Tim McGraw’s Timely and Emotional New Song, “I Called Mama”

Mother’s day is coming up! It’s the best time to give your Mama a call. Tim McGraw recommends you to do so! The country music superstar released a new song, “I Called Mama,” as a tribute to mothers everywhere and to remind all the listeners out there the value of dialing a loved one.

“Now more than ever, I’ve been reminded of the importance of human connection in our lives,” the country crooner posted on his Instagram along with a throwback photo of his mom. “‘I Called Mama‘ is a song about connecting back to what grounds us when life shakes us up. We should all call Mama more often… or whoever those people in our lives are that keep us connected to what really matters. This song really hits home for me, and I hope it does for you, too.”

The kindhearted ballad was co-written by tenured songwriters, Jimmy Year, Lance Miller, and Marv Green. It is McGraw’s first since returning to Big Machine Records earlier this year. 

That One Phone Call That Changed Tim McGraw’s Life

The first time you will listen to “I Called Mama,” be ready for your emotions to get the best of you. And when it does, don’t worry! You’re not alone. The same thing happened to McGraw himself the first time he heard the song.

“When I tried to sing it, every time I got to the chorus when it got to the ‘I Called Mama‘ line, I fell apart, and I couldn’t sing the song because I would just start crying,” McGraw told CNN.

He couldn’t help but think of his own mother and that one phone call that changed the path of his journey. The world of country music couldn’t have enjoyed McGraw’s song if it wasn’t for his mom, Betty Trimble. 

“I called my mom and told her I was going to quit college and move to Nashville. It was a tough call because I was scared to death because I knew how bad she wanted me to go to college and how much she wanted me to make a success of my life,” McGraw recalled. “And she said, ‘I’m surprised you haven’t already.’ When she told me that, it was a vote of confidence to sell everything I had and get on a greyhound bus and go to Nashville. You don’t want to let your mom down.”

Of course, McGraw did not miss the opportunity to pay heartfelt tribute to his wife, Faith Hill, with whom he shares three daughters: Gracie, Maggie, and Audrey. The country crooner reflected on his long and lasting marriage to the fellow country superstar.

“We just love each other deeply, and we want to be together, we wanna spend our lives together,” McGraw said. “She just loves me unconditionally, which is tough because there’s a lot of conditions with loving me.” 

When McGraw got to the hook of the song. He wanted Faith Hill to hear it immediately. “But it was just a guitar demo or a guitar work tape,” he said. “I didn’t want Faith to hear it [like that]. I wanted to sing it to her. So I was trying to learn the words to it really quickly until I could sing her, you know, just the first verse and a chorus.”

And learning the soulful song only intensified its emotional impact to McGraw. “In about 30 minutes, I had it ready,” McGraw recalled, “and I said, ‘I want you to hear this song.'”

McGraw Released Lyric Video With Never-Seen-Before Footage

Tim McGraw also released a heartfelt lyric video for the song last Friday. It features intersperses of lyrics along with some footage from the singer’s personal life. This includes never-seen-before footage of Tim as a baby together with his mother. There’s also footage of an older McGraw with his mom and video clips of McGraw and Faith Hill. 

Tim McGraw is asking fans to send in photos and videos of their moms to be included in the music video, which is set to be released later this month. The country superstar also hopes his new song can bring some comfort amid the stress the world is facing right now.

“When I sing you a song, I’m giving you my heart and soul,” he said. “There’s no good way to tell someone that it’s going to be better. There’s no good way when you’re in the darkness to tell someone there’s going to be light. I think you just have to believe it’s going to get better.”

The three-time Grammy winner is currently set to launch his “Here on Earth Tour” on July 10, 2020, featuring guests Ingrid Andress Midland. He also has a pair of stadium shows in Philadelphia and Los Angeles in September, which he will co-headline with Luke Combs.