Life is a balance. And it’s one that needs constant calibration. One day you might find yourself in love, set to wed the person of your dreams. On another day, you may become a parent to a new baby. On yet another, you may find yourself on the road, a touring musician, winding through mountains remarking about corn dogs when you realize how much you miss your family. You wonder: am I doing right by them? Is the blue sky outside the window a sign you’re on the right track or a mirage as your home life descends into a pool of guilt?
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Life is a balance. And it’s one that needs constant attention. Indeed, this is what sparked songwriter and frontman, Jeremy Pinnell, when he penned his new single, “Big Ol’ Good,” out now.
“’Big Ol’ Good’ is about what humans put themselves through when it comes to relationships,” Pinnell tells American Songwriter. “How much love or hate we can take. How much forgiveness. The inspiration was the thought of my wife and son at home [while] I was on the road. Relationships are complex and this was a reflection of that.”
It’s a feeling those whose jobs require travel know well. Whether you’re a professional athlete, musician, traveling salesperson, or occupy some other vocation that has you on the road often, to be away from those you care about the most while you work to live out your dream is hard no matter how you slice it. In Pinnell’s case, the pangs hit him when passing a restaurant.
“What started the thought,” he says, “was we were driving through North Carolina and we drove past a corn dog restaurant and I said, ‘Oh we’re on Corn Dog Mountain’ and I thought about how carefree my life was at the time, and then the thought came of the commitment I made to provide for my family.”
For the Southgate, Kentucky-based country musician, excursions are part of the job. He must go westward, eastward, northward, and southward to find new audiences and make new fans. It’s part-and-parcel of his position as an artist. Yet, hearts can be left behind no matter how much ambition surges.
“I’ve always been interested in creating,” Pinnell says. “I love music but creating music is extremely fulfilling. My dad bought me my first guitar, I was maybe 13 or 14 and it was just a natural progression. My dad is a musician so he was an inspiration and influence.”
But no matter the love. There is always loss in life, of course.
“The idea,” Pinnell says, “is that love is action, and feelings aren’t love. They’re inconsistent and quick to change.”
Photo courtesy IVPR
