The Power of a Really Great Song is in the Lyrics
Walking the Floor by Chris O’Kelley
We have all heard the country joke: What do you get when you play a country song backwards?
You get your car back, your wife back and your dog back. It is a funny joke that’s been around for many years, but it also illustrates the power a well-written song holds.
Songs that have stood the test of time have done so for two reasons. The first is the musicality of the song -the rhythm, the melody, or the well-placed hook. But for me, a song stands the test of time when the lyrics hit you right in the heart. How many times have you heard a song and it stops you dead in your tracks because you can relate with those lyrics. You instantly recall some moment in your life, be it joyous or sad.
Back In early September, Ernest, a relatively new recording artist released a track entitled “Would IF I Could.” And while Ernest is himself a prolific and successful songwriter, having penned tunes for Morgan Wallen, Jelly Roll, Hardy, Post Malone and others, the song was written by legendary country music writers Dean Dillion and Skip Ewing.
Dean Dillion has written 25 No. 1 songs for artists such as George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith, and Keith Whitley. Skip Ewing has written more than a dozen No. 1 songs for himself and artists such as Bryan White, Randy Travis, Mark Wills and Diamond Rio. To say these are two of the greatest country music song writers of all time is an understatement. In 1996, Dean and Skip got together and wrote a song that would not be recorded for 28 years. It is not unusual that songs sit in vaults in Nashville waiting for the right time and moment.
“Would If I Could” was pulled out of the vault by Dean Dillion’s daughter and pitched to Ernest for his latest release, “Nashville Tennessee.” Once Ernest heard it, he did a rough recording of the song and sent it to Dean and said he was going to cut the song. Dean replied that if he was writing songs like this, he had no need for him. Ernest reminded him that “Would If I Could” was one of his. Dean had forgotten that he wrote it.
That is a great story on its own. It gets better. The very next day, Ernest received a text from Dean saying Lainey Wilson has the song on hold also and wants to record it for an Apple Music Session. He told Ernest to reach out to Lainey and let them figure it out. Ernest talked to Lainey, and it was her idea for them to do it as a duet.
A song sat in a vault for nearly 30 years and was picked by two different artists within two days of each other. Unreal.
“This song is a testament to the power of a song and that time knows no boundaries with a good song,” Ernest said.
“Would If I Could” feels like a throwback to those heady days when George Jones and Tammy Wynette, Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn, and so many other great country music duos were making classic duets – country music at its finest. It proves there is power in a great song – regardless of when it was written or released. The right lyrics always take us on a trip down memory lane.