Parker McCollum’s ‘Handle On You’: Story Behind the Song

Parker McCollum has a hit single at radio right now, with “Handle On You.” The song, which McCollum wrote with Monty Criswell, is from Never Enough, McCollum’s upcoming sophomore album on MCA, out on May 12.

“He had a title ‘Handle On You’ and I don’t like titles,” McCollum shares with his record label. “I usually tell them to put their titles away and write from the heart, and write something that makes me feel something. But he had the title ‘Handle On You,’ and I just kind of thought it was clever. He caught me on the right day with that one, and I said ‘Man, let’s write it.’ It’s kind of an old-school country vibe.

“So, I just started picking on this melody on my guitar and he really dug it, and started that first verse,” he continues. “And he was really the one that kind of started the Tennessee or Kentucky thing and it just kind of went from there. It’s such a pleasure writing with him. He’s got a crazy talent for writing with an artist and letting them take the lead and write to them, which is really cool. But Monty is such a good dude. That’s my boy.”

“Handle On You” is the debut single from Never Enough. The Texan wrote all but one of the songs on the 15-track record, including “I Ain’t Going Nowhere” and “Speed,” although he isn’t worried if any of them will be his next radio hit.

“I don’t really ever think about what could be a single or not,” McCollum previously told Everything Nash. “It never really crosses my mind. I just try to write the best songs I can. And then if a label thinks one’s a hit and should go to radio, then hopefully it does.”

McCollum gives a commanding energy-packed live performance, and has already had two No. 1 singles, with “Pretty Heart” and “To Be Loved By You.” But for McCollum, his biggest goal is to be the best songwriter he can possibly be.

“I just wanna be known as a good songwriter,” McCollum maintained. “I don’t necessarily think about writing hit songs. I just try to write the best songs I can.  I’ve been lucky enough to have ‘I Can’t Breathe’ and ‘Hell Of a Year’ and ‘Pretty Heart’ and ‘To Be Loved By You’ all be big songs. ‘Like a Cowboy’ was a big song, but it was never on the radio. It was on The Highway [SiriusXM radio station]. That was it, and that’s one of the biggest songs of our show. So I just try to write good songs, the best I can, and hopefully people like them.”

Find “Handle On You” and all of McCollum’s music, and pre-order Never Enough, at ParkerMcCollum.com.