Released: 2021
‘I Quit Drinking’ by Kelsea Ballerini and LANY is a heartfelt tale of love and loss. It explores the aftermath of a breakup, using the act of quitting drinking as a metaphor for the pain and changes that come with the end of a relationship.
The song starts with a vivid picture of a wild, passionate relationship. ‘Body to body, Dance the night away, Shoot tequila straight’ – these lines paint a picture of a carefree time filled with parties, dancing, and tequila shots. This was a time when the lovers were ‘obsessed with each other’ and ‘down for another round until last call’.
But then, the chorus hits. ‘You’re the reason there’s no whiskey, Anywhere inside this house’ – this line is a stark contrast to the party-filled verses. It signifies a major change in the speaker’s life – they’ve quit drinking, and it’s all because of the other person.
‘You’re the reason all my friends know I don’t go downtown’ – this line implies that the speaker has also stopped going out, likely to avoid reminders of their lost love. The repeated phrase ‘You’re the reason’ emphasizes the profound impact the other person has had on the speaker’s life.
The second verse brings us to the morning after the party. ‘Dizzy all morning, Hungover, pouring, Cups of coffee, black’ – these lines evoke a sense of nostalgia for the shared mornings, the hangovers, and the intimate moments in bed.
The bridge ‘I quit thinking, Staring at the ceiling, Dumped my Cabernets down the kitchen sink’ is particularly poignant. It shows the speaker trying to forget, to stop thinking about the other person, and the act of pouring wine down the sink is a symbolic gesture of letting go.
In conclusion, ‘I Quit Drinking’ is a deeply emotional song about heartbreak and the struggle to move on. The lyrics use the act of quitting drinking as a metaphor for the painful process of letting go of a lost love.
