“If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away,” part 2: How Justin Moore’s 2011 smash inspired his latest hit

The Valory Music Co.

Justin Moore has been invited to sing his latest hit, “The Ones That Didn’t Make It Back Home,” during the 30th Anniversary National Memorial Day Concert on PBS.

The lead single from Justin’s next album, Late Nights and Longnecks, was actually inspired by his platinum-selling 2011 smash, “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away.”

“We’ve been working on new music for a little while now,” he tells ABC Radio. “And this was a song that I got the idea to write onstage one night.”

“Because every time we play ‘If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away,’” Justin continues, “I kinda go through this spiel about how much our military means to us and how much we appreciate ’em.”

For the Arkansas native, it’s a cause that’s personal.

“I had one grandfather who retired out of the Navy, and the other, Air Force,” Justin explains. “They, along with my mom and dad and other influences in my life, instilled in me the importance of the sacrifices that those men and women make daily.”

“And so we kinda talk about that on stage and every night I say, ‘Here’s to the ones that didn’t make it back home.’ And after saying that for several years, one night recently it hit me,” he recalls. “I go, ‘Man, I need to write that.’”

You can hear a special version of “The Ones That Didn’t Make It Back Home” Sunday, May 26, as Justin performs it with the National Symphony Orchestra on the National Memorial Day Concert, which starts at 8 p.m. ET on PBS.

Justin’s new album will follow on July 26.