MITCHELL TENPENNY “THIS IS THE HEAVY” ALBUM CUT X CUTS (AUDIO & VIDEO)
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THIS IS THE HEAVY ALBUM CUT X CUT (AUDIO & VIDEO)
“So This Is The Heavy is actually the intro track to the song. I’ve just, all these records I grew up listening to, a lot of these emo hardcore bands, they always had intro tracks. I thought it’d be a lot of fun to do that. Don’t normally hear them in country music, and it just kind of brings me back to you know what I grew up listening to and loving. It kind of sets off the pace for what the record is going to be.”
“Good Place was a lot of fun. My boy Michael Whitworth came in with this idea. And you know, I just kind of let him run with it for a minute because I didn’t have an idea that day. I just love the way he hooked. I’m not in a good place but I’m in this bar, so I’m in a good place for a broken heart. It was so cool. I never heard anything like that. It just inspired me that day. The song just fell out so quick after that, and I wanted it to be really drum heavy. I want it to feel like a rock and roll song and that song that title just kind of lent itself to be that song I’ve been wanting for a long time. That rock drive, Four On the Floor just go for it. And it’s, I don’t know it’s one of my favorite songs of the record to be honest.”
“Always Something with You, Ashley Gorley, Jordan Schmidt, two of the best songwriters in Nashville. Jordan had his awesome guitar part, this weird acoustic thing a little off time. And it intrigued me because I hadn’t heard something like that in a while. So it was a lot of fun to write melodies over that. And the song is very simple. It’s just about you know, your partner, your person you love, you know, everyday life is always reminding you of them. There’s always something with you. Everything I see reminds me of them. So it was just a fun song, but the coolness of his production. The way that guitar hits at the beginning, really inspired me that day and we had a lot of fun writing that. I wanted it to be the first track because it’s fun. I think you know, the songs coming out in summer you can roll the windows down to this, crank it up loud. It’s one of those songs that I just imagined while we were writing it, driving down the road and windows down, hands out the window and just you don’t even know where you’re driving. You might end up you know, down the road and not not even pay attention because you’re just like, engulfed in the song. It felt like that to me and just felt right to be the first thing. Kind of set the tone for the record.”
“Yeah, We Got history – it’s that problem in life where you’re not still hung up on that old person, but you definitely don’t hate them. You got to think about them from time to time. You’re totally moved on you love someone else, but every now and then they might come back. And then the point is, it’s like you don’t have a future anymore. But damn, you still got history, you lived a lot of life of that person, even though they helped you grow. They’re still you know, to me, it’s, you’re always going to get those flashbacks. I think people think about that. And they think it’s taboo and they’re like, I shouldn’t have these thoughts. I want to put that into a song that allowed people to say, hey, you’re not the only one. But every now and then might get a flashback and say, hey, it’s okay that we’ve moved on but you know, I had a lot of life with that person. And that’s what the song is about.”
“Truth About You. What a simple concept. You know, people go around town, they break up with each other, they talk shit about each other. And that’s just pointless. There’s just no reason for that. And, you know, a lot of times, you know, one person has one story, the other person has another story. And when people want to make a better story, when they lie to make a better story, because that’s not the actual way that you know, it happened. I think that’s how the song was written. So you quit telling lies about me. I won’t tell the truth about you. When I heard that I was just like, oh, man, I’ve lived this song. I felt this song. And that song just poured out because I know I’ve lived that. And I know a lot of my friends have lived that and it seems that a lot of people in life have lived that scenario. So it was a perfect song for me to give to people when they’re caught up in that moment.”
“Sleeping alone. My college roommate Brad Clawson, his daddy Rodney Clawson, Jordan Schmidt. We wrote this song a couple years ago honestly. It’s been a while and I’ve loved this song so much, we held on to it for this record. It’s just that thing when you break up with someone and you’re moving on and you’re okay with them like dating other people or hanging out with other people. But the thought of them sleeping with someone else, that intimacy you know, that’s the one thing that drives you crazy. And I love you know, turning that around and like in the chorus saying, what I really want to know, if I call it and you picked up you actually answer, would I really want to know if you’re sleeping alone? And I love leaving it like that because I don’t know if I would or not and I don’t know, it’s kind of that game you play. You kind of put yourself in the middle of some of that sometimes and that’s what Sleeping Alone is for me. It’s one of my favorite songs on the record as well.”
