Chart Rewind: In 2016, Confession Was Good for Florida Georgia Lines Country Soul

Florida Georgia Line established its reputation around a party vibe, but with its single “Confession,” the duo embraced a more serious tone featuring a protagonist who takes his truck to the outskirts of town, pops a cold one and considers his life.

It may have been a step away from the original identity of the act — Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley — but it clearly connected with the general public. “Confession” climbed to No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart dated May 7, 2016, becoming the eighth of the tandem’s 16 titles to scale the summit.

Cowritten by Rodney Clawson (Jason Aldean’s “Amarillo Sky,” Kenny Chesney’s “American Kids”), Ross Copperman (Hubbard’s “Dancin’ in the Country,” Kelsea Ballerini’s “Half of My Hometown”) and Matt Jenkins (Jordan Davis’ “Buy Dirt,” Jelly Roll’s “Halfway to Hell”), “Confession” required FGL’s members to roll up their creative sleeves. They sang it more than 75 times for producer Joey Moi (Morgan Wallen, Nickelback) in the process of cutting the final vocal.

“Confession” was released as the fifth single from the duo’s second Republic Nashville album, Anything Goes. It became the project’s fourth Country Airplay No. 1, following “Dirt,” “Sun Daze” and “Sippin’ on Fire.”

Hubbard and Kelley met as students at Nashville’s Belmont University and rode to prominence behind their first single, 2012’s “Cruise,” which has been certified 14 times-Platinum by the RIAA. The duo announced it was going on hiatus in February 2022, finishing one last tour together that August as the two shifted into solo work. They reunited for the first time since then this March to perform at an event honoring Aldean.