There’s no shortage of country songs about young love, summer nights, and the ones that got away. It’s familiar territory, but Troy Cartwright finds a way to make it his own on his latest single, “One Summer When I Was Young.”
Written by Cartwright alongside Adam Wood and Adam Chaffins, the song takes listeners back to being 17, when falling in love for the first time felt like the biggest thing in the world. At that age, a few months can feel like forever, and it’s hard to imagine a future where that person isn’t part of your life. Of course, growing up has a way of changing things, but certain memories have a funny way of sticking around.
Cartwright doesn’t necessarily bring anything groundbreaking to the subject, and that’s part of the appeal. Rather than trying to reinvent the classic country nostalgia song, he leans into what makes those stories resonate in the first place. It’s less about the relationship itself and more about remembering who you were when it happened.
“Everybody’s got that one summer. A place, a time, or a memory they find themselves going back to,” Cartwright shares. “The good old days, even if you didn’t realize they were the good old days at the time. I hope this song takes you back to whatever that place is for you.”
And that’s really where the song lands. Maybe it’s a first love, an old hometown, or a summer spent with friends you haven’t seen in years. Whatever the memory, there’s something about looking back on a time you didn’t realize you’d eventually miss.
While Cartwright continues to release music of his own, he’s also built an impressive career writing for other artists. Most recently, he co-wrote Cody Johnson’s “Take Me Back (Leave Me There),” which reached No. 10 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and No. 33 on the Billboard Hot 100.
He’s also the voice behind Ten Year Town, a podcast that gives listeners a look at the people and stories behind Nashville’s music scene. Through conversations with artists, songwriters, and industry veterans, Cartwright has created another outlet for his appreciation of the craft.
With “One Summer When I Was Young,” Cartwright isn’t trying to tell a story nobody’s heard before. He’s reminding listeners why some stories are worth telling again. Sometimes all it takes is a song to bring you right back to a summer you haven’t thought about in years.
