Cole Swindell, Lainey Wilson Release Video for Their Duet “Never Say Never”
The anxiously awaited video from Cole Swindell and Lainey Wilson for their hit single “Never Say Never” released via YouTube and Facebook on January 12. CMT Hot 20 Countdown broadcast the premier of the video last Saturday (January 15, 9am ET/8am CT).
When questioned about the video a few weeks ago during an interview for Sounds Like Nashville, both Cole and Lainey assured that it would be something different that fans of the song would not think of.
“We can’t tell you the storyline, but it is going to be different,” Cole said, adding, “If we did tell you what it is you would go, ‘I’m gonna be watching that on Netflix next week.’ We are shooting it out of Nashville, and I wish I could tell you more, but I’m very excited about it. I’m ready for it to release now, and as soon as we can shoot it and do some edits, we’ll have it out.”
Cole was absolutely right about the video being different from the lyrics of the song, but nevertheless it is a love song. The story takes place in a penitentiary, where it is apparent that a guard and a prisoner have fallen in love. You don’t know if the two knew each other before, but you know they are certainly aware of each other as soon as you see the first scene of them together.
Cole and Lainey went to Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary near Knoxville, Tennessee to film the video. The story goes back and forth between the prisoner and the guard while Cole and Lainey sing the song in front of prison cells. It is an interesting approach to the song, yet the story fits both couples who sing about not being able to get along without the other person in their life.
“Never Say Never,” is already in the Top 20 on the country singles chart and continues to climb. It was written by Swindell, Jessi Alexander and Chase McGill, and is the follow up to number one singles for both artists – Swindell’s “Single Saturday Night” and Wilson’s “Things A Man Oughta Know.”
Swindell already has multi-platinum success and Wilson is being hailed as one of country’s artists to watch. Both are fans of each other’s music so when it came time for Cole to pick someone to sing with him on the duet, Laney was foremost in his mind.
“We knew it was a special song,” he confesses. “I wrote it with Chase McGill and Jessi Alexander, and we wrote it as a duet because I had not had a true duet yet in my career. I’ve been a big fan of Lainey’s music since I first heard her, she is just a phenomenal singer. I was like, ‘Man, do you think she’ll do it?’ My producer Zach Crowell said, ‘You’ll never know unless you ask her.’ So I sent her this text and said, ‘I’ve got this song that would be perfect for you. I can’t hear anybody else singing it, especially that first line ‘I told my mama so…”
Lainey picks up the story. “I was taking my first vacation in I can’t tell you how long, propping my feet up and drinking a pina colada. Enjoying life. So Cole texts, ‘I got this song, been waiting to find right person to be on it you are first person I thought of.’ I take a lot of pride in my own songwriting and my art. I am a stickler, I’m not gonna lie, it’s got to feel like I wrote it. I think people can tell when you don’t want to do it from the inside out.
“I listed to the first verse and chorus, and I was like, ‘Holy moly this song is special, it makes me feel something.’ And I’ve also been a fan of Cole’s for the longest time, and I look to him as songwriter, artist and entertainer so I couldn’t say yes quick enough. I’m also a big fan of Jessi and Gill, and I had written with them a handful of times, so I knew immediately when I saw they had written it together it was going to be a dang good song.”
Cole admits that “Those three or four minutes were the longest, they felt like an hour. I was just sitting there, wondering what she was going to say. When she said it was a special song, that was the biggest relief. Then all of our teams got together and made it happen.
“I’ll never forget being in the studio with her the day we recorded it. I mean we were both, you could just feel it, the band, that is what we were waiting for. To hear her on it was everything I imagined. I just love that it’s rocking. She’s country but she’s so perfect for it.”
Lainey chimes in, “It’s hard to do a rocking song and also be passionate. This song does it. it makes you feel all the things, it makes you say ‘hell yeah’ and it makes you want to kiss somebody.”
Cole didn’t remember who came up with the idea for “Never Say Never” until Jessi posted on her website that it was her idea. We wrote it while I was on tour in Louisiana, and they had come out to write with me. I remember hearing it and liking it immediately. I think they knew I was looking for a duet and they told me the idea and I said let’s do this thing.
“I don’t know anybody who hasn’t been in this situation at some point in time,” Lainey says of the song. “It’s like that piece of chocolate cake you know you shouldn’t have but you keep going back to it. I think we can all relate in some kind of way, even if you haven’t been in a relationship in your life. And I think Zack did a good job in meshing our sounds together. He took what you do and what I do and put it together, which makes him an incredible producer. He took his time getting to know my music before we recorded it.”
Cole agreed, saying, “I’ve had a lot of people tell me that we sound good together. It shows you can do whatever you want. This is the type of song that neither of us had done, but it works.”
Both artists feel the song could take them to the next level in their careers. “I’ll tell you, this song is what is supposed to have happened,” Lainey said. “Especially for somebody in my position, going to radio with a second single is harder than the first song. I am so grateful that Cole asked me to do this. Especially for people in radio, when they see someone like Cole believe in me enough to ask me to duet with him, that makes a big difference. I think it is important to have champions and that is what Cole is doing for me.”
Cole believes it is a win/win situation for both of them. “To me it couldn’t have worked out any better. We’ve talked about this, whatever the next level for both of us, this is the one that gets us there.”
The song broke after Cole announced his headlining Down To The Bar Tour on February 17, 2022 in Peoria, IL. Travis Denning and Ashley Cookejoin him on the tour. Lainey is also working on her spring and summer tour. Fans might be surprised to see each of them pop up from time to time as their tours progress.
“I’ll tell you if there is a date you are playing and I have off, I’ll be there to sing with you,” Lainey said.
“We’ll get you there,” Cole assured her, adding, “If you have a show and I can get there, I will. I think we have to do that because I know the fans are wanting to hear us together. We just have to figure out how we will do it live. I’m ready for us to sing in person.”
