Miranda Lambert and ex-husband Blake Shelton have had their fair share of negative press when it comes to their relationship.
But in the past year, Miranda opened up about a beautiful moment they shared together writing a song about the loss of Blake’s late brother, Richie, who passed unexpectedly in a car accident in 1990 when Blake was just a teenager.
On the Apple’s Essentials Radio podcast with Kelleigh Bannen, Miranda told the story of writing the 2011 hit “Over You” with then-husband, Blake Shelton.
It was included on her 2011 album Four The Record, and released as her second single from the project in 2012. It eventually hit number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and took home several ACM and CMA awards.
She told Kelleigh a little bit about the background of the song:
“My ex-husband, Blake, had lost a brother and it’s one of those moments where even if you’re married to someone, sometimes you find something new about them. Dudes don’t open up about things, but he started telling me about the experience of it all.
And I was like, ‘Have you ever written about it?’ Same thing. And he’s like, ‘No,’ and he was like, ‘Well, my dad just says, ‘You don’t get over it. You just get used to it.’ And I was like, ‘Well, could we write it? Do you want to try or is that invasive?’”
Understandably, she was concerned he might not want to put his feelings about such a tragic loss out to the public.
“You don’t know how to… I would never try to write your story because I didn’t live it, but maybe I could help because I’m an outside perspective but I feel your pain talking to me right now….”
Like she’s said before, music is medicine, and it’s true. His family was able to find closure in having that song to honor Blake’s brother and remember him in such a heartfelt, sincere way:
“It was really a special moment and I’m so glad we shared that song and that it helped his family heal, to have that together.”
As to why Blake gave Miranda the song to record instead of keeping it for himself? It’s not hard to imagine why, but Blake wasn’t sure he’d be able to get through the song every night.
You can watch his emotional speech after winning the CMA for song of the year here:
They performed the song together for a Salute to the Troops in 2014.
And Miranda’s music video for the stunning ballad here:
