Too Good To Be True

Album: Deeper Well (2024)
Charted: 102
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Over a warm and inviting melody, Kacey Musgraves straddles the line between love and heartbreak with some clever wordplay on this track:

    Be good to me and I'll be good to you
    But please don't be too good to be true


    A possible inspiration for the song is Cole Schafer, a poet Musgraves dated for about two years. They split a few months before the song was released.
  • Kacey Musgraves co-wrote "Too Good to be True" with her frequent collaborators, Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk. The two also collaborated with Musgraves on her albums Golden Hour (2018) and Star-Crossed (2021).

    Singer-songwriter Anna Nalick also gets credited because the song interpolates elements of her 2005 hit "Breathe (2 AM)."
  • "Too Good to be True" was released as the second single from Deeper Well on February 29, 2024. Musgraves recorded the album at Electric Lady in New York rather than in Nashville. "I was seeking some different environmental energy, and Electric Lady has the best mojo," said the country star.
  • Kacey Musgraves performed "Too Good To Be True" and "Deeper Well" on the March 2, 2024 episode of Saturday Night Live. This was the singer's third musical appearance on the long-running show.
  • The "Too Good To Be True" video was directed by Scott Cudmore (N.E.R.D., Feist, Justin Bieber). The clip is a mind-bending exploration of the song's themes, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy.

    We see Musgraves recording the song in the studio, but is that all there is? The video becomes a metanarrative, constantly questioning what's real and what's just a carefully crafted illusion. Are they "too good to be true," mirroring the song's central question?
  • "Too Good To Be True" explores the vulnerability of stepping into new love after past hurt. "It takes a lot of bravery to put yourself out there again," Kacey Musgraves shared with American Songwriter. "But I do think that's why we're here as humans, and it can be easy to stay in this little world, currently single world, where you can control every aspect of everything, and it feels good."

    "But you also grow a lot as a human by rubbing up against someone else's shortcomings and them rubbing up against yours," she continued. "And it's just scary. Conflict is inevitable with love. It's part of it. I think I was just in this mindset at that point in time of like, 'Okay, I'm opening myself up again here.'"

Comments: 1

  • Christy from OklahomaI'm glad she credited her. The instant I heard the song, I knew where I'd heard the vocal melody from.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger

Kelly Keagy of Night RangerSongwriter Interviews

Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger tells the "Sister Christian" story and explains why he started sweating when he saw it in Boogie Nights.

Adam Duritz of Counting Crows

Adam Duritz of Counting CrowsSongwriter Interviews

"Mr. Jones" took on new meaning when the song about a misguided view of fame made Adam famous.

Psychedelic Lyrics

Psychedelic LyricsMusic Quiz

Whoa man! Do you know which band came up with these cosmic lyrics?

Which Restaurants Are Most Mentioned In Song Lyrics?

Which Restaurants Are Most Mentioned In Song Lyrics?Song Writing

Katy Perry mentions McDonald's, Beyoncé calls out Red Lobster, and Supertramp shouts out Taco Bell - we found the 10 restaurants most often mentioned in songs.

Yacht Rock Quiz

Yacht Rock QuizFact or Fiction

Christopher Cross with Deep Purple? Kenny Loggins in Caddyshack? A Fact or Fiction all about yacht rock and those who made it.

Kevin Godley

Kevin GodleySongwriter Interviews

Kevin Godley talks about directing classic videos for The Police, U2 and Duran Duran, and discusses song and videos he made with 10cc and Godley & Creme.