Mickey Guyton sends out a prayer for healing to a troubled world in “Heaven Down Here,” her third new song to come out in 2020. “Heaven Down Here” follows closely on the heels of Guyton’s current single, “Black Like Me.”
Phrased like a conversation with a higher power, “Heaven Down Here” — which Guyton penned with Gordie Sampson, Josh Kear, and Hillary Lindsey — has the singer openly expressing her concerns. “I’m just so disappointed in the way this world is coming unglued,” she admits. Amid a steady pulse of bass guitar and rumbling piano notes, the song builds up to Guyton’s impassioned proposal. “If you’ve got a little love left in your back pocket/Rain it down like pennies in this wishing well of tears,” she sings, pleading for a little mercy.
In June, Guyton released “Black Like Me,” which addressed racial inequality in the United States as protests were starting to take place over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. A handful of country artists made vocal statements supporting Black Lives Matter after Floyd’s death, while a majority of others refrained from making lengthy statements about the issue.
“I have been surprised by the ones that I thought would be a little bit stronger in their stance,” Guyton told Rolling Stone after “Black Like Me” was released. “It’s sad that it’s scary for people to publicly denounce racism. I hurt for them, the fear that they are feeling.”
In addition to “Black Like Me” and “Heaven Down Here,” Guyton also released the powerful equality statement “What Are You Gonna Tell Her” in 2020. She is currently working on an EP for fall release.
