Ernest Sending Solo Version Of Classic Country Heartbreaker “Would If I Could” To Country Radio As Next Single

Dare I say... the most truly country song we've heard on country radio in decades? Today, Ernest announced that he's sending his classic country heartbreaker "Would If I Could" to country radio as his next single, which originally featured Lainey Wilson as a duet. The song was included on Ern's Nashville, Tennessee album that he released earlier this year, and it actually has an incredibly interesting backstory, seeing as it was written in 1996 by two of the all-time great country music songwriters Dean Dillon and Skip Ewing in what was somehow their only writing collaboration together. Ernest shared the news in a post on Instagram this afternoon, saying he's taking a solo version of the tune to country radio rather than the duet, since Lainey has so much going on with promoting her forthcoming Whirlwind album, which is slated to drop this Friday: "Listen up! We’re going to be taking a solo version of 'Would If I Could' to radio and I just wanted to tell you guys first and say thank you for streaming my album, showing up at our shows and singing this one with us. It’s been such a blessing to be out there singing country songs with y'all every single night. Lainey is about to drop her album this Friday and she’s got a lot on her plate promoting that. Which y’all should go pre save her album... and then call your local radio station and request 'Would if I Could' - let’s run this one up together! Excited to start this country music radio journey!" I do really wish it was the duet, because I love a good duet and theirs was so well-done, but this song will stand on its own either way and I really hope it does well because this is the kind of music country fans have been begging to have back on the airwaves for years now: https://www.instagram.com/p/C-8OZ-juKKk/ And in terms of the full story of how Ern ended up with an almost 30-year old song, Dean Dean told Lost & Found Radio with Lori McKenna a while back that he always knew it was a great song that for whatever reason just got tossed aside like so many unfortunately do: “Skip and I had never written before, I don’t know who had the melody or who had the idea, but when we finished, I thought we had a great song. There was more to it than a lot of other stuff I’ve written, but for whatever reason, and you know this yourself, it happens a lot. They just get pitched a couple times and that’s it. You never hear about them again. And then somebody somewhere dug this out of the trash can somewhere.” Lainey actually first covered "Would If I Could" solo for a special Apple Music Sessions feature in 2023, and I was obsessed from the very first time I heard it. So when Ernest announced that they were turning it into a duet for this project, I knew it would be special because it's such a timeless and beautiful song. With a melody that's stood the test of time for almost three decades, Ernest and Lainey brought a fresh sound with their modern vocals, which shine as they sing about heartbreak and knowing when it’s time to let go of a relationship... even if you'd rather do anything else. Ernest says the album as a whole is an attempt to honor the songwriting and storytelling that makes country music so unique and special: "I was born and raised in Nashville. I love this city, it's the country music capital of the world, and this album is a positive affirmation in the name of country music. That country at its core, the songwriting and storytelling, is popular again." In my initial post about the song, I said that the song sounds like it could be playing at an old hole in the wall honky tonk in 1974, and I would do anything to hear it as a country radio single in 2024, so I think this is a brilliant move (and something that would've absolutely never touched country radio airwaves five or so years ago). These kinds of songs are what set country apart from every other genre, and in my very humble opinion, you cannot beat a sad, simple heartbreaker like "Would If I Could." He hasn't put out the solo version yet, but you can (and should) listen to the duet here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TJ2kdE_6Dw