Cole Swindell, Lainey Wilson's No. 1 'Never Say Never' has feel of classic country duets

The celebration at BMI's Music Row offices of Cole Swindell and Lainey Wilson achieving No. 1 status for their November 2021-released duet "Never Say Never" could have easily just been a recitation of platitudes for A-list Nashville songwriters Jessi Alexander and Chase McGill.

Plus, it could have been a hallelujah chorus aimed at Swindell and Wilson, achieving new levels of stardom after nearly a quarter-century in Music City.

However, it was unfurling the DNA of the song that took 23 weeks to reach the top of country music's charts that yielded the most significant victory of the evening.

"Oh yeah, 'Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man,'" exclaimed the "Things a Man Oughta Know" vocalist when The Tennessean asks about the influence of other notable country duet singers like Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty on the performance of her latest hit single.

Five decades have elapsed since the 1973 release of the Becki Bluefield and Jim Owen-penned ballad that Wilson referenced in conversation. Related, Wilson patted Swindell on the back and said, "we're going to be releasing duets 10, 20, 30 years from now." At that moment, the connective tissue that binds the modern pair to their Country Music Hall of Fame member analogues became apparent.

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Wilson's voice has been described as a blend of country, rock and soul. But it's probably easier to say that the Baskin, Louisiana, native – similar to Lynn – sings with a style that is, as the Country Music Hall of Famer once described her style, "pure, simple and real."

"(Artists like Lynn and Twitty) are huge inspirations in my tool belt," added Alexander. "For a duet to work, you must consider how lyrical phrasing interacts with male and female timbres and tone in the best manner in the correct vocal keys."

Swindell was the Academy of Country Music's Best New Artist in 2015 and had achieved eight No. 1 singles on country radio by 2018. However, he had not attained a No. 1 single in two years before "Stereotype." Time, patience and wisdom have blended with his talent to yield a more seasoned vocal performance that serves "Never Say Never" well.

"All of the perfect things that Jessi and Chase achieved by writing this song in the way they wrote this song attracted me to it," Swindell said. "Then, Lainey came along. But we were sitting on this song – which had been decided was going to be one of the lead singles for my album – for two years, and then I had no idea when this album was going to be released."

Swindell's words best describe the collaboration's more kismet-driven reasons for success. But, on the evening of the 13th, he was,  as he has been all year, humbled by how he's achieved his 10th No. 1 single, as his album "Stereotype" also continues to soar into the mainstream, pop-country consciousness.

He recalled being on a tour bus five years ago while touring in New Orleans.

"I was sitting on the bus, and I heard Jessi and Chase exchanging these lyrics back and forth, and I got excited," he says.

After some years passed, Swindell, who had become aware of Wilson as her Music City star has grown over the past four years, reached out to her to sing the duet. Wilson, when reached by the "Single Saturday Night" vocalist, was somewhere she hadn't been in a decade: sipping on a pina colada on vacation in Mexico.

"But when Cole told me it was a song he'd written with Jessi and Chase, I basically agreed before I pressed play," she said. "Then, I hit play, and the first thing I heard was 'I told my momma, I told my friends.' I didn't know if they knew how much I say 'my momma said,' but, yeah, I knew this was for me."

Up next for the two performers are a slew of career-redefining moments – the No. 1 party for "Never Say Never" was a pit stop on their rocketing ride to country superstardom.

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Wilson is recording new music while also anticipating the November premiere of her multi-episode guest role on the Paramount+ program "Yellowstone." Plus, her current single, "Heart Like a Truck," has broken into the top 40 after roughly eight weeks on country radio. Famously, her first No. 1 single, "Things a Man Oughta Know," took well over a year to hit the top of the charts.

As for Swindell, in an era when country's retro-tinged, '90s adoration is peaking, his Jo Dee Messina-sampling single, "She Had Me At Heads Carolina," could be the genre's "Song of the Summer."

"I didn't want to mess up a classic. To see how it's succeeding – how everything, the Lainey duet, the album, all of it – is scary, awesome and cool. I have to thank God for all of this right now. I'm not in control. He is, and I'm grateful."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Cole Swindell, Lainey Wilson's Never Say Never tops country charts