Dave’s Top 10 of ’12: #7 – I Drive Your Truck by Lee Brice

Lee Brice was rockin' it in 2012 as he makes his second appearance in this Top 10.

You know, I'm a huge fan and supporter of our military. I am incapable of fully expressing my gratitude for what they do for us.

Here, we have a song about a member of our armed forces who never returned home. Written by Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington, and Jimmy Yeary, "I Drive Your Truck" tells the story of a young man who was killed in the war and how someone close to him copes with the loss.

Now, when I first heard the song, I assumed it was his best friend who drives his truck to keep his memory fresh and his spirit alive. In reality, the song was inspired by something the mother of the boy said. She is the one who drives the truck around as a way of dealing with the loss. And that just adds to the power of the song.

I thought it was a best friend driving a best friend's truck, yet it was written because of a mother and a son. But it could be any combination--father/son, son/father, brother/brother. And Lee's performance captures the perfect emotional tone.

It was a late arrival in 2012, but "I Drive Your Truck" is absolutely among the ten best of the year.