The story behind “He’ll Have to Go” is as compelling as the song itself. Written by Joe and Audrey Allison, the lyrics emerged from a moment Joe overheard at a bar: a man pleading with a woman over the phone, asking her to speak closer so he could hear her voice.
There was something heartbreakingly human about that exchange — a man trying to hold on to someone who was slipping away. That raw mixture of love, fear, and tenderness became the soul of the song. Joe and Audrey turned that brief emotional glimpse into a lyrical masterpiece about longing, distance, and the aching hope that love might still survive.
Atkins believed that Reeves’ voice could carry the emotional weight on its own, and he was absolutely right. The instrumentation stayed smooth and understated, providing just enough texture to enhance the vocals without overwhelming them.
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