“More Than Whiskey Does, last song written for the record. I mean, a week before we had to choose, we were on the bus and we were just having fun. And Kyle Fishman had a track that he had already kind of made and it was a poppier track and I loved it. It reminded me of like, old Backstreet Boys like with this groove behind it, and it was just fun. It was just it was just one of those titles where it’s, you know, it’s just about some somebody messes you up in all the best ways possible. You know, using the cliche drinking stuff, I get it, but the track felt so good to just kind of sing over, melodies just flew out and sometimes that’s all a song has to be. It’s just fun.“
“Obsession was a lot of fun for me to write. I am obsessed with sneakers, I’m obsessed with watches. It’s basically a song about me and my life and then about the love of my life. Saying oh I’m obsessed with all these things so it makes sense that you would be my new obsession. So it’s just a fun way of saying I love you.”
“Good and Gone. I love this song for one reason, one reason only, it does not have a happy ending. Most songs in this day and time, especially in our genre, they want a happy ending and there isn’t one. The happy ending is non existent. You know this, this is a song about pain. The person’s gone and what you’re going to do about is completely drink them off your mind. It’s sad, it’s supposed to be sad. It’s supposed to invoke that kind of emotion. And there’s nothing more to it. It is not a happy song. And it’s for you to cry to and when you’re caught in that moment. You know, there’s a song you can live to.”
“Do You. So much fun to write, Chris Destefano one of my favorite producers in town. You know, he likes to go there with me. He likes to do different things. And Do You was such a fun phrase, to just, we didn’t have an idea. We just started writing, started singing melodies. And the way that one just came out it was just like one of those things where it happens in the room, one of those magical moments. I was like, you don’t really want me to get over you, do you? And it was like we said it was like, eh, that’s a little confusing. But it sounds cool. How do we make that work and just the drums on it and the way we hooked that was just so much fun for me. And it says so much too. It’s like I see you everywhere, whether you’re trying or not. Like I can’t go to the bar without seeing somebody that looks just like you. Every car in town looks like the car you had. It’s just one of those moments where it’s almost like a ghost story, more or less. And I just loved the way the hook ended up. It’s so strong. It feels like Goo Goo Dolls you know, that six eight time. The 90s nostalgia for me. I absolutely love this song.”
“Bucket List has been out for quite a while now and it’s done so much for us in our career. It was a song that I needed to help me get through the pandemic and I’ve been very honored and humbled by people saying how much they needed it to help them get through that. So it only made sense to put that song on the record. It’s just a song about hope and living in the moment.”
“I wrote Cry Baby on a boat with my buddies Dallas Wilson and Will Weatherly. And we just you know, we grabbed a guitar. We went out there and we just had fun we, you know, put an anchor down the middle of the lake and just started throwing out some ideas. And I had that title Cry Baby for a long time and I just thought it was interesting because when you see the title you you obviously think of something else. But I wanted to give a song to say to your significant other, it’s okay, you can cry. I want to be that shoulder for you. Let it out. I know how hard life is and I know how many angles, everything is coming at you. The whole world is coming at you. You feel like you can’t cry. I’m saying please do. I want to be that strength for you. And it’s just a fun song and a great way to say hey, I got you I got your back.”
“Miss You ‘Cause I’m Drinking I wanted a beachy fun vibe song. But also it’s it’s also kind of about a breakup, you know, you’re starting to drink and you start remembering them again. But I think it was kind of fun. I love the play on words on that, you know, I’m miss you because I’m drinking, I’m not drinking because I miss you. That’s the fun thing. I love any turn of phrases like that. And then, you know, you just kind of laying back and if you’re not really paying attention to lyrics, you could just you think it’s just a normal beach song. So I love the way that plays off of each other. It’s kind of my most favorite thing about writing songs is, you know, making you think one way when it sounds like something else.”
