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Quavo, Teddy Swims & Luke Bryan - ‘Georgia Ways’
Release Date: December 6th, 2024
Album: TBC
Songwriters: Teddy Swims, Luke Bryan, Quavo, Jeffrey Garrison, Jackson Nance & Westen Weiss
Producers: Jeffrey Garrison, Jackson Nance & Westen Weiss
The Background:
Towards the end of November, Quavo shocked his fanbase by revealing he had a bolt-from-the-blue collaboration up his sleeves. The Atlanta trap trailblazer has joined forces with country chart-topper, Luke Bryan, and ‘Lose Control’ hitmaker, Teddy Swims, for a fiery, defiant ode to their shared home-state, ‘Georgia Ways’.
The unexpected offering was given a release date of December 6th, with the artists teaming up to shoot a light-hearted set of visuals for the infectious, genre-fusing track.
It's the latest in a string of high-profile collaborations from Quavo, with the former Migos band-member releasing ‘Tough’ with Lana Del Rey’, ‘5BRAZY’ with Yeat, ‘FLY‘ with Lenny Kravitz, ‘SLOW DOWN’ with The Kid Laroi and many more in recent months.
‘Georgia Ways’ is peppered with references that will score a fist-pump from Georgia natives, but that might go over the heads of fans listening from further afield. Fear not, as we've done our best to unpack the Peach State-themed easter eggs, homages and name-checks Quavo, Teddy and Luke have packed into this surprise collaboration.
The Sound:
Given the fact that Quavo hails from a trap background, Teddy Swims tends to lean towards pop and R&B while Luke Bryan is out-and-out country, fans were curious to see which of these three styles would dominate the sonic fabric of ‘Georgia Ways’.
Somehow, they've managed to incorporate all three artists’ preferred sounds into the mix, with ‘Georgia Ways’ featuring the rattling hi-hats and bass-laden 808s of Quavo's solo material, as well as tipping the cap to Luke Bryan's contemporary country style, particularly with the lyrical content. Meanwhile, Teddy Swims brings his smooth, sinuous vocal delivery to the table, with all three artists embracing a decidedly genre-fluid ambience throughout ‘Georgia Ways. Quavo's Auto-Tune-drenched vocals and atmospheric ad-libs keep the energy high, with Luke Bryan exploring a rap-inspired but still country cadence for his quick-fire verse.
Endearingly, the trio combine three distinct strands of Georgia's pioneering music scene - Atlanta trap, country and soul - while highlighting how there's cohesion between each one.
The Meaning:
“Let me tell you a lil' story 'bout Uncle George
Taught me how to get it out the Georgia mud
Standin' on the porch with a big old gun
Better not step on the driveway
Georgia boys pullin' out sideways
In the south we ball, how about them Dawgs?
Waffle house, soaking up the alcohol
Lemon pepper, Magic City on a Monday”
Quavo kicks off ‘Georgia Ways’ with a few warning shots directed at anyone looking for trouble in his neck of the woods, underlining that he and his ‘Georgia boys’ won't hesitate to retaliate. He then pays tribute to the state's beloved university team, the Georgia Bulldogs, before celebrating a Georgia staple - Waffle House - which was founded in the Peach State back in 1955. Quavo closes out his verse by toasting Georgia's famous lemon pepper chicken, and boasting that you can find him in the Magic City Strip Club - even on a Monday, a day not usually associated with partying, because he doesn't care what anybody thinks.
“That's just how I was raised
Stuck in my Georgia ways
Don't care 'bout what you say
Some shit won't ever change
That's just how I was raised
Stuck in my Georgia ways”
The hook revolves around Quavo's battle-cry that he'll always stay true to his Georgia roots, regardless of who he disgruntles in the process. Once a Georgia boy, always a Georgia boy.
“Got a Flint River Appaloosa running line
Shotgunning back to back, not any lies
Quail birds covered in the Southern pines
Peanuts rolling down a backroad
Trojans kicking off in Lee Co”
Luke Bryan begins his portion of the track by describing how he's currently enjoying some fly fishing in the Flint River, with the help of his Appaloosa running line - a thin line that joins the fly line backing to the shooting head. The Appaloosa Catfish, otherwise known as the Flathead Catfish, were introduced to Georgia in the mid-1900s.
Then, Luke depicts another of his favourite hobbies - shotgunning beers, before portraying an idyllic scene as he gazes out into Georgia's picturesque Southern pine trees. The ‘peanuts’ line seems to be a reference to the fact that you can buy boiled peanuts from roadside stalls in Georgia, with the most well-known being The Big Peanut.
Luke Bryan also gives a shout-out to the Lee County Trojans - often referred to as the Lee Co Trojans - the sports team belonging to Lee County High School in Leesburg, Georgia.
