NASHVILLE: This week’s Nashville Pick is Max McNown and his new song “Better Me For You”.
Max McNown, a singer-songwriter from Bend, Oregon, is an emerging artist whose deeply introspective approach to songwriting has quickly gained attention within the music industry and among a growing fanbase. His music is marked by a genuine desire to explore complex emotions, his religious beliefs, and life experiences, often through storytelling that resonates with listeners on a personal level. Within just a year of teaching himself to play guitar, the now Nashville-based musician turned out three EPs spotlighting his emotionally potent yet nuanced lyrics, crafting songs that blend vulnerability with relatable life themes, Max uses his music as a means to explore the highs and lows of love, identity, and personal transformation.
Max’s latest single, “Better Me For You (Brown Eyes),” reflects a pivotal moment in his songwriting journey. It’s a track that delves into the idea of self-betterment inspired by the kind of love that doesn’t just captivate but also motivates. In Max’s words, the protagonist in the song has just met the girl of his dreams, “but it’s more than just her alluring brown eyes that captivate him.” He explains that she “imbues goodness and, above all, has a ‘heart of gold,’” qualities that inspire him to become a better person. This theme of rising to meet the beauty and integrity he sees in her reflects Max’s characteristic approach to songwriting—using a simple, heartfelt story to convey profound truths about human relationships and self-growth.
McNown looks back to insight shared by his mother. “When I was younger, I sang around the house all the time-I’d sing in the shower or before I went to bed, I’d always sing in the car,” he says. “My mom used to tell us growing up that singing means you have a happy heart. Even if the songs about something difficult or painful, I still have a happy heart when I sing.
With each release, Max McNown continues to establish himself as an artist with both depth and relatability. His ability to connect with audiences through earnest storytelling and reflective themes promises a bright future, as he remains dedicated to producing music that moves the heart and mind alike.
Better Me For You
Love was a game I played dealer’s choice
In the back of a bar all summer
Forgetting names like background noise
In relationships I wanted none of
Went off the rails by fall
Lord knows I needed savin
Wore off the alcohol
And you were there like an angel waiting
I didn’t know you’d have brown eyes
Like to pray to Jesus spending Friday nights at home
Didn’t know you’d be the strong kind
Deeper than a coal mine lovin with a heart of gold
You’re everything that I’m not, everything that I want
There’s a God n’ baby you’re proof
In those those brown eyes, I know that I got to find
A better me for you
Made a living dipping toes in the water
Feelin low with my walls up high
I was staying far away from the deep end
Girl like you made a boy like me try
Went off the rails that fall
Lord knows I needed savin
Made me forget them all
I didn’t know you’d have brown eyes
Like to pray to Jesus spending Friday nights at home
Didn’t know you’d be the strong kind
Deeper than a coal mine lovin with a heart of gold
You’re everything that I’m not, everything that I want
There’s a God n’ baby you’re proof
In those those brown eyes, I know that I got to find
A better me for you
Don’t worry about the miles that it takes we can make
Every one of them worth all the drivin
I’ll sing your praises every way like the hymnals all say
I could love you til the end of time
And
I never knew you’d have brown eyes
Liked to pray to Jesus spendin Friday nights at home
Never knew you’d be the strong kind
Deeper than a coal mine lovin with heart of gold
You’re everything that I’m not, everything that I want
There’s a God n’ baby you’re proof
In those those brown eyes, I know that I got to find
A better me for you
A better me for you
Oh I got to find
I want to find
A better me for you
A better me for you
Max McNown – BIG FEAT PR
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www.MaxMcNown.com
There is so much talent that resides in Nashville along with many artists that visit Music City just trying to be heard, seen and hopefully discovered. If you would like your song or video to be considered for our Nashville Picks, submit it using our Nashville Picks form: