Erin Grand Tells Somber Story of Lost Love in ‘Lonely Does’
Erin Grand reminds that it's ok to cry.
Country newcomer Erin Grand is laying out her heartache in her new song, “Lonely Does,” premiering on Sounds Like Nashville today (8/26). In the poignant and melancholy tune, Grand sings from a place of grief as she describes the loneliness she feels after the end of a relationship.
“I wouldn’t be holding on from the top, drinking ’til the bottom / Waking up in this bed empty as that bottle / If we still had us, love would never let me do the things that lonely does,” she sings in the chorus.
Grand moved to Nashville over a year ago after commuting from her home state of Minnesota, and “Lonely Does,” which she co-wrote with Lance Carpenter and Allie Dunn, was the first song Grand wrote in Music City. The singer notes that the song can relate to the end of a relationship, but it can also be applied to the passing of a loved one.
“One of my co-writers, Allie Dunn, came in with the idea and we didn’t totally know what to do with it or what it meant until we started digging deeper, which is funny because the title seems pretty self-explanatory,” says Grand of the song. “Once the song was almost half done we all started realizing how relatable this song really could be. We’ve all been through major heartbreak in our lives whether it’s a break up or a true loss in your life. We realized it was a lot more than just a break up song and it truly was a reflection of how somebody could grieve during an actual loss of a loved one.”
The song’s aching lyrics are paired with ethereal dobro, acoustic guitar and other production elements, which only add to the tune’s lonesome feeling. The message of the song, according to Grand, is to remind fans that it’s okay to grieve losses in life — whether it be a relationship or the passing of a loved one — and “Lonely Does” can help people do just that.
“We want our listeners to be able to see both sides of the song however they choose to,” says Grand. “Whether it’s a break up or it’s a relatable lyric to how someone out there has grieved a loss, it’s okay to not be okay, it’s okay to cry and it’s always okay to reminisce on a past love. However people want to feel while listening to this song is beautiful and that’s what I love about this new single is that you can be angry at someone while listening to it or be deep in your feels – we all need to let ourselves go there sometimes.” “Lonely Does” follows Grand’s previous singles, including “Mood” and “Better With Wine.”
