Cole Swindell - "Middle Of A Memory"

[sabre14]

Artist: Cole Swindell
Single: "Middle Of A Memory"
Writers: Cole Swindell, Zachary Crowell, Ashley Gorley
Album: You Should Be Here
Label: Warner Music Nashville
Impact Date: TBA
Source: iHeartRadio interview

Well, if you enjoyed "You Should Be Here," Cole can't wait for fans to hear his next single off the album "Middle of a Memory."

"The next single is 'Middle of a memory,' so that's kind of the one I'm most anxious about. It's the next one we're sending to country radio and I'm dying for the fans to hear it. And I'm hoping they're going to love it, because me and all my guys in the band and everybody, we all love this song. We've loved it for a long time and I hope it does well for us."

Audio Coming Soon!

Good to see winstonmurdock was right.

I would greatly appreciate jhomes87 or Kurt move the "Flatliner" thread to the "Non-Singles" forum. Pretty please... :)

I've got a sneaky suspicion we'll see this one debut at radio this Friday, when the album drops.

[winstonmurdock]

I have a sneaking suspicion that it will get a I Heart radio premiere on May 6.Hope ya'll like it. It's a good record.

[sabre14]

May 1, 2016 0:19:10 GMT -5 winstonmurdock said:

I have a sneaking suspicion that it will get a I Heart radio premiere on May 6.Hope ya'll like it. It's a good record.

I'm sure we'll see this have at least a mini deal if not a full blown hourly debut this Friday starting at 6:00 a.m on iHeartmedia stations.

[sabre14]

Debuting Friday morning. No surprise there.

[sabre14]

[hosssulpizio]

Good to hear this might be similar to "You Should Be Here". That was his best song by far.

[matty005]

I'm pumped to hear this. I LOVE "Stars" from his album and I hope that's a single soon!

[sabre14]

Lyric from "Middle Of A Memory" via Cole's twitter.

"In the middle of a dance floor all alone... In the middle of an old school country song.."

[phil1996]

The lyrics to "Broke Down" are superb.....though it sounds just like Hope You Get Lonely Tonight. Hoping this one has somewhat of a different sound.

[jdbowman]

Out of the songs he has released so far I really like Remember Boys and Broke Down is pretty good.

Just an interesting observation but "Middle of a Memory" is a lyric from his song "Kiss" off one of his Down Home sessions. When I first saw this thread that lyric immediately popped in my head.

[Daryl the Beryl]

[dm2081]

This is pretty solid. Not great, but solid. Kind of surprised they're going with two slower singles in a row, especially since we are hitting the summer months now. I think this will be another #1 for Cole, but I don't see it being as big as some of his past hits ("Ain't Worth The Whiskey", "You Should Be Here"). "Broke Down" and "Home Game" better be singles at some point or I'll be pretty pissed off.

[Dustin J.]

Just a heads-up, friends...there's a thread in the "Country News & Non-Singles" board to discuss the album. :)

[CoJoFan]

I've always been a fan of Cole's music but man! Two great singles in a row! I think this may be another #1 for him.

[sabre14]

"Middle Of A Memory" debuts at #49 on rolling chart today. Hourly airplay on iHeartMedia stations yesterday.

[bksouthga]

May 5, 2016 22:55:45 GMT -5 dm2081 said:

This is pretty solid. Not great, but solid. Kind of surprised they're going with two slower singles in a row, especially since we are hitting the summer months now. I think this will be another #1 for Cole, but I don't see it being as big as some of his past hits ("Ain't Worth The Whiskey", "You Should Be Here"). "Broke Down" and "Home Game" better be singles at some point or I'll be pretty pissed off.

When Cole did the iHeart promo on Bobby Bones this week, he told the story of the song, and from the story I thought it was going to be more of a lighthearted uptempo song, so I was a little disappointed upon actually hearing it. And I'm not a Cole fan, so it's not like I had overly high expectations. But i listened and thought, gosh,this is a lot sadder (or melancholy at least) than he made it out to be talking about it.

[sabre14]

Debuts at #46 on Mediabase this week.

[sabre14]

"Middle Of A Memory" is the most added song at Country radio this week with at least 53 adds.

[winstonmurdock]

Middle of a Memory debuts at #34 on Billboard chart.

[DJ General]

Just premiered this yesterday. Really like it!

[dm2081]

I have one issue with this song that is keeping me from fully enjoying this one.  When I read the lyrics, I can't help but picture this as a more humorous song, like an old school Alan Jackson style one.  Basically, the narrator is sad because after 1 minute of dancing with a girl he gets "cock blocked".  However, the chorus actually sounds more serious and sad then I think it should be.  Nobody should be worrying that much about a 1 minute encounter with a lady or guy, and I think the tone of the song just doesn't match up with the lyrics.  If this had a more funny style to it like "I Don't Even Know Your Name" or Billy Currington's "Wingman" then I would enjoy this more.  But its hard for me to take this serious as it stands.  Its a shame because I really enjoy the production on this one and I think the whole "middle of a memory" idea is a good one for a song, but the story leading up to it just isn't strong enough.

