Mitchell Tenpenny's new single "Truth About You" stops just short of naming names. "Yeah, you told your friends, you told your mama / That I'm the root of all the drama / But we both know why this ended / Girl, I caught you red-handed," he sings to close the second verse.

Wow — that's good tea!

Talking to Taste of Country Nights radio, Tenpenny admits the new song is about an ex. But it's also about experiences his friends have gone through and maybe even (gasp!) about his own bad behavior in relationships that predate the long-term one he's in now. Matt Alderman and Thomas Archer helped him with the lyrics.

"If you quit telling lies about me / I won't tell the truth about you," he says to conclude each savage chorus.

"You try to channel what’s happened before,” Tenpenny tells Evan and Amber, deflating the idea that he's scorning one person in particular. "It was just one of those songs. When I heard the title ... I was like, I know how to write this song. I’ve lived this song. And it just kinda fell out."

Tenpenny is currently dating singer Meghan Patrick. As both resume live shows (including tours with Dierks Bentley and Chris Young, for Tenpenny), time together is precious, but both understand they loved music before they loved each other. Of course, they had plenty of each other during the pandemic quarantine, a time he says he spent reflecting on life and priorities. You'll find him soaking in the moment a lot more when he performs in 2021 and beyond.

"We took for granted these things that we picked up a guitar for," he tells the radio hosts. "These are things we dreamed of doing, playing for crowds like this. I got to play Faster Horses (music festival) like two weekends ago, like 60,000 people or something. It’s like, ‘This is incredible.'"

"Truth About You" was released digitally in July. It will be his next radio single later this month.

Top Country Songs of 2021, Ranked

You'll find much more than just the Top 10 Country Songs of 2021 on this list.

Our team has sourced fans to create 10 superlatives for this mid-year version of the year-end songs list. Best Country Tearjerker? Best Country Baby-Maker? Best Country Breakup Song of 2021? Keith Urban, Carly Pearce, Chris Bandi and more help make up this portion of the Top Country Songs list, while hitmakers like Thomas Rhett and Little Big Town lead the 10 best songs portion.

Did your favorite song of 2021 make this list? To be considered, the song must have been released in 2021 or have actively charted for a portion of the year (see "Wine, Beer, Whiskey"). New artists including Lainey Wilson, Breland and Triston Marez crack the Top 10. Let us know your favorite song of 2021 at Twitter or email, at staff@tasteofcountry.com.

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