Why Parmalee’s New Song ‘How Do I Let You Go’ Hits So Hard

For those who have lost someone, Parmalee’s “How Do I Let You Go” is haunting. From the very first verse, the band dives straight into the pain of missing someone and knowing that you’ll be living the rest of your life without them.  

From a band known for blending vulnerability with relatable lyrics and catchy melodies, “How Do I Let You Go” is emotional without being melodramatic, honest without oversharing, and genuine enough that you can’t help but feel the grief behind the words.   

Sad songs always have a story behind them. This could not have been truer for Parmalee's latest single. In an interview with Country Now, lead singer Matt Thomas shared the story behind the track he co-wrote with Parker Welling and co-produced with Casey Brown and David Fanning. Thomas said, “We were talking in the room that day about…one of my co-writers had just, he knew we had went through a lot of death earlier in our life in a period of years. Me and Scott lost our dad, and Josh lost his dad. Scott and I lost our best friend in our early twenties, and we all lost several friends together. Suicide. We’ve been through some heavy stuff.”  

He added that they did not initially bring these heavy and emotional materials to Nashville since they were mostly “writing happy songs and doing fun stuff for the most part.”  

Thomas and his co-writers decided they wanted to branch out and thought about the things they would say to the people they had lost if they could talk to them now. “We really, especially having our dads in mind, because we played in their bands growing up, and they started us in music, and they never got to see us have any success. It was always [a] struggle,” he explained. And so it’s kind of a note to them saying, ‘Hey, wish you were here. We miss you. We’re okay, but we know you’re looking from the best seat in the house, and we love you, but damn, I wish you were here.”  

Give the song below a listen, especially if you’re missing someone. The pre-chorus and chorus capture the kind of emotion that might help you process a bit of your feelings: "There's still so much that I wish that I could say to you / But now you're gone and all I know is / You’re supposed to be here now, more than a memory / Was it all in my head? Feels like a real bad dream / I thought I had more time, it hurts like hell that I don't / How do I say goodbye? How do I let you go?”