A bad breakup and good advice from family led to Parker McCollum's new song "Handle on You." The singer tells Taste of Country that the idea for the song wasn't his, but he sure knew what to do with it.

Monty Criswell ("Five More Minutes," "I Saw God Today," "Like Jesus Does") helped McCollum write "Handle on You." The "To Be Loved by You" hitmaker says he fell for the basic concept first and foremost because it was different from what he'd been writing. At the time, he found himself writing the same kinds of things again and again. This rut extended to his personal life.

"I was kind of going through it at the time anyways, and kind of living that life at the time," he tells Taste of Country Nights of the breakup song. "I tried to put it down on paper and I'm just glad we had a melody that was good enough to do that title justice."

attachment-Handle On You Cover Art
MCA Nashville
loading...

"Tennessee and Kentucky 'cause you ain't here to love me / I drink now that there's nothing to lose," he sings during the first chorus of "Handle on You." The song is his first radio single from a new, near-finished album, the follow-up to Gold Chain Cowboy.

"I've been fighting with your memory, I hate the way it hits me / I wake up every day, black and blue / After all this back and forth, a fifth won't do / Yeah, I finally got a handle, finally got a handle on you."

The full lyrics to "Handle on You" (below) include a gem in the second verse. "My brother told me when I was really young, the best songwriters save their best lines for the verses and not the hooks," McCollum says. "I don't know if there's any truth to that, but I've certainly stuck with that for a long time."

"I tell myself that I should quit, but I don't listen to drunks," he sings during the boozy mid-tempo track. It's a lyric that's bound to make country fans look up at the radio and smile. Producer Jon Randall adds a hefty does of steel guitar to make "Handle on You" his most traditional single to date.

The song's story has a happy ending, but McCollum's most passionate fans already know that. On March 28, 2022, the singer married his longtime girlfriend Hallie Ray Light. Even though he's found a reason to put down the bottle with a handle, he'll still revisit those dark days. When asked if writing breakup songs while you're newly married is difficult, McCollum quickly states that nope, he didn't have a problem with that.

Parker McCollum's "Handle on You" Lyrics:

I went and bought the biggest bottle they got 'cause you're gone / Dropped a needle on a vinyl and cried to an old Haggard song / Sittin' at the table, baby, breaking the seal / Gonna see how much of this pain I can kill / I went and bought the biggest bottle they got 'cause you're gone.

Chorus:
Tennessee and Kentucky 'cause you ain't here to love me / I drink now that there's nothing to lose / I've been fightin' with your memory, I hate the way it hits me / I wake up every day, black and blue / After all this back and forth, a fifth won't do / Yeah, I finally got a handle, finally got a handle on you.

I tell myself that I should quit but I don't listen to drunks / I keep on sippin' until I miss you don't roll off my tongue / Since you poured our love down the sink / I think I'll just stay here and drink / I tell myself that I should quit but I don't listen to drunks.

Repeat Chorus

After all this back and forth, a fifth won't do / Yeah, I finally got a handle, finally got a handle on you / Handle on you / Yeah, I finally got a handle on you.

Top 10 Country Songs of 2022 So Far, Ranked

There are plenty of feel-good country jams on this list of the top country songs of 2022, but the No. 1 song is a gut punch. These 10 songs are ranked by critical acclaim, radio and sales success, and importance to the genre.

Five of the 10 artists made our Top Country Songs list from 2021 as well, but there are no repeats. If a song made a previous list or didn't spend most of its time on the charts in 2022, it's not eligible. So, before you ask where your favorite song is, be sure the miss isn't just a technicality.

More From TheBoot