A powerful message, indeed.
Parker McCollum just released a music video for “Rest Of My Life,” a fan-favorite single from his 2021 Gold Chain Cowboy record.
He previously said the song was inspired by his personal struggles to cope with life indoors while the world was shut down during quarantine a few years ago:
“‘Rest Of My Life,’ really I think being off the road for the first time, you know, since I’ve been on the road, and having that kind of time off.
I don’t know if I was really handling it well, I wasn’t really living right, wasn’t really living good.
I was trying to write a whole lot and nothing was coming out, nothing was happening, and woke up one morning and got in the shower and was humming the melody the night before I went to sleep.
I actually got out of the shower and wrote that song in about 10 minutes, 15 minutes.”
This video gives the song a completely new meaning, though, as he portrays a man who is addicted to drugs and losing everything in his life as a result.
Parker’s also featured in the video as a friend who’s trying to help in any way he can, to no avail, really, as the man is eventually arrested for stealing when he feels like he has no other options.
If you’ve known a loved one, or even you yourself, have struggled with addiction in any way, everything in this video will certainly hit home.
I have to say, I think this is easily one of my favorite things Parker has ever done, and definitely not what I expected in a music video for this song. It certainly shows off a new depth to him that I don’t think we’ve seen before, and I find it admirable that he wanted to address this tough subject matter in such a popular song.
It’s pretty heavy, though, and a quick warning, this statement is included at the beginning of the video, so keep that in mind before you hit play:
“This video contains sensitive subject matter, viewer discretion is advised.”
Call the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at 1-800-662-4357 if you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse.
