On September 28, 2022, a group of songwriters met up on Thomas Rhett’s tour bus in Grand Forks, North Dakota, where a late-night conversation about gratitude sparked a new song. Just after midnight, Rhett kicked things off with a chord progression inspired by James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain” and a line he’d been holding onto: “Didn’t win the lotto, but the Dawgs won.” From there, ideas flowed easily as verses and melodies came together.
The song found its groove with an unconventional, feel-good chorus built from fragmented phrases and breezy “oo-oo-oo” melodies, giving it a relaxed, confident energy. After finishing it following Rhett’s final show that weekend in Sioux Falls, Mark Trussell created a demo and later refreshed the intro with a bright twelve-string guitar.
Though initially set aside, the track found new life when Rhett revisited it for a deluxe edition and invited Jordan Davis to join him. Produced by Trussell and recorded largely at home, the song was released to country radio on September 8, 2025—bringing a spontaneous bus-side idea to life.
