Cole Swindell joined by Jo Dee Messina for surprise 2022 CMA Awards performance

Twelve-time country radio chart-topper Cole Swindell had some unexpected guest assistance from 90s country music hitmaker Jo Dee Messina onstage at the 2022 CMA Awards during his performance of "She Had Me at Heads California."

In a March 2022 Tennessean feature, Swindell highlighted how writing the song with Thomas Rhett and his frequent collaborators Ashley Gorley and Jesse Frasure involved getting a co-sign from the writers of "Heads Carolina, Tails California," the top-10 charting 1996 original the song samples, from that version's original writers, Mark D. Sanders and Tim Nichols, to finish the song.

In what has become a frequent part of Swindell's summer and fall touring schedule, he was joined as a surprise by the aforementioned Messina, with whom he's released an updated collaborative version of the vaunted hit. It was well-received by the live crowd in attendance at Bridgestone Arena.

Upon release, the track has become Swindell's fastest-rising single, topping the charts in 12 weeks. In addition, it made him the only artist in 2022 to have a five consecutive-week No. 1 across the Billboard and Country Aircheck airplay charts. Notably, too, Messina also appeared in the video for the song as a bartender during a karaoke night at a bar.

"The song's success has blown me away," said Swindell to The Tennessean. "Folks love it. To feel like I'm having a career revival attached to a song I grew up listening to is unexpected but exciting. Sharing my '90s country love with the world has been amazing."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: CMA Awards 2022: Cole Swindell joined by Jo Dee Messina for performance