Jon Pardi’s upcoming Heartache Medication record is still a few months away from its Sept. 27 release date, but more details are already emerging about his third studio album. Pardi recently opened up about one of the songs on the record, “Don’t Blame It On Whiskey,” written by Miranda Lambert and Eric Church, along with Michael Heeney and Luke Laird.
“I heard that song when I had long hair,” Pardi recalled to PopCulture.com and other media. “It was a long time ago. I always loved it. When we set down to A&R this record, [my label] played it, and I said, ‘You get Eric and Miranda to let me cut that song. I’ll cut it.’”
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Still, Pardi didn’t think the Lambert and Church would actually let him have it, but was elated when they gave their approval, and quickly asked his friend, Lauren Alaina, to join him on the track.
“Maybe they were holding onto, maybe one of them,” said Pardi. “You never know. It’s such a great song. Maybe Eric wanted to put his project with it one day. I don’t know. But Eric was excited, and Miranda was excited and we got the go ahead. And we always thought of that as a duet, so the first person I thought of was Lauren. After ACM Honors, we sang together. We sang great and we’re great friends. And it’s just easy with her. And she’s very talented. So, that’s about it.”
The 34-year-old tried hard to make “Don’t Blame It On Whiskey” his own, and not like the two superstars who wrote it.
“It’s a great song,” Pardi conceded. “I didn’t want to take anything. I wanted to sing it like I would sing his melodies. Which isn’t like Eric; it’s like me. It has the soul of his soul, because he has so much soul. And Miranda’s a great songwriter.
“What I love about that and them being songwriters on that is it just puts them as songwriters,” he continued. “You get to see how great they are just as songwriters. And they’re great artists on top of it.”
Pardi is currently at radio with the title track of his next set of tunes.
“The single ‘Heartache Medication’ has an 80’s George Strait ‘Fool Hearted Memory’ feel to it, and is something people can dance to,” said Pardi of the song. “That’s something I really wanted for this album. There really are no sad songs on this record-it covers a range of subjects, but is ultimately about moving on, and having a good time.”
Pardi will hit the road this fall on his Heartache Medication Tour, with Riley Green serving as his opening act. Find dates, and pre-order Heartache Medication, by visiting Pardi’s website.
Photo Credit: Getty Images / John Shearer