“We own TitleTown
We love way deep down
I got your beach-grown baby on a hay bale round
That's my 99 Chipper game-day flow”
The sports references don't stop there, with Luke Bryan continuing his verse by bragging about how Georgia is home to ‘TitleTown’, the nick-name of Valdosta, thanks to Valdosta High School's storied track record in football. Netflix even produced a reality show following the lives of students at Valdosta, which was released in 2021.
After dropping a classic country lyric by cheekily claiming he's spending time with a woman from the beach on his farm, Luke Bryan dons his rap-flow to be as valuable and prestigious as a ‘99 Chipper game-day’. This is an homage to one of Georgia's sporting giants, Chipper Jones, who was an Atlanta Braves baseball star that was crowned MVP in 1999, following a stellar 45 home run and 110 RBI season.
“Baby, this the finale
Court-side, Hawk tickets, Quavo threw me the alley
Dirty Bird, baby, where the players play
Finna turn this bitch up sideways
G-E-O-R-G-I-A
Where I B-E, baby, lemme hear you say
G-E-O-R-G-I-A
A-Town stompin' on that old red clay”
Teddy Swims gets in on the action for the final verse, with the ‘Somethin’ Bout a Woman‘ crooner opening by thanking Quavo for sorting him out with some court-side Atlanta Hawks basketball tickets. He drops a basketball reference here, by crediting the rapper as throwing him an ‘alley-oop’ - or rather, an assist for him to then score.
‘Dirty Bird’ is presumably a reference to the Dirty Birds Nest, a fan-zone for the Atlanta Falcons NFL team, with the name stemming from legendary running back's Jamal Anderson signature post-touchdown dance. Alternatively, it could be a nod to a Georgia restaurant. Teddy's last line, “A-town stompin’ on that old red clay”, uses Atlanta's nickname of ‘A-Town’, before touching on Georgia's widespread red clay.
“Three cheers, right on to Tennessee (Way down in Georgia)
She taste as sweet as Georgia peach
85 take me where I should be (Way down in Georgia)”
For the outro, Quavo sings softly about Georgia's neighbouring state, Tennessee, before complementing his partner as being as sweet as one of Georgia's trademark peaches. The state has a long-standing history of producing delicious peaches, to the extent that Georgia is often dubbed ‘the Peach State’.
Lastly, Quavo portrays himself driving down the Interstate 85, which goes through the heart of Atlanta, as he makes his way home after reluctantly spending time away.
What has Quavo said about ‘Georgia Ways’?
When announcing this genre-blending collaboration via his socials, Quavo described ‘Georgia Ways’ as “an anthem for my Georgia Dawgs, with my guys Luke Bryan & Teddy Swims”. The trio are yet to comment on how exactly the song arose, but the three artists came together to film the fun, luxurious music video for the track in November 2024, ahead of the earworm's official release on Friday, December 6th.
For the full lyrics so far to Quavo, Teddy Swims & Luke Bryan's ‘Georgia Ways’, see below:
KEY: Quavo, Luke Bryan, Teddy Swims
“Yeah, Quavo!
Georgia, yeah
Georgia, Georgia
Let's get together, baby
-
Let me tell you a lil' story 'bout Uncle George
Taught me how to get it out the Georgia mud
Standin' on the porch with a big old gun
Better not step on the driveway
Georgia boys pullin' out sideways
In the south we ball, how about them Dawgs?
Waffle house, soaking up the alcohol
Lemon pepper, Magic City on a Monday
-
That's just how I was raised
Stuck in my Georgia ways
Don't care 'bout what you say
Some shit won't ever change
That's just how I was raised
Stuck in my Georgia ways
-
Got a Flint River Appaloosa running line
Shotgunning back to back, not any lies
Quail birds covered in the Southern pines
Peanuts rolling down a backroad
Trojans kicking off in Lee Co
We own TitleTown
We love way deep down
I got your beach-grown baby on a hay bale round
That's my 99 Chipper game-day flow
-
That's just how I was raised
Stuck in my Georgia ways
Don't care 'bout what you say
Some shit won't ever change
That's just how I was raised
Stuck in my Georgia ways
Don't care 'bout what you say
Some shit won't ever change
Tell them, Teddy
-
Baby, this the finale
Court-side, Hawk tickets, Quavo threw me the alley
Dirty Bird, baby, where the players play
Finna turn this bitch up sideways
G-E-O-R-G-I-A
Where I B-E, baby, lemme hear you say
G-E-O-R-G-I-A
A-Town stompin' on that old red clay
-
That's just how I was raised
Stuck in my Georgia ways
Don't care 'bout what you say
Some shit won't ever change
That's just how I was raised
Stuck in my Georgia ways
Don't care 'bout what you say
Some shit won't ever change
-
Three cheers, right on to Tennessee (Way down in Georgia)
She taste as sweet as Georgia peach
85 take me where I should be (Way down in Georgia)”
For more on Quavo, see below:
