The Paris, IL, native was visiting Nashville for the first time early in his sophomore year at Chicago's Elmhurst College. He was at the Station Inn, an historic bluegrass/country venue where many of the greats of both worlds have played. His cousin Terry, a veteran of Dolly Parton's band and now a member of the Grascals, was playing with a band called the Sidemen, and a mesmerized Brett was in the crowd.
"There was something so real and truthful about the songs they were playing," he says. “What happened next came as a shock.”
"He asked me to come up on stage and told me to pick a song to play with the band," says Brett. I said, 'Amarillo By Morning,' and when I heard that fiddle intro, chills shot up my spine. I sang it for the crowd there and it was a magical experience. That was the point where I thought, 'This is it. This is something I've got to do.'"
By the start of the next school year, he had transferred to Middle Tennessee State University and begun the round of writers' nights and writing appointments that led him eventually to a record deal.
The talent that let him turn that dream into reality—the depth of his writing and the sheer power of his smoky and expressive baritone—are both apparent in his first single. "Raymond" is the poignant tale of a nursing home employee mistaken by a patient with Alzheimer's for her deceased son, who was killed at war. It is a song whose inspiring reaffirmation of their mutual humanity is affecting listeners deeply. The single rings true for Eldredge as his Grandmother currently struggles through the disease.
"There are a lot of things I'll play live where people will say, 'I like that,' or 'That's a really cool song,'" Brett says, "but when I do this one, I get the chance to tell people how special a thing it's been in my life, and it always touches someone. A lot of people know someone with Alzheimer's and people react in a really emotional way to it."
Brett has earned a reputation as much for the strength of his writing as for his world-class voice. He and co-writer Pat McLaughlin landed a song called "I Think I've Had Enough" on Gary Allan's latest album, Get Off On The Pain, and one of his frequent collaborators is Country Music Hall of Famer and Grand Ole Opry stalwart Bill Anderson.
"He's one of my favorite people to write with," says Brett. "I love the fact that he believes in country music so much, because it's something I really believe in. My dream, as I find my place in country music, is one day to be an Opry member."
Brett heard all kinds of music growing up, and became a particular fan of the classic pop singers he heard in his grandfather's car.
"I heard a lot of Frank Sinatra, who is still a favorite of mine, and Ray Charles and Bobby Darin," he says. "When my mother convinced me to sing 'Mack The Knife' at a talent show, I got hooked on singing in public."
That was in Paris, a town of 9,000 with "cornfields and factories and lake right in the middle." Brett, his older brother and his parents—a traveling grain salesman and a nurse—lived on the lake and, says Brett, "We were on the water every day, from the time I was so little they could pull me on water skis in a paddle boat until I left for college at 18." Sports were a big part of his life, and he played basketball, baseball and football in high school.
He also sang everywhere he could, often the Big Band music of Sinatra, earning spending money and learning to work a stage. His appreciation for country music became a passion when he turned 16 and he and a friend rode around listening to a Brooks & Dunn greatest hits album.
"There was something about it that just struck me," he says. "I couldn't get enough of it. Ronnie Dunn is one of my favorite singers of all time—I love the soul in his voice—and one of the main reasons I got into this in the first place."
Brett spent two years in Chicago, where his older brother lived, performing with a school jazz band and with a Big Band around the region.
"One of the coolest gigs," he says, "was at the Field Museum, I was singing in front of a 12-piece band under this huge Tyrannosaurus Rex statue near some mammoths. It was quite the experience."
Then came that fateful visit to Nashville and his transfer to MTSU. He studied classic country stylists like Ray Price and George Jones, and later Vince Gill, absorbing everything he could.
"I was driving back and forth Nashville every day from Murfreesboro, which is thirty miles away," he says. "I had a guitar Terry had given me, which was originally a gift from Dolly, and I'd pretty much lock myself in my room and make myself learn songs. I would play writers' nights all around Nashville. There might be two people, there might be 40 or 50. I'd go play my songs and see what people liked and what they didn't. I'd screw up royally in front of them, but I learned."
He earned a degree, which, he says, "made Mom and Dad happy, and then I moved on to what I really wanted to do.
A staff writer for hit producer/publisher Byron Gallimore heard him at a writers' night and introduced him to Byron, who signed him.
"I wrote for about two years, developing my craft and writing with everyone I could. In the beginning, Byron just let me kind of find myself, because that takes a while. As you write more you starting homing in on what you sound good on. Eventually, Byron said, 'You've got something here' and we went in and started cutting songs. We did a showcase, and Carole Ann Mobley from Warner Music Nashville said, 'We've gotta sign this kid'. Mobley and Craig Kallman then signed Brett to Atlantic Records, making him the first official signing for the new imprint.
