Luke Bryan Captures Nostalgia + Romance in ‘Love You, Miss You, Mean It’ [Listen]

Luke Bryan’s new single “Love You, Miss You, Mean It” has arrived.

Authored by Rhett Akins, Jordan Minton, Jacob Rice and Ben Hayslip, the romantic ode has Bryan chronologically chronicling the storyline of a short-lived high school love story — or so it seems.

The sequence of events begins with Bryan recalling the early years of his relationship.

“We were small-town meant to be / My momma loved her, her daddy loved me / We'd burned up the room between her house and mine / We kiss in her driveway / By the time I hit the highway / She called to tell me goodnight one more time,” he sings in the opening verse.

“And she'd say, ‘Love you, miss you, mean it / Boy, I'll see you when I'm dreamin' I can't wait to feel you hold me again / Till then I'll be countin' down the minutes / I'll be climbin' up these walls / Your kiss, I want it, need it / Love you, miss you, mean it, baby,” he continues in the heartfelt chorus.

The second verse chronicles their parting of ways for college, and the gradual dissipation of the relationship, as Bryan recalls the events with melancholy.

“When graduation came UGA was callin' her name . We thought two hundred miles wasn't nothin' we couldn't get through / But after that first fall / The time got longer between the calls / And I couldn't help but wonder what happened to,” he recounts.

However, things take a surprising turn years later, when Bryan’s phone gets lit up with a text from this old flame. What does that entail? You’ll have to listen to find out.

At its core, “Love You, Miss You, Mean It” embodies the heart of sentimental country storytelling with its slice-of-life lyrics that unfold a timeline of events listeners may be well acquainted with.

Beyond its level of universal reliability, Bryan also found that it mirrors part of his love story with his wife, Caroline.

“The first time I heard the song I felt like so many people would relate to it because we’ve all said that phrase ‘Love You, Miss You, Mean It,’” Bryan tells the press. “And the fact that the song just talks about young kids falling in love and the challenges of moving off to college and then finally reuniting is kinda my story with Caroline. I hope y’all love it.”

“Love You, Miss You, Mean It” is Bryan’s will arrive at country radio April 8. Bryan’s also concurrently making his way up the country charts with his duet with Jon Pardi, "Cowboys and Plowboys."