[rowdawg21]

May 19, 2016 15:43:32 GMT -5 dm2081 said:

I have one issue with this song that is keeping me from fully enjoying this one.  When I read the lyrics, I can't help but picture this as a more humorous song, like an old school Alan Jackson style one.  Basically, the narrator is sad because after 1 minute of dancing with a girl he gets "cock blocked".  However, the chorus actually sounds more serious and sad then I think it should be.  Nobody should be worrying that much about a 1 minute encounter with a lady or guy, and I think the tone of the song just doesn't match up with the lyrics.  If this had a more funny style to it like "I Don't Even Know Your Name" or Billy Currington's "Wingman" then I would enjoy this more.  But its hard for me to take this serious as it stands.  Its a shame because I really enjoy the production on this one and I think the whole "middle of a memory" idea is a good one for a song, but the story leading up to it just isn't strong enough.

These are my thoughts exactly. I had the same reaction the first time I heard the song...you're upset because a girl you knew for a few minutes left you to hang out with her friends, which is (presumably) why she was at the bar in the first place?

[carriekins]

May 20, 2016 8:01:42 GMT -5 rowdawg21 said:

May 19, 2016 15:43:32 GMT -5 dm2081 said:

I have one issue with this song that is keeping me from fully enjoying this one.  When I read the lyrics, I can't help but picture this as a more humorous song, like an old school Alan Jackson style one.  Basically, the narrator is sad because after 1 minute of dancing with a girl he gets "cock blocked".  However, the chorus actually sounds more serious and sad then I think it should be.  Nobody should be worrying that much about a 1 minute encounter with a lady or guy, and I think the tone of the song just doesn't match up with the lyrics.  If this had a more funny style to it like "I Don't Even Know Your Name" or Billy Currington's "Wingman" then I would enjoy this more.  But its hard for me to take this serious as it stands.  Its a shame because I really enjoy the production on this one and I think the whole "middle of a memory" idea is a good one for a song, but the story leading up to it just isn't strong enough.

These are my thoughts exactly. I had the same reaction the first time I heard the song...you're upset because a girl you knew for a few minutes left you to hang out with her friends, which is (presumably) why she was at the bar in the first place?

And who said she wanted to be with him in the first place? It reeks of entitlement, honestly.

[Kentucky25]

Geez guys, I don't know that this song is meant to be taken that way at all lol. It's just a guy saying, give me a chance because we could've been something great. If nothing else, it's saying to just let the song end, because her leaving in the middle of a song takes the chance away they could've had. She obviously has some interest in him or she wouldn't be dancing with him in the first place. Basically I just see this as a guy being so enamored with a girl and he's just writing about how it could've been something, but never had the chance to get off the ground. This song reminds me of Toby Keith's "You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This" or Brad Paisley's "We Danced" (creepy enough, he wouldn't let her have her stuff until she danced with him, it's a little bit different situation, but it's the theme of one dance being enough to fall in love with someone.

[carriekins]

May 20, 2016 9:16:02 GMT -5 Kentucky25 said:

Geez guys, I don't know that this song is meant to be taken that way at all lol. It's just a guy saying, give me a chance because we could've been something great. If nothing else, it's saying to just let the song end, because her leaving in the middle of a song takes the chance away they could've had. She obviously has some interest in him or she wouldn't be dancing with him in the first place. Basically I just see this as a guy being so enamored with a girl and he's just writing about how it could've been something, but never had the chance to get off the ground. This song reminds me of Toby Keith's "You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This" or Brad Paisley's "We Danced" (creepy enough, he wouldn't let her have her stuff until she danced with him, it's a little bit different situation, but it's the theme of one dance being enough to fall in love with someone.

Yeah I'm not going to go too much into this but speaking as a female, I'm just going to leave it at...no. Suffice it to say I that more times than I've cared for at concerts and clubs some rando has decided he's my new love interest and I've had to go out of my way to get away from him. So sure, maybe this is just meant to be lighthearted, but the tone of the song doesn't read that way at all, and just because she danced with him doesn't mean Jack based on my own personal experience.

[Kentucky25]

May 20, 2016 9:31:20 GMT -5 carriekins said:

May 20, 2016 9:16:02 GMT -5 Kentucky25 said:

Geez guys, I don't know that this song is meant to be taken that way at all lol. It's just a guy saying, give me a chance because we could've been something great. If nothing else, it's saying to just let the song end, because her leaving in the middle of a song takes the chance away they could've had. She obviously has some interest in him or she wouldn't be dancing with him in the first place. Basically I just see this as a guy being so enamored with a girl and he's just writing about how it could've been something, but never had the chance to get off the ground. This song reminds me of Toby Keith's "You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This" or Brad Paisley's "We Danced" (creepy enough, he wouldn't let her have her stuff until she danced with him, it's a little bit different situation, but it's the theme of one dance being enough to fall in love with someone.

