Poison Rocker Bret Michaels Debuts Country Single ‘Girls On Bars’

Poison frontman Bret Michaels set out to write a summertime anthem and ended up with “Girls On Bars” — a song that blends his rocker side with his love of country.

Michaels announced on his Facebook page that the video was released this morning on CMT. He told Taste of Country he and co-writer Luke Laird wrote the song to work in both country and rock formats, but it had to have a summer feel. Apparently girls, beer, and fast cars mean summer to Bret, as those are the themes throughout the song.

“When I was writing ‘Girls on Bars’ [with] Luke Laird … I said, ‘I need a summer feel.’ When I wrote this song, I wrote it to be, you know, play in the country format and also the rock format. It’s a very Americana song, but I said, ‘Luke, I wanna write a song that reminds me of summer.’ What do we wanna see? We wanna see girls dancing on bars, partying, having fun. When I say that, it’s more of just an image of you work hard all week, then have a great time.”

While Michaels isn’t totally new to country — he’s a former judge of CMT’s Nashville Star — he told Billboard he realizes crossing over to country radio doesn’t come without challenges. However, he hopes it’s a great song country fans can relate to and embrace.

“I’m going up against a big wall. But this has been my life story. I realize there’s a lot of big labels. There’s a lot of talent and great songs out there right now. I realize what I’m going up against. Here is my theory: if it’s a great song, people will relate to it. You work hard, and then hope it really catches fire.”

Michaels’ newest album, True Grit, will release tomorrow. He said it goes back to his roots and the country music that inspired him as a kid.

“The first music I listened to growing up was my dad playing country music. He played pedal steel guitar and I played harmonica. The harmonica was the first instrument I ever learned to play. Then I gravitated towards the guitar and the piano. I just really loved great songs and country music has great songs.”

True Grit includes remakes of Poison songs, like “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” and “Nothin’ But A Good Time.” He describes the album as, “an entire history of where I’ve been. It’s my past, my present, and my future.” It features guests Jimmy Buffett, Gary Rossington and Rickey Medlocke from Lynard Skynard, Rascal Flatts, and Loretta Lynn.

Bret is excited to have Lynn singing “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” saying, “We recorded it on her ranch outside of Nashville and she nailed it.” He reminisced about when the original song came out, sharing that it was a Dallas country station that first picked it up. The rock stations were next, landing the hit on the pop, rock, and country charts all at the same time. He’s hoping to come full circle with country radio opening their arms to him once again.

“I never ask for a ‘gimme.’ Never. All I ask for is a chance. And that’s what country music does. It gives me a chance to have a new hit, as well as play my catalog.”

What do you think of Bret Michaels‘ new summer-fun anthem “Girls On Bars?” Do you think the rocker’s fans will embrace his country side? Will country music welcome his rocker edge?

[Image by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images]