Just days after the nine-year anniversary of her move to Nashville, Tennessee, Maren Morris shared “Circles Around This Town,” a new song that finds the singer/songwriter reminiscing on her journey to find her place as an artist in Music City.
Co-written by Morris alongside her husband, Ryan Hurd, as well as Julia Michaels and Jimmy Robbins, the track pays homage to Morris’ career with nods to her previous hits “My Church” and “80s Mercedes.”
The introspective song, produced by Greg Kurstin, finds Morris admitting, “so many times I thought about leaving / got my ass kicked trying to compete with / everybody else’s ones that got away / hung around long enough to catch a break.”
Throughout the chorus, Morris sings, “I drove circles around this town / Trying to write circles around this town / Trying to say something with meaning, something worth singing about / I’ve been kind, and I’ve been ruthless / Yeah, I got here, but the truth is / Thought when I hit it, it’d all look different / But I still got the pedal down / Driving circles around this town.”
On Friday (Jan. 7), the GRAMMY Award winner shared a nostalgic music video to accompany the just-released track, which you can watch above.
As Morris is seen pouring a bowl of cereal in the clip’s opening, Reba McEntire’s voice narrates an infomercial for the Humble Quest Hotline (HQHQ) on a TV in an adjacent room.
“Have you had a crisis? Are you going in circles? Have you cussed on a Sunday? Hey! Little brunette pacing around that kitchen. Yeah, I’m talking to you,” McEntire can be heard saying. ”Get up off your butt and go see what life can be like in humble Nashville, Tennessee. Call our hotline today!”
The narrator catches Morris’ attention with the call-to-action, which prompts her to make her way to the television, where she bangs on the TV to adjust the signal and the storyline begins to play out.
The 90s-influenced clip serves as the perfect visual for the song as Morris is seen doing some soul-searching, attempting to find her place within the music industry.
After driving in continuous circles in an empty parking lot, Morris comes to the realization that “today is the first day of the rest of your life.” She seemingly finds her path at the conclusion of the clip as she drives away from the lot.
what’s ur screenname? 💫 pic.twitter.com/zhILxscj16
— MAREN MORRIS (@MarenMorris) November 17, 2021
“Circles Around This Town” follows her chart-topping duet “Chasing After You” with Hurd, and is the first taste of what’s to come on Morris’ forthcoming new album.
Morris’ yet-to-be announced new project will follow her 2019 album, GIRL, which spawned several hits, including the title track, “Bones,” and “To Hell & Back.”
The Texas native is set to join Bobby Bones on The Bobby Bones Show to discuss her new single, what things were like when she first moved to Nashville, getting to meet Amy Poehler and more. Tune in on Friday (Jan. 7) at 8:20/7:20 ct.
The singer/songwriter was also recently announced as a performer at the 2022 RODEOHOUSTON.
