Carly Pearce’s newest EP, 29, is loaded with candid moments referencing her very public divorce from Michael Ray.
But instead of playing the blame game or fishing for attention, Carly delivers each of these new songs with pure class, unparalleled vulnerability, and unapologetic honesty.
In an intimate interview about 29 on Carly’s YouTube channel, she shares:
“I think that it’s for people that are struggling but not giving up. I think it’s for people that… maybe their life isn’t turning out the way they thought it would, but they still have hope and they still believe.”
After the tragic and sudden passing of her longtime producer busbee, Carly teamed up with well-known Nashville producers/songwriters Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, and Jimmy Robbins to bring her new songs to life, displaying her deep Kentucky roots on this project in ways we have never seen before. Out of the seven new songs on 29, nothing compares to the sincerity on “Day One.”
“Day One” is one of the most relatable songs that we have ever heard from Carly, depicting the constant desire to move on with her life after her divorce, yet shines a light on the pain that comes with starting over.
“By tomorrow, I bet I can crawl out of bed
And I might even open the shades
Then the weekend’ll fly, some friends’ll drop by
And tell me I’ll be okay
By Tuesday, the hurt won’t keep me from work
And I’ll hide it from everyone
Sounds easy to do if I just get through day one.”
Unknown to many, “Day One” has been around for years.
Old Dominion’s Matthew Ramsey wrote this song roughly a decade ago with the help of Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne. Although the unreleased song was known by die-hard Old Dominion fans, it really hadn’t been heard publicly until Pat Green recorded it and sent it to Texas radio in 2016.
Since Carly has been working on new music with Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne, “Day One” resurfaced and truly fit her situation.
With a re-written chorus to better suit her style, Carly gains a writer’s credit on her new version of “Day One.”
“I know I’ll be better off alone
Give it time, broken hearts have a mind of their own
I wish I knew a way to skip over the pain, but I don’t
There’s no way to say how long it’ll take
‘Til the damage comes undone
All I can do is try to get through day one.”
