Carly Cristyne Pearce (born April 24, 1990) is an American country music si… Read Full Bio ↴Carly Cristyne Pearce (born April 24, 1990) is an American country music singer. She is signed to Big Machine Records, and has released one album and charted two singles within the top 40 of Country Airplay.

Career
Carly Pearce was born in Taylor Mill, Kentucky. She dropped out of school when she was 16 and moved to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee in order to perform at Dollywood five times a week, in addition to contributing to bluegrass music compilation albums. She moved to Nashville, Tennessee when she was 19. She signed a developmental deal with Sony Music Nashville in 2012, which was ultimately unsuccessful.

In 2016, she was a featured vocalist on Josh Abbott Band's "Wasn't That Drunk", which charted in the top 40 of Country Airplay. Pearce also toured with the band to perform the song, including a performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

The song's success led to her working with songwriter and producer busbee on her solo debut single "Every Little Thing". After this song received airplay on Sirius XM's "The Highway" channel, Pearce gained a contract with Big Machine Records, which released the single to country radio on February 22. The song also received a music video, which features Pearce performing the song live at Brown Owl Studio. On October 13th, 2017 her first studio album named after the title track "Every Little Thing" was released.

At the time of its release, Pearce established herself further with further musical projects. This included touring with Luke Bryan, Thomas Rhett, and Blake Shelton. Her next single release, "Hide the Wine", was spawned from her 2017 album. It became Pearce's second major hit, reaching number 13 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart in 2018. The same year, she issued a single that was to be the lead release of her upcoming second studio album. Entitled "Closer to You", the song was released in November 2018 and reached the top 40 of the Billboard country charts.

In October 2019, Pearce released a second single from her upcoming second studio album. The song, "I Hope You're Happy Now", was a duet with country artist Lee Brice. The song was her second to reach the number one spot on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. After taking time to marry singer Michael Ray, her self-titled second studio album was issued in February 2020. It would be Busbee's final production project before his death in 2019. It debuted at number six on the Top Country Albums list and number 73 on the Billboard 200.

In June 2020, Pearce revealed that she was recording new music and that her next single will not be a track off of her second album. In September 2020, she released the single, "Next Girl". In February 2021, Pearce released her first extended play, “29”. The album's name was derived from personal setbacks she endured during her twenty ninth year. These events included her divorce from singer, Michael Ray, and the death of her long-time producer, Busbee. The EP received praise from critics, with American Songwriter calling it an "exquisite seven song collection.". Following its release, "Next Girl" reached the top 15 of the Billboard country airplay chart

In June 2021, Pearce was invited by Dolly Parton to become a cast member of the Grand Ole Opry. A month later, she announced the release of her third studio album titled 29: Written in Stone alongside the promotional single "Dear Miss Loretta", a tribute to Loretta Lynn featuring Patty Loveless. The album was a continuation of her 2021 EP. It was officially released in September 2021. It reached number nine on the Billboard country albums chart and number 83 on the Billboard 200. The disc received positive reviews from critics, including AllMusic, which praised her "vulnerability" and Variety, which highlighted its traditional musical sound. The disc spawned the 2021 single, "Never Wanted to Be That Girl", a duet with Ashley McBryde. It became Pearce's third single to top the Billboard Country Airplay chart. In October 2022, Pearce headlined two sold-out shows at the Ryman Auditorium. The album's third single "What He Didn't Do" reached number one on the Aircheck/Mediabase chart, becoming the first woman in 80 weeks to top the country radio charts with a solo track.

In early 2023, Pearce won her first accolade from the Grammy Awards for her performance on "Never Wanted to Be That Girl". In March 2023, Pearce's first live album was released titled 29: Written in Stone (Live from Music City). It featured the entirety of her previous album, along with several additional tracks and special guests.

In 2024, Pearce announced the release of her next studio album Hummingbird. The original release was scheduled for June 14, but Pearce pushed the release date to June 7 to correspond with CMA Fest. Hummingbird rose to number 31 on the US country albums chart. Its lead single "We Don't Fight Anymore" (featuring Chris Stapleton), reached the US country top ten in 2024.

