Ryan Hurd’s ‘Every Other Memory’ Hurts So Good [LISTEN]

Ryan Hurd is a man caught longing for an old flame in his new song "Every Other Memory," a marching clip of country nostalgia that shows off the songwriter's gift for puzzle-piecing together the right words at the right time, in time. Press play above to listen.

Both verses of "Every Other Memory" are nearly spoken-word, before Hurd's personal, melodic chorus. That's his wife, Maren Morris, singing harmonies.

There's no doubting that Hurd's as connected to his story as his co-writers, Nathan Spicer and Cole Taylor; one imagines him closing his eyes to recall the first kiss, leather jacket and blue sky memories. His performance pushes you to fill in the blanks with details of your own love gone cold.

An arrangement that leans on a steady snare drum allows Hurd's storytelling to stay center-stage across a song built for stages of any size. As an artist, Hurd isn't complicated or fancy. There is a folky appeal to the stories he tells that leaves every lyric resonating deep for those who get it, even if his wordy approach misses those looking for casual background music.

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Ryan Hurd's "Every Other Memory" Lyrics:

I still smell the smoke from / The Fourth of July fireworks / And I still feel the kick drum / Front row at the concert / After Talladega / It’s safe to say you stick around / We were both drunk at the party / When I told you that I loved you / You laughed like I was crazy / But I swear, girl, that’s when I knew what we had / Looking back on it right now

Chorus:

That last-call first kiss never left my mind / That old-school Springsteen gets me every time / And when I see that leather jacket / I think about how you had it / Wrapped around your shoulder / That whole October / And that sunset, barefoot fire on the beach / I can still feel your hands all over me / And when the sky lights up / Girl, it’s your shade of blue / ‘Cause every other memory / Every other memory is you

Girl, you’re every other turn down / Every back road in my head / And even though it’s over / You’re still playing hard to forget / Close my eyes and there you are / Still underneath the stars

Repeat Chorus

Repeat Chorus

Tangled in the summer / There will never be another / Never be another / Like that last-call first kiss

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