“Elephant In The Room, my boy, Teddy Swims. I love him to death. This song, you know, it got out all my, my pop that I need. I love pop music as well. And what a singer Teddy Swims is I love that song. I love performing that song. And I just had to put it on the record for two reasons. One, because I absolutely love the song. It’s fun to sing. But also I want the world to see Teddy Swims as much as possible as well. He’s one of my best friends. What a talent. And what an honor that we get to do that song together. We love melodies. And we love singing. And it’s so much fun when you get to sing with another singer that loves singing because you complement each other, but you challenge each other. Like we both want to make each other better. Like when he does a crazy run. I’m like, ah, I gotta do something like that. So like when you’re writing, it’s like it brings stuff out of you, both of us that normally we wouldn’t do unless the other was in the room. So I give him all the credit in the world for that. He’s so so talented, and he makes me a better singer for sure. It’s crazy. Actually, I found Teddy on Instagram like two years ago, I heard some cover of a song that he did and I was just blown away. I was like, dude, this dude is everything I love: doesn’t look like he sounds and one of the best singers I’ve ever heard. So I just DM’d him. We became friends you know, on Instagram, and just talked on DM’s until finally he was in Nashville. I said hey man, let’s go grab a drink. Let’s meet up and it was, I don’t know, it’s like we’ve known each other for 50 years, man. He’s one of the most genuine greatest dudes. We had a great night, a long night. Drank a lot of good drinks. And I don’t know became best friends ever since then.”
“Happy and I Hate It is my Bitches for this record. It’s just a very fun song about saying, you know, I hate that you moved on quickly. I mean, it’s the truth. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it at all. You moved on, you act like you don’t even know me. And I’m watching you. You’re doing this all in front of me. But then the twist is on a bridge that says, I can never make you happy and I hate it. So really, it’s all about him. It’s all about him realizing that it was his fault, that everything is blamed on him, that he is the reason for it. It’s a cool full circle moment because it’s not just an angry dude. It’s an angry dude angry at himself.”
“Now We’re Talking. It’s just a fun song about flirting. It’s just, you know, you can tell that this is gonna go a little bit further than maybe just drinks at the bar. And I just wanted a song that kind of felt like an old Billy Currington song if Dan Huff produced it. It feels like, those were some of my favorite records, and I wanted one of one of those vibes and, and that was just, you know, it’s kind of a sexy song. And then in that vein, it was a lot of fun to do and it kind of brought me back to some of the country music I fell in love with early.”
“Losers. My favorite bar. It’s where I met Meghan. It’s where I got engaged to Meghan. and I wanted a song about that bar and to tell my story of how we met. So, you know, every time I hear that song, I listen to it, I get to relive that moment when she walked in. And I wanted people to know about that. So Losers, she loved it. I mean, she loves hearing that story. We tell it a million times. But um, you know, she’s a songwriter and singer too. So anytime you know, we’re always critiquing each other stuff. That was a song that she didn’t critique. She just listened and loved and anytime I could do that, I think it’s a win.”
“Long As You Let Me. I wanted a ballad, I wanted a power ballad and I wanted a song to sing to. I wanted to scream and shout and be a very loud cinematic Whitney Houston style vocal (I’m not Whitney Houston, I’m not comparing myself) but but a song like that. You know, like it’s challenging vocally it’s a very high song for me and it was intriguing and I love it because it’s such a somber song and then we go for it on the vocals. And I love the melodies in this song it was just when I first heard it after we did it when I played in my car I listened to it 1000 times because like, I love singing to this again. And so it had to be on the record. It is my power ballad for the record and y’all have fun trying to sing it in the car too.”
“Still Thinkin’ ‘Bout you. That’s my John Mayer influence the whole way. I wanted a song about meeting Meghan’s parents for the first time. You know, just a simple song that just kind of runs smooth the entire time. But talks about, you know, I met your mom in Buffalo, I met your dad in my truck. And I love the line in there that says it wasn’t just small talk about weather and football. He was sizing me up. And I love that because her dad is amazing. But of course, the first time if I have a daughter, and I get to meet the boyfriend for the first time, you know, I’m gonna I’m gonna check that guy out. And I loved meeting him for the first time and just kind of learning who he was. Because he’s such a sweet man to me. But you could tell the first time he wanted to make sure that I was a sweet man to her. And I love that song for that reason.”
“That’s How She Goes. This song is seven, eight years old. I wrote it with the Warren Brothers, my very first song I ever wrote with a hit songwriter. It got me my first publishing deal. It was cut by a few artists, and never put on a record. And I have loved this song from day one. And I’m so glad that I finally get to put it on a record. For some reason, it just never made anyone else’s record and I think the reason is because it’s my song. It’s always been my song. And what a perfect song to close out the record to. It’s the song that got me started. So here’s a song that’s going to end the record to let you know where I came from. And what I’ve been doing, you know, these past few years, it all started on that song. So here’s a collection of music. This is where it started and this is how I’m ending it.“