Taylor Swift Dominates at 2013 Billboard Music Awards
Tim McGraw's 'Superstar Summer Night' Special to Air May 19
Carrie Underwood 'Goats' Hunter Hayes With Blown Away Tour Prank
Tim McGraw Stops Atlanta Show to Help Ailing Fan
Beyonce Releases New Anthem, 'Grown Woman'
PHOTOS: Tornado Aftermath Leaves Trail Of Destruction
Blake Shelton Will Return for Season 5 of 'The Voice'
PHOTOS: This Is The Best Response To Abercrombie CEO Mike Jeffries We've Seen Yet
Jennifer Hudson Performs 'Inseparable' With 'American Idol' Winner Candice Glover
Who Won 'DWTS'?
Toby Keith Says His Hometown of Moore, Oklahoma 'Will Perservere' After Deadly Tornado
JODI ARIAS WANTS LIFE
Miguel and Fan Are 'Okay' After Crazy Kick at 2013 Billboard Music Awards
Rescuers Continue Search For Tornado Survivors
Stone Temple Pilots Tap Linkin Park's Chester Bennington as New Singer
WATCH: Mom's Emotional Reunion With Son After Tornado
Tornadoes Strike Oklahoma
WATCH: Tornado Victim Finds Dog During CBS Interview
Grossed Out Student Finds "Worm" In His McMuffin
Wolf Blitzer's Embarrassing Moment With Tornado Survivor
Oklahoma Senators Face Difficult Options On Disaster Relief
PHOTOS: Tornado Devastates Moore, Oklahoma
CBS Pulls 'Mike & Molly' Tornado-Set Finale
15 Incredible Cat Photobombs
Justin Bieber BOOED While Accepting Award
Mila Kunis And Ashton Kutcher Put Their Romance On Display
LOOK: The 14 Most Endangered Heritage Sites In Europe
LOOK: Aishwarya Rai Stuns At Cannes
PHOTOS: Tornadoes Wreak Havoc On Central U.S.
WATCH: Tornadoes Rip Through Central U.S.
Student Expelled, Charged With Felonies For Same-Sex Relationship
PHOTOS: Stars Shine On The 2013 Billboard Music Awards Red Carpet
OUCH: Singer Jumps, Lands On Fan's Neck
Jason Kempin, Getty Images
"The feedback on the song is overwhelming," Ronnie comments. "I've never had a song that's seemingly as relevant to the times and spot on to what's going on in America and the world right now."
Ronnie admits his own past lends to the credibility of the his current Top 20 single. "I grew up in trailer houses in New Mexico, Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma," Ronnie tells CMIL. "We can all relate to it. I even look today at the cost to run a bus, it's insane."
"There is a very unique story about ['Cost Of Living']," Ronnie continues. "That song came to me in 2008. Phillip Coleman had written almost the entire song, all the verses and stuff. It didn't have a title. It didn't have a hook line [or] a chorus. I asked when I first heard it if I could have a shot at it, [saying], 'Could you just give me two days? I won't hold it up or anything.'"
That's when Ronnie came up with the lines, "two dollars and change at the pump, cost of living's high and going up," and the song quickly finished itself. While the country was reeling from financial losses all across America three years ago, some of the label chiefs felt the song wouldn't be relatable in the future. Ironically, Ronnie revised the lyrics to "three dollars and change at the pump" to better fit the rising cost of oil.
Ronnie scored his first Top 10 single as a solo artist with 'Bleed Red,' which fueled his self-titled album's debut at No. 1 on the country charts. 'Cost of Livin'' serves as the album's second radio single, currently sitting at No.
Click below to watch Ronnie perform 'Cost of Livin'' on 'The Doctors.'
