Story Behind the Song: Michael Ray, ‘One That Got Away’
"One That Got Away," the second single off of Michael Ray's sophomore album, Amos, officially hit country radio on July 2, 2018. Ray admits that it's probably his favorite track on the album.
Though the song describes a relationship that's sure to end, "One That Got Away" is no heartbreak ballad; instead, Ray focuses on enjoying the ride while it lasts and coming out of the relationship with a great story to tell. Summery and upbeat, the song makes for a perfect addition to his festival setlists. Read on to learn more about the process of creating "One That Got Away," and why it reminds Ray of kicking back with his hometown friends.
I'd had it for a little while, and it was just one of those songs I kept coming back to and thinking, "F--k, man, that's such a great song." It was what I needed right now in my career: a feel-good summer song. It's about the thought of, "I don't know why this person's into me, because they shouldn't be, but I'm gonna ride it out, and if it ends, well, then it's gonna be one hell of a story."
In the studio, we wanted to create a kind of loose feel -- just something fun where the crowd could sing back to us. When I'm making a record, I put in just as much thought into my live show as I do into radio, or streaming, or whatever else. Going into festival season, this song was just what I needed.
I grew up in Florida, so I can just envision me and my boys back home cranking it up on the boat. So in the process of creating it, I wanted to keep that atmosphere in mind: people on the water, people at country festivals, riding the roads, whatever it might be. I wanted to just focus on people having their drinks up and having a good time.
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