Luke Combs was going through a breakup when he was first introduced to Jordan Walker, of former country duo Walker McGuire, by their mutual friend and songwriter Ray Fulcher. The three men met for some beers at a Nashville bar and quickly started discussing each other's music and working together.
"We start talking, we're having a couple beers and Luke goes, 'Well I like your music, the Walker McGuire music that I've heard,'" Walker told Sounds Like Nashville. "He was like, 'I'd love to write with you one day if we could.' So we left the bar right then and went to my house, pulled out a couple guitars and a six pack and started writing."
Combs' breakup was fresh and though all three songwriters were busy working on lyrics together, he was distracted sending off texts to his ex. Despite being a bit dramatic in the moment, the whole situation really helped inspire the entire idea of "When It Rains It Pours."
It all started with a breakup
"The idea kind of fell out, but the whole time we were writing the first verse, he was texting his ex-girlfriend and I just kept going, 'Dude should we just not write and just got back to the bar?' I know how this goes, and he's like, 'No, we're going to write a song,'" Walker recalls. "Then it hit me. I was like, 'We should write a song about her,' and he was like, 'No, no, no that'll make her so mad.'"
But then the idea really formed in Combs's mind and he decided they should definitely write a song to make her mad. "When It Rains It Pours" ended up being the country star's second No. 1 hit and one of his most popular songs on country radio. At his number one party in Nashville to celebrate the song, Combs shared that initially his idea to write about his breakup was really painful so they decided they really needed to include some humor to lighten the subject matter.
"We wanted to have fun writing it, and it felt like a cool thing to do" Combs shared. "We all loved that '90s country, like Brad Paisley tongue-in-cheek stuff, and so that's where we went with it."
"We all talked about how we've been in a situation where it's like you're waiting to get out of [a relationship] but you didn't realize you wanted to get out," he adds. "Then you did and you're like 'Man, what a relief! What a great thing.' So, I think we played on that well and turned it into a fun thing."
They really nailed capturing the feelings of a man post-breakup who instead of mourning the loss, gets a stroke of good luck. It's cheeky, fun and reminiscent of some of the most popular '90s country hits we still love today.
Not to mention, the official music video recounted the story of running into his ex, leaving with his friends and getting the phone number of a pretty waitress. That waitress was played by none other than Combs's new girlfriend and now wife, Nicole Hocking. Seems like everything worked out for Luke in the end!
"There's so many heartbreak songs out in the world and some great ones, don't get me wrong, but it was just one of those things," Walker shared. "Like he said, that tongue-in-cheek '90's stuff. Make it kind of rock and roll. Make it feel cool. Make it danceable. And tell a good story, don't tell a sad story."
"When It Rains It Pours" Lyrics:
Sunday morning, man
She woke up fightin' mad
Bitchin' and moanin' on and on
'Bout the time I had
And by Tuesday you could say
That girl was good as gone
Then when Thursday came around I was all alone
So I went for a drive to clear my mind
Ended up at a Shell on I-65
Then I won a hundred bucks on a scratch-off ticket
I bought two 12-packs and a tank of gas with it
She swore they were a waste of time
Oh, but she was wrong
I was caller number five on a radio station
Won a four day, three night beach vacation
Deep sea señorita fishin' down in Panama
And I ain't gotta see my
Ex-future-mother-in-law anymore
Oh Lord, when it rains it pours
Now she was sure real quick to up and apologize
When she heard about my newfound luck
On that FM dial
And it's crazy how lately now
It just seems to come in waves
What I thought was gonna be the death of me
Was my saving grace
It's got me thinkin' that her leavin'
Is the only logical reason
That I got the last spot in the Hooters' parking lot
And the waitress left her number on my check with a heart
She picked up on the first ring when I gave her a call
And I only spent five bucks at the Moose Club raffle
Won a used 4-wheeler and three free passes
For me and two of my buddies to play a round of golf
And I ain't gotta see my
Ex-future-mother-in-law anymore
Oh Lord, when it rains it pours
When it rains it pours
Well I've been on one hell of a redneck roll
For three weeks now
And it all started on the day that she walked out
Then I won a hundred bucks on a scratch-off ticket
Bought two 12-packs and a tank of gas with it
She swore they were a waste of time
Oh, but she was wrong
And I was caller number five on a radio station
Won a four day three night beach vacation
Deep sea señorita fishin' down in Panama
And I ain't gotta see my
Ex-future-mother-in-law anymore
Oh Lord, when it rains it pours
When it rains it pours
READ MORE: The 12 Best Luke Combs Songs, Ranked
