"This Song's for You" is the title of a song written by Rory Lee Feek

Rory Lee Feek

Rory Lee Feek is an American country music singer and songwriter. In his career, he has written singles for Clay Walker, Blake Shelton, Tracy Byrd and other artists. He and his wife, Joey Martin Feek, comprise the duo Joey + Rory, who placed third on the first season of the CMT talent show Can You...

 and Zac Brown and recorded by American country

Country music

Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

 duo Joey + Rory

Joey + Rory

Joey+Rory is an American country music duo composed of singer-songwriters Rory Lee Feek and Joey Martin Feek, who are husband and wife. Joey is the duo's lead vocalist, while Rory sings background vocals and plays guitar. The duo was the third-place finalist on CMT's competition Can You Duet in 2008...

. It was released to country radio in July 2010 and as a music download on July 20, 2010, and serves as the lead-off single to their second studio album, Album Number Two

Album Number Two

Album Number Two is the second studio album from country music duo Joey + Rory. The album was released on September 14, 2010, via Vanguard Records and Sugar Hill Records. Its lead single, "This Song's for You," was released to country radio on July 20, 2010. However, the single failed to enter the...

, which was released on September 14, 2010.

Content

"This Song's for You" is a mid-tempo backed primarily by steel guitar, mandolin and fiddle. In the first verse, the narrator makes note of the average hard-working American ("If you put eight honest hours in for eight hours worth of pay") who regularly attends church and loves the country they call home ("If you wish we didn't have to go and send our boys to war / But you still think this country of ours' is sure worth dyin' for"). In the second verse, the narrator makes note of the song's neo-traditional production as being a thing of the past, and that people paying money for their concerts deserve to hear it ("If you paid your hard-earned money to that bouncer at the door / To hear the kinds of songs you don't hear too much anymore"). The song's chorus highlights that the fans are the real stars, and that they are the reason artists record music.

The song's verses alternate vocals between Joey + Rory, while the bridge is performed by Zac Brown of the Zac Brown Band

Zac Brown Band

Zac Brown Band is an American country music, southern rock, and folk band based in Atlanta, Georgia. The lineup consists of Zac Brown , Jimmy De Martini , John Driskell Hopkins , Coy Bowles , Chris Fryar and Clay Cook...

, who co-wrote the song with Rory Lee Feek while they were out on tour together. Rory Lee Feek said the song "was written specifically for our fans, telling them how we feel about them," and to thank them for supporting the duo by attending their concerts. The song was well-received with fans on tour that they went into the studio and recorded it for their new album, which led to the lead single being changed from "That's Important to Me."

The single was released as a music download on July 20, 2010, with a cover of Loretta Lynn

Loretta Lynn

Loretta Lynn is an American country music singer-songwriter, author and philanthropist. Born in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky to a coal miner father, Lynn married at 13 years old, was a mother soon after, and moved to Washington with her husband, Oliver Lynn. Their marriage was sometimes tumultuous; he...

's "You Ain't Woman Enough

You Ain't Woman Enough

You Ain't Woman Enough is a 1966 studio album by American country music singer-songwriter, Loretta Lynn.The album was Lynn's second studio album released in 1966. The lead single, "You Ain't Woman Enough" became Lynn's biggest hit up to that point peaking at #2. The flip side of the single, "A Man...

" as a bonus track.

Reception

Marc Erikson of Roughstock spoke favorably of the duo's choice to showcase Rory's vocals in the form of a true duet, which he believed help make the song "feel like not only an instant classic but a downright ‘breakthrough’ for the husband and wife duo." Leeann Ward of Country Universe gave the song a B+ rating, stating that the song "oozes with sincerity" and that it "strikes just the magic balance" in its risky task of "pleasing a crowd of diverse people in just a few stanzas." She also spoke favorably of the song's traditional country production and the change in which Joey + Rory sing in duet form. Juli Thanki of The 9513 gave the song a thumbs down, stating that while the song's vocals are a "sincere delivery" and the production is "pleasantly neotraditional," the lyrics (particularly in the chorus) are "at times cringe-inducing in its cheesiness and, to some ears, nudges a toe over the line separating appreciation and pandering."

Music video

A music video for the song was announced during the 2010 CMA Music Festival, and a sneak preview of the video was uploaded to CMT

Country Music Television

Country Music Television, or CMT, is an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, movies, biographies of country music stars, game shows, and reality programs...

. The video, which was shot in Pottsville, Tennessee and directed by Darren Doane, was released in August 2010.