Jelly Roll officially unfurled the tracklist of his upcoming Beautifully Broken album on Tuesday (Oct. 8), and as expected, it’s a massive project with 22 songs in total.
Fans have heard a couple of those songs already, like the album’s lead single “I Am Not Okay,” “Liar” and his recently-released “Winning Streak.” But the large majority of the tracklist is, as yet, unheard.
However, the singer’s wife Bunnie Xo previewed a small snippet of one of the songs on her social media. She shared video of herself singing along to an unreleased track that she says is “one of the most emotional songs my husband has written for US.”
At first glance, that description could lead listeners to expect a love song. Jelly’s written several of those, including another Beautifully Broken track called “Woman,” which Bunnie teased back in September.
But as she lip-syncs along to the lyrics, it’s clear that this track tackles different, darker subject matter. “Her mom and daddy trusted / That neighbor she grew up with / They were working days and nights / So he took her home from school sometimes,” Jelly sings in the snippet.
“One day when she came home / It looked like she saw a ghost / She snuck up to her room to cry / with a lifelong scar to hide,” the song continues.
The song goes on to describe a girl who’s “young enough for princess posters,” but the actions of one predatory neighbor have already made her grow up before her time. “He stole the innocence from her / Before she knew the meaning of the word,” the song continues.
“The song makes me cry every time I hear it. If you’re a survivor — IT WAS WRITTEN FOR YOU,” Bunnie notes in the caption of her post.
Read More: Watch a Throwback Video of Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo Getting Engaged
Jelly’s unreleased song is a cinematic, mid-tempo ballad that appears to feature a female singer. In her post, Bunnie indicated that its title was “Past Yesterday,” and that it would be included on Beautifully Broken.
According to Jelly’s tracklist announcement, there’s actually not a song called “Past Yesterday” on the album, but there is a song called “When the Drugs Don’t Work” that features singer and professional songwriter Ilsey.
Beautifully Broken also includes a collaboration with Wiz Khalifa and a second duet with Machine Gun Kelly called “Time of Day.” Jelly and MGK previously teamed up for “Lonely Road,” their reimagined take on John Denver‘s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”
Jelly Roll, Beautifully Broken Tracklist:
1. “Winning Streak”
2. “Burning”
3. “Heart of Stone”
4. “I Am Not Okay”
5. “When the Drugs Don’t Work” (feat. Ilsey)
6. “Higher Than Heaven” (feat. Wiz Khalifa)
7. “Liar”
8. “Everyone Bleeds”
9. “Get By”
10. “Unpretty”
11. “Grace”
12. “What it Takes”
13. “Hey Mama”
14. “Time of Day” (feat. MGK)
15. “Born Again”
16. “Guilty”
17. “Little Light”
18. “Hear Me Out”
19. “Woman”
20. “Smile So Much”
21. “My Cross”
22. “What’s Wrong With Me”
Jelly Roll: 23 Stunning Facts About the ‘Save Me’ Singer
Jelly Roll is country music’s most fascinating character. His life has taken dozens of wild twists and turns, and he’s been honest about all of it. Here are 23 facts about the “Save Me” singer and his family.
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes