On Monday, December 14th, Cole Swindell dropped his latest single, titled ‘You Should Be Here.’ And this is not the type of song that we have come to expect from Cole Swindell. It’s not a big party anthem like the smash-hit, ‘This Is How We Roll,’ that he co-wrote with Florida-Georgia Line and Luke Bryan. It’s also not like his most recent No. 1 song, ‘Let Me See Ya Girl,’ which is just pure fun- something that makes you want to get up and dance. ‘You Should Be Here’ is special. It’s compelling and captivating. It’s emotional and heartfelt. It’s serious and relatable.
Swindell penned the hit with Ashley Gorley on Swindell’s tour bus while it was parked outside of Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. And while the song is open to interpretation for missing someone in an important moment, the song was actually inspired by the sudden passing of Cole’s father, which is clearly shown through the music video that was also released on Monday. The video begins with a clip of Cole and his father having one of the final conversations they had on the phone, right after Cole signed his record deal. The video ends with Cole visiting his father’s final resting place for the first time and sharing an emotional and very real embrace with his brothers. It’s pretty cool that Cole was willing to chronicle that moment in his life and share it with the world like he did. If this video doesn’t get you choked up, even just a little, you may need to check your pulse.
But don’t just think that this is a sentimental song with a matching video. In between those heartfelt moments it is also a nod to his accomplishments in his young career- moments he wishes his dad was there for- like his Opry debut and the events surrounding his winning of the 2014 ACM New Artist of the Year. ‘You Should Be Here’ is a song that is saying ‘hey, we’ve done some cool stuff and accomplished so much, but I wish my dad (for Cole) was here to experience it all with me.’ We’ve all had those moments and feelings in our lives. We don’t need to have those incredible moments like singing on stage with Kenny Chesney to share that feeling with Swindell. It can simply by the birth of a child, a wedding, etc. Those things in life that you want to share with someone, especially someone who has passed away.
It seems that Cole Swindell is as proud of this song as any other song that he has written. He practically says that ‘You Should Be Here’ is THE song that defines who he is by saying, “This is the song I came to Nashville to write. It’s not like anything I’ve written before. I’m extremely proud this is the first single from my next album. I think anyone can relate to this song for so many different reasons because we’ve all had moments that we wished someone special could have shared with us.” For a guy who has already written a number of hits, to say that this is the song that he went to the Music City to write, shows a lot about how much this song means to him not only for his personal experience but also as a songwriter.
As for the music perspective, the song is beautiful. The prominent piano that is heard throughout the song really gives the song the depth it deserves and Cole’s voice has this deep sincerity to go along with it. To have great lyrics, great vocals and great musical elements in a song are all the makings of a hit song.
It’s truly remarkable what Cole has done in a short period of time. He worked himself up the ranks from Luke Bryan’s merchandise manager, to a full blown artist and the first solo male artist in the history of Country Aircheck/Mediabase to top the chart with his first four No. 1 singles. Cole should make that five consecutive No. 1 singles out of the box with ‘You Should Be Here.’
Favorite Lyrics: It’s one of those moments. That’s got your name written all over it. You know if I had just one wish. It’d be that you didn’t have to miss this. You should be here…
You can purchase your copy of Cole Swindell’s ‘You Should Be Here’ on iTunes here.