Mo Pitney: On Meeting Merle Haggard and Writing a Song about It

It is not every day that you go and meet one of your biggest idols. Mo Pitney, a breakout country star, sure seized his moment when he met his idol. Often regarded as a traditional country artist because of his style, Mo Pitney detailed his encounter with Merle Haggard in this song.

When he met Merle Haggard, he was of course, starstruck. But more than that, he was ecstatic to the point where he had written a song about it.

Pitney’s Reaction on Meeting Merle

It was just a typical day for Mo. He was working with his father and he had to do some errands. When a friend randomly called him asking if he wants to meet Merle, the singer immediately dropped what he was doing. He wiped off the concrete on his face and went straight to meet his idol.

When asked what he felt like after meeting the singer, Mo said:

“When I got to meet him, I tell people that I just don’t get nervous around people, but Merle was one guy that I walked away from that meeting going, ‘Ho-ly crap, that was Merle freaking Haggard.”

They say “Don’t meet your idol, if you don’t want to get disappointed.” But Mo had a different experience. He was happy with his experience and was very honored. The next day, he thought of writing a song about this experience.

Lyrics Breakdown

My buddy called and said Haggard’s in town to tape the Marty Stuart show 
So meet me at the back door down in NorthStar studios
2/4 2013 4:45 was the time and date
Hey, I met Merle Haggard today

In his song, all the details of their encounter were part of it. From him doing an errand, to suddenly going to meet his idol. There wasn’t any detail left out because he wanted to share everything that happened second per second.

After meeting his idol, the singer said:

“And with that feeling that I’d never felt before, I went home.”

And for sure, there was a permanent smile on his face going to bed because he just met the biggest inspiration in his music career.

To listen to the song, click here: