Michael Ray has a new song and video out. The Florida native just released “Get Her Back,” the debut single from his forthcoming Dive Bars & Broken Hearts EP, dropping the telling video as well.
The song says in part, “Now I just want to get her back / For everything that she did behind closed doors / All the lies and the signs that I ignored / Could’ve sworn that I loved her but now that it’s over / I just wanna get her back.” While it seems likely that it is his nod to the end of his marriage to Carly Pearce, which she expounded on in 29: Written in Stone, the message is one that Ray says is relatable to everyone.
“Nobody wants to talk about all the emotions you feel, shock, anger, wanting to know why, or even wanting something bad to happen… because then there’s the letting go,” Ray explains. “It’s so many different things, all falling together really fast. But in the end, why bother? Like the song says, ‘I wasn’t raised like that…’
The message behind “Get Her Back” isn’t one of revenge or retribution, but rather one of letting go to pursue whatever comes next.
“I think ‘Get Her Back’ speaks for a lot of people who don’t wanna talk about it,” says the singer. “Most of us have all these emotions, feel all kinds of things – and we’re expected to act like we’re good or everything’s fine. You hear people talk, but if you respected whatever it was you had, feel it, but don’t feed the fire. That’s what’s at the heart of this song. For anyone out there like me, know we see you. It’s cool. But know you did the right thing.”
Like all of the other songs on Dive Bars & Broken Hearts, the song was produced by Michael Knox, whom Ray trusted to capture the sound he wanted for his new project.
“I knew Michael could get to the sound in my head,” Ray says. “I would think about how country music sounded to me as a boy, how big it felt and real. It was big more than it was loud – and the songs were always things nobody ever talked about, ever wanted to be caught in the middle of, but, well, there they were coming out of the radio.”
The 34-year-old is eager to share not only “Get Her Back,” but all of the other songs as well on Dive Bars & Broken Hearts with his fans.
“When the songs are this strong, you know you’ve got something,” Ray shares. “And when you were practically born playing this kind of music with your family, literally grew up in the bars and little roadside theaters, you can’t help yourself. It’s like a fast car, you wanna take it out and see how it handles. Playing new music in these kinds of places ain’t for the faint of heart; but when you’re not afraid, you bring songs this good, it’s amazing what happens.”
Dive Bars & Broken Hearts will be released on June 23. Find all of Ray’s music and upcoming shows at MichaelRayMusic.com.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of EB Media / Spidey Smith
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