Album: single release only (2021)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Mary Heather Hickman has bad taste in men. "Treasure" is her humorous confession of this fact.

    Blames his s--t on his checkered past
    Like his DUI from his last relapse
    If you spent a couple nights in a county jail
    Well somebody get me a wedding veil


    The song is autobiographical, Hickman told the Arkansas Democrat Gazette in a June 2021 interview, though exaggerated for comic effect. She wrote it over the course of a weekend-long cabin trip with her cowriter and friend, Stefanie Joyce. While the two drank margaritas and discussed Hickman's romantic future (or lack thereof), they started playing around with lines about choosing obvious problem men for partners. Out of this came "Treasure," with the title referring to the men she has foolishly chosen in the past.

    I'm just picking up trash and calling it treasure
  • This song was a casual Tik Tok release that helped launch Hickman to a new level, surprising because Hickman already had her foot in the music industry since she was a kid. The Arkansas-born, Texas-raised artist had been performing live music since she was 10 years old. She played at Opry houses, festivals, and Dallas Cowboys games and events. She was no stranger to music and had had a fair amount of success before "Treasure."
  • Hickman had no idea this song was such a, well, treasure. She hadn't been sure she was going to release the song at all, in fact. The day she put it on Tik Tok, she'd been tinkering with posting a different song. After getting frustrated with that song, she threw "Treasure" on Tik Tok on December 6, 2020, basically on a whim. It blew up and quickly racked up about 3 million views. By February 2021 she'd recorded a fully produced and band-backed version of the single, which broke into the Top 40 on both the Music Row Country Breakout Radio Chart (MusicRow is a Nashville music industry publication) and the UK's International HotDisc chart.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Sam Hollander

Sam HollanderSongwriter Interviews

The hitmaking songwriter/producer Sam Hollander with stories about songs for Weezer, Panic! At The Disco, Train, Pentatonix, and Fitz And The Tantrums.

Jesus In Pop Hits: The Gospel Songs That Went Mainstream

Jesus In Pop Hits: The Gospel Songs That Went MainstreamSong Writing

These overtly religious songs crossed over to the pop charts, despite resistance from fans, and in many cases, churches.

Divided Souls: Musical Alter Egos

Divided Souls: Musical Alter EgosSong Writing

Long before Eminem, Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj created alternate personas, David Bowie, Bono, Joni Mitchell and even Hank Williams took on characters.

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater RevivalFact or Fiction

Is "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" about Vietnam? Was John Fogerty really born on a Bayou? It's the CCR edition of Fact or Fiction.

The Real Nick Drake

The Real Nick DrakeSong Writing

The head of Drake's estate shares his insights on the late folk singer's life and music.

Rupert Hine

Rupert HineSongwriter Interviews

Producer Rupert Hine talks about crafting hits for Tina Turner, Howard Jones and The Fixx.