In a genre run by the young-guns, these last six months have been full of veterans delivering kick-ass music. Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, the list goes on, but perhaps the best single to come from a veteran in a long time, is country music legend Glen Campbell’s heart wrenching, farewell tune, “I’m Not Gonna Miss You.”
Going into this song, I was worried it would come across as overly sappy and sound as if it were recorded for the sake of capitalizing off Campbell’s tragic battle with Alzheimer’s. That is hardly the case. “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” is a pure, 100%, unpolished lyrical masterpiece. It’s sentimental but not syrupy, you get the feeling that this song has a purpose, and it’s not just a cheap way of advertising his documentary and the upcoming soundtrack for it. Anchored by a hook for the ages, and you have a song worthy of its recent Grammy nomination.
It goes further than just the lyrics on paper however. It’s also the sparse, gorgeous arrangement that gives Campbell’s raw, emotional, unfiltered vocal room to shine. It’s through Glen’s vocal that you really feel the pain he’s going through, and that really elevates it to tear-jerker status.
“I’m Not Gonna Miss You” is the perfect tribute song. It’s a song that, in a perfect world, would set the standard for how this type of song is executed. Calling it brilliant wouldn’t come close to doing this recording justice.