A good rule of thumb in writing is to write what you know. The best songwriting comes from a real place, whether it's personal or just observations on the world. You can always tell when someone is just pretending, a lot of vague descriptions that don't evoke any true emotion. This is a sentiment Parker McCollum agrees with in his own songwriting. However, there was a time where he felt like he had to go through pain personally in order for his music to be worth anything.
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Recently, McCollum went on the Big D and Bubba Show, where they asked him about his songwriting process. Obviously, his music can be particularly gut-wrenching and powerful. But his personal life seems perfect with a beautiful family behind the scenes. Parker takes his advice from arguably the best country singer/songwriter working today. "I've always loved sad, heartbreak, country love songs. I've always sat around trying to write 'em. You know, you just look out into the world, I think Jason Isbell said that one time, he's like, 'Man, my heart breaks a million times a day just looking into the world. So, you know, there's always something to write about," he says.
Parker McCollum Goes to Dark Places to Write His Most Devastating Songs
When it comes to balancing his home life and his sadder songwriting instincts, McCollum candidly talks about how he felt he had to go to dark places personally to make it feel authentic. "You know, I was always really, really into Todd Snyder when I was younger, and he always talked about living the songs you write. And so for a long time, several, many years, I was doing that. I was trying to live the songs I was writing. It was a little bit self-destructive," Parker explains.
Eventually, he found a healthy balance. McCollum certainly taps into something dark and vulnerable but he avoids tearing down the world he worked hard to build. "My life's not like that now, but I think I just went there so many times that I can, you know. I just always remember how that feels, and I'm always looking for moments in life, and just when that song's hitting at the right time at the end of the day. So my mind kind of goes there to write songs," Parker adds.
