If my gift is to do that through songwriting and I don’t do that, then what am I doing? Being able to share feelings, even though it might be painful, that’s real life. “It is scary sometimes, not knowing what people are going to think,” he says, “but if I can share a little bit of my grief, a little bit of my pain, and it helps somebody, then why would I not do that? No matter if we’re talking music or life, we’re all here to help each other out. He admits that it isn’t always easy making himself this vulnerable through his songwriting. I write what I’m feeling, but also, I know that I feel like a lot of other people out there,” Swindell says. It’s a special connection between songwriters, artists, and fans. I think that’s the special thing about music: being able to connect with people that you’ve never met, but knowing that you have been through the same thing. “Obviously, that song is very personal, but I also knew that I wanted a song to help other people-and knowing that I’m not alone in feeling the way I do. “You Should Be Here,” which Swindell wrote (with Ashley Gorley) after his father passed away, became a double platinum-selling single after its 2015 release, and served as the title track for his second album when it came out the following year. Without the fun stuff, I’d have never been able to have a platform to say stuff like the song ‘You Should Be Here.’” The song “Chillin’ It” started my whole career, and I just knew, ‘This song might not change the world, but it’s going to get somebody’s attention, and I want to build my fan base and be able to say stuff that matters. As he recalls, he always knew what he needed to do to make his mark in the music business: “When my career started out, I was the fun guy.
1 songs that he’s written for other artists-Swindell certainly seems to understand how to write a successful song. “Anytime you can come up with an idea that’s a little different than maybe has been said before is rare, but that’s always the goal.” “The beauty of it, to me, is that we’re all just trying to find a different way to say what’s been said for years,” he says. I really do think it’s going to be the one that stands out to people the most.”įor Swindell, the ability to take a song in an unexpected direction is one of the hallmarks of good songwriting. “It’s about a girl getting up and singing this song on karaoke, and it’s just stealing the show: ‘Wow, who is this?’ She’s got you falling from the first line of the chorus.
“It’s going to sound familiar to people because it sounds a lot like the original song, but the lyrics are changed and it’s a whole different viewpoint,” he continues. So I ended up getting to write that song with two heroes, two legendary songwriters. We wanted to make sure they were cool with the idea. “This was a song that I think everybody loved,” Swindell says, “and so we called the original songwriters, Tim Nichols and Mark Sanders, and told them our idea. While on tour opening for Thomas Rhett last year, Swindell thought of a way to rework the song, but he knew he had to approach it carefully. While Swindell says he’s proud of the whole album, he does have a special fondness for the track “She Had Me at Heads Carolina,” which is based on a 1996 hit song, “Heads Carolina, Tails California,” from the debut album by country singer Jo Dee Messina. I think this album is hopefully going to be a game-changer. “This album is definitely my favorite one I’ve ever made, and I can’t wait to hear what people think about it. On Stereotype, “We tried to put in something for everybody-that’s what I always do,” Swindell says. We recorded songs at the last minute that might not have been on the album if we put it out any earlier.” “I think it gave me a chance to really look at this album and make sure we had the songs we needed. His experiences inspired him to name his fourth studio album Stereotype (out April 8 via Warner Music Nashville): “At the beginning of my career, I was the fun guy: I had the party song-but I also don’t want people to think that’s all I can do,” he says during a call to American Songwriter from his Nashville home.īecause of COVID pandemic disruptions, it’s been three and a half years since All of It, Swindell’s last studio album-but he believes this delay was probably a blessing in disguise. When he kicked off his own artist career with his feel-good 2013 debut single, “Chillin’ It,” the song reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart-the first of ten No.
Cole Swindell started off in country music as a songwriter, penning hits for Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Thomas Rhett, and Chris Young.