Thomas Rhett’s “Marry Me”
Thomas Rhett Akins, more famously known as Thomas Rhett, has a trend of writing heartwarming songs that leaves listeners wanting a life as ‘perfect’ as his. Many of his songs tell his life story, which can be comparable to a fairytale. Two of those songs are “Die a Happy Man” and “Life Changes”. Both of which tell his love story. This is a common occurrence in popular music, including country which is Thomas Rhett’s genre of choice. Both songs tell a story in such a vivid way that it becomes Rhett’s signature theme. After writing joyous songs that always end with the listener smiling, he writes a song called “Marry Me”. This one left some of his fans confused, what happened to the perfect love story everyone thought Thomas Rhett had?
The song “Marry Me” tells a detailed story, as many of Thomas Rhett’s songs do. This one tells of a man who wanted to marry a woman from the day he met her when they were young. It quickly went to be telling of her wedding, but he was sitting in the back of the crowd wishing it was him up there marrying her. This leads to questioning why he would write such a sad song. On Billboard’s website, Taylor Weatherby writes an article on Thomas Rhett’s album, Life Changes.As many listeners wonder, she delves into the song “Marry Me”. She includes a quote of Rhett explaining the song: “That was basically my ‘What if’ song — there was a time [Lauren and I] dated and broke up forever and almost married other people”. This explains his personal reason for the song, but speaking culturally and from a sales standpoint, it is also a bold choice for Rhett.

Each artist has their audience, Thomas Rhett has listeners who loved a good pick me up. With this song he appealed to a new audience, people who do not necessarily expect a fairytale or have had no such luck. Writing a song that does have a happy ending ropes in what has become the cultural norm for young adults. Many see the happy ending he usually has as unrealistic. So, he appealed to new listeners and showed them that he in fact does understand the heart break and pain.
The change in Thomas Rhett’s common theme for songs was a success for him. “Marry Me” peaked at number two in country hits and remained on the top chart for thirty-three weeks. He appealed to his audience in writing a great song but gained new followers as well. Thomas Rhett took a risk with this song but ended with a incredible results.