{"id":7356,"date":"2016-03-02T10:25:17","date_gmt":"2016-03-02T16:25:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/?page_id=7356"},"modified":"2016-03-02T10:25:46","modified_gmt":"2016-03-02T16:25:46","slug":"you-should-be-here","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/music\/you-should-be-here\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;You Should Be Here&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Written by Cassidy Wilson. 02 March 2016.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Cole Swindell - You Should Be Here (Official Music Video)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/K8WlCqZPTeg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Before being known as a country singer, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.coleswindell.com\/?frontpage=true\">Cole Swindell<\/a> wrote many hit songs for artists such as <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thomasrhett.com\">Thomas Rhett<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.chrisyoungcountry.com\">Chris Young<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/floridageorgialine.com\">Florida Georgia Line<\/a> and of course tour partner, mentor, and friend <a href=\"http:\/\/lukebryan.com\">Luke Bryan<\/a>. Cole Swindell began his journey as a country singer in 2013 after signing with Warner Music Nashville. He spent the next two years of his career writing and singing hit Bro-Country songs about tailgates, beer, hot girls, and all other forms of drinking. Pop-Country and Bro-Country are constantly questioned for not being country enough. Cole\u2019s success in the country music genre surpasses these doubts.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/Mh-eN--JK8Q\">\u201cChillin\u2019 It\u201d<\/a> was Swindell\u2019s break out single in 2013, establishing him as more than just a song writer. This song caught the attention of many record labels and led him to officially sign with Warner. Other singles from his first album include \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/W10EJnhrkv8\">Hope You Get Lonely Tonight<\/a>\u201d, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/i8rMpN4o-b0\">Ain\u2019t Worth the Whiskey<\/a>\u201d and \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/EQY87ZICa9E\">Let Me See Ya Girl<\/a>.\u201d Cole Swindell won the ACM New Artist of the Year Award in April 2015, confirming that the country music industry accepted him and his Bro-Country influences. In contrast to most of his normal music, Cole released his single \u201cYou Should Be Here\u201d which has shown a different side to Swindell that his fans seem to enjoy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou Should Be Here\u201d was co-written by Cole Swindell and <a href=\"http:\/\/countryradioseminar.com\/ashley-gorley\">Ashley Gorley<\/a>. It was released to radio on December 14, 2015 as the title track single from his upcoming album that will be released in May of 2016.Gorley began writing \u201cYou Should Be Here\u201d with the idea of his daughter missing out on a such a big show he was doing because she was back home. He sent his daughter a text saying, \u201cYou should be here,\u201d and the song title was born. Soon after sharing ideas, \u201cYou Should Be Here\u201d was written in just two hours in the parking lot of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gillettestadium.com\">Gillette Stadium<\/a> before Gorley and Swindell would be performing in front of thousands of fans. Swindell says when he heard Gorley\u2019s title, \u201che knew where he needed to go\u201d (<em>Taste of Country<\/em>). Swindell took the original meaning of \u201cYou Should Be Here\u201d deeper.<\/p>\n<p>Swindell signed his record deal on July 13, 2013. Too quickly after, on September 3, Cole Swindell\u2019s father died<br \/>\nunexpectedly. As Swindell gained fame in the country music industry he strongly felt the missing presence of his dad and was continuously wishing he <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/www.countrycountdownusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1332\/2015\/10\/Lon-Cole-10-15.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"235\" height=\"143\" \/>could share these important moments with him. \u201cYou Should Be Here\u201d has given him a way of expressing this.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought about my dad,\u201d Swindell said in an interview with <em>Radio.com<\/em>. \u201cJust all the things that I get to do. It ain\u2019t even for the folks that maybe haven\u2019t lost somebody, maybe you just miss somebody. Maybe you have family in another state, or there\u2019s those moments in life that we all get to share, and it\u2019s like if that one person was here, man, they\u2019d freak out, they would love it.\u201d Anyone that has lost someone special to them, knows the feeling of not having them around for all of life\u2019s important events. Cole sings about this feeling and makes it relatable for anyone that understands what he has gone through.<\/p>\n<p>The music video for \u201cYou Should Be Here\u201d shows Swindell\u2019s experience with loss first hand. It opens with actual footage of that day in July when Cole called his dad to tell him he had officially signed with <a href=\"http:\/\/www.warnermusicnashville.com\">Warner Music\u00a0Nashville<\/a>. The video then transitions to Swindell\u2019s tour bus pulling up to his brother\u2019s house where he reunites with his family in many passionate hugs after he had been gone on the road for a long time.<\/p>\n<p>The music video takes place in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.glennvillega.com\">Glennville, Georgia<\/a>. The last time Swindell was there was for his father\u2019s funeral. The music video shows real footage of him seeing his father\u2019s grave for the first time since then, which explains the real emotion shown in Swindell\u2019s face as he sings the lines<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/countrymusicreport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Cole.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"209\" height=\"109\" \/> \u201cIt&#8217;s one of those moments, that&#8217;s got your name written all over it \/ And you know that if I had just one wish it&#8217;d be that you didn&#8217;t have to miss this \/ You should be here.\u201d The music video demonstrates Cole\u2019s experience with loss right as it is happening.<\/p>\n<p>In Cole Swindell\u2019s weekly YouTube video update to his fans, Swindell Vision, he states that making the video was helpful in his healing process. \u201cThis video, I think it was therapeutic for me to be with family and do what I should\u2019ve done the last two years and that was to be down there, but I am thankful that people get to see that that\u2019s life.\u201d As Cole stated, \u201cYou Should Be Here\u201d helped him in the healing process, so he hopes it can aid anyone else in the grieving process as well.<\/p>\n<p>Not only does this song relate to anyone that has lost someone they love but it can also be a very meaningful song on holidays such as Memorial Day and Veteran\u2019s Day. Cole touched on this in his interview with Radio.com \u201cI gave a little shout-out to the troops in my song \u2018Ain\u2019t Worth the Whiskey,\u2019 but nothing like this song right here. To the vets, to everybody that\u2019s ever lost anybody to somebody that\u2019s just out of town, it\u2019s gonna touch everybody I hope, and I hope it just means half to them what it means to me.\u201d In the past few years America has witnessed mass shootings, war, and terrorism. Within these events many lives were lost unexpectedly, leaving people back at home to grieve. This is the emotion Cole Swindell is expressing through his song \u201cYou Should Be Here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The specific timing of this song\u2019s release date in December may have been meant to trigger the grieving emotions of families that are missing a family member over the holidays. Michael Westegard commented on the music video for \u201cYou Should Be Here\u201d on YouTube saying, \u201cMy 24-year-old son died one month ago&#8230;he should have been here for Christmas, for New Year&#8217;s, for every day. I miss him so much.\u00a0His friends put together an amazing video of pictures\u00a0with this as one of the songs.\u201d This song sums up all the emotions of loss for Michael, Cole, and many others.<\/p>\n<p>One of the reasons this song may have so much success is because of its high level of connectivity. Since its recent release \u201cYou Should Be Here\u201d has already sold 225,000 copies. One of Cole\u2019s most well known singles, \u201cChillin\u2019 It\u201d reached number one on the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.billboard.com\/charts\/country-songs\">Billboard Hot Country Songs<\/a> after five months. \u201cYou Should Be Here\u201d is currently third\u00a0on the list of Billboard Hot Country Songs just two months after its release and it is still climbing.<\/p>\n<p>Some critics claim Cole\u2019s previous success as a country artist makes the song less persuasive. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.savingcountrymusic.com\">Trigger<\/a> from <em>Saving Country Music<\/em> says that since Swindell has already been established as a Bro-Country artist it is hard to trust him when he comes out with something meaningful. Cole Swindell is credible because of how real the lyrics are to him specifically. Who cares if he mentions cracking open a beer! Maybe that is a special memory he has when he visited his dad back home. Avery Clements summed it up perfectly with his comment on Cole\u2019s music video on YouTube when he said, \u201cthe people who dislike this song obviously never experienced the loss of a loved one.\u201d Clements relates to this song regardless of the subgenre and doesn\u2019t understand why others can\u2019t do the same.