When West Tennessee musician Philip Lemmings learned his wife was pregnant in 2005, he found himself at a crossroads.
He played guitar and mandolin in the five-piece country band Forty5south, which released two albums. But with the birth of his daughter, Lakelyn, in May 2006, the family would have two children under three. Constant touring and a high-wage job no longer made sense, so he left the band, and Forty5south disbanded.
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Phillip remained friends with the band's lead vocalist, Ash Bowers, who became a successful songwriter and producer (Matt Stell, George Birge). As a teenager, Lakelyn demonstrated genuine talent as a songwriter and singer, and Phillip periodically encouraged Bowers of her potential. When she turned 17, Bowers began engaging her in songwriting and creating compositions that suited her voice and story. With "Get Around Boy," her first single released to radio, 20-year-old Lakelyn continues the professional career her father began.
«"It's kind of a vicious cycle," she says matter-of-factly.
The Lemming family homeschooled their children, which allowed Lakelin to travel across much of America in an RV.
«"We were able to enjoy our childhood, travel, and do whatever we wanted," she says. "I was so grateful.".
Her songwriting also required travel. She continued to live in Henderson, Tennessee, and regularly drove 135 miles to meet Bowers in Nashville to collaborate on songs. Mike Mobley ("Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On," "Easy") became one of their co-writers, and when the three of them discussed her story, she mentioned breaking up with her hometown boyfriend to focus on her career full-time.
«"You see a little tear in her eye," Mobley says, "just enough to say, 'Yeah, she still can't get over that guy.'".
The remark didn't become a song that day, but before their next meeting—June 6, 2024, at Bowers' Wide Open Music in Nashville—Mobley spent more time reflecting on the connection between her travels and the relationship sacrifices that often accompany the touring lifestyle. At the next songwriting session, he returned with an idea.
«"I just started imagining her driving across the country, trying to start a new life, and all the while, [the memory] of her first love from home was always driving alongside her," Mobley says. "It's still driving because it's emotionally following her.".
This became the title of the song "Get Around Boy," and at the next meeting, he brought the opening line for the chorus, about "a beach in California," as well as a semblance of the chorus melody. They turned it into an audio tour and began listing places at least one of them had visited. She'd been to 30 states, so it was easy to find places she knew personally. In fact, the only place they included in the song that she hadn't been to was Sedona, because it rhymes loosely with California.
They took a somewhat loose interpretation of her true story, hinting in the verses that their relationship was meant to lead to marriage, and that she expected him to wait. By the final verse, she learns that he will in fact marry someone else, ensuring that he remains in her past. And yet, as the bridge emphasizes, his memory "still lingers so close.".
«"By the time we got to that point," Mobley says, "I realized the whole song was this tension between wanting the life she wanted and missing the life she had.".
To give the song even more personality, they added several West Tennessee references to the final chorus. They mentioned the line about Beale Street and mentioned "Walking Through Memphis." They also noted that his memories were "not bad for a plowman." This is a subtle nod to the late Eddy Arnold, who was born in Henderson and earned the nickname "The Tennessee Plowman.".
«"We have a big sign downtown that describes him and what he did," she says. "So he's alive and well here in Henderson.".
They recorded a working tape with guitar and vocals, with Mobley playing six-string guitar. He added the opening riff, based on the chorus melody, on the fly, and Bowers later added a programmed bass drum. It was one of the songs that helped her land a record deal with Quartz Hill the following spring.
Lakelin didn't originally record the song for the label, but when the company played shows at Eric Church's club, Chief's, last year during CMA Fest in Nashville, she worked on the song with her band.
«"For the next week or so, everyone inside the label was saying 'Get Around Boy' sounded like a hit," Bowers says.
The recording took place at Sound Stage Studios in Nashville, owned by Black River, which represents Kelsea Ballerini, who made a surprise appearance at the event. She showed up unexpectedly that day with her then-boyfriend Chase Stokes, embarking on a mini-tour of sorts for a small group. Ballerini complimented Lemmings on the sparkly boots that Lakelin chose to lighten her mood that day.
«"A little sparkle never hurts," says Lemmings.
The studio band understood the mood established in the working recording and developed a structure that gave "Get Around Boy" an upbeat feel without calling too much attention to itself. The instrumental opening riff was played on electric guitar rather than acoustic, and Saul Philcox-Littlefield created a solo that, in just a few bars, became a captivating journey.
«"Sol is absolutely amazing," says Bowers. "Every time I'm in the studio with him, he gives me several options, and it's really hard to choose. But we had a conversation that made it clear this was the right one because it really feels like a journey.".
Lemmings recorded her final lead vocals at Couch Room Studios on Music Row, owned by Eric Torres, who also provided background vocals. The song was written specifically for her, so, aside from the ambitious chorus, the production presented no particular difficulties.
«"It's quite a big chorus, but it's also very strategically thought out," she says. "The melody constantly changes—it goes up and down—so getting the rhythm right and hitting those [melodic ups] was quite challenging.".
The songwriters failed to consider that the travelogue-inspired theme and moderate tempo make "Get Around Boy" similar to Tim McGraw's "Everywhere," though several program directors made the comparison during her radio tour. They also said it was her best choice for a single, and Quartz Hill founder Benny Brown agreed.
«"He's obviously had a lot of hits," Lemmings says. "He knows what he's doing.".
The song "Get Around Boy" was sent to country radio stations via PlayMPE on April 13. The promotion of the song gave Lakelin the opportunity travel on her own, using the same roads her father traveled during his time in Forty-five South. And she carries his story with her everywhere, doing the same job he left behind when she arrived.
«"I shattered his dreams," she says. "Now we're going towards my dream together.".
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