We take you behind the scenes and explore the making of one of our favorite tunes with The Song Remembers When…
Song: “Handle On You”
Songwriters: Parker McCollum and Monty Criswell
Album: Never Enough
In the Summer of 2022, Parker McCollum released “Handle On You” as the lead single from his second studio album Never Enough. The song was written by Parker and Monty Criswell.
Monty was the one who came up with the title “Handle Of Jack Daniels.” A handle is a half-gallon of whiskey. It was inspired by Monty’s journey driving his daughter to college. During the drive through Tennessee and Kentucky, he saw signs about bourbon and distilleries everywhere.
When Monty met up with Parker, he shared that title idea. It would eventually morph into “Handle On You.” Parker loved the idea of a guy drinking his sorrows away after losing his girl. Both songwriters were heavily influenced by the music of Merle Haggard, so they worked in a line about the legend: “Drop the needle on a vinyl and cry to an old Haggard song.”
“Handle On You” peaked just shy of the top spot in May 2023.