Cole Swindell and Lainey Wilson just went No. 1 with their fiery duet “Never Say Never.” The chart-topper is Swindell’s 11th and Wilson’s second No. 1.
The pair performed the passionate call-and-answer power ballad in a rainstorm recently on the CMT Music Awards where they were multiple nominees.
“Thank you, @laineywilsonmusic, for letting me interrupt your vacation with a song I knew could be super special if you were singing on it with me,” Swindell wrote on Instagram. “Thanks to my ENTIRE team, Country Radio, all the streaming services, and the fans for all the love on “NSN.”
“We done did it,” Wilson added. “Appreciate you believing in me. Love you, brother! 🤘🏼”
Swindell believes “Never Say Never” is one of the most pivotal singles of his career. The Georgia native knew it was special when he wrote it with Jessi Alexander and Chase McGill – so special that he shelved “Never Say Never” for years until the right voice came along to sing it with him.
“It just got frustrating, honestly,” Swindell said. “I didn’t know if it’d ever go out. We were just talking about Lainey. I’d already been a fan of hers, but I was,’ Oh my gosh, how? Why haven’t we done this? Is this possible, please?’”
Swindell was nervous when he sent her the song, and he said it was “the longest three-and-a-half minutes of my life” as he waited for her to respond. Because Wilson writes her own songs, he wasn’t sure she’d be willing to sing on one that she didn’t write.
“When she wrote back that she was in and she thought it was a big song, it was just the biggest sigh of relief I’ve had since playing somebody the first song I ever wrote,” he said.
“Never Say Never” weaves the familiar tale of lovers who should stay away from each other – but can’t. Swindell believes that everyone has been there at some point, which is part of the song’s appeal.
“When you write and release songs, you obviously love them, or you wouldn’t release them,” Swindell said. “But there are several that kind of stand out, and you realize that was the next step in my career. That’s the way I honestly feel about the duet with Lainey. I think that’s gonna be one of those kinds of songs that whatever that next level is for me, I think that’s gonna help get me there.”
“Never Say Never” is Swindell’s second No. 1 single from his new album “Stereotype,” that is also home to “Single Saturday Night.”