Nothin' Sweeter

Album: Heaven on My Mind (2024)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Life, as we all know, has an infuriating tendency to be both wonderful and absolutely dreadful, often in the same breath. TobyMac understands this better than most. He's had to walk through some of the darkest valleys a person can face: the loss of his son Truett to an accidental overdose in 2019, and then in April 2024, the death of his dear friend and longtime bandmate Gabriel Patillo after a battle with cancer. That's the sort of thing that makes you want to sit down heavily in a quiet room with a large cup of tea and ask God what exactly He thinks He's playing at.

    And yet, TobyMac's 10th album, Heaven on My Mind, is not a lament, nor is it a collection of polite, neatly packaged platitudes. It is, instead, the story of coming out the other side. It's the sound of a man who has fought, wept, questioned, doubted, yet found himself loving God more deeply than ever before. "After hard things hit us, we can recover - we can be strong again," he said.
  • The album's central theme is summed up in "Nothin' Sweeter," a song that acknowledges life's dizzying highs and gut-wrenching lows, while landing, ultimately, on the overwhelming goodness of God.

    "I wanted to summarize a little bit that life is full of twists and turns and that I have seen a lot of it, and I've seen the sweetest parts of it, the best parts of it, and I've seen some really tough parts," TobyMac told Billboard. "And I landed on my feet was the goodness of God."
  • TobyMac co-wrote "Nothin' Sweeter" with Jordan Mohilowski and Benji Cowart.

    Mohilowski, who is also the drummer for The Afters, has worked with artists like MercyMe ("Say I Won't") and Walker Hayes ("Craig"), while Cowart has penned hits for Big Daddy Weave and teaches songwriting in Nashville. Together, they helped TobyMac shape "Nothin' Sweeter" into a declaration of trust - one that doesn't ignore the pain, but neither does it let the pain have the last word.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Brenda Russell

Brenda RussellSongwriter Interviews

Brenda talks about the inspiration that drove her to write hit songs like "Get Here" and "Piano in the Dark," and why a lack of formal music training can be a songwriter's best asset.

Colin Hay

Colin HaySongwriter Interviews

Established as a redoubtable singer-songwriter, the Men At Work frontman explains how religion, sobriety and Jack Nicholson play into his songwriting.

Jeff Trott

Jeff TrottSongwriter Interviews

Sheryl Crow's longtime songwriting partner/guitarist Jeff Trott reveals the stories behind many of the singer's hits, and what its like to be a producer for Leighton Meester and Max Gomez.

Benny Mardones

Benny MardonesSongwriter Interviews

His song "Into The Night" is one of the most-played of all time. For Benny, it took him to hell and back.

Rick Astley

Rick AstleySongwriter Interviews

Rick Astley on "Never Gonna Give You Up," "Cry For Help," and his remarkable resurgence that gave him another #1 UK album.

Wherefore Art Thou Romeo Lyric

Wherefore Art Thou Romeo LyricMusic Quiz

In this quiz, spot the artist who put Romeo into a song lyric.