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=RM5aW83L_DE\">Drink a Beer<\/a>,\u201d released by Luke Bryan in 2013, is a similar Pop- Country song about mourning the loss of a loved one. While Luke was known for making party songs such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7HX4SfnVlP4\">\u2018Country Girl (Shake It For Me)<\/a>\u201d this displayed a different side to Luke as an artist. <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/photos-d.ak.instagram.com\/hphotos-ak-xaf1\/10848142_741981922545987_783244109_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"173\" height=\"173\" \/>When he was starting out, Cole Swindell spent three years on the road with Luke selling his merchandise and writing songs. Throughout these three years Cole\u2019s style as an artist was heavily influenced by Luke Bryan and the ways he became such a well known country singer.\u00a0Luke Bryan released \u201cDrink a Beer\u201d while Cole Swindell was his opening act on the \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/www.lukebryan.com\/tour.html\">That\u2019s My Kind of Night\u201d Tour<\/a>. Cole Swindell witnessed the success of Luke\u2019s song first hand which inspired him to change up his usual lyrical and instrumental style for \u201cYou Should Be Here\u201d just like Luke did in \u201cDrink A Beer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Regardless of what others think about the Bro-Country subgenre, \u201cYou Should Be Here\u201d is a powerful song in it\u2019s music video, lyrics, and instrumentation. \u00a0Unlike Cole Swindell\u2019s other fun upbeat songs, the musical instruments in \u201cYou Should Be Here\u201d create a sad tone. The strong presence of the piano and the passion in Swindell\u2019s voice create a soundtrack to the pain of losing a loved one. The instrumentation assists the lyrics of \u201cYou Should Be Here\u201d by really solidifying Cole\u2019s message of sorrow. The chorus and guitar presence get stronger at the end of \u201cYou Should Be Here\u201d when Cole sings out \u201cAnd you know that if I have just one with it\u2019d be that you didn\u2019t have to miss this.\u201d But it slows back down in the final two lines when Cole repeats \u201cYou Should Be Here\u201d leaving the listener mourning for the one they miss or have lost.<\/p>\n<p>Anyone that listens to \u201cYou Should Be Here\u201d cannot deny the powerful meaning in every note sung or played. \u201cYou have your own opinions about music, but there&#8217;s a lot of folks out there that don&#8217;t know you personally and this is very personal to me,\u201d Swindell states in an interview with <em>Rolling Stone<\/em>. \u201cI hope they don&#8217;t relate to it from having lost a parent, but I think anybody can from just the way we miss folks and how lucky we all are to do the things we do.&#8221; Regardless of your opinion on Bro-Country, you can\u2019t deny Cole Swindell\u2019s passion behind the song \u201cYou Should Be Here.\u201d Although Swindell took a risk and steered away from his normal high energy songs, \u201cYou Should Be Here\u201d has proved to be a success due to its relatability, powerful lyrics, strong instrumentation, and efficiency in conveying Cole\u2019s personal story.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Works Cited<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Cole Swindell on Moving New Single &#8216;You Should Be Here&#8217;: Ram Report.&#8221; <em>Rolling Stone<\/em>. 17 Dec. 2015. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Cole Swindell.&#8221; <em>YouTube<\/em>. YouTube, 15 Dec. 2015. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Cole Swindell, &#8216;You Should Be Here&#8217; [Listen].&#8221; <em>Taste of Country<\/em>. Taste of Country Staff, 14 Dec. 2015. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.<\/p>\n<p>Ives, Brian. &#8220;Cole Swindell Talks &#8216;You Should Be Here'&#8221; <em>Radio.com<\/em>. CBS Local, 14 Dec. 2015. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.<\/p>\n<p>Trigger. &#8220;Song Review \u2013 Cole Swindell\u2019s \u201cYou Should Be Here\u201d.&#8221; <em>Saving Country Music<\/em>. 15 Dec. 2015. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Written by Cassidy Wilson. 02 March 2016. Before being known as a country singer, Cole Swindell wrote many hit songs for artists such as Thomas Rhett, Chris Young, Florida Georgia Line and of course tour partner, mentor, and friend Luke &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/music\/you-should-be-here\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":122,"featured_media":0,"parent":18,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7356","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7356","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/122"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7356"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7356\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7362,"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7356\/revisions\/7362"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}