In a new video, Keith Urban shared the intimate story behind recording “Burden,” the tune he performed at the ACM Awards on April 7.
Penned by Irish singer/songwriter Foy Vance, “Burden” had a profound impact on Keith when he heard it for the first time in March.
“We played at the 02 in London and Ed [Sheeran] came out to see us play,” says Keith in the new video. “We talked about Foy [Vance], who’s an incredible musician and songwriter. The next day, I had a day off in London, so I got on my bike and put my headphones on and road around London for like two hours listening to Foy nonstop.
“And when I got back to Nashville, I realized that I had never seen him play live—he must be fantastic—so I jumped on YouTube and heard this song ‘Burden’ and just fell in love with him. I thought, ‘I’d love to be able to do a version of the song—the way that I was feeling it in my heart.’”
Keith contacted producer Dave Cobb, who he had never worked with, and recorded the song in Nashville.
“It’s just a song that moved me,” says Keith.
photo by Jason Simanek