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Brett Young’s “Mercy” Is A Relatable Ballad For His Fans To Grab Onto

Brett Young's "Mercy"
by
  • Arden is a Senior Country Music Journalist for Country Thang Daily, specializing in classic hits and contemporary chart-toppers.
  • Prior to joining Country Thang Daily, Arden wrote for Billboard and People magazine, covering country music legends and emerging artists.
  • Arden holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Tennessee, with a minor in Music Studies.

The end to a cherished relationship is always difficult, and nothing puts your feelings into wise words than Brett Young’s “Mercy.”

Truly, it’s a crowd favorite among Brett Young songs.

It was released to country radio in 2018 as his debut studio album’s fourth and final single. As expected, countless men and women turned to the breakup ballad to ease their aching hearts – helping “Mercy” land to No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay while peaking at No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.

Story Behind The Song 

Written by Brett Young with singer-songwriter Sean McConnell, “Mercy” is more than just a harrowing ballad about a man who was left with a broken heart at the end of a relationship. It goes beyond to portray a man’s angst and pain as he was anticipating the inevitable breakup.

According to Young, he and McConnell were actually trying to write for an uptempo ballad when they met for the first time, but they instead came up with the exact opposite one – which Young described as a “gut-wrenching heartbreak song.” 

Young recalled that while McConnell was strumming his guitar as they discussed various ideas, the melody McConnell was playing caught his attention. Right there and then, the lyrics for “Mercy” started flowing.

Young revealed that he channeled his own heartache into the moving lyric. The song was actually inspired by Young’s old flame, who kept tormenting his heart and toying with his emotions by coming back into his life in devious ways. And Young knows people are going to relate to this so well.

“I think everybody knows that feeling,” the singer noted. “Like ‘If you’re not calling me because you want to get back together, then quit calling me.'”

Play the video below to listen to “Mercy” by Brett Young.

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