If you’ve ever found yourself deep-diving into the early catalog of a country star, you know that the radio hits rarely tell the whole story. You’ve got the flashy number-one singles, sure, but then there are the songs that feel like the actual foundation of an artist's soul. For Jon Pardi, that song is That Man.
Honestly, in a world where country music keeps trying to reinvent itself as pop or trap-lite, looking back at Pardi's 2014 debut feels like a breath of fresh, dusty air. Released on the album Write You a Song, this track wasn't a chart-topping monster like "Dirt on My Boots" would eventually become. But it was the blueprint.
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The Bones of the Song
Written by Pardi himself along with Casey Beathard—a Nashville heavyweight who’s penned hits for everyone from Eric Church to Kenny Chesney—the track is a masterclass in Bakersfield-meets-Nashville. It’s got that signature Pardi swing. You know the one. It makes you want to grab a cold beer and find a hardwood floor to shuffle on.
A lot of folks forget that when Write You a Song dropped in January 2014, Pardi was still the new kid on the block. He was competing with the peak "Bro-Country" era. While everyone else was singing about tan lines and tailgates over programmed drum loops, Pardi was insistent on keeping the fiddle and the steel guitar front and center. Jon Pardi That Man served as a loud, twangy declaration that traditionalism wasn't dead; it just needed a little more attitude.
The lyrics aren't rocket science, and they aren't trying to be. It’s a classic "pick-me" song, but with a cowboy’s grit. He’s looking at a girl who’s being mistreated and essentially saying, "I’m right here, and I actually know how to treat you." It’s simple. It’s effective.
Why "That Man" Never Became a Radio Staple
You might wonder why, if the song is so quintessential Pardi, it didn't blow up the Billboard charts.
Timing is everything.
In 2014, Capitol Nashville was pushing "What I Can't Put Down" and "Up All Night." Those were the "safe" bets for radio. "That Man" was almost too country for the mainstream airwaves at that specific moment. It felt like a throwback in a way that the industry wasn't quite ready to reward with a #1 spot yet.
However, if you talk to the "Pardi Animals"—the die-hard fans who were showing up to his club sets long before he was headlining arenas—they’ll tell you this song was a live staple. It’s got a tempo that demands a dance floor.
- Producer: Bart Butler (who has been with Pardi since the start)
- Vibe: Mid-tempo honky-tonk swing
- Key instruments: Heavy fiddle and bright electric guitar riffs
The Pardi Evolution: From "That Man" to "Mr. Saturday Night"
It’s fascinating to listen to Jon Pardi That Man and then skip ahead to his 2022/2023 work like Mr. Saturday Night. You can hear the same guy, just with a bigger budget and more confidence.
Basically, Pardi didn't change his sound to fit Nashville; he waited for Nashville to come back to him. By the time he was releasing hits like "Last Night Lonely" or his recent 2026 track "Boots Off," the market had pivoted back toward the neotraditional sound he had been championing since the Write You a Song days.
There's a specific kind of nuance in his early vocals on this track. He sounds hungry. There’s a bit more "California" in his delivery—that West Coast country style that Dwight Yoakam made famous. It’s less polished than his current radio hits, and that’s exactly why people still search for it. It’s raw.
What Most People Get Wrong About Early Pardi
A common misconception is that Pardi was "manufactured" to be the traditional guy. If you go back and listen to the credits on Jon Pardi That Man, you see his name as a co-writer and co-producer. This wasn't a label executive's idea of what a cowboy should sound like. This was a kid from Dixon, California, who grew up on George Strait and Alan Jackson and refused to budge on his identity.
Some critics at the time thought the sound was too "retro" to last. They were wrong. Dead wrong.
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The staying power of Pardi's early work lies in the fact that it doesn't sound dated. Because he didn't use the trendy synth-drums of 2014, "That Man" sounds just as fresh today as it did twelve years ago. It’s timeless in a way that "bro-country" tracks from the same year just... aren't.
How to Appreciate the Track Today
If you're just getting into Pardi, don't stop at the Greatest Hits. Go back to the debut.
Listen to the way the fiddle (likely Jeneé Fleenor, a frequent collaborator) cuts through the mix. Pay attention to the "walking" bassline. It’s a song designed for a smoky bar, not a sleek stadium, and that intimacy is what makes it special.
If you want to experience the full "Pardi" effect, try these steps:
- Listen to the studio version on Write You a Song to hear the crisp production of Bart Butler.
- Find a live recording from a 2014 or 2015 set. The energy is different when he’s playing to a crowd of 200 people.
- Compare it to "Head Over Boots." You’ll see how the DNA of his biggest hit was already present in "That Man."
There’s no "conclusion" needed for a career that’s still hitting its stride. Pardi is currently one of the most consistent forces in country music, and looking back at deep cuts like this proves he was never a flash in the pan. He was just a guy with a hat, a fiddle, and a plan to save country music one swing at a time.
Keep an eye on his 2026 tour dates; while he’s playing the new hits from Honkytonk Hollywood, you might just hear the band slide into those familiar opening notes of "That Man" for the old-school fans in the front row.