Tucker Beathard is a little bit rock and a little bit country, and that ratio matters. The "Rock On" singer scored a hit in 2016 with an electric guitar-heavy breakup song, but lost a record deal for refusing to lean into a more traditional country sound.

"Better Than Me," his first single on Warner Music Nashville, finds him back where he started. Sonically and thematically the sharp, anthemic screamer gets back to his roots as a hitmaker. The self-written track (along with Dan Isbell and Jonathan Singleton) finds him miserably half-hoping his ex is living her best life. The vocals come only slightly tongue-in-cheek — who really gets over an ex-lover anyway, like to the point that you don't smile when you see they've gained some weight on Facebook?

An ability to access difficult sub-emotions is what makes Beathard such a promising songwriter and performer, but he is a singer that needs help mainstreaming his sound. Now with Warner Music Nashville, he figures to get that guidance without the added expense of sacrificing his soul as an artist.

Did You Know?: "Better Than Me" was written and recorded for a full-length album on Big Machine Label Group. This version is a re-recording.

11 Songs That Changed Modern Country Music:

Tucker Beathard's "Better Than Me" Lyrics:

You could be Carolina coastline, chilling glass of red wine / Or California dreaming just  soaking up the sunshine / Hopefully you're somewhere doing better than me / You might be Mississippi moonlight or Alabama star shining down on you baby / On the hood of something Chevy / Yeah, hopefully you’re somewhere doing better than me / Yeah, you're somewhere doing better than me.

Chorus:
If you can sing along when they're playing our song / With no tears in your eyes, no breaking down crying on the side of the road / And if you’re moving on, if you can sleep it off / Then, baby, you better believe, better believe / You're doing better than me / Better than me.

You could be tearing down a two lane not a lotta in between you and him / Getting close holding hands, yeah, hopefully he'll treat you better than me / Yeah, he'll treat you better than me.

Yeah, I hope you're better than me.

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