Jon Pardi‘s long-awaited Honkytonk Hollywood album is out. The 17-track record is Pardi’s first studio album since Mr. Saturday Night came out in 2022, and Pardi is rightfully proud of the new project. It also marks Pardi’s first time working with legendary producer Jay Joyce.
“I think it’s an incredible album,” Pardi boasts. “And we had so much fun making it, working with a new producer for me — and he’s not a new producer. He’s [a] legend, Jay Joyce, love him. We had a great time.“
In the years between Mr. Saturday Night and Honkytonk Hollywood, Pardi became the father of two girls, and quit drinking. It’s changes that are evident in all of the songs on Honkytonk Hollywood.
“There is less beer drinking and more soul searching on this record,” Pardi tells ABC News Radio. “And there’s a lot of songs about making love. Guess that’s where this one came into a new kind of thing. It’s like make a family, making babies, making people dance, still.”
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“There’s still beer-drinking honky-tonking. It’s jus got a little more depth, you know,” he adds. “I guess that’s why there’s 17 songs on it. It’s got all the feels. It’s a roller coaster of emotions, so it’s little bit of something for everybody.”
The title track is one that was inspired by Pardi’s wife, Summer, even though it was written by Bart Butler, Benjy Davis, and Jacob Paul Rice.
“‘Honkytonk Hollywood‘ is basically a song about Summer that I didn’t write,” Pardi says. “But it kind of paints a [picture of a] blond-haired babe from California moving to Tennessee [who] fell in love with the singer in a band.”
“It’s one of my favorite tracks,” he remarks. “We’ve had that for a long time, ready to record it,”
Pardi also included a tear-jerker, “She Drives Away” on Honkytonk Hollywood, fully embracing his role as a dad.
“‘She Drives Away’ is a song that I knew I was going to record immediately,” Pardi says. “I think most dads of daughters will relate to it, but it reminded me so much of Summer and my journey. From when we started dating, to asking her dad for her hand in marriage, and then having our daughters. Now, I’ll go through it from the other side with my daughters. It’s a special song, and I’m really excited for people to hear it.”
The California native has a Top 25 hit with “Friday Night Heartbreaker,” the debut single from Honkytonk Hollywood. The video was filmed in Printer’s Alley in Nashville.
“Love this song. I remember when I first heard it,” Pardi recalls. “It kind of gives a spooky, sexy vibe. Somebody’s gonna break a heart tonight.”
Pardi did pen eight of the 17 songs on Honkytonk Hollywood, but not “Friday Night Heartbreker.” Instead, that song was written by Jessie Jo Dillon, Ryan Hurd, Josh Miller, Daniel Ross, and Chris Tompkins. But it didn’t take much for Pardi to be convinced to include it on his album.
“It’s something that caught my ear when I first heard it,” Pardi says (via Songfacts). “I love the- I call it the hot girl warning. The heartbreaker, the stay away from this girl, even though you’re probably gonna try to talk to her. It’s kind of a fun song.”
Pardi will embark on his Honkytonk Hollywood Tour on April 25. Find the new record, and all of his music and upcoming shows, at JonPardi.com.