Miranda Lambert, ‘Over You’ – Song Review

Miranda Lambert's new single, 'Over You,' is one of country music's all-time great romantic gestures. You read that right. In writing one of the saddest songs of the decade, the singer gives husband Blake Shelton a gift that even the biggest diamond ring couldn't top.

'Over You' is Shelton's story through Lambert's voice. His brother Richie was killed in a car accident when Blake was just 14-years-old. One night, the married couple started talking about him, and Shelton opened up. A short time later, this beautiful lyric emerged from a heap of used tissues.

"But you went away / How dare you / I miss you / They say I’ll be OK / But I’m not going to ever get over you," she sings during the chorus. These are not complicated words. She's not hiding behind metaphor or exaggerated hyperbole. It's Lambert's raw, honest and alarmingly painful delivery -- especially during a cathartic third chorus -- that pushes this song to great heights. And we praised 'The House That Built Me' for being personal.

"Living alone here in this place / I think of you, and I’m not afraid / Your favorite records make me feel better / 'Cause you sing along / With every song / I know you didn’t mean to give them to me," Lambert shares during the second verse. That's a word-for-word account of how Shelton dealt with the pain. He says Garth Brooks' 'Friends in Low Places' was one of Richie's favorites. Can you imagine what the famously jovial, if not antagonistic, singer goes through every time he hears that song?

Lambert can. She's seen him weep. By recording this song and telling this story, she relieves her husband of one of his greatest burdens. She's removed his albatross and collared it around her neck so he can heal. He gets to talk about it without really talking about it. Manly men may not admit it, but that's the greatest gift -- aside from children -- that a woman can give to man.

Listen to Miranda Lambert, 'Over You'