Ashley McBryde has made a name for herself in country music by striking the intricate balance of thought-provoking songwriting and unique creativity. This is evidenced by her dynamic body of work that includes two major label studio albums, Girl Going Nowhere and Never Will, and the concept album, Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville. Prior to her mainstream fame, McBryde spent years hustling as an independent artist, performing in clubs and county fairs before having her well-deserved breakthrough.
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[RELATED: Behind the Song: “Bible and a .44” by Ashley McBryde]
Below, we look at 10 of McBryde’s best songs.
1. “Girl Goin’ Nowhere”
If “Bible and a .44” put her on the map, then “Girl Goin’ Nowhere” took her over the top. Inspired by a comment her teacher made discrediting McBryde’s dreams of being a singer-songwriter, McBryde turned her discouraging words into a powerful anthem about what can happen when you faithfully follow your dreams. Told through her humble voice with a soft acoustic guitar singing alongside her, “Girl” is McBryde’s personal story to success and is one of her defining songs.
But when the lights come up
And I hear the band
And where they said I’d never be is exactly where I am
I hear the crowd
I look around
And I can’t find an empty chair
Not bad for a girl goin’ nowhere
2. “Bible and a .44”
“Bible and a .44” is the song that made McBryde’s indelible mark on the country music landscape. From the moment she showed up onstage with Eric Church in 2017 to perform this song, it was clear McBryde was an under-the-radar songwriter with something to say. Written as an homage to her father, she drives home who he was with the final lines of the chorus, he carried a Bible and a .44/And they just don’t make ’em like that no more. As McBryde’s catalog continues to expand, it’s likely that “Bible and a .44” will remain one of her best.
He’d see through a lie like an old screen door
He taught me how to hunt and how to love the Lord
He carried a Bible and a .44
And they just don’t make ’em like that no more
3. “A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega”
Released as her major label debut single in 2017, “A Little Dive Bar” is a message of resiliency and finding the light even in the darkest of times. Inspired by co-writer Jesse Rice’s real-life story of how he met his wife at a bar in Dahlonega, Georgia after his car broke down, the song looks for the positive in life even on one’s worst day as evidenced by defining lyrics like here’s to the breakups that didn’t break us and makin’ the best of the worst day kinda night. “Dive Bar” helped set the stage for McBryde’s future success, planting a flag in her distinct place in the country landscape.
Here’s to the break ups that didn’t break us
The break down, wrong turn that takes ya
To a little dive bar in Dahlonega
Hear a song from a band that saves ya, man
It’s hittin’ rock bottom smoke ’em if you got ’em
Nothing’s going right
Makin’ the best of the worst day kinda night
4. “Never Wanted to Be That Girl”
When McBryde teamed up with Carly Pearce to sing this Grammy and CMA Award-winning song, it’s likely neither one expected it to make history as only the second duet by two female artists to top the country charts in 30 years. Co-written by the singers with Shane McAnally, “Never” sees them as women caught between a two-timing man, the lyrics expressing the pain they feel upon finding out the other exists. “Never” is a modern song, but it sounds like a country classic as if Pearce and McBryde’s voices were made for each other. Though technically Pearce’s single, this song is as much McBryde’s, making it one of the best of her career thus far.
I never wanted to be that girl
I never wanted to hate myself
I thought this kind of lonely only happens to somebody else
Bein’ the other one when there’s another one
God, this feels like hell
Thought I knew who I was, but it’s gettin’ hard to tell
I never wanted to be that girl
5. “Stone”
McBryde allows fans to peer inside her heart with “Stone.” Written in the wake of her brother Clay’s death, a veteran who died by suicide in 2018. Expertly written by McBryde and Nicolette Hayford, McBryde lets her guard down with “Stone,” which powerfully captures her brother’s strong, unwavering essence. She takes a gentle approach, taking notice of their similarities like the way she sways when she gets nervous and adopted her brother’s shyness, singing I’m just now findin’ out, now that you’re gone/We were cut from the same stone, almost like a lullaby. “What wound up happening, of course, is it saved me years of therapy,” McBryde told American Songwriter in 2020 about writing “Stone.” “Instead of the song just being hopeless, and ‘I’m so sad you’re gone,’ it gives this message of ‘there are little bits of you here. I didn’t lose all of you.’”
Yeah, there’s a lot of things
That should be written in one
But your name
Ain’t one of ’em
So I carry one
And it’s a heavy one
6. “Sparrow”
McBryde paints an honest picture of what life as a touring artist is like with “Sparrow.” Whether calling her parents from the lobby of a hotel bar and the few and far between days off, the singer doesn’t hide the sorrow that comes with life on the run, which she sums up in the closing lyrics, higher than you’ve ever been/Lonely like you never been/Waiting on the wind to take you home. “Sparrow” is a hidden gem on her 2020 album, Never Will, yet is certainly worth an ear.
Sparrow, oh, it wouldn’t trade nothing for the way it feels to fly
It ain’t fair though, how you miss the ground when you’re out here in the sky
Higher than you’ve ever been
Lonely like you never been
Waiting on the wind to take you home
7. “Gospel Night at the Strip Club”
It’s hard to pick a standout on McBryde’s brilliantly crafted concept album, Lindeville, but “Gospel Night” certainly raises its hand. McBryde doesn’t even sing on the studio version, letting co-writer Benjy Davis take the lead. Set in the fictional map dot town of Lindeville is a strip club that also hosts a gospel music night. Equal parts humorous and surprisingly poignant as he sings Jesus loves the drunkards and the whores and the queers, “Gospel Night” possesses the power to tug at the heartstrings.
It’s gospel night at the strip club, I’ve been sleepin’ in my car
I lead the singin’ service with a half-ass tuned guitar
And Brandy’s singin’ backup while Lonnie’s tendin’ bar
Just waitin’ for more sinners to show up
8. “Brenda Put Your Bra On”
“Brenda” is only two minutes long, but that’s all McBryde and her duet partners Caylee Hammack and Pillbox Patti need to tell this wild tale of a woman who catches her man cheating on her—and the chaos that ensues. With Lindeville, McBryde proved that she can craft a concept album as sharply as she can write three chords and the truth on her typical records, and “Brenda” is a prime example of this.
Brenda, put your bra on, there’s trouble next door
Grab a pack of cigarettes and meet me on the porch
Marvin baby mama ’bout to catch him with a whore
Brenda, put your bra on
9.”Bonfire at Tina’s”
From the opening lines small-town women ain’t built to get along/But you burn one boy, you burn us all, McBryde sets the stage for a powerful tune about women who’ve been dragged through the mud. But the singer and her cohorts turn it into an anthem about women sticking together through thick and thin, a message that translates to her live show, with female fans lighting up at the reprise of the song’s title. “Bonfire at Tina’s” is fun, but it also carries a message of unity we can all get behind.
Small town women ain’t built to get along
But you burn one boy, you burn us all
We’ll be here drinking ’til the smoke is gone
Bonfire at Tina’s
10. “Hang in There Girl”
McBryde takes an empathetic approach with “Hang in There Girl.” Here, McBryde leans into hope, encouraging the girl she’s speaking to in the song to chase her dreams as opposed to settling in the small town and the only life she’s ever known. I know too well that look in her eyes / Yeah I’ve been right there at the end of that drive, the singer empathizes. “Hang in There” is a note of encouragement we could all use, and coming from McBryde makes it even more special.
Hang in there girl
Hang in there girl
Hang in there girl
You’re gonna be alright
Photo Credit:Katie Kauss/ EB Media PR
