Something clicked for Carly Pearce in her new song “You Can Have Him,” and it’s not just about how succinctly the lyrics are able to make peace with a partner’s infidelity.
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.
What Is Carly Pearce’s “You Can Have Him” About?
“You Can Have Him,” which 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.
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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 29: Written in Stone album and written about her own very public 2020 divorce from fellow singer Michael Ray.
But it’s been a few years since those raw, open-hearted breakup songs, and Pearce is feeling more playful these days.
“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.
The song is confident, and not just in terms of what the lyrics are saying.
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.
What Has Carly Pearce Said About Wanting to Make Traditional Country Music?
Pearce has had a traditional slant since she debuted — her first single, “Every Little Thing,” had a prominent dobro line — and she sounds most like herself when her music embodies that kind of country.
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.
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And on 29, “Dear Miss Loretta” (featuring Patty Loveless) was largely about reverence from the genre’s largest-looming figures (Loretta Lynn, in this case.)
None of which is a bad thing. But “You Can Have Him” feels like the beginning of Pearce performing confidently in her own well-defined, self-crafted lane of modern-day traditionalism. It’s authentic to the sound without being derivative of any of its legends.
She’s been on a sonic journey for a long time. “You Can Have Him” is a worthy pay-off.
Carly Pearce, “You Can Have Him” Lyrics:
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
Chorus:
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
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
Repeat Chorus
Three’s a crowd, to tell the truth / I don’t want him if he wants you…
Repeat Chorus
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Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
