Tim McGraw Announces New Song, ‘I Called Mama’

Tim McGraw announced on Friday that he will be releasing a new song, “I Called Mama,” his first release since returning to Big Machine Records. The song will be available on May 8, two days before Mother’s Day, and is billed as “a look at the ways we ground ourselves when we are shaken or hurting.” “I Called Mama” was written by Lance Miller, Marv Green and Jimmy Yeary.

“On the one hand this song is literally, ‘hey, call your mom,’” McGraw said in a statement. “On the other hand, you look at a time like this, there are real hardships for everyone, and it’s a great reminder that hearing someone’s voice who knows you and loves you can help you get through anything. I think it’s at these very difficult times that music can help and the power of a song can give someone a moment of clarity or comfort, or just a smile. Especially now, when we seem to need it more than ever.”

The cover art for the song is a vintage photo of McGraw’s mom, Betty Trimble, which McGraw has previously shared on his social media channels. The announcement of the song comes days after the 53-year-old asked fans to submit video of themselves of themselves and their moms for inclusion in an upcoming project. “Moms are amazing, and we’re making something special to celebrate them!!” he wrote in a message. “All you have to do is send us videos of you and your mom, and we might use it in our video!”

On Friday, he shared a snippet of the song’s instrumental introduction on Instagram along with a caption explaining the message he hoped to send. “Now more than ever, I’ve been reminded of the importance of human connection in our lives,” McGraw wrote. “‘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.”

McGraw announced in February that he had made the move back to Big Machine Records after leaving Sony Music Nashville earlier this year. He signed with Sony Music Entertainment in 2017 with wife Faith Hill, where the pair released their album The Rest of Our Life. Prior to that, McGraw was with Big Machine, where he released three albums — 2013’s Two Lanes of Freedom, 2014’s Sundown Heaven Town and 2015’s Damn Country Music. Those albums yielded McGraw hit singles including “Highway Don’t Care” with Taylor Swift and Keith Urban, “Meanwhile Back at Mama’s” with Hill and “Humble and Kind,” which won Song of the Year at the 2016 CMA Awards.