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.
Doin' It Right
Carly Pearce Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You wait a couple days to call back
And I thought we were passed that
Yeah I wish we'd be passed that
You say
Just enough of the right words
Keeping your lungs blurred
Yeah, that really works
Now you're giving me those
"What's wrong baby" eyes
And I'm like
If you wanna burn us to the ground
Make sure that I'll never come back around
You're doing it right
You're doing it right
If you wanna tear my heart in two
Make me never able want to think about you
You're doing it right
You're doing it right
I own you
You dream love
Like it's some shitty little motel
You check in and you check out like hell
Well in case you couldn't tell
I ain't your old guitar
That you leave out in the back of your car
That you never play
But you say that you're gonna play
You're gonna play
If you wanna burn us to the ground
Make sure that I'll never come back around
You're doing it right
You're doing it right
If you wanna tear my heart in two
Make me never able want to think about you
You're doing it right
You're doing it right
You're giving me those
"What's wrong baby" eyes
Yeah, you're doing it right
You're doing it right
If you wanna burn us to the ground
Make sure that I'll never come back around
You're doing it right
You're doing it right
Yeah, boy, I'm calling you bluff
If you're dead-sad or mess-messed up
You're doing it right
You're doing it right
You're doing it right
You're doing it right
You're doing it, you're doing it right
In Carly Pearce's song "Doin' It Right", she is expressing frustration with a former partner who is playing games and not being genuine in their communication. The first verse highlights the communication issues, with Carly calling first and the partner taking days to respond. She thought they were past this kind of behavior, but apparently not. The partner only says "just enough of the right words," keeping Carly confused and uncertain about their feelings for each other. The chorus is a warning to the partner that if they want to end things, they should do it cleanly and not leave Carly hanging on. If they want to break her heart, they're "doing it right."
The second verse compares the partner's behavior to someone who treats love like a temporary vacation. Carly doesn't want to be a temporary fling, like a guitar left in the back of a car, played only when there's nothing else to do. She deserves more than that. The final chorus calls out the partner's bluff - if they're truly sad or upset, they should express it honestly instead of playing games. In the end, Carly reminds the partner that they are "doing it right" in the sense that they're sabotaging the relationship and making it impossible for her to stick around.
Overall, "Doin' It Right" is a catchy, upbeat song about frustration and miscommunication in a relationship. Carly's lyrics are clever and relatable, capturing the feeling of being let down by someone who can't be honest with themselves or with her.
Line by Line Meaning
I call
I make the first move to reach out to you
You wait a couple days to call back
You take your time to respond and don't prioritize communication with me
And I thought we were passed that
I believed that our relationship had progressed to a point where we prioritize each other's feelings and communication
Yeah I wish we'd be passed that
I truly desire a relationship where communication is a two-way street and we both make an effort to show we care
You say
When you do reply, you say something to appease me and try to make it sound sincere
Just enough of the right words
You only say things that you think I want to hear, without actually taking me seriously
Keeping your lungs blurred
You try to hide your true intentions and thoughts by speaking in a way that's unclear and fuzzy
Yeah, that really works
Your tactics may be effective in the short-term, but they don't solve the root issues in our relationship
Now you're giving me those
Currently, you're using a certain expression that is familiar to me
"What's wrong baby" eyes
You're trying to draw me in and make me feel like you care, even though your previous actions show otherwise
And I'm like
However, despite your attempts to manipulate me, I can see through them and remain unswayed
If you wanna burn us to the ground
If you're intending to end our relationship violently and with no chance of reconciliation
Make sure that I'll never come back around
Ensure that I'm so hurt and disenfranchised that I won't want to see you again
You're doing it right
You're on the path to ending things in a messy way that won't leave any room for healing
If you wanna tear my heart in two
If you're intending to cause me unimaginable pain and heartbreak
Make me never able want to think about you
Make me so hurt that I no longer want to have any association with you
I own you
You don't have control over me and what I feel
You dream love
You have an idealistic view of love and relationships
Like it's some shitty little motel
You treat love like a cheap and disposable commodity without real emotion or depth
You check in and you check out like hell
You have no sense of commitment or investment in the bond that we share
Well in case you couldn't tell
Just so you know
I ain't your old guitar
I am not an object that you can treat carelessly and neglectfully
That you leave out in the back of your car
That you discard and forget about when it's no longer convenient for you
That you never play
That you don't take the time to appreciate or use for its intended purpose
But you say that you're gonna play
You make promises that you don't keep, just to make yourself look better
You're gonna play
You claim that you'll take action or make changes, but there's no follow through
Yeah, boy, I'm calling you bluff
I recognize that you're not being genuine or truthful with me, and I'm exposing it
If you're dead-sad or mess-messed up
If you're feeling sad or struggling with your own issues
You're doing it right
You're handling our relationship in a way that will only exacerbate your own problems
You're doing it right
Your actions are leading to the downfall of our relationship, which is what you want
You're doing it right
Your manipulations and shallow behavior are all in line with your intended outcome
You're doing it, you're doing it right
Overall, you're following through with the intentions and mindset you've set for yourself and our relationship
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC, BMG Rights Management, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Oscar Charles, Carly Pearce, Allison Veltz
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind