Nobody else in country music does pain as well as Gary Allan, which he proves once again with his new single, "Mess Me Up."

The gravel-voiced country singer has long been one of the few legitimate country singers who can deliver painful subject matter in a way that makes you want to experience it right along with him, and he's both tormented and sexy on "Mess Me Up," which top Nashville tunesmiths Ashley Gorley, Ross Copperman and Shane McAnally teamed up to co-write.

The tracks opens with a moody soundscape of reverb-drenched guitars over light insistent percussion that builds and builds along with Allan's anguished vocal performance until it explodes into the chorus over a sea of big guitars.

The lyrics address a lover that the narrator knows is no good for him, but he can't help but be drawn to: "Mess me up / Make me drink too much wine and get out my guitar around 2 in the morning / Keep me up / All night thinking that every headlight I see might be some car that you're in / Call my phone and hang up / Leave me here wondering what in the hell you keep doin' / Yeah, ruin me girl, mess me up," Allan sings in the tortured chorus.

"Mess Me Up" is a return to form of a sort for Allan, whose last few singles have struggled to gain acceptance at country radio. Armed with enough heartbreak to connect with anyone who's ever sat by the phone waiting for a call that wasn't coming, with just enough of a progressive edge to gain traction in today's climate without alienating Allan's older fans, "Mess Me Up" could be the singer's ticket back to the Top 10.

Did You Know? Allan has been playing "Mess Me Up" live for more than a year, and released the song due to fan demand

Listen to Gary Allan, "Mess Me Up"

Gary Allan, "Mess Me Up" Lyrics:

Twist that knife, come on make it hurt / Make me go out in a field, light a fire and just watch it burn / Stand me up on a Friday night / Tell me you love then tell me that you've changed your mind 

CHORUS:

Mess me up / Make me drink too much wine and get out my guitar around 2 in the morning / Keep me up / All night thinking that every headlight I see might be some car that you're in / Call my phone and hang up / Leave me here wondering what in the hell you keep doin' / Yeah, ruin me girl, mess me up

Make me punch a wall, make me slam a few doors / Kiss some stranger just 'cause she had eyes that were kind of like yours / Just show up and spend the night / Leave your coat leave no note, girl be gone by the daylight

REPEAT CHORUS

Baby don't take it easy on me / I guess this is how it's gotta be / I want what I want I don't care if it's not what I need / Mess me up, come on mess me up

REPEAT CHORUS

See the Top 10 Songs of 2017, So Far

Love Passionate Country Songs? You'll Love This Brett Young Performance: 

More From Kalamazoo's Country