"I'm obsessed with Bruno Mars' records," Rhett told Rolling Stone Country. "I'd give my right leg to be able to sing like that dude." Rhett admitted that he and his bandmate Josh Reedy took a lot of time rehearsing "When I Was Your Man" before they hit the studio.

"After soundcheck, I'd sit there with Josh and we'd play it over and over, with Josh playing keys and me singing. We'd work on the phrasing, the breathing, the notes, the key' I think we had to lower it, like, five keys before I could sing the song, because Bruno sings so high."

Rhett and Reedy took to Nashville's Creative Caffeine Studios to record the stripped-down track with Rhett on vocals and Reedy on piano. "We kept the video really simple," he said. "I wanted everyone to see that all we did was go in there, grab a mic, play the piano and sing the whole thing down. It's a live take with a live vocal. The whole thing wasn't nearly as funny as I thought it would be. It was serious. The moment Josh started playing and I started singing, I felt it. That song gave me chills the first time I heard it, and it still does."