Careless
Carly Pearce Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Don't call me
I've heard it all before the last time you said you were sorry
And all this back and forth is getting old
You're just the boy who cries love
Then you turn around and run
Yeah, you're the boy who cries love
You do it just for fun

And baby, you were careless with my heart
Said forever then you let it fall apart
You left me crying there on the floor, walked out the door
Like it was nothing
And baby, you were reckless with my love
I gave you all I've got, you just gave it up
So it don't matter how much you've changed or the look on your face
When you say you want me, you miss me tonight
Baby, I could care less

And I know you
And all the empty breath of your promises
No, it ain't nothing new
The only thing different is me
'Cause you're just the boy who cries love
And I took you back every time
Yeah, you're the boy who cries love
Oh well, not tonight

Baby, you were careless with my heart
Said forever then you let it fall apart
You left me crying there on the floor, walked out the door
Like it was nothing
And baby, you were reckless with my love
I gave you all I've got, you just gave it up
So it don't matter how much you've changed or the look on your face

When you say you want me, you miss me tonight
Yeah, baby, I could care less
Yeah, baby, I could care less

I'm calm, cool, collected
Keeping my heart locked up, protected
Now all your begging and pleading is bouncing back to you
An echo in the cold hard truth

You're just the boy who cries love
You're just the boy who cries love
Well, I hope you have fun

'Cause baby, you were careless with my heart
Said forever then you let it fall apart
You left me crying there on the floor, walked out the door
Like it was nothing
Yeah, baby, you were reckless with my love
I gave you all I've got, you just gave it up
So it don't matter how much you've changed or the look on your face
When you say you want me, you miss me tonight
Yeah, baby, I could care less
Yeah, baby, I could care less

You're just the boy who cries love

Overall Meaning

In Carly Pearce's "Careless," the singer is addressing a past lover who repeatedly promised her love but left her heartbroken and abandoned. The lyrics express frustration and exhaustion with the cycle of being drawn back in by empty promises and endless apologies. The opening lines reference the apology cycle, indicating the singer has heard it all before and is fed up with the insincerity of the words. As the song progresses, Carly makes it clear that she has moved on and is not interested in being hurt again.

Carly lyrically acknowledges that the boy who cries love is not going to change, and as much as they may try to persuade her, her feelings will not be swayed. The final verse highlights the singer's newfound strength and resolve, stating that the past lovers pleading is bouncing back to them like an echo. With a tone of anger and frustration, Carly repeats that the boy who cries love should enjoy their life but that she no longer cares and will not be fooled again.

Overall, "Careless" is an empowering song that speaks to the common experience of being mistreated in relationships. Carly Pearce's tender voice coupled with the meaningful lyrics create a bittersweet tone that is sure to resonate with anyone who has experienced heartache.

Line by Line Meaning

Don't call me
I don't want to hear from you anymore

I've heard it all before the last time you said you were sorry
I don't believe your apologies anymore, you've already let me down before

And all this back and forth is getting old
I'm tired of playing this game with you

You're just the boy who cries love
You say you love me, but I don't believe you truly mean it

Then you turn around and run
You always leave when things get tough

Yeah, you're the boy who cries love
You've done this so many times, I can't take it anymore

You do it just for fun
You don't really care about me, you just like the idea of being in love

And baby, you were careless with my heart
You didn't take my feelings seriously and broke my heart

Said forever then you let it fall apart
You promised to be with me forever, but you didn't keep that promise

You left me crying there on the floor, walked out the door
You hurt me so badly that I was left sobbing on the ground as you left

Like it was nothing
You didn't care about how much you hurt me

And baby, you were reckless with my love
I trusted you with my love, but you took it for granted

I gave you all I've got, you just gave it up
I gave you everything I had, but you threw it away

So it don't matter how much you've changed or the look on your face
You may have changed, but I don't believe you've changed enough or genuinely care about me

When you say you want me, you miss me tonight
You only want me back because you're feeling lonely, not because you truly care about me

Baby, I could care less
I don't care about your feelings anymore

And I know you
I understand your true intentions now

And all the empty breath of your promises
Your promises are hollow and meaningless

No, it ain't nothing new
I've heard it all before from you

The only thing different is me
I've realized my worth and won't be fooled by you again

I took you back every time
I gave you multiple chances, but you repeatedly hurt me

Yeah, you're the boy who cries love
You continue to play this game with me, even though it hurts me

Oh well, not tonight
I won't be fooled by you again

I'm calm, cool, collected
I'm not emotional or reactive anymore

Keeping my heart locked up, protected
I'm guarding my heart so you can't hurt me again

All your begging and pleading is bouncing back to you
I won't fall for your empty apologies and fake promises