Chesney releases song next week

With Pirate Flag, written by David Lee Murphy (Livin' In Fast Forward, Dust on the Bottle) and Ross Copperman, Chesney said, "No matter where you are, no matter how you live, there is that part of you that yearns to be free, to say, 'What the hell...' and just do what you want to do. That's what this song is all about. The freedom and the idea that you can just say, 'Enough,' even if it's only in your mind, while you're watching your boss's mouth move and are dreaming of whatever gets you off."

"That's the beauty of this song: You can fly your pirate flag in your head, tack it up behind your computer at work, tattoo it under your skin - and no one has to know. Except you and your friends, the people who really matter," Chesney said.

"Even me and the band can't just run off and pitch a tent on some island, as much as we love doing it," Chesney said. "I think that's why when we hit the stage, we hit it so hard - and the fans, those people from the No Shoes Nation, throw it back at us even harder. Because for us, that mutiny against real life happens in the music, happens at the shows, happens when all get together."

The song, which will ship digitally to radio Jan 31, will be on Chesney's next disc on April 30. The disc has yet to be titled.

Chesney kicks off his No Shoes Nation tour on March 16 in Tampa, Fla.