As he worked with his band tightening his show, he was offered a particularly gratifying gig.
"I opened for Blake Shelton at The Ryman and it was the coolest experience. I flew back from this house gig and all of a sudden I'm thrown into playing the Mother Church of Country Music, something I always dreamed of doing. I was operating on almost no sleep, but stepping out on that stage where everybody who's anybody in country music has been meant the world to me."
He remains active in sports, playing basketball and volleyball and playing on an intramural softball team in Nashville, and rooting for the Cubs and Bears. Meanwhile, he is dedicated to improving his craft.
"As a songwriter," he says, "my aim is to portray a little bit of me and my life along with the stories of other people and turn them into something that can really touch somebody's heart and soul. We sit down on Music Row every day and write songs and every once in a while a song like ‘Raymond’ comes from such a real place. I hope it's that real to other people and that I can make them feel the way I felt when I wrote it and when I sing it."
Judging from audience reaction, that’s exactly what he’s doing.
Songs About You
Brett Eldredge Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
By a Wrigleyville bar
Caught a scent of your perfume
When I heard Dancing In The Dark
Now I'm just tryna get through
These songs about you
I was pickin' up a bottle
But heard I Can't Make You Love Me
And I 'bout ran back out the door
Too soon, I'm just tryna get through
These songs about you, mm
'Cause sometimes they make me dance
Sometimes they make me cry
Sometimes they make me wish
That I had never said goodbye
Now I'm just tryna get through
These songs about you
I was lost in her green eyes
Finally went on a date (oh)
I thought I might be movin' on
'Til I heard Brown Eyed Girl play
Back to just tryna get through
These songs about you, mm
'Cause sometimes they make me dance
Sometimes they make me cry
Sometimes they make me wish
That I had never said goodbye
Now I'm just tryna get through
These songs about
All the lonely nights
The break up, make up fights
The what the hell am I doing
Without you in my life?
Oh, I'm just tryna get through
These songs about you, oh
Oh, tell it, oh
Whoa
Aw Lord, aw Lord, yeah
I go on, keep on livin'
In a world that (livin' in a world)
Always has you in it
I can't stop hummin' your tune, whoa, no
'Cause sometimes you make me dance
Sometimes you make me cry (make me cry)
Sometimes you make me wish
That I had never said goodbye
Now I'm just tryna get through
Whoa, I'm just tryna get through
Whoa, I'm just tryna get through
These songs about you, mm
The lyrics to Brett Eldredge's song "Songs About You" convey the emotional struggle of moving on from a past relationship. The singer finds himself constantly reminded of his former lover through the songs that he hears. The song begins with him walking in Chicago near a bar in the Wrigleyville neighborhood. The scent of her perfume triggers a memory as he hears Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark." He is determined to get through the pain these songs bring him.
Next, the singer goes to a neighborhood store to buy a bottle and hears Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me," which makes him reconsider his decision. He realizes it's too soon to move on and he is still trying to cope with the songs that remind him of her. The lyrics express the conflicting emotions that accompany hearing certain songs - they can make him dance, cry, or regret ending the relationship.
The third verse introduces a new love interest who has green eyes. The singer goes on a date and starts to think he may be moving on until he hears Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl," which brings back memories of his former lover. Once again, he is reminded that he is not yet ready to let go of the past.
The chorus repeats the theme of trying to get through these songs about her. The bridge acknowledges the pain of the breakup and the difficulty of trying to live a life without her. Despite his efforts to move on, he still finds himself humming her tune and feeling the emotional weight of the songs that remind him of her.
Overall, "Songs About You" captures the struggle of navigating the aftermath of a breakup and the powerful impact that music can have on our emotions and memories.
Line by Line Meaning
I was walking in Chicago
I found myself strolling in the city of Chicago.
By a Wrigleyville bar
In the vicinity of a bar located in the Wrigleyville area.
Caught a scent of your perfume
I perceived the fragrance of your perfume.
When I heard Dancing In The Dark
Simultaneously, I listened to the song 'Dancing In The Dark'.
Now I'm just tryna get through
At this moment, my sole objective is to overcome the emotions and memories associated with you.
These songs about you
Specifically, the songs that remind me of you.
I was pickin' up a bottle
I was in the process of acquiring a bottle of some sort.
At the neighborhood store
In a store nearby my residence.
But heard I Can't Make You Love Me
However, I heard the song named 'I Can't Make You Love Me'.
And I 'bout ran back out the door
Subsequently, I felt an inclination to hastily depart from the establishment.
Too soon, I'm just tryna get through
It seems premature, but my primary focus remains on overcoming my feelings.
These songs about you, mm
More specifically, the songs that evoke memories of you.
'Cause sometimes they make me dance
Due to their emotional impact, these songs occasionally inspire me to dance.
Sometimes they make me cry
In other instances, these songs elicit tears from me.
Sometimes they make me wish
Occasionally, they create a desire within me.
That I had never said goodbye
To undo the act of bidding you farewell.
I was lost in her green eyes
I became consumed by the captivating allure of her green eyes.
Finally went on a date (oh)
Eventually, we embarked on a romantic outing.
I thought I might be movin' on
I believed that I had begun to progress beyond my feelings for you.
Til I heard Brown Eyed Girl play
However, my emotional state regressed upon hearing the song 'Brown Eyed Girl'.
Back to just tryna get through
Once again, my sole focus returned to overcoming my emotions.
These songs about you, mm
Referring to the songs that specifically remind me of you.
All the lonely nights
Recalling the numerous evenings filled with solitude.
The break up, make up fights
The tumultuous arguments and subsequent reconciliations.
The what the hell am I doing
The moments of confusion and uncertainty.
Without you in my life?
During the times when your presence was absent from my existence.
Oh, I'm just tryna get through
Expressing my ongoing attempt to overcome my emotions.
These songs about you, oh
Referring again to the songs that remind me of you.
Oh, tell it, oh
An exclamation to convey strong emotion.
Whoa
An exclamation to express surprise or awe.
Aw Lord, aw Lord, yeah
An expression invoking a spiritual or emotional response.
I go on, keep on livin'
I continue to persevere and live my life.
In a world that (livin' in a world)
Existing within a world that...
Always has you in it
A world where you are invariably present in my thoughts.
I can't stop hummin' your tune, whoa, no
I find myself unable to cease humming the melody associated with you.
'Cause sometimes you make me dance
Your influence occasionally incites me to dance.
Sometimes you make me cry (make me cry)
In other instances, you invoke tears from me.
Sometimes you make me wish
Occasionally, you ignite a desire within me.
That I had never said goodbye
To undo the act of bidding you farewell.
Now I'm just tryna get through
At this moment, my sole objective is to overcome the emotions and memories associated with you.
Whoa, I'm just tryna get through
An exclamation reaffirming my endeavor to overcome my emotions.
Whoa, I'm just tryna get through
An exclamation reaffirming my endeavor to overcome my emotions.
These songs about you, mm
Referring again to the songs that remind me of you.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Benjamin West, Brett Ryan Eldredge, Jessie Jo Dillon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Del
Your not going to give in
I'm not going to stop
U say your right
I say your not
U say u have proof
I say so do I
Look at us --two old fools
You'd think we would know better
U can tell someone that u love them
Words - means nothing at all
U say it's my fault
I say it takes two
I can't love you --without - u loving me
U say there's another
I say how could there be
U say things just happens
I disagree
One right - One wrong
Look at us - two old fools
You'd think we would know better
U can tell someone that u love them
Words- means nothing at all
U put the blame on me
I say it takes two
I can't love you --without u loving me
Needs a title
Travel Bug
How in the world do songs like these not get recognized as good music and appreciated more?? Wonderful song.. Thank you Brett 👍
Eldbrett 451
Thank you for the love & support towards me on my page I really appreciate you. I can’t meet with all of my fans but i make out time to chat with few write me with the email address above to stand a chance for a live meet & greet video call💕 Have a nice day.
wolf savage 80
❤Love this song Brett!
wolf savage 80
❤Love all your.songs!
Cynthia Bowen
I feel the same....this song is great 🤩🤩
Rita Flatt
That's a great question.
Damsel in Distress Tarot
This makes me wanna cry, if only it were that easy to forget someone who you really love . This song captures just how hard letting go is. Every little thing can remind you of a place, a scent, a song, memories are the hardest. They come up out of nowhere. I love this album. You're amazing at what you do. ❤
Bourbon Kowboy
I feel ya on this one
Carlie Sim
Everything you said is so true. My partner passed last year. We were together thirteen years. Every little thing reminds me of him. It's hard to move on when signs are everywhere.
Damsel in Distress Tarot
@Carlie Sim I'm so sorry for your loss. Grief is a personal time-line don't rush your healing.