The Real Meaning Behind Gabby Barrett's The Good Ones

During her interview with Leslie Fram for CMT, Gabby Barrett said that she got the idea for "The Good Ones" while on "American Idol" with Cade Foehner. "I wrote it last year with a group of friends," she began. "The idea kind of sparked from when I was on 'American Idol' in 2018." Barrett said her family would constantly ask her about her boyfriend, Foehner, and she would respond "Oh, he's a good one. He's a keeper" (via YouTube).

Barrett also mentioned that she had heard the phrase used by many others in the past. "I had heard other people say that before," she said. "I've heard other girls say, 'Oh, he's a good one.' I've just heard it so many times. And I was like, that's it. We need to write a song about the good ones out there." Barrett then revealed that she liked how "The Good Ones" contrasted with her first hit single, "I Hope," which is about heartbreak, via Taste of Country. "With my first song ... it's a little bit of the opposite," she said in the CMT interview. "It's not a happy song. But I wanted to remind people that there are still good ones out there, and that I have found mine." Barrett's music video for "The Good Ones" was nominated for Best Female Video of the Year for the CMT Awards, which air on June 9.