The re-recording features vocals from country music singers Darryl Worley, Craig Morgan, and Jamey Johnson.

The song, which features vocals from singers Darryl Worley, Craig Morgan, and Jamey Johnson, was pulled from radio and replaced with "Runway Lights".

On May 12, 2011, Cyrus announced via The Boot that he was planning on retiring from recording after releasing I'm American, but he stated that he would continue to perform live because he "loves playing in a band."

Erlewine said that Cyrus "sounds like a ruminative, mumbling Bruce Springsteen, so Billy Ray muscularly strums his guitar while rhapsodizing about the downtrodden working class."

He goes on to describe "Nineteen" and "We Fought Hard" as songs of soldiers who didn't make it home from war, and noted they are predictable, powerful ballads that may leave some needing a tissue.