For more than two decades, Jason Aldean has made a name for himself. He has produced plenty of feel-good, partying songs like “We Back”, “My Kinda Party”, “Crazy Town”, and more. But he is also good at showing a softer side, especially with these three songs, which are true heartbreakers.
Videos by American Songwriter
“The Truth”
There might not be anything sadder, at least in country music, than a song about not wanting to admit how deeply you are hurting. Out in 2009, the song is on Aldean’s Wide Open album. Brett James and Ashley Monroe are the two writers.
First released by James, “The Truth” is a tragic ballad about deep regret. The song says, “Tell ’em all I’m on vacation / Say I went to visit friends / That you ain’t heard or seen from me in quite a while / When they ask you where I’ve been / Tell ’em I’m out on the West Coast / Where it don’t ever rain / And that I’m probably doing fine / Just don’t tell ’em I’ve gone crazy / That I’m still strung out over you / Tell ’em anything you want to / Just don’t tell ’em all the truth / Yeah, don’t tell ’em all the truth.”
“If I Didn’t Love You”
What is more heartbreaking than loving someone you know you can’t be with? It’s what Jason Aldean sings about in “If I Didn’t Love You“, a duet with Carrie Underwood. Out in 2021 on Aldean’s Macon, Georgia record, the song became a multi-week hit for the pair.
“We had a short list of people we wanted to reach out to, and Carrie was at the top of the list,” Aldean tells The Boot. “So we sent it to her and got basically an immediate response back from her that she loved the song, was interested. And then, all of a sudden, it was kind of like a rocket from there.”
Written by Tully Kennedy, John Morgan, Kurt Allison, and Lydia Vaughan, “If I Didn’t Love You” says, “If I didn’t love you, I’d be good by now / I’d be better than barely getting by somehow / Yeah, it would be easy not to miss you / Wonder about who’s with you / Turn the want you off whenever I want to / If I didn’t love you.”
“How Far Does A Goodbye Go”
“How Far Does A Goodbye Go” is on Jason Aldean’s 2026 Songs About Us record. Out as a single before the album’s release date, Allison, Kennedy, Morgan, and John Edwards are the writers of the heartbreaking tune.
The song says, “So tell me, how far does a goodbye go? / Is it down to a corner bar? / Or out of town in a getaway car? / If it’s on a map, this cowboy’s gotta know / Is it a couple miles away coming up the road / Or on a midnight train on a runaway track? / How far does a goodbye go ’til it don’t come back?“
Aldean’s wife, Brittany Aldean, stars in the video for “How Far Does A Goodbye Go”.
Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.