MO State HS Sports
ABC/Image Group LAKeith Urban's new single, "We Were," is his second recent hit to namecheck a classic rock song. In 2016's "Wasted Time," he gives a shout-out to "Sweet Child of Mine" by Guns N' Roses, while in "We Were," it's Def Leppard's ...

Why Keith Urban loves bringing Guns N’ Roses and Def Leppard to country radio

ABC/Image Group LAKeith Urban‘s new single, “We Were,” is his second recent hit to namecheck a classic rock song.

In 2016’s “Wasted Time,” he gives a shout-out to “Sweet Child of Mine” by Guns N’ Roses, while in “We Were,” it’s Def Leppard‘s “Pour Some Sugar on Me.”

“Well I loved that those guys used that reference in that song,” Keith explains, “because it’s such a musical juxtaposition of the style of song. And I really loved that about it.”

“It did remind me a little bit of what we did with ‘Wasted Time’ as well,” he continues, “name-checking Guns N’ Roses, ‘leaning out the window singing “Sweet Child of Mine,”‘ because the song’s nothing like that.”

The Aussie superstar also sees it as a reflection of how we listen to music these days.

“There’s something true about the diversity of music so many people listen to,” he points out. “You know, you could have a George Strait CD and you could have a Def Leppard CD, or really just everything in the car. I mean, everything is open now. Everyone listens to everything.”

“But I also love that ‘Pour Some Sugar on Me’ was just such a classic visual,” he adds. “Of course you’d be singing that at the top of your lungs at a club, you know.”

“Pour Some Sugar on Me” made it to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1988.

“We Were” is the lead single from Keith’s next album, the follow-up to last year’s Graffiti U.

Copyright © 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.