We take you behind the scenes and explore the making of one of our favorite tunes with The Song Remembers When…
Song: “To Be Loved By You”
Songwriters Parker McCollum and Rhett Akins
Album: Gold Chain Cowboy
In 2021, Parker McCollum released his song “To Be Loved By You.” It was the second single from his album Gold Chain Cowboy.
Parker was driving with his merch guy to meet their tour bus. He told him about the trouble he was having with his girlfriend Hallie Ray. Parker remarked, “Man, what’s a guy gotta do to be loved by her?” His buddy suggested he write a song about that. So, Parker jumped on the bus and headed to the back lounge where he started to, as he put it, record “freestyle” lyrics into his phone.
A couple of weeks later, he met up with Rhett Akins for a songwriting appointment. Parker shared the idea with Rhett who suggested he keep the first verse that was first started on his phone. The two went on to finish up the song.
The original version of “To Be Loved By You” was more of a ballad until Parker’s producer Jon Randall sped it up. By March 2022, the song became Parker’s second number one hit… And, by the way, he and Hallie Ray got married later that same month!