Yeah I'm not going to go too much into this but speaking as a female, I'm just going to leave it at...no. Suffice it to say I that more times than I've cared for at concerts and clubs some rando has decided he's my new love interest and I've had to go out of my way to get away from him. So sure, maybe this is just meant to be lighthearted, but the tone of the song doesn't read that way at all, and just because she danced with him doesn't mean Jack based on my own personal experience.

Again, I'm not implying she owes him anything, I just think it's a guy appreciating a girl so much that he wishes she could've stayed. I mean, she's gone and he's just still at the bar thinking about what could've been.  I cannot speak from the standpoint of a female, so you're more than welcome to interpret it how you'd like, but I tend to think it's just a pining over a missed chance, more so than a "she left and should've been mind, how could she?"
I mean, I get that it happens in real life, but nothing in the song implies that she doesn't like him or he forced her to dance, so that's why I don't see an issue with it, but, we are coming at it from different perspectives and I respect that you take issue with, I just wanted to give another opinion on the song so as to give it a fair shake.

On a side note, that you've actually had those experiences makes me want to never let my three little sisters go out alone, that's scary.

[carriekins]

Kentucky25 I'm sure that's how Cole meant it, but it is still frustrating based on my own experiences. And like, I'm 36, married, and have a 3-year-old and it still happens. I don't dress provocatively, nor do I drink heavily, and yet because I am merely female sometimes it seems that men think I owe them something - and I know I'm not alone in my experiences, either. Like I said, I'm sure your interpretation is what was intended, but there's always a different side to every coin. Merely providing food for thought.

[Kentucky25]

May 20, 2016 9:51:13 GMT -5 carriekins said:

@kentucky25 I'm sure that's how Cole meant it, but it is still frustrating based on my own experiences. And like, I'm 36, married, and have a 3-year-old and it still happens. I don't dress provocatively, nor do I drink heavily, and yet because I am merely female sometimes it seems that men think I owe them something - and I know I'm not alone in my experiences, either. Like I said, I'm sure your interpretation is what was intended, but there's always a different side to every coin. Merely providing food for thought.

Oh definitely, and from the male perspective, we don't usually experience that situation so it's hard for us to see it.  And I just want to be clear that I am in no way advocating that kind of behavior you've experienced, I just happen to like the song and wanted to give a bit of positive vibes towards it!
Either way, good relevant discussion about a song! Which is what Pulse is for.

[dajross6]

Wow, isn't the "one dance leads to falling in love, leads to marriage, leads to kids, leads to 50 years together" just an age old country music trope? I really think it's nitpicking something that has been done hundreds of times before, and a lot more "creepy" than this song seems to do. We have songs about girls climbing into trucks, girls as objects, and expecting things from girls at parties up and down country play lists, and now one song that is a take on a guy who is sad that he danced with a girl for a minute and in his mind could be a turning point in his life because he didn't get her name or number and now it's over. It's probably reading too much into the situation to think the guy is expecting a lot more in the short term when the lyrics talk about long term/relationship happiness.

I understand everyone interpret's songs differently and thus we react to songs in interesting ways. I honestly will not judge or accuse anyone for feeling the way they do about their lives or this song, but I for one am happy to have a song with great production hit on an "old-school" country trope. That's pretty much all I can ask for nowadays. I'm not a female so I won't pretend to put myself in those shoes, but i think it's a leap to think of this guy in the song immediately has nefarious intentions and is the guy you danced with last weekend (generally speaking). It's actually a pretty big stereotype of men in general in bars.

[kw9461]

May 21, 2016 15:49:11 GMT -5 dajross6 said:

Wow, isn't the "one dance leads to falling in love, leads to marriage, leads to kids, leads to 50 years together" just an age old country music trope? I really think it's nitpicking something that has been done hundreds of times before, and a lot more "creepy" than this song seems to do. We have songs about girls climbing into trucks, girls as objects, and expecting things from girls at parties up and down country play lists, and now one song that is a take on a guy who is sad that he danced with a girl for a minute and in his mind could be a turning point in his life because he didn't get her name or number and now it's over. It's probably reading too much into the situation to think the guy is expecting a lot more in the short term when the lyrics talk about long term/relationship happiness.

I understand everyone interpret's songs differently and thus we react to songs in interesting ways. I honestly will not judge or accuse anyone for feeling the way they do about their lives or this song, but I for one am happy to have a song with great production hit on an "old-school" country trope. That's pretty much all I can ask for nowadays. I'm not a female so I won't pretend to put myself in those shoes, but i think it's a leap to think of this guy in the song immediately has nefarious intentions and is the guy you danced with last weekend (generally speaking). It's actually a pretty big stereotype of men in general in bars.

You bring up some solid points, but I personally think he comes off a bit sad and desperate. The real problem though is that his vocals are so ordinary that they can't elevate the song in either direction. I admire what Cole was trying to do here, but for me he just doesn't have the chops to sell it.