Dan + Shay's latest album "Bigger Houses" includes a handful of heartbreak songs. These tracks were written after a period of time when the duo did not know if they would continue their musical journey together. I am so grateful that they worked it all out, that they are still making music (currently in the background) today. Stay tuned for a future post with more details on why their hiatus happened in 2021 and what brought them back together.
"Breakin' Up With a Broken Heart", written by Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney along with their co-writers Zach Crowell and Ashley Gorley, is an up-tempo song that opens up the duo's latest album "Bigger Houses". After the girl left their relationship two months ago, the male protagonist is left to listen to melancholy songs and ponder what mistake he made. After this has gone on for too long, he decides what he needs to do next and sings in the lyrics, "What I need right now is a one-way ticket out".
The chorus of the song paints vivid pictures as the duo sings, "I'm breaking up with a broken heart Taking a vacation to a brand new start". They go on to sing "Sending my tears in a taxi 'Til they turn happy Leaving all my lonely in the dark Oh, I'm breaking up with a broken heart, oh yeah". When I heard this song for the first time, I thought "Sending my tears in a tax 'Til they turn happy" was such a creative lyric!
In the second verse of this song, the main character details all of the things he is going to do on his getaway from the heartbreak, including "Maybe hit the west coast, anywhere the wind blows Somewhere she ain't". Shay on lead vocals and Dan on harmonies go on to paint more vivid pictures with the lyrics of what the subject plans to do, including "I'll pull up a long gone chair Double shot of just don't care Where the only thing blue is the sky And love ain't on my mind".
Shay's vocals and Dan's harmonies really break through and tell the story well on this song. I also love the upbeat, country-sounding production with the fiddle, dobro, and mandolin. Dan along with Scott Hendricks have worked together on all of the duo's albums thus far. I cannot get over how they produce every song and make each one sound fresh and different.
As a listener and huge fan, I have been able to connect with this song and the other heartbreak songs on this album in different ways after going through some difficult, tough times in the last few years, including the loss of some very close relatives. When I listened to "Breakin' Up With a Broken Heart" on repeat in 2023 and 2024 and continue to listen to it on a daily basis, it has reminded me that we all go through difficult and tough times in our lives. While we cannot fully let go of grief, for example, we can still take a break, go on a little vacation, and leave it behind for awhile. In other experiences, they have been hard for me to get over at first, but after awhile, I was able to let them go and start on a fresh path.
They say that music can be a source of healing and for me, that is a true statement. I cannot thank Dan + Shay enough for this song and the other heartbreak songs on their latest album. Each one means so much to me for different reasons.
Enjoy this audio video of "Breakin' Up With A Broken Heart" from Dan + Shay's YouTube channel below!
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