Gonna Love You

Album: For You 2 (2023)
Charted: 102
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Songfacts®:

  • "Gonna Love You" is a love song where Parmalee vocalist Matt Thomas sings of his unwavering love and commitment to his partner, even in the face of adversity.
  • Matt Thomas wrote the song with Parmalee's producer and manager David Fanning and songwriters Abram Dean and Andy Sheridan on June 6, 2022. Their mission was to shake up their sound and crank up the volume on Thomas' vocals.

    "He can sing so high, and he can sing these crazy melodies, and we've never gotten to fully show that," Fanning told Billboard. "That day, to me, was one of the beginning times of 'Hey, let's start showing what you can do. Let's start shining a light on that.'"
  • Thomas, Fanning, Dean, and Sheridan weren't just messing around. They wanted a song with blockbuster vibes, the kind you'd hear rolling over the credits of a killer flick.

    "We wanted a grand melody, we wanted a grand idea, we wanted classic-sounding chord changes," Thomas recalled. "Something big and universal was really the thinking."

    The chords they came up with are like the soundtrack to a movie showdown. A-minor-7, G, F – a rock texture that's dark, yet with a hopeful story, it's got epic written all over it.
  • The opening lines throw down the gauntlet: "You'll never be alone" and "I'll never be far away." They set the stage for a chorus that turns the couple into action heroes fighting the good fight. Thomas then belts out, "I'm gonna love you," sealing the deal on the song's title.

    The four writers worked diligently to craft a love pledge that's universal, but unlike your typical country song, this one doesn't drop specific visual details. "Gonna Love You" floats in a more emotional, abstract universe.

    "Writing a song that lives in the emotional world, personally, I feel like it's harder, especially if you second-guess yourself," said Fanning. "But also, I think it's a chance for you to just say what you want. Hopefully, people realize, 'Hey, they're coming from a real spot, and we feel that way, too.'"
  • Stoney Creek released "Gonna Love You" on country radio on October 3, 2023, as a single from Parmalee's eighth album.
  • In 2010, Parmalee were the victim of an attempted robbery at the band's RV after a performance in Moline, Illinois. Two men approached the RV with guns drawn and demanded money from the band members.

    One of the robbers opened fire, shooting drummer Scott Thomas three times. Despite his injuries, Thomas was able to fight off the robbers and protect his bandmates. Thomas spent 35 days in hospital, including 10 in a coma, but he eventually made a full recovery.

    Fanning and the Thomas brothers individually linked the grandiosity of the production to Parmalee's harrowing backstory. They wove the shooting incident into the emotional core of "Gonna Love You."

    A week after Stoney Creek dropped "Gonna Love You," Parmalee hit the set to shoot the video. The intensity of the robbery, complete with blood and violence, was condensed into brief yet crucial moments. The visual includes scenes from a club gig and the heart-wrenching hospital moments.

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