When Florida Georgia Line's "Cruise" was written, the superstar duo were little more than a couple of super college graduates. Let's just say their act was far from polished.

It's been six years since "Cruise" was released and forever changed the sound of country radio. This episode of the Secret History of Country Music focuses on what happened before that. LoCash had FGL open for them in Lynchburg, Va., one year prior, and man, what a difference a year and a song made!

Chase Rice helped write country music's only diamond-certified single (for 10 million singles sold) and admits that part of the group of songwriters weren't 100 on the groove, but Florida Georgia Line's Brian Kelley knew they had something very special. In 2019, they're all pretty happy Luke Bryan wasn't pitched the song. Good friends helped round out the duo's debut single — a song that checks in at No. 9 on ToC's list of the Best Songs of the 21st Century.

The Secret History of Country Music is a new weekly series hosted by Taste of Country News host Ania Hammar. We'll go deeper inside the stories of country music's biggest hits, moments and figures. Look for episodes about Kid Rock and Miranda Lambert coming up, and be sure to subscribe to Taste of Country's YouTube channel so you never miss a new episode.

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