JD Clayton Tells the Story of Lost Love Reclaimed with New Single “Dance Another Dance”

Today (September 6), Arkansas-based country singer/songwriter JD Clayton released his first single with Rounder Records. He penned “Dance Another Dance” years ago for his cousin’s wedding. Now, fans everywhere are finally getting the chance to hear the tale of lost love reclaimed. Watch the official music video for the heartfelt strummer below.

Clayton has built his career on a combination of country and Southern rock. With “Dance Another Dance,” he and his touring band wear their wider influences on their sleeves. The result is a blend of the singer’s southern twang, barroom piano, and guitar work that would have felt at home on a Rolling Stones record in the ‘60s.

[RELATED: Exclusive: JD Clayton Reflects on Writing His Sage New Single “High Hopes & Low Expectations” with Kendell Marvel]

Lyrically, “Dance Another Dance” is based on a true story. Clayton shared that story in a press release. “In my early Nashville years, I worked for a trucking logistics company up in the L&C Tower on the 15th floor,” he recalled. “I had a cousin who worked for the company too and she was in love with the office manager. All the guys would tease the manager about the romance and try to get him to take my cousin on a date,” he added. The office manager never made a move, so Clayton’s cousin moved to Colorado. Realizing his mistake, the manager hopped on a flight to Colorado to track her down.

“A couple years later, I sang the first dance at their wedding. I wrote ‘Dance Another Dance’ for them,” Clayton shared. “Sometimes you need to just ask for a second chance and hopefully the person you love will give it to you.”

JD Clayton on “Dance Another Dance”

“Dance Another Dance was written at my desk in one sitting on the second floor of my tiny Arkansas apartment,” JD Clayton exclusively told American Songwriter. “I wanted to practice the skill of writing lyrics without an instrument to see if it would inspire me; indeed it did. I recorded it and released it but then later hated it and took it down. The way I had recorded and produced the song felt like it had fallen out of the bounds of my true brand,” he explained.

“So I took stock of the song and waited till the right moment to put it back out into the world. That opportunity came last year when I had my new touring band and we had 100 shows under our belts. I decided to take the old song back into the studio and with this band. What started as a predictable love story song became a rock n’ roll ballad.”

Featured Image by Jesse DeFlorio