\n<\/p>\n
Something clicked for Carly Pearce<\/a> in her new song “You Can Have Him,” and it’s not just about how succinctly the lyrics are able to\u00a0make peace with a partner’s infidelity.<\/p>\n Pearce has always talked about how she wants to pursue a traditional country sound. She nails it in this song, maybe more than in any past release.<\/p>\n “You Can Have Him,”\u00a0which came out last Friday (April 24), is a quippy and clear message to the other woman: If her man can be tempted away by another woman’s wiles, she doesn’t want to be with him in the first place.<\/p>\n Read More<\/em>: Listen to Carly Pearce’s Riley Green Duet, “If I Don’t Leave I’m Gonna Stay”<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n It’s all pretty matter-of-fact and heartbreak-free. That’s a different approach than Pearce has taken to some of her best-known breakup songs, many of which are on her\u00a029: Written in Stone<\/em> album and written about her own very public 2020 divorce from fellow singer Michael Ray<\/a>.<\/p>\n But it’s been a few years since those raw, open-hearted breakup songs, and\u00a0Pearce is feeling more playful these days.<\/p>\n “You Can Have Him” might not be inspired by any particular situation in her personal life, but its mission statement is one she’s had to learn the hard way: If a guy’s not 100 percent committed to you, you shouldn’t be committed to him, either.<\/p>\n The song is confident, and not just in terms of what the lyrics are saying.<\/p>\n It’s also one Pearce’s most traditional, vintage-sounding country releases to date. If you’re a Pearce fan, you know that she’s at her best when she’s making that kind of music.<\/p>\n Pearce has had a traditional slant since she debuted \u2014 her first single, “Every Little Thing,” had a prominent dobro line \u2014 and she sounds most like herself when her music embodies that kind of country.<\/p>\n But it’s not the only kind of music she’s ever made. Songs like “Closer to You” and “Heart’s Going Out of Its Mind,” on her self-titled sophomore album, were actually pretty poppy.<\/p>\n Read More<\/em>: The 28 Saddest Love Songs in Country Music, Ever<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n And on\u00a029<\/em>, “Dear Miss Loretta” (featuring Patty Loveless<\/a>) was largely about reverence from the genre’s largest-looming figures (Loretta Lynn<\/a>, in this case.)<\/p>\n None of which is a bad thing. But “You Can Have Him” feels like the beginning of Pearce\u00a0performing confidently in her own well-defined, self-crafted lane\u00a0of modern-day traditionalism. It’s authentic to the sound without being derivative of any of its legends.<\/p>\n She’s been on a sonic journey for a long time. “You Can Have Him” is a worthy pay-off.<\/p>\n He likes blondes, brunettes and redheads \/ Named Rachel, Sarah and Mary-Margaret \/ And I ain’t sayin’ he’s easy, but he sure ain’t picky \/ And he’s had about four tequilas so I bet he thinks you’re pretty\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Chorus:<\/strong><\/p>\n If he’s lookin’ at you that way with a look on his face \/ That says ‘I can whisk you away,’ go get at him \/ If you can take him, you can have him \/ If you make him wanna flirt in your denim mini-skirt \/ And he’s workin’ up the nerve \/ If it’s lookin’ like he loves you, you should ask him \/ If you can take him, you can have him\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n If his kiss taste like Merlot \/ It’s ’cause my lips were on his about an hour ago \/ And if he asks, ‘Your place or mine?’ \/ You should say yours, ’cause his is still mine<\/em><\/p>\n Repeat Chorus<\/strong><\/p>\n Three’s a crowd, to tell the truth \/ I don’t want him if he wants you…<\/em><\/p>\n Repeat Chorus<\/strong><\/p>\n Country is well known for duets, and there is no shortage of collaborations between men and women, women and women, or two men.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWhat Is Carly Pearce’s “You Can Have Him” About?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
What Has Carly Pearce Said About Wanting to Make Traditional Country Music?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Carly Pearce, “You Can Have Him” Lyrics:<\/strong><\/h3>\n
The Best Country Duets | 55 Country Music Hits, Ranked<\/h2>\n