Miranda Lambert‘s latest record The Weight of These Wings has been the source of great praise since its release in November 2016. Many consider it to be one of the best albums released in 2016, something that was confirmed when the two-disc collection took home the ACM Award for Album of the Year.
The variety of songs on The Weight of These Wings plays a huge role in the album’s popularity and success. There are several songs that showcase Lambert’s signature sense of spunk, such as “We Should Be Friends” and “Pink Sunglasses.” But at the same time, the record also contains its fair share of sad songs, perhaps none more so than “Tin Man.”
Written by Lambert, Jack Ingram, and Jon Randall, “Tin Man” is told from the perspective of a brokenhearted woman speaking to the Tin Man character from The Wizard of Oz. Anyone who has watched the movie knows that the Tin Man was created without a heart, so he wishes he had one. But as Lambert tells the Tin Man in her song, he wouldn’t want a heart if he ever knew how painful heartache can be.
Four days before she released “Tin Man” as a single, Lambert delivered an acoustic performance of the song during the ACM Awards. With nothing but the song of her own guitar to accompany her, Lambert poured her heart into her emotional performance.
Speaking to the radio show Delilah about the song, Lambert said that fans have mixed feelings about it. Many love it, but for some, the heartbreak she portrays in the lyrics weighs heavy on their own hearts.
Lambert wants to apologize to her fans who have been reminded of hurtful times because of “Tin Man.” However, she recognizes that sometimes you have to face those tough times in order to find happiness down the road.
“I’m sorry, and you’re welcome,” she said. “Sometimes you have to be reminded of the bad times so you can stay strong. The biggest blessing of pain is the reward on the other side.”
Although the song may be painful to listen to at first, Lambert hopes that it can help people get through whatever hardships life may throw their way.
“It’s so therapeutic, right?” she said. “That’s what music does. It gets you through it.”
Lambert, Ingram, and Randall certainly wrote a therapeutic song when it comes to “Tin Man.” It’s something that anyone who has ever had a broken heart can relate to, which is what makes it such a powerful piece of music.
You can tune in below to watch Lambert’s moving performance of “Tin Man” during the ACM Awards. You can tell how much this song means to her!