# Keith Urban's Song Inspired by Merle Haggard

> Keith Urban sampled Merle Haggard's 'Mama Tried' for his 2018 hit 'Coming Home'.
- Title: Keith Urban's Song Inspired by Merle Haggard | Shortify
- Summary: Keith Urban sampled Merle Haggard's 'Mama Tried' for his 2018 hit 'Coming Home'. Keith Urban used Merle Haggard's 'Mama Tried' as inspiration for his 2018…
- Keywords: keith urban, merle haggard, coming home, mama tried, graffiti u, julia michaels, music, culture, Keith, Urban's, Song, Inspired
- Source: American Songwriter — https://americansongwriter.com/keith-urban-used-a-merle-haggard-song-as-inspiration-for-this-hit-single-from-2018
- Author: Gayle Thompson
- Published: 2026-10-18T11:30:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: keith urban, merle haggard, coming home, mama tried, graffiti u, julia michaels, music, culture
## Keith Urban's 2018 Song
Keith Urban released 'Coming Home' from his 2018 Graffiti U album with Julia Michaels.
## Merle Haggard's Influence
Urban intentionally borrowed from Merle Haggard's 'Mama Tried' for the song, even though Haggard died in 2016.
## Inspiration from Julia Michaels
Julia Michaels suggested the line 'Yeah I know it’s only one call away / But it’s not the same' for the song.

> Yeah I know it’s only one call away / But it’s not the same
## Key takeaway

Keith Urban used Merle Haggard's 'Mama Tried' as inspiration for his 2018 song 'Coming Home'.