Parker McCollum has been enjoying a fast-rise to country music stardom since notching his first-ever No. 1 hit with “Pretty Heart.” But the 30-year-old Texan is finding that it’s important to slow down every once in a while in his brand-new single, “Speed.”
Written with Ryan Beaver, “Speed” is an uptempo, reflective track tailor-made for large arena and stadium shows. The radio-ready offering finds McCollum looking back at his younger self and remembering how he once found ambition for living life in the fast lane.
“I came in going at a hundred miles an hour / Just a kid outta Conroe looking for something a little bit louder / Learning it gets blurry, in a hurry on the edge / I spent damn near fifteen years out on the highway pushing red,” McCollum shows off his distinctive vocals in the first verse over a straight drum-beat and heavy guitars.
By the chorus, McCollum is realizing that it’s okay to decelerate once in a while after receiving some advice from his “old man.”
“Hammer down, never sticking around, head harder than a tree / Foot on the gas, never looking back and always ready to leave,” McCollum sings the harmony-filled sing-along chorus. “I remember shaking my head when my old man told me / “Boy, one of these days, you won’t always be hung up on speed.“
Opening up about the track in a press release, McCollum shares, “My song ‘Speed’ is about my obsession with living fast. Life is always going a hundred miles an hour, and it’s important to try and be aware of that and slow things down every now and then. As you get a little further along in life, you start to enjoy the slow and easy life. It takes a little reflection and a little step back from everything to realize how important it is.”
McCollum, who recently played a show at RODEOHOUSTON, has begun playing “Speed” at his live shows, and already, the track has become a fan-favorite.
“Speed” is McCollum’s latest release from his highly anticipated upcoming studio album, Never Enough. Before “Speed,” the Multi-Platinum singer-songwriter released “Handle On You,” “Stoned,” and “I Ain’t Going Nowhere.” “Handle On You” has become a top 10 hit and continues to climb the charts week after week. The song has McCollum putting his natural twang on highly-related lyrics that find him nursing a heartache with alcohol after a breakup.
“Stoned,” written by McCollum, Brett James, and Mark Holman, meanwhile, features similar subject matter. But, instead of turning to the bottle, McCollum takes a different route to curb his loneliness: staying stoned.
“And I know it’s not the answer / But it’s all I know to do / Until I get until I get, until I get over you,” McCollum sings the lyrics of the song.
As for “I Ain’t Going Nowhere,” folks can find McCollum sticking around the places he knows to be with his one and only.
“I don’t wanna have to make you miss me / So, I ain’t going if you ain’t with me / All I need is what I see right here / I ain’t going nowhere,” McCollum sings in the chorus of the mid-tempo tune, penned by McCollum, Lori McKenna, Lee Miller, Jon Randall, and Liz Rose.
McCollum, of course, has plenty of places to go. And he’s already made some milestone stops. As previously shared, he recently made his return to NRG stadium for RODEOHOUSTON to perform at the Opening Day celebration in 2023 – a full-circle moment after making his headlining debut at the venue last year.
This year will also see McCollum take the road as part of Morgan Wallen’s highly ambitious world tour dubbed One Night At A Time Tour.
McCollum also recently attended the American Currents at Country Music Hall of Fame. The new exhibit spotlights country artists who achieved high success and heavily influenced the country genre in 2022. The display, which is open to the public through February 2024, features artists, musicians, songwriters, and institutions, including McCollum, Luke Combs, Charley Crockett, Sierra Ferrel, Rhiannon Giddens, Ashley Gorley, HARDY, Cody Johnson, Wynonna Judd, Miranda Lambert, Ashley McBryde, Scotty McCreery, Reba McEntire, Amanda Shires, Billy Strings, Sunny Sweeny, Molly Tuttle, Shania Twain, Morgan Wallen, and Lainey Wilson.
Never Enough, produced by Jon Randall will be the follow-up to McCollum’s breakout major label debut, Gold Chain Cowboy, as well as singles, “Pretty Heart” and “To Be Loved By You.”
The cover art for the album, posted on Instagram features a blue background with a vignette border and McCollum pictured twice as he poses with his guitar in hand.
Never Enough arrives May 12 via MCA Nashville. Fans can pre-order Never Enough on CD and vinyl here.
