“Hookup Scene” by Kacey Musgraves

To put “Hookup Scene” into its specific perspective, it was actually written by Kacey Musgraves after her recent divorce and upon the songstress re-entering the dating scene. It can be said that a lot has changed since the last time she was last single, i.e. 2016, to when she got divorced in 2020. For within that time, dating apps have proliferated. 

And even though we don’t have any statistics in front of us at the moment, it’s safe to say that they have become even more prolific than the traditional dating websites which predated them. And that is what Kacey is speaking to in this song, what she has described in her own words as “dating app culture”.

However, the term “hookup scene”, as generally understood, points to the entire singles’ game. And such is actually how the phrase is used therein. And what Kacey has learned based on her recent experiences is that if you do in fact “got someone to love”, then you should “hold on tight despite the way they make you mad”. 

Basically if you’re on a dating site for instance, by all means they’ll be a fellow registrant that you’re attracted to. But “a pretty face” doesn’t encompass all that is required for a relationship to be edifying. Instead, a “real connection” has to exist between two individuals for true love to exist.

All in all

So the vocalist is mature enough to understand that now being divorced, it’s not like she can go back in time and save the marriage. But at the same time now looking back, the implication is that Musgraves wishes she had exercised more patience, since in her eyes being an unfulfilled single is even worse than being in a less-than-ideal marriage. And that is because in the latter case, even if she didn’t always get along with her spouse, at least they were in fact soulmates.

More about “Hookup Scene”

Kacey Musgraves wrote and produced this song in conjunction with the following writers:

• Ian Fitchuk
• Daniel Tashian

The former is from Chicago and the latter Connecticut. These are the same musicians who served as executive producers of Golden Hour (2018), Kacey’s last studio album, a project that ended up winning four Grammy Awards, etc.

Meanwhile “Hookup Scene” is from Kacey’s fifth studio album, “Star-Crossed”, which MCA Nashville and Interscope Records made public on 10 September 2021.

The marriage referred to throughout this post was that of Kacey Musgraves’ to fellow country musician Ruston Kelly. They got engaged in 2016, married in 2017 and divorced in 2020. And to note, Kelly was Musgraves’ first husband.