oh, yeah
Couple iron horse rebels
Wild as the devil
I knew I had to move back east
Said goodbye to my brother
At the end of that summer
But I knew he'd never leave

Oh, it's hearts on fire and crazy dreams
Oh, where the nights ignite like gasoline
And oh, them Indian Scouts, man, they're built for speed
And oh, they said he hit that guardrail at half past three
Lit up those streets that never sleep when the sky goes dark
We buried him out in the wind 'neath the West Coast stars
Out where the wild things are

Out where the wild things are