The unfortunate reality is that many people have outlived our beloved pets, and losing a pet is truly like losing a member of your family.
Chris Stapleton told Vulture, "On this record, 'Maggie's Song' is about my dog dying. That's probably one of the most personal things. Maggie was a family member of ours, so much so that in the moment, I felt like she deserved a song." He added, "I wrote that song in a therapeutic kind of way as a tribute, not necessarily trying to write for a record."
The singer further discussed the song in an interview with the Los Angeles Times and shared how difficult it is to sing the song. "It's all true stuff. There's no embellishment in it," he explained. "That one was hard to sing. I kept crying through a lot of it. I'm no authority on masculinity, but I don't feel un-masculine or embarrassed by having feelings. In fact, I think it's the most manly thing you can do." The star then joked, "And if somebody wants to say something to me about that, we can talk about it outside."
You can catch the Academy of Country Music Awards on April 18, 2021 on CBS at 8 p.m. ET.
